Blue Star. Eight in the evening. On Aiku’s New Anime Recommendations, *Naruto: The Prequel* was exceptionally eye-catching.
After the premiere began, very soon…
“First!”
“*Naruto: The Prequel*? Kishimoto’s only drawn up to the Chunin Exams in the manga. Is this dogshit anime-original filler?”
“Obviously.”
“I know it’s probably a pile of crap, but I still couldn’t stop myself from coming in for a bite.”
The complaints flew, yet the bullet comments kept multiplying.
The *Naruto* manga was wildly popular in this world—especially after entering the Chunin Exams arc recently, its popularity had skyrocketed once again.
So.
Even though this “prequel” was most likely bait-and-switch, every Naruto fan still couldn’t resist clicking in.
After the OP, very soon—
Naruto’s running figure flashed across the screen.
He lugged a bucket of ink, his steps swift.
Immediately, the bullet comments flooded with quips like “classic formula” and “same old mischievous Naruto.”
Zhenyan, who had just gotten off work and was watching the video and bullet comments at home, keenly detected a crucial piece of information—
In this world, Kishimoto’s manga had also only reached the Chunin Exams!
The situation was somewhat different from his previous life.
He fell into thought, his gaze drifting with the bullet comments.
Very soon—
“A new character? Kinda handsome!”
“Holy shit, his moves are so pretentious, but he’s actually handsome too. I love this art style!”
“Huh? Is this Naruto’s new teacher? But he never appeared in the manga!”
As the episode progressed, everyone finally grasped the timeline of the “prequel.”
Naruto and Sasuke were seven years old.
The story even showed a scene of Itachi sending Sasuke to school; the Uchiha clan had yet to be massacred.
However.
What sparked the most heated discussion was still this “Liu Sheng Zhenyan,” whose art style was somewhat different from the other teachers.
“So pretentious, so handsome, I love it!”
“His attitude is so two-faced…”
“He’s a villain, right? Blind guess—one of Orochimaru’s men? He never showed up in the manga, so he must be an original villain.”
“But he’s so handsome. Does Kishimoto seriously not plan to let him appear in the manga?”
The bullet comments buzzed with excitement. Zhenyan stared at the screen, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
In the latter half, he didn’t appear again; the focus locked onto Iruka’s lessons and Naruto’s terrible ninjutsu performance.
Although he only appeared in the first half, he occupied a quarter of the first episode’s total runtime of just over twenty minutes.
His debut performance was undoubtedly a success!
Once the episode finished, the light screen automatically closed, and lines of text surfaced on the panel.
【Popularity Rating: S】
【Comprehensive Assessment…】
【Congratulations! You have been promoted to: S-Class Special Actor】
【Remuneration Obtained: Actor’s Basic Training—Taijutsu Volume】
【Permissions Unlocked. The “Ability Training” Module Has Loaded Successfully!】
“Ten to thirty percent screen time makes a Special Actor?”
Zhenyan pondered. His gaze dropped to the lines below, and then, with a thought—
In the next instant, a brand-new panel appeared before his eyes.
【Ability Training】
【Unlocked: Basic Training—Taijutsu Volume】
【Duration: Permanent】
Liu Sheng Zhenyan sat down, staring at “Basic Training—Taijutsu Volume” on the panel. In just one second…
His vision blurred, and space distorted.
…
When he came to, an entirely blank world stretched before him, and standing in front of him was a rigid figure.
Might Guy!
However, it wasn’t the current jounin Guy, but an eleven-year-old Guy who had just become a chunin.
“My name is Might Guy. Starting today, I will be responsible for your basic taijutsu training. Please guide me!”
The other party bowed deeply.
Liu Sheng Zhenyan returned the bow. “Please guide me!”
“Basic taijutsu is ceaseless training and bitter cultivation—turning punches, kicks, elbows, dodges, and so on into instinct…”
The youth Might Guy rapidly shared his insights.
Zhenyan was stunned for a second, then laughed in spite of himself.
That was right.
This wasn’t the real Might Guy. Otherwise, the other party would definitely be excitedly spouting incomprehensible words like “youth” and “hot blood.”
He was merely a projection created by the “System.”
Zhenyan composed himself and listened attentively.
The youth Might Guy spoke for a long time before saying, “You can train here, or engage in actual combat training with me.”
“Alright.”
Zhenyan nodded.
The next moment—
Swoosh!
The two simultaneously used the Body Flicker Technique, rapidly closing the distance between them.
But.
Zhenyan had only just raised his hand when Guy’s foot came flying in.
Bang!
Hand clashing against foot, naturally the hand came out worse. Fortunately, with chakra reinforcement and defense, he wasn’t injured.
He quickly counterattacked, yet…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several counters combining the Body Flicker Technique with taijutsu actually couldn’t do anything to the youth Might Guy; the other party could always swiftly block his killing moves.
Their speed grew faster and faster, yet Zhenyan discovered that the number of times he got hit was instead increasing.
Whoosh!
Zhenyan held nothing back. The amplification of the Body Flicker Technique rose another level, his body leaving an afterimage in its original spot—
Bang!
The youth Might Guy was kicked flying. Hands pressing against the ground to flip upright, but Zhenyan’s pursuit had already arrived.
His leg was like a blade, drawing an arc through the air and crashing down from above.
Boom!
The youth Might Guy was struck again, falling to the ground, his figure dispersing and vanishing without a trace.
In just one second, another “youth Might Guy” appeared.
Zhenyan had already formed a judgment—
The projection of “youth Might Guy” completely simulated Might Guy at eleven years old; his physical qualities, attributes, and mastered abilities were all exactly the same.
If they were the same age, he wouldn’t be a match for Guy.
Even so, quite a few bruises remained on Zhenyan’s body.
Fortunately, this was a special space for training and advancement.
After the beating, Zhenyan focused his thoughts and discovered that his injuries had been instantly reset.
“Through continuous training, you can turn movements into instinct and increase your reaction speed in battle…”
He pondered for a moment, then tried asking, “Which aspect should I focus on training?”
“Optimize your movements. Your attacks aren’t refined or concise enough. Additionally, increase your training intensity and turn your movements into muscle memory…”
The youth Might Guy replied.
Then train!
Zhenyan once again threw himself into actual combat training.
Ordinary training could also improve strength, but after all, it wasn’t as effective as actual combat.
“Without using the Body Flicker Technique, purely engaging in a taijutsu showdown.”
“Yes.”
…
Late at night, insects chirped incessantly.
Liu Sheng Zhenyan sat up.
He checked the time—
Nine-thirty.
“Trained for two hours?”
He stood up. His body emitted a series of cracking sounds, and an indescribable, refreshing sensation welled up.
Zhenyan opened the window and leaped out with a swoosh.
Landing lightly, completely silent.
Zhenyan froze for several seconds, then a brilliant smile appeared on his face.
As a ninja, climbing and landing via chakra were the most basic techniques, but this time, the movement at the instant of landing was nearly instinctive.
This was precisely the effect of the “Basic Training.”
The abilities gained from training could be manifested in reality!
Under the light, Zhenyan’s eyes shone brightly, his heart jubilant as he pondered how he should act next.
At this time, outside—
“Lee! Are you going to give up just like that?”
“No! Guy-sensei, I haven’t given up. I can still persevere!”
“Oh—!!! This is youth!!!”
Hmm?
Zhenyan looked outside. An idea was already forming in his mind.