On the playground, listening to the Third Hokage's speech,
Yagyu already had a clear plan for his next few years.
First, he would calmly complete his studies at the Ninja Academy.
Graduating early was not within Yagyu's considerations. He needed the six safe years at the Ninja Academy to steadily develop his strength, and his mother at home would absolutely not agree to him graduating early.
Moreover, doing so would be too conspicuous.
Even if that old schemer Danzo originally had no interest in him, graduating early would likely cause him to attempt to recruit Yagyu.
That would give Yagyu a serious headache.
After all, he did not want to become one of Danzo's tools, nor did he want his mother to fall into danger because of it.
He also did not want to end up becoming a rogue ninja of Konoha.
Therefore, graduating early was out of the question and not something he would consider.
Secondly, there was training.
His mother's concern for him had been very clear this morning. In that situation, how could he not make good use of these six years to train diligently?
At the very least, before graduation arrived and the main storyline officially began, he had to possess the strength of an Elite Jonin.
This was Yagyu's firm requirement for himself.
Only then would his mother probably feel somewhat reassured about him performing missions in the future.
Lastly, he needed to establish a network of interests.
As a smart person, Yagyu clearly understood that before obtaining absolute power, it was necessary to form alliances.
It just so happened that there were many clan children in his class.
In a few years, if he gradually built good relationships with these clan heirs and formed a shared interest group, it would be extremely beneficial for his future.
"Possessing a great deal of knowledge about the future."
A confident smile appeared on Yagyu's face as he thought to himself.
"And with the system cheat in my hands, it wouldn't be too much to say that I will eventually become invincible in the Shinobi World."
Not excessive at all.
…
It was still Yagyu's usual training location.
After completing his basic physical training, Yagyu had already begun a higher-level kunai and shuriken training session.
Tap, tap, tap.
As expected, while Yagyu was focusing on his daily training, Ino appeared again.
However, this time Ino looked a little different.
Her short hair had been tied up.
The floral dress she usually wore had been replaced with training clothes, and she was also carrying a ninja tool pouch.
"Yagyu Sosuke."
Standing directly in front of him, Ino crossed her arms.
"Let's fight."
Having his training interrupted, Yagyu was not angry.
Instead, he looked at Ino curiously.
"Oh? Fight? What exactly are you trying to do?"
He truly could not understand what went on inside the heads of these little girls.
Looking at Yagyu's bright and handsome face, Ino felt both embarrassment and frustration.
The misunderstanding from this morning, that Yagyu might be the one she liked, was practically being treated as fact already.
Although she did not completely reject the idea deep down, no matter how she thought about it, she still felt annoyed and unhappy.
She simply wanted to beat Yagyu once to vent her anger.
"I don't care."
Looking at Yagyu, Ino immediately assumed a fighting stance.
"Today I just want to beat you up and vent my anger."
Seeing Ino eager to fight, Yagyu directly continued her words with a strange expression.
"Beat me up? Just a friendly reminder, you might not be my opponent. As a true believer in gender equality, I'm a man who will even use flying kicks on girls. Don't expect me to go easy on you."
Standing straight, he raised one hand and beckoned toward Ino.
"If you're ready, come at me."
Actual combat.
This was something Yagyu lacked.
Although the Yamanaka Clan was not known for Taijutsu, Ino had begun training earlier than him and had the guidance of the Elite Jonin Yamanaka Inoichi.
She should not be too weak.
Otherwise, where did she get the confidence to say she would beat him up?
As for the issue of bullying a little girl?
As long as he did not think about it, it did not exist.
"You jerk."
Facing Yagyu's provocative gesture, Ino's anger immediately flared.
"Yagyu Sosuke!"
Thump.
With a light sound, Ino suddenly dashed forward. With a speed that was not slow among children her age, she quickly reached Yagyu and kicked toward him.
Facing such a simple move, Yagyu did not underestimate it.
While calmly dodging, the basic Taijutsu that the system had fully implanted into him instinctively activated.
A sweeping kick, using only about seventy or eighty percent of his strength, lashed toward Ino.
Bang.
With a soft collision sound, Yagyu's kick was easily blocked by Ino, and she quickly launched a counterattack.
At that moment, the advantage that clan children had over civilian students became obvious.
Since she had not yet begun learning the secret Jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan, but had already undergone practical combat training from a young age, Ino's combat experience was far richer than Yagyu's.
Even though the Yamanaka Clan was not like the Hyuga Clan, which specialized in Gentle Fist Taijutsu.
Taking the first step early meant staying ahead step by step.
Among the future Konoha Twelve rookies, how many were civilians?
If counted carefully, there were only two, Haruno Sakura and Rock Lee.
Even Tenten's family ran a ninja tool shop, so how could she be considered a civilian?
As for Uzumaki Naruto,
he was a protagonist with plot armor and could not be compared.
Although Ino had greater combat experience, Yagyu's overall attributes were superior to hers.
Therefore, during this battle, Ino who had rushed in angrily failed to gain any advantage.
Instead, after adapting to the rhythm of combat, Yagyu occasionally landed solid hits on her.
By evening, they were still at the training ground.
"I'm not fighting anymore."
Covered in dust and even several footprints, Ino sat down on the ground without caring about her image.
"Yagyu Sosuke, you're such a jerk. You're bullying me."
Her eyes were red.
It looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Looking at the completely indifferent Yagyu in front of her, the grievance in her heart was almost overflowing.
That jerk.
He said he wouldn't hold back, and he really didn't hold back.
"Stop complaining."
Looking at the pitiful Ino sitting on the ground, and feeling that his combat experience had improved along with his strength, Yagyu was in an unusually good mood.
He smiled at Ino sitting there.
"Since you accompanied me in practical combat training today, I'll treat you to ramen. How about it? Want to go?"
Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha truly tasted excellent.
After Yagyu had eaten there once, he had become a regular customer.