The afternoon sunlight was especially lazy. The sky was clear for miles, and the vast blue heavens were clean save for a few pure white clouds.
"Hey!"
"Ha!"
On the training field of the Ninja Academy, the entire class had already assembled before lessons began.
Outdoor lessons were the favorite of six- and seven-year-old children. Without Teacher Kaoru's supervision, they had already rubbed their fists and begun warming up.
Veigar lazily basked in the sunlight for a while, but he did not join the warm-up group. Once you were on the battlefield, the enemy would not give you time to warm up.
A battle could erupt at any moment!
It was nearly time for class when Kaoru Iwabe finally arrived.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"Good afternoon, Teacher Kaoru!"
Kaoru Iwabe continued, "It looks like everyone is ready. In that case, let's begin class."
"We've already learned how to use kunai and shuriken. Today, we'll mainly be practicing throwing."
"Now, I'll first demonstrate how to throw a shuriken."
As he spoke, Kaoru Iwabe pulled three shuriken from his Ninja Tool Bag, aimed at a circular target twenty meters away, and flung them with all his strength.
"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
The three shuriken struck the bull's-eye of the circular target without deviation, with roughly one-third of each blade embedded in the target.
"Teacher Kaoru, you're amazing!"
A cry of astonishment rose from the crowd, and the students all gazed at Kaoru Iwabe with admiration.
At the stage when Veigar and the others were still students and focused mainly on building their foundations, it was indeed difficult for them to achieve the same level as Kaoru Iwabe.
"Using a shuriken requires coordination between multiple parts of the body. The upper arm, forearm, and wrist must exert force in one smooth motion. More importantly, you must learn to use your eyes to observe."
Kaoru Iwabe began his tireless explanation, and Veigar listened with great concentration. Standing among the crowd, he even took out the notebook he carried with him.
"All right, remember the throwing techniques I just explained."
"Now, everyone may begin practicing freely. We'll test your results after three hours."
After explaining the throwing techniques, Kaoru Iwabe announced that they would be tested before dismissal.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing that there would be a test, no one dared slack off. Everyone enthusiastically took out their shuriken and began practicing.
For a time, shuriken flew constantly in front of every circular target across the entire training field.
Fortunately, the training field was large enough. Otherwise, it would not have been able to support the simultaneous practice of an entire class.
Although Veigar had never intended to use kunai or shuriken as his regular means of attack, mastering throwing techniques would still benefit him greatly.
Unlike the students beside him, who followed Kaoru Iwabe's example and threw two or three shuriken at once, Veigar chose to practice by throwing them one after another.
"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
Veigar did not carry many shuriken or kunai. After each round, he would stop to retrieve the shuriken and kunai he had thrown earlier, while also summarizing the results and considering ways to improve.
After repeating this for several rounds, Veigar gradually grasped the essentials of throwing shuriken. He could now hit the target without missing.
Although he still could not hit the bull's-eye from thirty meters away, he had made considerable progress.
Under the blazing sun, Veigar freely poured out his sweat. After finishing another round, he looked with satisfaction at all the shuriken embedded in the bull's-eye.
Just as Veigar was preparing to begin the next round of practice, Kaoru Iwabe had already walked to the center of the training field.
"All right, training is over. Everyone, come and assemble."
Only then did they realize that three hours had quietly passed without them noticing.
After everyone had gathered, Kaoru Iwabe said, "Next, we'll conduct the shuriken-throwing test. Anyone who fails will stay behind to clean the training field."
"Now, we'll divide into groups."
After three hours of practice, the shuriken-throwing test had finally arrived.
Everyone consciously formed one line after another. They were tested in groups of five, one group after another.
Unfortunately, Veigar's group included Might Guy, a problem child who practiced only taijutsu; the class's Dead Last, Obito Uchiha; Asuma Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's youngest son; and Iruka Umino, who would one day become one of the Chief Examiners of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
After the groups ahead of them completed their tests one by one, it was soon time for Veigar's group.
Kaoru Iwabe was holding paper and a pen, recording each test result, when Obito Uchiha suddenly stepped forward.
"I'll go first! I'll go first!"
Though he was the class's Dead Last, Obito Uchiha had none of the self-awareness of a Dead Last. He directly rushed to be tested first.
"All right. Next up, Obito Uchiha."
Kaoru Iwabe granted Obito Uchiha's wish and let him take the test first.
"Watch closely, everyone. This great master will hit every single one."
Unfortunately, fantasies were beautiful, while reality was...
In any case, not one of the ten shuriken Obito Uchiha threw remained on the circular target, much less hit the bull's-eye.
"Obito Uchiha, all misses. Zero points."
"Stay behind after school and clean the training field."
At first, seeing Obito Uchiha's confidence, Kaoru Iwabe had thought he was absolutely certain of success. At the very least, he should have been able to pass.
But after seeing the result, Kaoru Iwabe was so enraged by Obito Uchiha's performance that he was almost beside himself.
The Dead Last was still the Dead Last. Kaoru Iwabe could not understand why the Uchiha Clan, a clan that produced so many geniuses, had produced someone like Obito Uchiha.
He was simply a disgrace to the prestigious Uchiha Clan.
"Hahaha..."
Upon hearing that Obito Uchiha had failed and been punished, and recalling his declaration at the start, the students in the class laughed so hard that Obito Uchiha nearly wished he could disappear.
Even Rin Nohara could not help letting the corners of her lips rise slightly.
Under normal circumstances, a well-trained ninja would absolutely never laugh—unless they truly could not help it.
After Obito Uchiha finished his test, it was finally time for the other four members of the group, including Veigar.
"Clack! Clack! Clack..."
"Clack! Clack! Clack..."
"Clack! Clack! Clack..."
Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Iruka Umino quickly completed their tests. Only Veigar remained, as he was slower to act.
However, although Veigar was slow to make his move, no one dared mock him. The nine shuriken he had thrown so far had all struck the bull's-eyes of the nine circular targets.
Now, only one final shuriken throw remained. As long as Veigar could hit the bull's-eye again, he would receive a perfect score in this test.
With two fingers pressed together, Veigar easily clamped the sharp shuriken between them.
Then, under everyone's watchful gaze, he threw it.
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