Bab 5: Familiar Faces Appear, Expert-Level Taijutsu!
Morino Ibiki stepped forward. His gaze lingered on Izumo for a full three seconds. On his usually stern face, a faint smile of genuine approval slowly spread.
"Kamizuki, well done! This is the kind of attitude a ninja should have! Remember this feeling and keep it with you."
The sudden praise made Izumo feel a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, Ibiki-sensei. I'll keep working hard."
Kotetsu ran over happily and threw an arm around his shoulder.
"Izumo, you were amazing! That kick just now was seriously cool! I knew you could do it!"
Izumo smiled and patted Kotetsu's arm. A warm feeling flowed through his chest.
After the morning training ended, the students filed into the classroom one by one to prepare for their lessons.
Izumo followed the crowd inside. As his eyes swept across the desks, several familiar-looking figures immediately caught his attention.
Near the window, a boy wearing round, dark sunglasses was sprawled across his desk, fast asleep. That was Ebisu.
Beside him sat another boy with dark glasses and a serious expression—Aoba Yamashiro.
Not far away, a boy with thick eyebrows and a tight green outfit struck dramatic poses while muttering about "youth" and "burning passion." Without a doubt, that was Might Guy.
In the back row, a black-haired boy was joking around with his friends. Between his brows and in his eyes shone the distinctive pride of the Uchiha clan—that was Uchiha Obito.
A little behind Obito, a brown-haired girl was quietly reading a book. Her gentle smile was like a cherry blossom in spring. That was Nohara Rin.
There was also the lively girl in red, Mitarashi Anko; the long-haired, elegant girl with a cool aura, Yūhi Kurenai; Sarutobi Asuma spinning a kunai at his fingertips; Gekkō Hayate, thin and sharp-eyed, with a perpetually tired look—and many more.
So many future elites of Konoha are actually in my class!
The bell rang, signaling the start of class. The first lesson was theory.
As he listened to sensei explain various secret codes used on the battlefield and tactical hand signals, Izumo could feel the shadow of war drawing closer and closer.
In the afternoon class on throwing ninja tools, sensei carefully explained the techniques for throwing kunai and shuriken—how to channel strength, how to adjust angles, every detail broken down with meticulous care.
After that, the students headed to the training field to practice.
Izumo stood behind the throwing line, took a deep breath, and lifted a kunai.
Following sensei's instructions, he focused his strength through his wrist. The kunai cut through the air in a smooth arc and buried itself in the seventh ring of the target.
"Wow, Izumo. You've made huge progress!" Kotetsu praised from the side.
But Izumo frowned instead. He turned to look at Might Guy.
Guy threw with all his might. The kunai sliced through the air, a sharp rush of wind following it, and struck the eighth ring. The force of the throw even made the target wobble slightly.
Sarutobi Asuma was even more impressive. With both hands at once, he threw two kunai. The twin blades flew straight and true, striking the same ninth ring with perfect precision.
Even Ebisu landed solidly in the seventh ring.
In an instant, Izumo snapped out of the satisfaction he'd been feeling since the morning.
Even though he had the proficiency panel, his training time was still far too short. Compared to the top-ranked students, the gap was still enormous.
He opened the panel and saw that his Ninja Tool Handling proficiency was only at 48/100. There was clearly a huge amount of room left to grow.
"I can't get careless. I have to work twice as hard! At the very least, I need to aim for first place in the entire school," Izumo thought to himself.
…
Time flew by like an arrow loosed from a bow. Before he realized it, a full month had passed.
Right now, Izumo was training on a quiet open field at the edge of the village. It was rarely visited, making it perfect for focusing on sharpening his Basic Taijutsu.
He lowered his center of gravity and took a solid stance. A straight punch shot forward. The air at the tip of his fist burst slightly.
Unlike the mechanical repetitions from before, every movement now carried a clear understanding of how to apply force. The muscle memory of his body and the proficiency on the panel reinforced each other, making every motion feel more and more natural.
On the panel, the proficiency for Basic Taijutsu kept climbing steadily.
95/100.
96/100.
97/100…
When it jumped to 99/100, Izumo could clearly feel a kind of invisible wall in front of him.
He took a long breath, guided a trace of chakra into his four limbs, fused it with his mental focus to sense every detail of his movement, and then launched into another full sequence of attacks.
Straight punch, side kick, block, counter—everything flowed together like clouds and water, without the slightest hitch.
A faint hum echoed.
The light-blue panel suddenly glowed softly. As the proficiency for Basic Taijutsu reached 100/100, a new line of text appeared:
[Basic Taijutsu: Beginner → Expert (Proficiency: 1/1000)]
A wave of warmth instantly washed over Izumo's entire body. He could clearly feel the change within himself.
Movements that had once felt slightly stiff now became completely natural. The efficiency of his muscle output rose dramatically. With the same punch, his power was almost thirty percent greater than before, and his speed had increased by more than a full level.
More importantly, his understanding of Taijutsu was no longer limited to "standard movements."
He could now flexibly adjust his techniques based on real combat situations.
When an opponent launched a punch, he could already predict its path and choose the most energy-efficient way to block and counter at the same time. This was a realm that simply couldn't be reached at the Beginner level.
Beginner-level Taijutsu was like following a blueprint—making sure every movement met the standard.
Expert-level Taijutsu, on the other hand, meant internalizing the techniques into instinct. It wasn't just about perfectly copying standard forms anymore, but about developing them and blending them into your own personal style.
Take the same side kick, for example. At the Beginner level, you chase perfect form. At the Expert level, you adjust the angle and force based on the opponent's position, even using the twist of your waist to amplify the destructive power. Every strike carries calculation behind it.
"So this is the difference at the Expert level…" Izumo clenched his fist, feeling the surging strength inside his body. His eyes shone with excitement.
He tried to unleash a rapid series of attacks. Between the crossing shadows of his fists, a thin rush of wind could be heard. His speed had improved by about 0.3 seconds compared to before.
In a life-and-death battle, that 0.3-second difference was more than enough to decide victory or defeat.
For this entire month, Izumo had poured all of his focus into honing his Basic Taijutsu. And Expert-level Taijutsu did not disappoint him.
It didn't just bring a quantitative boost to "power, speed, and accuracy." It completed a qualitative transformation—from "passively reacting" to "actively controlling the fight."
Izumo smiled in satisfaction.
"Let's see… at tomorrow's monthly exam, just what kind of ranking I can reach!"
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