Chakra

The days that followed became routine and dull. The Ninja Academy's curriculum had originally included theory and practical training.

Because Yichen's class had been admitted early, academic classes had been added.

The academic classes still taught everyone how to read and write. Setting aside the occasional Genius, this was actually the subject Yichen's classmates were worst at.

For one thing, they were still young and temperamental. For another, compared to ninja battles, the subject was simply too boring, making them instinctively resist it.

Practical classes were not popular either, because as a group of beginners, they would not actually be fighting during those lessons.

If children their age fought, it would just be two little brats grabbing each other's hair and spitting at each other. There would be no real effect.

So practical classes consisted of all kinds of physical training, laying foundations, and strengthening their bodies.

The most popular class was actually ninja theory. During class, Teacher Ishikawa taught them plenty of knowledge related to ninjas.

From time to time, he also shared battles he had personally experienced, making the lessons extremely interesting.

Yichen also liked theory class. His only regret was that he had not learned the chakra extraction method taught there.

It was not just Yichen. Quite a few students had failed to extract even a trace of chakra. According to Teacher Ishikawa, it was because their bodies were too weak to draw out energy.

As a transmigrator, Yichen naturally knew that chakra was extracted from the human body's 130 trillion cells and should be produced through the combination of Body Energy and Mental Energy.

But as for exactly how to cultivate it, he did not know at all.

Teacher Ishikawa spent an entire class carefully analyzing the process of chakra extraction and the various theories behind it.

Broadly speaking, one had to use a method similar to meditation to sense one's own body. During that process, because one's attention was focused on the body, the mind and body would form a sensation akin to resonance, producing chakra.

Using this method, Yichen could barely focus his attention on his body, but he simply could not produce that resonance.

Whenever that happened, Yichen felt as though his body would not be able to endure it if he continued.

That sensation was his body protesting. It was the body's self-protective instinct, reminding its owner that his physical strength was insufficient and that he could not form chakra.

Yichen privately asked Teacher Ishikawa whether there was a solution.

Teacher Ishikawa said that there were indeed methods in the ninja world that allowed people to extract chakra even when their physical strength was insufficient, but the side effects were too severe and would cause irreversible damage to the body.

Then he told Yichen to be patient and train his body properly.

Yichen had no other options. First, he had no connections. Second, he did not dare take risks.

He could only silently increase the intensity of his training, but greater training intensity inevitably required replenishing more energy.

Although they had started school early, the village's compensation had not yet been distributed. Yichen could only take out the small amount of money his parents had left behind for emergencies.

Fortunately, this was only the earliest stage of cultivation. Yichen merely had to train according to the methods taught in practical class. He did not need to buy any equipment; food was his only expense.

Food for replenishing energy during ninja cultivation was not cheap. Yichen estimated that his money would only last around half a year.

If he still could not reach the level of extracting chakra within half a year, Yichen would have to think of another way.

For now, Yichen did not want to divide his attention by trying to make money. If he wanted to earn money, he would have to do it through the ninja path anyway.

Thus, Yichen's life began running like an emotionless machine, strictly following a timetable.

He woke at six every morning, first replenished his food intake, then trained at home for an hour before going to the cafeteria for his second meal.

Afterward, he went to the Ninja Academy. Before classes began, Yichen spent his time studying various theoretical subjects. The books had been borrowed from the school.

There were two morning classes. The first was an academic class, which had nothing to do with Yichen. Since he scored full marks on every test, he simply chose to read on his own.

The second class was theory, and Yichen listened attentively during it.

Especially when Teacher Ishikawa spoke about all sorts of details involved in ninja missions. A single oversight in such matters could cost someone their life in the future.

During theory class, Teacher Ishikawa also set aside half the time for chakra extraction practice.

That was right. Even Yichen and the others, who still could not extract chakra, had to practice.

According to Teacher Ishikawa, only when their bodies and minds had fully adapted to the process, allowing them to extract chakra anytime and anywhere—even while fighting—would they be free to do whatever they wanted during that class.

Then came lunchtime. As usual, Yichen ate his lunch in the cafeteria.

Unlike before, Yichen forced himself to eat additional food that could rapidly replenish energy after the meal.

During the lunch break, thanks to his strong Mental Power, Yichen did not choose to sleep in the classroom. Instead, he trained hand seals on the practical class field.

Yichen had received instruction from Teacher Ishikawa on the hand gestures this time. Thanks to his excellent academic and theory grades, Teacher Ishikawa had taken time to give him extra lessons.

Yichen scrambled the order of the twelve seals, arranged various sequences in advance, and then began forming them one by one.

He continued until the afternoon practical class began and the teacher and students gradually arrived at the field.

At first, some students had come to the field before class to cultivate like Yichen, but the result was that they became listless for the entire afternoon.

After several attempts, no students accompanied Yichen at that time anymore.

During practical class, after Yichen completed all the basic training exercises required by the teacher, he focused his time on training that required equipment, such as throwing kunai and Shuriken.

Although they were currently using wooden props for this exercise, they were still not something Yichen could afford.

Taking advantage of the school's resources was not a bad choice either.

Although practical class lasted longer than the morning lessons, it was still only one class, and the Ninja Academy dismissed early.

There was still some time before the usual dinner hour. After everyone else had left, Yichen returned to the classroom and practiced chakra extraction again, recovering his stamina at the same time.

Once it was time to eat, he still ate at the cafeteria first, then went outside to eat some energy-replenishing food and packed two portions for the next day.

After slowly walking home, he sat by the window and reviewed what he had learned that day.

He checked whether there was anything he did not understand from theory class or the books he had borrowed, took notes, and asked questions during theory class the next day.

By the time he finished all that, he had mostly digested dinner, and then he began physical training again.

This training was more intense than during the day. Only when his body was utterly exhausted did he wash up and rest.

Because he was already exhausted beforehand, Yichen fell asleep quickly every day. It could be said that after entering the Ninja Academy, Yichen had never stayed up late or suffered from insomnia.

Of course, not every day was without amusement. Most of the students were meeting so many peers their own age for the first time, and all sorts of jokes and conflicts emerged one after another.

For example, Mubuki, Taniya, and Fujino disliked each other because of who had first shouted that they wanted to become Tsuchikage. The three of them also fought more often than anyone else in class.

Yichen had no idea what they were thinking. So many people had said they wanted to become Tsuchikage, so why were only the three of them at odds with one another?

Besides, Yichen himself was not exactly peaceful either. For some reason, Shinohara, the classmate who strongly resembled Deidara, had picked a fight with Yichen.

Shinohara's talent was indeed quite good, and his background was probably extraordinary. He had already cultivated chakra before entering school. However, he ranked last in the class in both academic and theory grades. During every lesson, he constantly looked around restlessly and was often singled out and criticized by Teacher Ishikawa.

And he sat to Yichen's front left, always unable to resist turning around to look at Yichen, who possessed special privileges.

Since Yichen scored full marks every time, he was allowed not to listen to class and could read on his own. Shinohara, meanwhile, could not understand even if he listened.

Perhaps in his eyes, the two of them were both people who did not need to listen to class. During every academic lesson, he always tried to bother Yichen, preventing him from reading in peace.

Yichen had considered changing seats, but then he thought that if he lacked even this much focus, how could he become a ninja?

Besides, his exhausting and busy days needed a little variety.

So either Shinohara's interruptions failed to attract Yichen's attention, or, under Yichen's guidance, they attracted Teacher Ishikawa's attention instead.

The result was obvious. Shinohara could be said to hate Yichen intensely.

After every class, Shinohara declared that he wanted to duel Yichen. At such times, Tana, who sat beside Shinohara and in front of Yichen, would step in to stop them and mediate between the two.

This little girl was a good child and had decent talent as well. Born into a major ninja clan, she was rather sympathetic toward commoner children like Yichen. (Note: In her eyes, the child of a Chunin like Yichen would count as a commoner child.)

What was even more surprising was that Shinohara, this almost brutish fellow, listened to Tana's words remarkably well.

Whenever he was stopped, Shinohara would shout at Yichen that they should duel during practical class. Unfortunately, practical class currently had no dueling events.

Yichen guessed this was probably unrequited love. He wondered whether Shinohara, that scheming boy, was deliberately using this method to find excuses to talk to Tana.

There were more boys than girls in Yichen's class, but the ratio was not as exaggerated as several boys to every girl. It was around 1.5 to 1.

Like Naruto's class in Yichen's previous life, most of the girls cared about looks and were infatuated with one of the class's young boys.

The boy's name was Ikura. He looked somewhat cool, though not like Sasuke.

Ikura was gentler in personality and came from a good family. Yichen remembered him clearly. During the selection that day, they had been in the same group, and Ikura had performed the best in the first two rounds.

Tana also liked Ikura, but out of reserve, she did not approach him much, though she inevitably paid attention to him in daily life.

To irritate Shinohara, that scheming boy, Yichen would sometimes teach Tana in front of him how to take the initiative and strike up a conversation with Ikura without making it obvious.

Whenever he saw Tana looking tempted, Shinohara would become uncomfortable all over, and Yichen could draw quite a bit of amusement from it. It eased the dullness and exhaustion of cultivation.

Listening to the three would-be Tsuchikage insult one another, watching a group of little girls chase after their idol, and occasionally provoking Shinohara—these were the few moments of relaxation in Yichen's life.

It could be said that Yichen had originally come to school only to learn how to become a ninja.

But now, without realizing it, he had already formed the slightest connection and bond with this world.

These days continued for a full month.

One day a month later, while everyone was practicing chakra extraction as usual during theory class, Yichen experienced something different for the first time.

Previously, whenever resonance was about to form, his body would produce a kind of resistance that prevented it. As he trained day after day, that resistance grew weaker and weaker.

Until today, Yichen discovered that the resistance had disappeared. Then, as naturally as water flowing into a channel, Mental Power and Body Energy fused, and the first wisp of chakra was born.

There was no wonderful sensation, nor was there much excitement. Yichen merely felt a hint of fatigue before returning to his senses from his focused cultivation.

When he looked up, he happened to see Teacher Ishikawa giving him an approving look.

Yichen was among the last few students in the class to cultivate chakra. After all, his physique was what it was; the other students who could enter the Advanced Class were far stronger than him physically.

Through his unceasing daily efforts, combined with his strong Mental Power that gave him an advantage in becoming familiar with the meditative state, Yichen finally completed the first step of cultivation after a month.

From his usual conversations, Yichen knew that only three or four students in the class still had not cultivated chakra. Their sensations were also the same as Yichen's had been a few days earlier—they were at the threshold and should succeed in a few more days.

Thus, during the early stage when he could not yet make use of his Mental Power advantage, Yichen had clearly ranked near the bottom of the class.