Third Hokage, White Fang, and the Ninja Academy

With these rubber bouncy balls, Shuichi's Reaction Speed and body coordination training began progressing efficiently as well.

He would find some uneven boards, throw several balls at once, then do his utmost to track their trajectories and dodge.

Since he thought the toy store owner was a pretty decent person, Shuichi would buy some toy Shuriken from his shop for practice whenever he had money left over at the end of the month.

When Ishikawa Tatsuki and the others were around, they could play a training game similar to squash. His two childhood friends found it quite interesting, so their traditional pebble-throwing game had been abandoned.

They thought the new activity was fun, but the actual gaming experience was far less pleasant. In one-on-one matches, the two of them were basically helpless against Shuichi. Now they played two against one, yet they still lost far more often than they won.

They couldn't understand why Shuichi had become so much stronger than before. Whenever he dodged the balls, he seemed to confidently predict how they would fly. Often, he only needed to shift his body slightly, and the ball would skim right past him.

But when it was their turn to dodge, it felt as though Shuichi merely flicked his wrist, and the balls came flying at them at incredible speed. To avoid them, they could only make the largest movements possible.

Unable to endure the terrible gaming experience, they often put Shuichi in a headlock and forced him to reveal his tricks.

Shuichi naturally had no intention of hiding anything from them. He told them to watch their opponent's throwing movements, and to normally practice punching and kicking at a wall, controlling their distance and seeing whether it matched what they expected.

Shuichi had already told them many other interesting ideas, but their training still did not change much.

"Maybe it's just talent!" Shuichi said with a shrug.

"..." Why did Ishikawa Tatsuki and the others feel like Shuichi's expression was begging to be punched?

Since he was about to get beaten up, Shuichi gave both of them his toy Shuriken.

He had not stopped training his hands, but these toy Shuriken no longer seemed very useful. Recently, he had begun using balls at home to perform all sorts of juggling acts he had seen in his previous life.

"I'm really a genius." Shuichi felt that this method was both fun and capable of training his entire body. He could now juggle five balls in an overhead circle and a low bouncing circle. Later, he planned to add movements behind his back and between his legs. He could train quite well right at home.

In the spring of Konoha Year 41, over the past few days, people in the village could see wave after wave of ninja returning, nearly all of them wearing expressions of utter exhaustion and profound relief.

Not only Shuichi and his little companions, but large numbers of children throughout the village had gathered along the street near Konoha's main gate.

With the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind having signed a treaty, the Second Great Ninja War had officially ended. The welcoming ceremony was not organized by Konoha High Command, but spontaneously initiated by Konoha's residents.

The children were all curious about what real ninja were like, and Shuichi carefully observed this group as well. He had not yet seen anyone familiar from his memories, so these were probably ordinary combat units.

Then, on the third day, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, personally stood before the gates. Beside him were Konoha's two political advisers, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

This was the first time Shuichi had seen Konoha High Command and important characters from the story since his transmigration. Beside him were not only Ishikawa Tatsuki and Takashima Shota, but also a large group of children excitedly discussing things, their words filled with admiration for the Hokage.

"Perhaps this is Konoha's method of propaganda. No wonder nine out of ten Ninja Academy students dream of becoming Hokage." Shuichi looked at the middle-aged Sarutobi Hiruzen, who did not yet have the wrinkled face and kindly expression he would wear later.

Though he was not tall, he radiated the bearing of a Shinobi Hero. Nearly all the Jonin remaining in the village stood behind him, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Before long, after the main gates opened, even more ninja could be seen entering Konoha.

Shuichi could clearly feel that this group of ninja completely surpassed the ones he had seen over the past few days in sheer presence. The obvious features of the middle-aged man leading them immediately drew most people's attention.

He had long silver-white hair tied into a ponytail, and wore a short red triangular Hokage Robe sleeve over his left shoulder.

"So this is Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo." Just as Shuichi had this thought, someone in the crowd beside him shouted it aloud. The atmosphere was already threatening to spiral out of control.

The villagers' words were full of praise and pride. They also lamented how fortunate everyone was to have such a powerful ninja protecting them in these troubled times.

"You've worked hard, Sakumo. Report the details later. For now, enjoy the villagers' enthusiasm."...

They were too far away, and the noise around him was too loud, so Shuichi had no way of hearing what the Third Hokage and White Fang were saying.

Before long, all the ninja had entered the village. Shuichi was somewhat disappointed that he had not seen any of the Sannin today.

Based on his memories of the story, Jiraiya was probably still teaching Nagato and the other two. Tsunade had lost both her younger brother and boyfriend during the Second Shinobi War, so she was even less likely to appear anytime soon. As for Orochimaru, there was no telling whether he had gone to explore the meaning of life or something else.

After that welcoming ceremony, perhaps because they had entered a new year, the atmosphere in Konoha gradually became livelier.

Shuichi's own routine did not change much. He ran during the day, did comprehensive training and some hand-sign practice in the afternoon, and worked as usual in the evenings.

What he was curious about was whether hand signs could produce their intended effects simply through speed, or whether other factors were involved. Since no one could teach him yet, he could only put the question aside. At his age, it was easiest to develop his bones, muscles, and ligaments, so he had not neglected training his hands' flexibility either.

Time flew, and more than three months passed before he knew it.

The Land of Fire, having entered spring, truly displayed its most beautiful side. Walking through the village, one could feel the cool breeze, while signs of vigorous life filled every corner.

It was time for the Ninja Academy to prepare for the new school year again. Every April, the Ninja Academy's opening was always a special sight in Konoha. Countless children dreamed of graduating, rising from Genin to Hokage, and ultimately becoming great ninja who stood alongside the previous Hokage.

"After preparing for so long, the day has finally come." Shuichi was a calm person. Nearly four months had passed since he came to the world of Naruto, but his desire for Chakra had not changed his mindset.

His daily training had given him a solid foundation, and with the system's improvements, he could not think of many people who would be able to match him after school began. Few children possessed self-discipline at the age of four.

"Kakashi should be my only opponent. Unless the academy's curriculum moves very slowly, even if he has White Fang's after-school guidance, he only has an advantage over me in resources. Given enough time, I'll definitely surpass him." Shuichi was very confident in himself. Under his meticulous daily refinement, this body possessed outstanding shinobi potential.

Shuichi now had far too many questions that needed to be answered at the Ninja Academy. The original work had introduced the academy in great detail, but that was absolutely different from experiencing it firsthand.