For the next half month, Haruki didn't go out to train at all. He even took a two-week leave from the Academy and stayed home—writing, sharpening his chakra control, and practicing the Chakra Enhanced Strength technique.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. After using the Transformation Jutsu to deliver his manuscript to the publisher and arranging for timed printing and sales, Haruki returned home to prepare for today's "battle."
First, he put on an inner suit of armor that had cost him one hundred million ryō to commission. The base was a mesh-like garment made from a special metal. There were bracers and greaves on his forearms and calves, armor plates protecting his chest and back, and shoulder guards as well.
According to the craftsman, the plates were not only light—everything together weighed less than ten pounds—but also highly durable and flexible, enough to withstand C-rank ninjutsu. That toughness could also absorb some impact.
Next came a fitted leather outfit, supposedly made from the hide of a ninja beast. It offered decent protection against elemental ninjutsu—at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about a single Fire Release turning him into an embarrassing spectacle.
"Not bad. Kind of a 'teen Sasuke' vibe… just without the face," Haruki muttered, checking himself in the mirror. He was especially pleased with the boots.
He really couldn't get used to those open-toed shinobi sandals. Kicking someone with your toes exposed—doesn't that hurt? And if you got unlucky and your toenail flipped back… that would be pure agony.
So he'd replaced the sandals with fully enclosed leather boots—and reinforced both the toe and heel with the same alloy used in his armor plates.
Just to make his kicks that much more memorable.
After loosening up his joints, Haruki nodded in satisfaction. Then he picked up the twin blades resting on his rack and sealed them into the bracers on his left and right arms. In the center of each sealing formula was an added character: "Meow."
That's right—those bracers were ninja tools too, capable of sealing items. They were similar in concept to the wrist guards Sasuke and Itachi had used during their fight.
With everything ready, Haruki left for the Ninja Academy.
His classmates didn't react much to his arrival. Even his unusual outfit only earned an extra glance or two, and no one said anything.
Haruki had always kept a low profile in class. He had few friends, and he looked perfectly ordinary—almost forgettable.
Before long, the teacher came in, gave a short speech, then pulled out a list and started reading out team assignments.
Each class had a standardized headcount, designed to form three-man squads.
Unfortunately, last year two students had gotten into a fight over a girl—one of them blinded the other in one eye. Both were expelled, and the one who lost his eye could no longer become a ninja.
This world really does mature early… in the worst ways.
That meant there would be one extra student without a squad. In situations like this, the leftover could be added to an existing team, assigned to a special arrangement, or paired with another class's leftover.
Haruki was the one left alone—and his arrangement was solo instruction, a "benefit" he'd already maneuvered into place.
After the other jōnin instructors arrived and led their teams away, a young man stepped into the classroom and looked at the only student remaining.
"Tamura Haruki?"
"Sensei. I'm Tamura Haruki." Haruki stood and bowed properly—then studied the newcomer.
That distinctive long hair, half white and half green, made Haruki's suspicion immediate.
Fukai…
He should be the previous generation's candidate connected to the Eight-Tails line—Killer B's predecessor and teacher.
Of course, this was still early. For all Haruki knew, Killer B hadn't even been born yet.
Fukai also sized him up. The boy in front of him looked calm and steady—first impression: good.
"Sit. Let's talk."
Fukai's demeanor was surprisingly gentle. He walked over and took the seat at the desk across from Haruki.
"My name is Fukai. I'm a jōnin of the village. I specialize in Lightning Release, including Lightning Release taijutsu… and Lightning Release sword techniques."
He introduced himself cleanly, but his curiosity was obvious.
Half a month ago, the Third Raikage's order had come down—Fukai was to drop his assigned mission and become an instructor… for only one child.
After that, his 'big cousin' had even come to emphasize that he should take good care of this kid. Neither of them explained why, but Fukai understood: this boy wasn't ordinary.
Over the past few days, Fukai had asked around and learned the public version of the story.
Haruki had accidentally discovered a spy who had stolen the village funds meant for purchasing supplies from the Land of Iron—a staggering one billion ryō.
Haruki had located the hidden money and turned it over to the Raikage, saving the village from a massive loss.
A hero of the village.
And more than that—being able to identify a spy and track down hidden funds was proof of sharp capability.
"Fukai-sensei," Haruki said, "my name is Tamura Haruki. You can call me Haru. I specialize in taijutsu and swordsmanship. My chakra nature is a single element—Lightning. My chakra reserves are a weakness, so I'll need your guidance in that area…"
Haruki's self-introduction was detailed—so detailed that he even reported his progress with chakra threads.
After half a month of training, he could maintain six threads at once, extend them out to three meters, and manipulate them with flexible precision.
That alone didn't sound like much—but it represented a major leap in control.
"You've reached that level already?" Fukai's eyes widened.
Normally, a child fresh out of the Academy knowing tree-walking and water-walking was already impressive. The Academy focused heavily on theory.
Very few students drilled advanced practical techniques.
And chakra threads were even higher-level. That style of control was most common in Sunagakure, the specialty of puppet users. In Kumogakure, hardly anyone trained it.
Chakra threads were essentially a form of chakra shape transformation. Being able to do it meant Haruki's chakra control had reached at least chūnin-level.
More shocking still—according to Haruki, he'd even begun training Lightning nature transformation. His method was rough due to lack of proper instruction, but he was close to stepping through the door.
A ten-year-old reaching this stage was… astonishing.
"My chakra talent is ordinary," Haruki admitted with a hint of frustration. "I won't get very far by chasing raw quantity. So I've been putting all my effort into control—using what little chakra I have as efficiently as possible."
He hated worlds that worshiped bloodline and inheritance.
In most cases, parents' ceiling became their children's ceiling. There were few miracles, almost no true 'upgrades' that defied birth.
Outworking the system was brutally difficult—nearly impossible.
People liked to talk about the "hardworking monsters" of Konoha, but being able to endure that kind of extreme training without destroying their bodies was itself a rare gift. It wasn't something pure willpower could replicate.
Haruki had tried that style of "burn your life to grind strength" training early on. He'd nearly melted his muscles.
Even after dialing it back, he still had to pay medical ninja daily to run Medical Ninjutsu through his body, and he had to supplement with expensive medicinal ingredients to avoid lasting damage or crippling exhaustion.
The cost had been enormous.
He couldn't even imagine the natural recovery and physical potential of those legendary "grinders." He half suspected they had some distant link to the Senju—something like a fragment of that vitality.
That was why, for years, he'd poured everything into chakra control—and it had paid off.
"You chose the right direction," Fukai said, nodding. "Increasing chakra quantity is extremely talent-dependent. Forcing it through overload extraction only harms the body.
Right now, there isn't a great solution for that weakness. Focusing on improving chakra control is the best path."
Then, almost as an aside, Fukai added information that made Haruki's ears perk up:
"I've heard the village has been running experiments in secret—trying to gain power by consuming the Eight-Tails' flesh… but the results haven't been good. They haven't produced anything like the Gold and Silver Brothers again."