Chapter 4 – Learning Makes Me Stronger, and a Career Change
Ninja Academy, Classroom.
The teacher hadn't arrived yet. The students were scattered around the room in small groups—some chatting and joking, others minding their own business.
In the front row sat three students together—likely this year's "Ino–Shika–Chō" trio. The chubby one devouring food without a care was said to be Akimichi Tangdō; the one slumped over and napping was Nara Shikaji; and the one sitting properly with a serious expression should be Yamanaka Shinya.
At the next desk was a boy from the Inuzuka clan, though Taichi didn't know his name. His head was almost buried under the desk, playing some sort of game with the little ninken hiding in his drawer, completely absorbed.
Across the room, a Hyūga student sat with an icy expression, his pale Byakugan staring fixedly ahead without any focus. The vacant gaze alone was enough to make the classmate in front of him shiver.
Taichi's eyes swept across the classroom. In the future, some of these students would become famous across the shinobi world… others would fall on the battlefield. This was the reality of this world.
Of course, Taichi wasn't one to waste time. His hands, hidden beneath the desk, were constantly practicing hand seals—twelve in total—over and over, forwards and backwards. He intended to train until his fingers could form the seals purely on instinct.
When the classroom was finally full, a burly ninja walked in carrying a stack of booklets.
"I'm your teacher, Yamada Mitsuki."
He wrote his name on the blackboard before turning to face the class.
"I like obedient children, and I dislike those who break the rules. My specialties are taijutsu and fire release. I'll be teaching you taijutsu and will also serve as your homeroom instructor."
He glanced at the roster in his hand.
"We'll start with introductions. First—Matsushita Taichi."
Taichi hadn't expected to be first, but he wasn't nervous. He stood up calmly and said,
"My name is Matsushita Taichi. I like learning new things, and there's nothing I particularly dislike. My dream is to become the strongest ninja and protect the orphanage and Director Nonō. That's all."
Having the mental maturity of someone far older than his actual age, Taichi knew exactly how to give an answer that would please a teacher.
"Dream on! The strongest in the shinobi world will be us Uchiha!"
"Idiot, the Hokage is the strongest!"
"Quiet!" Mitsuki barked. "That's a fine dream, Taichi. You may sit down."
"Next—Uchiha Obito."
Obito stood and scratched his head with an awkward laugh, stealing a glance toward Nohara Rin.
"Hello everyone, I'm Uchiha Obito. My favorite thing—well, actually, my favorite person… ahahaha."
"My least favorite person is Kakashi." He said that part without hesitation. Kakashi just rolled his eyes and didn't even bother looking at him, earning a round of laughter from the class. Everyone already knew about their long-standing rivalry.
"My dream is to become Hokage!"
"Damn it, Obito! I'm going to be Hokage!" someone shouted from the back.
"Well, my dream is to become the most amazing ninja ever—so amazing that even the Hokage has to bow to me!"
…
Taichi ignored the unrealistic dreams being thrown around and quietly memorized the names and basic details of his classmates.
Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Shizune, Sarutobi Asuma, Yūhi Kurenai, Might Guy—all destined to become famous one day. For now, though, they were just kids in the same class as him.
"Alright, that's enough for introductions. Let's begin the lesson." Mitsuki's voice brought the chatter to a halt.
"First, does anyone know the most basic requirement to become a ninja?"
"Chakra!" the class answered in unison.
"Correct. But do you know what chakra actually is, and where it comes from?"
This time, only a few answered—mainly the children of shinobi clans. Naturally, Obito wasn't among them.
"The human body has about 130 trillion cells that take in physical energy, representing the yang aspect. Then there's spiritual energy, cultivated through training and experience, representing the yin aspect. By combining and harmonizing these two energies, we create chakra. It's the foundation of all ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu. A ninja is a ninja because of chakra."
"Of course, simply having chakra doesn't mean you can use ninjutsu. To transform raw energy into specific techniques, you also need hand seals—but that's for a later lesson. Today, we focus on chakra itself."
"For aspiring ninja, the first step is both the most important and the most difficult. The concept of chakra isn't hard to explain, but extracting physical energy from your body isn't easy—and spiritual energy is even more elusive."
"Fortunately, thanks to generations of shinobi before us, we now have an effective method: chakra refinement. Follow my instructions closely."
Next, everyone followed Instructor Mitsuki's directions, finding a comfortable position and forming the Tiger seal to help sense the flow of physical and spiritual energy. The classroom gradually grew quiet.
As Taichi calmed his mind and applied the chakra refinement method exactly as the instructor had described, he began to feel a gentle warmth gathering from every part of his body toward the center of his chest — the Tanzhong point. At the same time, a refreshing coolness from his mind flowed toward the same spot.
The two currents met and collided at the Tanzhong, slowly giving birth to a new kind of energy — chakra. Most of it sank down to his lower abdomen, the Dantian near his navel, while the rest dispersed through his body.
The portion that spread throughout his body clearly had a nourishing, strengthening effect. So chakra wasn't without benefits to the body after all. It was just that ninjas, constantly fighting in high-intensity battles, over-refined their chakra and burned through their physical reserves, shortening their lifespans.
As soon as his first thread of chakra formed, faint notification chimes echoed in his ears. Taichi ignored them for now — this was a rare chance to train under supervision, and he wanted to get as familiar with chakra refinement as possible.
While making his rounds to ensure no accidents happened, Instructor Mitsuki suddenly noticed Taichi.
"That's fast… it hasn't even been twenty minutes."
He stepped closer, sensing carefully.
"No mistake — that's a chakra fluctuation. Looks like this year's civilian class has produced a real genius. I'll have to report this to the Hokage right away."
Over the next hour, two more students successfully refined chakra — Nohara Rin and Might Guy.
Clap!
"Alright, that's enough for today."
Mitsuki's palm struck lightly, releasing a faint wave of chakra that snapped several students — including Taichi — out of their meditative state.
"Those of you who succeeded, don't get cocky. Keep practicing at home to solidify the feeling. Those who didn't, don't be discouraged. It's normal not to sense your physical and spiritual energies right away. I took two whole days to refine my first chakra. Keep working at it."
"Class dismissed."
The moment class ended, the room buzzed with chatter. Some students gathered in groups to compare results, their expressions ranging from gloomy to delighted.
"Taichi! You got your chakra, right?"
Might Guy bounded over, grinning from ear to ear.
"Of course. I managed it pretty early. What about you? You must have too, right?"
Guy struck his trademark thumbs-up pose, flashing a mouthful of perfect white teeth.
"Hah! Didn't I say? You guessed it! Youth is all about challenging each other!"
Seeing Guy's joy, Taichi felt genuinely happy for him. Given that Guy had only been allowed into the academy by special permission from the Hokage, he'd worried he might never refine chakra. Now, all those fears could be thrown away.
With that, Taichi finally turned his attention to the notifications he'd ignored earlier.
---
[You have learned: Chakra Refinement Lv.0 (0/10)]
[You practiced chakra refinement — related insights improved.]
[Skill: Chakra Refinement — EXP +1]
…
[Skill: Chakra Refinement — EXP +1]
[Congratulations — Chakra Refinement Lv.1 (0/100)]
[You have refined your first chakra. Requirements met for job change: Physique 6, Spirit 6, Chakra Refinement Lv.1.]
[Initiating job change…]
[Job change successful. Experience converted. New profession: Ninja Apprentice Lv.1 (85/100).]
[Stats increased — Physique +2, Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1.]
[New Talent Acquired: Scholar]
[Scholar: There's nothing a true scholar can't learn — unless the body forbids it. +1000% focus, +100% thought speed, and doubled learning efficiency.]
[+1 Attribute Point, +1 Skill Point]
---
Name: Matsushita Taichi
Profession: Ninja Apprentice Lv.1 (91/100)
Talents: Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent, Scholar
Age: 6
Constitution: 9
Strength: 10
Agility: 9
Spirit: 18
Chakra: 500 (4000) — number in parentheses is maximum daily extraction limit; exceeding it causes physical damage.
Attribute Points: 5
Skill Points: 5
Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv.6 (113/1000), Basic Meditation Lv.6 (754/1000), Chakra Refinement Lv.1 (23/100)
Evaluation: A small fry in the shinobi world. Aside from hard work, you have no other choice.
---
Taichi kept his expression neutral, but inside he was overjoyed — one step closer to his goal.
The afternoon passed in theory lessons. Ninja clan kids might treat such classes lightly, but Taichi studied with full focus — this was the foundation for survival and progress in the future.
[You studied ninja-related knowledge — Ninja Apprentice EXP +1]
So even studying gave experience. Taichi's attention sharpened even further.