"How far a projectile can fly depends on its height and initial velocity at the time of launch…
Take this problem as an example: As a ninja, you are standing on a platform 5 meters high. You throw a shuriken with an initial horizontal velocity of 100 meters per second. How far will it travel before finally landing?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "…Abba, abba, abba…"
"What the heck! I don't understand any of this!"
[Host, please listen and learn with full concentration. Otherwise, you will receive the Baptism of Lightning Release from the System.]
[Warning… countdown 5, 4, 3…]
"Ahhhh! I get it, I get it!"
Naruto rubbed his cheeks furiously and forced himself to focus.
"Throwing a shuriken forward… initial velocity 100 meters per second… So the distance depends on how long it stays in the air…"
"Hmm…"
"Aha! I got it! If it's 100 meters every second, then however many seconds it flies, that's how many hundreds of meters! The problem is… how many seconds can it stay up there…"
Iruka's sharp gaze swept the classroom, clearly looking for someone unlucky enough to answer.
The room immediately became silent, stiff and tense, like cicadas in winter.
Iruka sighed and called out helplessly, "Sakura, you answer."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
Sakura Haruno stood confidently. "To calculate the final distance, you multiply the initial horizontal velocity by the flight time. The flight time is determined by the height. Assuming the gravitational acceleration here is about 10, we can deduce that…"
She explained fluently, though most of her classmates were completely lost.
Naturally, Naruto understood even less.
But this time, unlike usual, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to listen with full focus. Even though it sounded like another language, he widened his eyes and ears—snot and tears running down—paying close attention to every single word Sakura said.
And then—
[For the first time you have fully concentrated during a lecture. Your mastery of the Physics course has improved. Proficiency +3. Current proficiency: 28 points!]
Naruto froze, then jumped with joy.
"This… this actually works?!"
His Physics skill had increased? He didn't know exactly what it meant, but one thing was certain—he had leveled up!
Naruto rubbed his eyes hard and stared again at the incomprehensible formulas on the board.
And shockingly—he still didn't understand!
But… it felt like he understood just a tiny bit more.
"Am I… actually a genius?!"
He began chuckling smugly to himself.
But then—
[Detecting that the Host has departed from full concentration. Baptism of Lightning Release commencing…]
[Countdown 5, 4, 3…]
Naruto: "…"
This time, having already tasted death-by-lightning, Naruto didn't dare slack off. He instantly forced himself back into study mode.
Iruka smiled. "Excellent, Sakura. Truly the top student in the class."
Sakura beamed proudly. "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke kept his expression cold and didn't respond. Sakura slumped back into her seat, disappointed.
Naruto saw this, ready to sigh dramatically, when suddenly—
[Warning: Countdown 5…]
Naruto panicked. "Height, velocity, gravitational acceleration…"
For him, class no longer felt like a classroom. It was like being dragged into an Anbu torture cell.
The forty-five–minute lesson became the longest stretch of his life.
Single-minded, total concentration!
It sounded simple enough. But for Naruto—who loved nothing more than goofing around—it was harder than climbing to heaven.
Even with lightning looming over him, he couldn't help but get distracted… sneaking glances at Sakura… cursing Sasuke under his breath… or spacing out dreaming of Ichiraku's ramen swirling before his eyes like divine temptation.
Each time he faltered, the System's icy countdown would ring in his skull, forcing him to jerk back to attention in terror.
To Naruto, every passing second felt like a year.
Finally—
"Class dismissed!"
Iruka's words were like salvation.
Naruto collapsed onto his desk, drained like a balloon losing all air. He felt as if he had run three marathons in a row.
Iruka looked at him with a small smile.
"That Naruto… he didn't cause any trouble the whole period. And his eyes stayed wide open the entire time. Looks like my speech earlier actually worked."
He coughed. "Ten-minute break. Next class is Mizuki-sensei's Chemistry!"
"Ahhh—"
The class loudly groaned in unison.
But Naruto didn't even have breath left to complain.
Just then—
[According to schedule, break time is the best chance to catch up and surpass others.]
[Host, immediately begin cultivating the Chakra Refining Technique.]
[Daily requirement: At least eight hours of Chakra Refining.]
Naruto: "…Eight hours?!"
"Are you trying to kill me? Do you expect me not to sleep?!"
[Warning: Host has failed to initiate cultivation. Baptism of Lightning Release about to commence…]
[Countdown 5, 4…]
"Ahhhhh! Fine, fine, I'll cultivate!"
Though utterly drained, Naruto quickly sat cross-legged and began the basic Chakra Refining exercise practiced at the Academy.
The method was simple: extract physical and spiritual energy, mix them, and transform them into Chakra.
Strictly speaking, stamina was the base product from the 130 trillion cells in the body—it wasn't yet Chakra. Stamina was what everyone had, ninja or not, and it powered Taijutsu. To perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, however, stamina had to be refined and converted into Chakra.
So, the Chakra Refining Technique trained students to increase their Chakra limits—their reserves.
As for control? That came later. Right now, Naruto couldn't even manage the basics.
Still, Naruto's Chakra reserves were immense. Not only because of the Nine-Tails' chakra leaking through his seal, constantly mixing with his own, but also because of his Uzumaki bloodline's legendary vitality.
At this moment, while everyone else was socializing and laughing, Sakura, Ino, and the other girls flocked around Sasuke again, and the boys roughhoused among themselves.
Naruto sat alone in the corner, eyes closed, focusing on his cultivation.
As his energies merged, threads of usable Chakra began flowing through his body.
And shockingly—for someone who had been mentally and physically exhausted just moments ago—this refining practice somehow rejuvenated him.
[Host has successfully activated the Chakra Refining Technique. Chakra reserves +1.]
Naruto's eyes widened.
"…This system… might not be so bad after all."
Most people give up because they can't see progress. But with every result quantified—tracked like a progress bar—Naruto suddenly felt motivated.
For the first time in his life, studying and cultivating felt… satisfying.
Across the classroom, his two rare friends noticed.
Choji nearly dropped his chips. "Shikamaru, am I seeing things? Naruto's… cultivating during break?!"
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, mumbling sleepily. "Maybe I'm still dreaming… I'll nap a bit more…"
Choji stuffed another chip into his mouth and stared wide-eyed, muttering around the crunch.
"Oh no… that Naruto guy couldn't be… actually serious."