Life Requires Strategy Everywhere

The rest of the lesson passed without incident. After introducing some other aspects of Chakra, Sanada Tomohisa dismissed the class. Some students went out to play with their friends, while others opened the lunches they had brought and began eating.

Just as Shuichi was about to do something, Ishikawa Tatsuki had not forgotten what he had said earlier and immediately asked, "Shuichi, what's your special trick? Is it like what the teacher taught us?"

Yūhi Kurenai beside him also looked over curiously, wanting to know whether the genius boy in her eyes truly had some special trick.

"...It's been an hour since class started, and you still remembered that? I was just talking big." Shuichi froze for a moment. Thinking that he could not lose face in front of a girl, his mind began racing.

Since he had listened to the lesson for quite a while and had also mentally reviewed and summarized everything he remembered, Shuichi really did come up with a method in a short time, though he did not know whether it would work.

"This method goes like this. First, think of something you like most. Let's say it's an apple."

"Then, once you've gotten into a meditative posture, picture what that apple looks like in your mind."

"Next, feel as though you're looking at that apple. When you start to find it more and more boring, imagine the apple gradually fading until it finally disappears before your eyes."

"Then maintain that state and slowly get a feel for it. Maybe you'll succeed."

"Ah, but why?" Neither Ishikawa Tatsuki nor Yūhi Kurenai quite understood.

"Think about it. If you just sit down and start extracting Chakra directly, a lot of things might pop up in your mind, making it hard for you to calm down."

"But when there's only one apple in your mind, you can easily make it disappear. In that instant, your mind is empty and you aren't thinking about anything. If you maintain that, won't you have a chance of succeeding?"

It seemed to make some sense. Ishikawa Tatsuki and Yūhi Kurenai did not really understand what Shuichi was saying, but it somehow sounded impressive.

"All right, I'll try it when I get home."

After sending Ishikawa Tatsuki off, Shuichi noticed that Teacher Tomohisa had not left yet, so he walked straight over to ask him some questions.

As mentioned before, Shuichi intended to display his talent at the Ninja Academy. If he had shouted during class when the teacher asked, "Teacher, I succeeded the first time I extracted Chakra yesterday!" he might have shown off spectacularly in front of all his classmates.

But the teacher might also have thought he was no different from an ordinary child, merely surprised that he was talented and lucky.

So, he needed to subtly let the teacher know that he had succeeded immediately. He also had to tell the teacher, "I listened carefully to everything you taught in class," while showing that his thinking had already reached the next stage. He was different from those little brats.

"Teacher Tomohisa, I have a few questions that are confusing me. May I ask you?"

"Oh? Of course." Sanada Tomohisa had been about to leave after seeing that the students were resting normally, but then he noticed Shuichi coming over with questions.

"Okay, Teacher. When I extracted Chakra, I felt like it started emerging from above my Navel. Does that mean we'll be able to extract Chakra from different parts of our bodies in the future?

"And at our age, shouldn't we extract too much Chakra? Since it contains Body Energy, would that cause harm? When I practice in the future, how much should I extract each day?"

"Hm? You succeeded yesterday already?" "That's right."

"Hm, I understand. Let me tell you this: you really need to be careful not to extract too much at once. It's best to stop after extracting a little and wait for it to disperse, then extract a little more and practice like that. Also, don't practice for more than twenty minutes a day... As for the Chakra Extraction Technique, once you become proficient, the various organs really can..."

"Mhm, mhm, I understand. Thank you, Teacher." Shuichi looked as though he had benefited greatly. His big eyes shone with sudden understanding and a touch of pleasant surprise. Before he knew it, even Teacher Tomohisa felt the satisfaction of having perfectly taught a student.

"Perfect. I'll ask questions like this whenever I have them in the future." Shuichi had not asked those questions at random. First, he summarized what the teacher had taught in class. Then, he casually revealed that extracting Chakra was extremely easy for him. Finally, he displayed his divergent thinking and cautious approach to doing things.

"Heh, no matter what world it is, teachers really do like students who are smart, hardworking, and talented!" It was the same principle as asking teachers questions in his previous life. Teachers would say that students should ask when they did not understand something, but if you foolishly went to ask about basic knowledge the teacher had just explained, not only would you reveal that you had not listened carefully, but the teacher would also think, What kind of student is this?

But Shuichi's way of asking was equivalent to a student who had just heard the teacher explain the basics, yet had already fully grasped and summarized them before tackling difficult college entrance exam questions. When asking the teacher, he would first explain his own train of thought, letting the teacher see: Thanks to your teaching, I can already handle these kinds of questions with ease. There's just one most difficult point I still don't understand.

Naturally, seeing such excellent results from their teaching, the teacher would happily and enthusiastically answer your question. Before leaving, they might even say, "You've got a good grasp of it. Remember to review it at home on time."

Sure enough, after Shuichi left, Sanada Tomohisa took out the class students' files and flipped through them.

"Takeda Shuichi. This student is highly gifted and thinks calmly. I haven't encountered a child with this much potential in years. Hm? He even displayed such excellent physical qualities during the fitness test? It seems I should give him special attention and nurture him in the future. After the final exams, I'll see whether I should report him to Lord Hokage."

When Shuichi returned, he found that Ishikawa Tatsuki had gone to eat at his mother's Sushi shop. Since it was nearby, Ishikawa Tatsuki only brought lunch occasionally.

Back at his seat, Shuichi took out the lunch he had prepared from his bag. He subtly edged closer to Kurenai, then leisurely opened his lunchbox.

Although things had been fairly relaxed since the Ninja Academy started, Shuichi still wanted to spend more time on his studies, so he had quit his temporary job not long ago. Now, Shuichi might be facing a food shortage.

Shuichi picked up the Crisp Radish he had specifically prepared and took a bite.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch." Judging by the crisp sound, the radish seemed to taste pretty good?

Before Shuichi returned, Yūhi Kurenai had taken out her lunch and was quietly eating. When Shuichi's lunch made a sound, she instinctively glanced over, just as anyone would upon hearing a sudden noise.

"Hey, Shuichi-kun, why is there so little in your lunch? That can't be enough to fill you up, can it?"

That was right. Shuichi had packed only a third of his usual portion of rice today. His lunchbox looked nearly empty, with only a tiny bit of food inside.

"Sigh, I quit my job at the Hot Spring Inn a few days ago, so my living expenses are a little tight now. With the money I have, I can only afford one meal a day. I don't even know what I'm going to do from now on." Shuichi spoke pitifully, looking at Kurenai with confusion and helplessness in his eyes.

"Then... I have quite a lot in my lunch. How about I bring more in the future, and we can eat together?"

"Really? Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? Otherwise, I really don't know what I'd do in the future."

"Is the village subsidy really that little? It's fine, Shuichi-kun. We can share our food from now on. I can ask my family to make a little more. Then I'll ask my father about the village subsidy. The war is over now, so it should be better."

"Thank you, Kurenai. You're so kind." Shuichi even squeezed out a few tears, looking at Kurenai with watery eyes full of gratitude.

Kurenai became a little shy under his gaze. She did not say much else and gave Shuichi a large portion of her food.

Shuichi quietly inhaled, picked up the food in front of him, took a bite, and slowly chewed. Somehow, the rice seemed especially soft today.

I only just realized that attendance starts counting after signing a contract...

And it feels like everyone's feedback hasn't been particularly strong. If it gets recommended later, I'll definitely post a huge batch of chapters.

Don't worry, I won't abandon the story.