As Jiang Chuan Ju stood up to register, the entire class fell silent. Even Tao Di Zai Bu Zhan, who usually showed no interest in anything, turned to look in Jiang Chuan Ju's direction at that moment.

"Teacher Ueda, I hope to participate in the medical ninja selection," Jiang Chuan Ju said. Noticing that the homeroom teacher didn't respond, he prompted again.

"Jiang Chuan, you can go to the indoor training ground on the first floor for your assessment now." Teacher Ueda seemed hesitant to speak. It was no wonder; recently, Jiang Chuan Ju had not only improved his theoretical scores but had also excelled in practical tests. Teacher Ueda had implicitly accepted that Jiang Chuan Ju would help their class secure an additional passing spot in the graduation assessment. Now, however, this spot was to be used for him to become a medical ninja.

The way Teacher Ueda looked at Jiang Chuan Ju at that moment was probably similar to how a teacher from a previous life would feel if a promising student suddenly announced, "Teacher, I’m not going to study anymore; I want to learn how to operate an excavator!" Jiang Chuan Ju, however, didn't require anyone's understanding. He nodded at Teacher Ueda at the podium and walked straight out of the classroom.

As soon as Jiang Chuan Ju left, the classroom erupted. "I didn't expect Jiang Chuan to be such a coward."

"That can't be! Didn't Ju work hard for over a month? Why would he participate in this kind of assessment?"

"I thought this guy had gotten smarter recently, but he's still the same fool as before."

"Enough! Let’s start class!"

Most of the perceptive students noticed that Teacher Ueda was in a bad mood, so they obediently quieted down. However, feeling a bit frustrated, Teacher Ueda added, "The most important thing for ninjas is strength! If you don’t take the class seriously now, you could die at any moment on missions."

At that moment, Tao Di Zai Bu Zhan, sitting in the front row, was somewhat unsettled, his brow tightly furrowed. Could Jiang Chuan Ju have figured something out? Given Jiang Chuan Ju's recent excellent performance in practical tests, Zai Bu Zhan had already considered him a hypothetical enemy and had engaged in multiple simulated battles against him. Yet now, this guy had quietly declared he wanted to become a medical ninja. Or was it because he had previously mentioned Jiang Chuan Ju to Kuroguchi Yagura and was thus pressured out of the competition?

Regardless of Zai Bu Zhan's suspicions in the classroom...

On the other side, after arriving at the selection site, Jiang Chuan Ju felt a bit disappointed that Aunt Keiko was not one of the examiners. Counting himself, there were only three unfortunate candidates present; the other two were girls from Class Three and Class Five, likely worried about not passing the graduation exam, which was why they came to participate in the selection.

Not only was the number of candidates small, but even the supervising teachers seemed to be treating this selection casually. The two teachers were chatting and laughing in a corner of the classroom until, after a while without any new candidates, one of the younger teachers finally spoke up.

"You each perform the Body Replacement Technique once; if you all succeed, you can head to the hospital to report."

"Um... excuse me, isn't this the medical ninja selection?" a round-faced girl timidly asked, seemingly somewhat confident in her medical ninjutsu skills.

However, this was also where Jiang Chuan Ju felt puzzled. Although the Body Replacement Technique wasn’t difficult, his recent intensive study of medical knowledge seemed a bit excessive. The young examiner seemed to be losing patience.

"We're selecting qualified ninjas for medical training, not testing the Body Replacement Technique. Do you know any other techniques?"

Well, that made some sense when put that way. However, such a casual medical ninja selection was probably something even Keiko didn't anticipate. If ninjas couldn't master the Body Replacement Technique after three years in ninja school, there was certainly something wrong. Jiang Chuan Ju paid no attention to the two girls beside him.

He started forming hand seals and performed the Body Replacement Technique in order, without any flashy tricks, simply completing it and looking at the two examiners.

"Okay, fill out this form and go report to the hospital today."

The examiner took out a blank form that had already been stamped and gestured for Jiang Chuan Ju to leave quickly.

【Ding! Dropped out of ninja school, unlocking achievement “The First Step to Becoming a Tycoon.”】

‘What kind of dropout is this? And a tycoon, no less.’ Jiang Chuan Ju complained about the unscrupulous system achievement as he walked out of the school, completely unaware of the helpless gazes of the two girls behind him. Choosing to participate in the medical ninja selection and failing meant their days in ninja school would likely become even tougher.

...

At the Hidden Mist Village hospital, everything was still shrouded in the ever-present mist of the village, making it appear somewhat hazy. Although he might surpass Tao Di Zai Bu Zhan in three months, and despite the Third Shinobi World War being on the verge of breaking out, everything he had meticulously achieved seemed merely an escape.

Yet at this moment, it felt as if a light pierced through the mist, reaching deep into his soul. A faint glimmer sparkled in Jiang Chuan Ju's dark pupils, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a gentle arc. It was the first time he had smiled sincerely since his reincarnation.

Jiang Chuan Ju took a deep breath, and even the humid air of the Hidden Mist Village seemed to carry a hint of sweetness.

"Hey! Kid, what are you doing blocking the hospital entrance? Sniffing around, are you a pervert?"

A still somewhat childish yet furious female voice came from behind Jiang Chuan Ju.

"Alright, Mei, this kid might be contemplating something important."

When Jiang Chuan Ju turned around, he saw two individuals, one tall and one short, both dressed as ninjas. The one speaking was a man in his twenties, wearing a jōnin vest with gray-blue hair styled in a mohawk. Standing next to him was a girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, about the same height as Jiang Chuan Ju, who was glaring at him with anger.

"Sorry, sorry. I’ll go in now."

Jiang Chuan Ju concealed the emotion in his eyes and displayed an awkward expression as he apologized to the two, quickly walking into the hospital. As he walked, he couldn't help but ask, "I'm quite familiar with this hospital area. Do you two have something you need? I can help."

"Why do you care?!"

The girl clearly did not appreciate it, walking toward the hospital stairs without even looking at Jiang Chuan Ju. The young jōnin simply nodded at Jiang Chuan Ju before following her.

‘Terumi Mei and Ao? It seems they should be a jōnin instructor and her team member.’

At this time in the morning, there weren’t many people on the first floor of the hospital. Jiang Chuan Ju stood still, watching the two of them go upstairs, stroking his chin as he thought, ‘I didn’t expect these two to know each other so early. No wonder after Terumi Mei became the Mizukage, Ao could serve as a trusted bodyguard.’

‘But I didn’t expect the young Terumi Mei to look so much like a tomboy, showing none of the mature womanly charm she later had.’

Unbeknownst to Jiang Chuan Ju, the two who had gone up to the second floor were also discussing him.

"Did that kid just recognize us?"

Ao sensed a gaze directed at them as they headed upstairs.

"He probably recognized you, Teacher. After all, you are a young jōnin in the village. It's not surprising that he would recognize you."

"Maybe. He’s not wearing a forehead protector, looking like a student from the ninja school, but I wonder why he is at the hospital at this time."

"Forget it, that’s not important. Gantō and Kōkawa have been injured and hospitalized again. They had an easy mission! This time, I’m going to make sure they learn their lesson!"

Fuming, Terumi Mei clearly wasn’t concerned about the earlier incident and was ready to teach her two reckless teammates a lesson first.