Back to Ninja Academy, the Pinnacle of Great Perfection!
[Perhaps I do need some time to step away from basic training and ordinary ninja battles, to try and construct my own combat style.]
Lin Ke sat up. He didn't feel any discomfort. The ice created by Horus caused no harm to his body. He could even spit it out to freeze wounds, which was very effective. Freezing himself was also a protective measure.
If he had been full of energy, he could have chosen to freeze himself and any enemies who approached, then attack through Horus.
Thinking about it afterward, if he had known he could summon Horus, he would have had many ways to fight. Even if he couldn't defeat Hatake Kakashi, he wouldn't have been defeated so miserably.
With unique ninjutsu, he and ordinary ninjas were destined to walk different paths. He had been too influenced by his studies at the Ninja Academy, and had actually tried to compete with a battle-hardened Jonin elite who had survived wars, using conventional ninja combat methods.
That was just asking for trouble.
Combat rhythm is very important.
If he just wanted to be an ordinary Genin, he would naturally have to follow the combat methods and training experience that ninjas had accumulated over the years. But he possessed unique ninjutsu and extremely ordinary Chakra and physical abilities, so his combat style would inevitably be different.
What is combat, if not using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses?
Thinking of this, Lin Ke felt relaxed. Failure was expected. Discovering the flaws in his character, understanding what real combat was about, and jumping out of the ninja mode's trap were his greatest gains.
Discovering problems in a practice exercise is always better than suffering in real combat before understanding.
"Yo~ You're awake?" Hatake Kakashi appeared at the door at some point, holding Make-Out Paradise in one hand, his tone still lazy.
"Did I pass the test?" Lin Ke asked, holding onto a sliver of hope. He had tried to grab the bell at the end, so maybe he could graduate this year?
Hatake Kakashi used his finger as a bookmark to close the book, his tone slightly amused. "All three of you failed."
"I grabbed the bell," Lin Ke said.
Hatake Kakashi looked at the eight-year-old, the smile in his exposed eye deepening. "No, this test assesses your teamwork and mission execution abilities. Grabbing the bell isn't the most important criterion."
Konoha Village is indeed a relatively unique existence among ninja villages. The ninja's mission-only and tool theories are being increasingly weakened and even collapsing in Konoha.
From the Konoha White Fang, who was criticized to the point of suicide for abandoning a mission early on, to Mizuki, who lost his promotion path for merely being suspected of killing a comrade.
By the time Tsunade became Hokage, she could strongly oppose the instructions of the advisors and elders, allowing the Jinchuriki to run around the world.
The later Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto need no further explanation.
It was precisely because of this relaxed environment that Lin Ke was willing to show his differences. If it were the Hidden Mist Village or the Sand Ninja Village, he would probably hide his abilities until he defected.
No matter how dark Danzo is, Konoha Village is always the best ninja village to its own people.
Moreover, Danzo had already lost power after the Uchiha clan massacre, and shouldn't have any room to jump around until the Third Hokage's death.
Besides, the abilities he has shown aren't that outstanding yet. Konoha Village can still accommodate him. Horus is the least powerful and buggy of all the substitutes he has tried to summon before.
"Okay, so I have to go back to the Ninja Academy to study again?" Lin Ke's face didn't show much, but his tone was still slightly disappointed.
He got out of bed. Apart from slight muscle soreness caused by excessive physical exertion, his body was fine.
"Can I go home now?" he asked.
Horus's freezing effect wasn't harmful to the body and could even freeze wounds, but clothes and ninja tools didn't belong to the 'body'.
Another big loss, Lin Ke thought, his heart bleeding. Clothes weren't expensive, but ninja tools were really painful, very expensive. Fortunately, he was worried that the battle would cause damage and didn't bring his wallet, otherwise...
But it was good that he didn't graduate directly. If he had graduated and become a Genin, he would no longer be a student or a child, and the subsidies for orphans and Ninja Academy students would be directly canceled. That would be really difficult. Genin couldn't save any money at all.
"Your body is very healthy, you can leave the hospital at any time." Hatake Kakashi put Make-Out Paradise into his Waist Pouch, tilted his head slightly to look at Lin Ke in the small hospital gown, and said with a smile, "So, to celebrate your return to retake the course, how about I treat you to a meal?"
...
Hokage Building, Hokage Office.
"...The above is the complete investigation regarding Ninja Academy student Lin Ke."
Hatake Kakashi calmly reported all the objective observations and subjective feelings, then stood quietly waiting.
There were no suspicious points, the growth process was without any problems, the background was clean, and the revealed Bloodline Limit was worth cultivating, but it didn't reach the level that required the elders and advisors to intervene.
Konoha Village can accommodate the existence of geniuses, and even orphans of unknown origin are adopted. At least it's not a crazy organization that would attack its own people.
There are a few people making small moves in the dark, after all, a big forest has all kinds of birds, but being open and aboveboard is out of the question.
"Hoo~"
The Third Hokage, wearing a conical hat, took a deep puff of his pipe, exhaled smoke, and his expression didn't change at all. "Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi."
"Then I'll take my leave, Third Hokage." Hatake Kakashi naturally took his leave. There was nothing else for him to do. He left with a Body Flicker Technique.
The Third Hokage looked at Lin Ke's file on the desk for a long time before tapping his pipe and saying, "Increase the target's attention level."
The Anbu in the shadows listened and recorded the order.
Increasing the attention level wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't so much surveillance as it was providing protection. Konoha Village was so big, and whether it was in some dark corner or involving spies, dealing with an eight-year-old child was easy, whether it was ambushing and kidnapping or bewitching them.
Earlier, when Lin Ke entered the Ninja Academy, the Anbu had provided him with a certain degree of protection. The reason why Mizuki was unable to continue to 'accidentally encounter' him was due to the Anbu's attention. Now, increasing the attention level simply meant that he was deemed to be in greater need of protection.
There was no other meaning.
The Third Hokage wouldn't target a little kid. There were plenty of ninjas with special techniques or Bloodline Limits. Eight years old wasn't considered young during wartime.
After making the decision to protect him, he closed Lin Ke's file, looked at the more important documents below, and continued to deal with official business.
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