Chương 22: Academy Days, Part II

History, it seems, truly is a little girl who can be dressed up however one pleases. Konoha has been established for less than fifty years, and already it's like this. If this clan is ever wiped out, I fear they will vanish entirely from the memories of future generations. Fortunately, Dongye Zhen didn't transmigrate into the Uchiha clan like so many of his predecessors; otherwise, he'd be scratching his head bald by now.

He wondered what Shisui felt, looking at these records while balancing them against his own clan's teachings. Zhen stole a glance. Well, no "feelings" to speak of—Shisui was already hopelessly immersed in the Will of Fire from the textbook, spontaneously combining the teacher's lecture to write out his own deep reading comprehension in his notebook. In the morning, general knowledge was compressed into two periods, with the remaining two dedicated to lectures on chakra and basic ninjutsu.

By the afternoon, everyone was ushered onto the training grounds for immediate practical combat learning. Zhen scanned the area. The entire new intake of students had been pulled out, each class occupying its own training plot. With his excellent vision, he noticed students from various clans scattered among the classes. They weren't weak, yet they weren't all crammed into one group. The result of negotiations between the clans and the village?

Bringing children together from a young age to build bonds with their village peers. The commoners, after all, were the backbone of the shinobi forces; they compensated for the clans' tendency to produce elites but lacking in raw numbers. It wasn't just the high command using commoners to balance clan influence; the clans themselves instinctively sought to establish influence among commoners early on. It was a healthy process of integration.

However, the number of children from major clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga seemed low. It appeared that not all eligible children were sent to the Academy to be registered in official records upon graduation. The practical curriculum was split between ninja tool usage and sparring. On the field, rows of students stood before fixed targets, throwing shuriken and kunai. A dense thud-thud-thud echoed through the air. The students in the top two elite classes had solid foundations.

Most had started training early, and the power and accuracy of their throws were commendable, making the teacher's job much easier. Even for the few who lacked skill, the teacher could assign top students to provide one-on-one tutoring—saving effort while deepening the bonds between classmates. Two birds, one stone. The lower-ranked classes had far more novices.

Their instructors usually had to explain the theory first, then demonstrate personally and teach with patience, naturally falling a step behind the elite classes in progress. For most shinobi, massive chakra reserves are a rarity; they cannot rely on ninjutsu as their primary means of engagement. Tools like shuriken, kunai, and paper bombs are their most frequent companions. After the tool class ended and a brief rest followed, the sparring sessions began.

The students instantly grew excited, especially the boys, who looked eager to prove themselves. They were only first-year children with a shallow understanding of what it meant to be a ninja. To them, culture classes were boring; a ninja was about fighting, and winning simply proved you were the strongest. The matchups were chosen by Inoue-sensei based on entrance scores.

There were no fixed rivals; pairings would change based on shifting performance to ensure students encountered different styles and gained diverse combat experience. But there are always exceptions. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Once the opponents were set, the battles began. Although the elite class students had good foundations, they were still young; few had mastered ninjutsu, and even those who had were forbidden from using it.

It was a pure test of Taijutsu. Shinobi battles are swift; you won't see dozens of rounds of back-and-forth. Hashirama and Madara were the exceptions—they can hardly be called "ninja" anymore. On the field, students moved like leaping hares and diving falcons as pair after pair stepped up to settle scores. Before Zhen had refined chakra, he might have found these fights exciting. But after two years of cultivation, his standards were incredibly high. To him, these skirmishes looked like children playing house.

Perhaps this was how Kakashi felt when he was in school—graduating after only half a year because staying was simply meaningless. Soon, it was Zhen's turn. His opponent was a familiar face: Tokuma Hyuga. He was a member of the Hyuga clan, though his forehead was wrapped in a cloth, making it impossible to tell if he was from the Main or Branch house—though the Branch house was statistically more likely.

The internal affairs of the Hyuga Main House were a secret known only to high-ranking officials; unlike the Uchiha, who frequently dealt with villagers, the Hyuga were more traditional, conservative, and mysterious. After forming the Seal of Confrontation, Tokuma immediately dropped into a stance—the opening posture of the Gentle Fist. However, the veins around his eyes didn't bulge; it seemed he hadn't awakened the Byakugan yet.

The Gentle Fist is formidable in the early stages of a ninja's career, especially for students, though it famously lacks late-game scaling to reach the absolute pinnacle of power. This, however, didn't diminish the Hyuga's status in Konoha or the wider world. The strategic value of the Byakugan is immense; on the battlefield, it's essentially an X-ray cheat code, rendering most traps and ambushes useless. Seeing Zhen remain still, Tokuma probed, "Looking at your scores from yesterday, surely you aren't just fast?

If that's the case, you won't beat me, Zhen-kun."

"I'm not just fast."

"Oh? Do you have a special technique?"

"Well... I can also be faster."

"..." Feeling mocked, Tokuma stopped testing and closed the distance in a single bound. His palms lashed out in a series of strikes; his Gentle Fist was well-formed, far superior to the students who had fought before him. The hallmark of the Gentle Fist is the precise injection of concentrated chakra into an opponent's Tenketsu to kill or disable them. But this requires the Byakugan's coordination; a living person isn't a training post—they move. Without the Byakugan's visual assistance, it's hard to land a hit.

Tokuma hadn't awakened his eyes yet, and since this was a student spar, he hadn't infused his hands with chakra. Zhen held his hands up in defense, neutralizing every strike while his body remained rooted, not giving half a step back.

"Is all you can do defend? Where's your offense?" Still a child, Tokuma grew frustrated after failing to break through. He abandoned the Gentle Fist style, curling his right hand into a fist and swinging with all his might toward Zhen's face. In a flash, Zhen appeared behind Tokuma. Aside from Inoue-sensei, Shisui, and a few others, the rest of the students couldn't even track his movement.

"Whoa, so fast!"

"Zhen-kun is so cool!"

"Damn it, we all just started school—how is he this strong? Did he grow up eating chakra?" Hearing the gasps and following the direction of his classmates' gazes, Tokuma realized his opponent was behind him. He spun around, ready to attack again; he was a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan and wouldn't surrender easily. But he found Zhen's right hand already extended, waiting to form the Seal of Reconcilation.

"Is this the 'faster' speed you meant? But I haven't lost yet." Zhen raised his left hand and tapped his own neck.

"Oh? Is that so? Feel right here." Confused, Tokuma reached up instinctively. His fingers came away with a smudge of ink. It was clear: while moving, Zhen had pulled out a pen and marked his neck. Had it been a kunai, he would be dead. The match was over. Tokuma felt dejected at the massive gap between them, but he quickly recovered and formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Zhen.

"I didn't expect you to be this strong, Zhen-kun. But I'll keep working hard. Next time... next time I won't lose to you."

"I look forward to it." Inoue Kuroiwa watched the exceptional student closely, making a note in his log. He recorded the performance of every student in detail; it was his duty as a teacher. Following that, Shisui and Yugao also secured easy victories. The three leaders of the entrance test were clearly a cut above the rest. When Yugao finished her match, she skipped over to Zhen, nudging aside the other girls who were trying to get close. She looked like she was seeking praise.

"Zhen-niisan, was I great?"

"Not bad. It seems you've made significant progress."

"Heh heh!" Shisui looked at Zhen seriously.

"Zhen, I didn't realize you were already this powerful. I really want to test myself against you."

"We will, Shisui. There will be a chance. I imagine Inoue-sensei is thinking the same thing; perhaps he'll pair us up soon." After a while, once all the matches concluded, the day's lessons were over. This was the daily life of the Ninja Academy. The knowledge taught at school was material Zhen had mastered before the age of four, and the gap between him and his peers was vast. That's just how it is for "cheaters" like him.

Finally, after playing the role of a model student for half a month, Zhen initiated his "evil" plan to skip class. Shadow Clones are truly a marvelous technique. Did I skip class? My clone is sitting right there in the classroom. No evidence, no skipping!