Ninja Ice House

Chapter 609 Poaching

Compared to her twin brother Kazuki, Chika is noticeably a head taller. Even though girls grow faster and develop earlier in their early years, the contrast between the siblings is still quite striking.

Mikoto Uchiha never truly understood just how mischievous boys her age could be.

Despite his young age, Itachi Uchiha was already quite mature. Growing up in that environment, he had to understand the ways of the world at a young age. He joined the Anbu at eleven, awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan at thirteen, and then defected, severely injuring Orochimaru.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, who are about the same age, are still practicing climbing trees and walking on water, far behind.

As for Sasuke, when he was around the age of seven, when he was relatively well-behaved, his family and fellow countrymen were all killed. Before he even reached the stage of being hated by everyone, he became an "orphan" and had no chance to be naughty in front of his parents.

Besides, even when she was being affectionate, it was towards her older brother. Her strict father, Fugaku Uchiha, and loving mother, Mikoto Uchiha, didn't really give her many opportunities to experience the "spare the rod and spoil the child" parenting style.

These days, twin siblings are really hard to please. The older sister, Qianxia, ​​seems very well-behaved on the surface and is very sensible in front of her parents and elders, but she has too many little tricks up her sleeve. The word "sly and wicked" is the most appropriate way to describe her. As for the younger brother, he is even more of a headache. He is willing to admit his mistakes, but he will never change. He will do whatever he wants. Once he has made up his mind, not even nine oxen can pull him back.

Unfortunately, the older sister, Chinatsu's, favorite "game" is to find her younger brother's "weak points," drag him to their parents, and watch him be disciplined or even beaten. She also occasionally "entraps" him, subtly guiding him to make mistakes, and then stepping in as the responsible older sister to interfere.

Even the insightful Uchiha Mikoto sometimes couldn't be too harsh on them. The two little ones were full of energy, and she had to play along with the "loving mother teaching her children" act. But too much of it was a bit tiring!

With the arrival of winter vacation, the return of children to school is a major concern for many parents.

Taking advantage of the rare opportunity to visit Shinjuku for a vacation, the whole family reunited, and even the father, Haruki, was able to enjoy quality time with his wife and children amidst his busy schedule.

As the de facto ruler of Shinjuku Town for many years, he remotely controls the power in Konoha Village, influencing the village's economic trajectory and indirectly interfering with the flow of funds and distribution of profits throughout the Land of Fire and even the ninja world. He bears a heavy responsibility.

If it were anyone else, Gu Shanbu Shui might not feel at ease.

"Your cousin Bu Shui is here, right? What gift did he bring you? Oh, and Kagami and Tsukasa are here too, right? Even though you're an elder, you're about the same age, so get along well and don't argue. Oh, and Izumi is here too, little one, take good care of her..."

"Ok!"

Being of a higher generation can sometimes be awkward. Even someone as imposing as Kosugi Shaodu is only Chinatsu's cousin. He's quite busy, so Karin only visits occasionally. He's not very familiar with Chinatsu, his younger "cousin." But it's different with Hiiragi, Kagami, and Tsukasa. They're all close in age, so they interact more often. Sometimes they get along well, but sometimes they argue over a disagreement.

Chika is precocious despite her young age and never suffers a loss. Kosugi Bokumizu's three daughters are no pushovers either. After all, there are many of them, so they won't be bullied.

Generally speaking, each meeting is relatively harmonious at first because of the long period of no contact and the resolution of conflicts. However, problems tend to arise over time.

"I'm the elder, so I won't stoop to their level. It's just that Ichiki is annoying. He always likes to play with Hiiragi and the others. Even though he's the elder, he keeps calling us 'older sister,' even though he's a little younger than us."

"Isn't it just a little bit bigger?"

"Really? Elders... they should be older and more mature. Those younger ones are so impolite."

Seeing Ikki cowering under the pressure of "Sister's Power," Mikoto Uchiha couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"Let go of your brother first, and have someone take him to get cleaned up. The regional finals are about to start, and you all said you wanted to see 'Whirlwind Bear', right? Hurry up and get ready so you don't miss it."

"Good good!"

The two children rushed to the washroom, washed up, ate, and prepared to finish their workbooks before they could go out to play again.

"Wow, so energetic..."

Uchiha Izumi sighed,

"Perhaps only a good family background can protect this precious childlike heart!"

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Gu Shanbu could have easily ignored these documents, but since they were the result of his uncle Zhiji's work, it would have been a bit unfair to completely disregard them, especially when discussing matters face-to-face.

After patiently flipping through it, Gu Shanbu Shui actually discovered something interesting.

"The number of children eliminated from the Konoha Ninja Academy and those who directly applied to Shinjuku Academy has already reached this level?"

Gu Shanbu knew that the position would rise year after year, but he didn't have high hopes. He never expected that the "poaching" operation, which was so close at hand, would be so successful.

"Ninja aptitude is not something everyone can achieve. The Konoha Ninja Academy has to consider the cost of training. If someone's aptitude is below the threshold, it's not worth the effort, so they're mostly turned away. In contrast, the secular world offers a wide variety of jobs, and the number of positions is significantly greater. As long as you learn real skills, even if you don't become a ninja, it's better than knowing nothing."

Just like learning the Three Body Techniques, or ninja tool throwing, water walking, tree climbing, and high-altitude climbing, it's enough to be a bodyguard for a caravan. If you also know a bit about math and accounting, or have studied grammar rules such as document drafting and contract drafting, you can become a versatile and well-rounded person who will be popular wherever you go.

For children from ordinary families, this is enough. Having a skill to make a living, being able to make friends at school, finding like-minded partners, and having partners who can help and support each other is already very good.

The acceptance rate of the Konoha Ninja Academy has remained below 20% for most years. Only during times of war or when more positions are available will the enrollment be appropriately increased. In fact, a large number of children from Konoha families cannot become ninjas, or even technical ninjas.

Aside from the ninja path, among the subjects at the Konoha Ninja Academy, only medical ninjutsu and the teacher-training ninja have any future prospects. The others are best left unmentioned, such as sealing techniques, barrier techniques, summoning techniques, and advanced medical ninjutsu, which the ninja academy doesn't teach at all, and the children can't learn them anyway.

“Not every child born into a ninja family can enter the ninja academy, and a small number even struggle to graduate. However, they actually have a certain foundation and decent aptitude, so they come here to further their studies, either by joining the association as martial artists or by seeking other paths.”