Practical Combat Class

"Zi Xu, how's your shuriken and kunai practice coming along?" Another month had passed since the ninjutsu class began. Besides the Chakra Extraction Technique, he was also close to mastering the Clone Technique he'd been learning recently—just one final push away.

The one asking was Hyuga Chino. Over this time together, Chino and Hatsumi had gradually come to accept Zi Xu's views on the Will of Fire, acknowledging that Hiruzen Sarutobi's policies didn't quite align with the will the First Hokage had left behind. But they were still a ways off from fully abandoning the Third and joining his side.

"It's going alright. Feels pretty good in my hands—I can probably hit six or seven out of ten shuriken." That was, of course, a lie to Chino. Since mastering chakra, he'd noticed his training with the fusion template was progressing faster.

In a month, it had gone from 5.5% to 6%. His dynamic vision was incredible, and with deliberate control, he could even briefly enter a state similar to bullet time—though the cost was immense. Such a powerful physique came with a massive appetite, and Zi Xu felt that if he didn't find a way to make some money soon, he might starve himself to death.

"Really? I remember last time during the shuriken test, you almost hit Takeshi Goda..." Chino sounded skeptical of his words.

"That was an accident. By the way, where's Hatsumi? I haven't seen her lately." Zi Xu had been training with them recently, since the practical class was coming up. The three of them had been grouped together for team battles against others, and Chino's competitive streak had been ignited—she was determined to beat the Uchiha girl.

"No idea. Maybe her clan had something for her. The Aburame Clan is always mysterious, coming and going without a trace..." Chino's tone remained cold, but those who knew her understood this was just her habit, not genuine displeasure.

"That's a shame. I really wanted to study her bugs more. If the bugs absorbed my chakra, would I be able to control them? Or would they change somehow..." Zi Xu muttered, still fixated on the idea of a bug reconnaissance squad.

He pulled a few shuriken from his pocket and deliberately aimed off-target at the wooden post in front of him. In the end, eight out of ten hit, while the other two landed in the empty space nearby. He spread his hands and said:

"That's probably my best. If we still can't beat Uchiha Gen's team by then, there's nothing I can do..."

Chino shook her head, as if to say something, but ultimately held back. She reached up to touch the forehead protector on her brow, sighed, and changed the subject.

"Maybe you're right. Let's call it a day here."

Zi Xu was used to Chino's way of speaking, so he turned and left without hesitation. He still had to practice the Clone Technique—he was counting on his clones to work and earn a living for him. He was fairly satisfied with his physique so far, but he wondered if a clone inheriting his traits would vanish at the first hit like the books said.

On his way home, Zi Xu stopped by the ramen shop for a big meal before leaving contentedly.

"Hatsumi?" He spotted her passing by the shop entrance, walking hurriedly, and called out.

Hatsumi stopped at the sound, turning to face Zi Xu. Though her light red glasses obscured her eyes, his sharp observation caught that her eye sockets were noticeably red and swollen—she looked like she'd been crying.

"Ah... it's Zi Xu-kun. I, I'm fine..." Even as she said she was fine, her tone sounded like she was about to burst into tears, with teardrops gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Come on, let's talk somewhere else." Zi Xu pulled Hatsumi toward their usual training spot. She struggled at first, but after a moment, she let him lead her.

"Spill it. What happened? Who bullied you?" Zi Xu played the role of a caring, responsible young man to perfection—or maybe that was just who he was?

Meeting his concerned gaze and warm smile, she couldn't hold it together anymore. Tears poured out like a dam breaking, and she clung to him, soaking his clothes with her crying.

"It's okay, it'll pass. Tell me what happened." Zi Xu patiently comforted her, patting her shoulder.

Hatsumi finally stopped sobbing and spoke in fits and starts:

"They... they burned the bugs, burned them to death... wuwuwu... the bugs..."

"Who burned the bugs?"

"Nohara... he said the bugs were disgusting, said I was a monster... I... I'm not a monster... the bugs were innocent..." Hatsumi kept pouring out her words. The bugs meant more to her than herself; they could insult her, and she was used to it, but burning her bugs was something she couldn't accept.

"From Uchiha Gen's team, huh... Hatsumi, don't be sad. What we should do now isn't cry—it's get stronger. Only with enough power can you protect what you want to protect. Don't worry, when the practical class comes, I'll teach that kid a lesson for you."

Zi Xu wasn't lying to Hatsumi. He did plan to teach Nohara a lesson, but he couldn't go overboard. It had to fit his image as an average student while also making Hatsumi trust him more, increasing the chances she'd join his organization. As long as he kept the balance, it'd be fine.

"O-okay..." Hatsumi nodded, feeling a bit better.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, head home and practice." After calming Hatsumi down, Zi Xu sent her off. On his own way home, he felt a wave of exhaustion. Compared to Konoha, his propaganda skills still fell short.

Everyone had their own will, something they'd lived by for who knows how long. How could he change that with just a few words? Fortunately, Hatsumi and Chino were still young, their worldviews not yet fully set, so Zi Xu still had a chance to pull them into his organization.

On the Ninja Academy's training ground, over fifty students were divided into a dozen teams of three. Takeshi Goda stood before them with his arms crossed, holding a notebook and jotting something down.

"Uchiha Gen's team: thirty shuriken, twenty-five hits. Best score so far." Goda announced the results, sparking chatter among the students.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan—perfect hits..."

"If it weren't for her teammates holding her back, Gen might've taken first place easily."

Uchiha Gen looked quite pleased, not upset by her teammates' poor performance.

"Not bad at all..." she comforted her teammates, but Nohara curled his lip and muttered:

"It's Maruyama holding us back. Otherwise, we'd have done even better..."

Another slightly chubby boy apologized guiltily, mumbling things like "It won't happen again" and "Give me another chance."

Leaving aside their internal team issues, the next group was Zi Xu's. Chino went first, performing as well as ever. Shuriken danced around her like flower petals, each one seeming to have eyes, hitting the target from different angles and scoring ten points for their team.

Hatsumi went second. Her shuriken accuracy was also high—the first five hit the target precisely. But on the sixth, Nohara, watching from the sidelines, pretended to mutter to himself:

"Bugs are the grossest thing ever. How can such disgusting things even exist..." He even made a face at Hatsumi.

Hatsumi tried to steady herself. After Zi Xu's encouragement, she'd calmed down, but she was still just a child. Nohara's words affected her, and in the end, she hit seven out of ten shuriken.

Seeing this, Chino's heart sank. In daily training, Zi Xu's best was seven out of ten. Even if he performed at his peak, their total would be twenty-four—still one point behind Uchiha Gen's team, losing by a hair.

"Damn it, still can't win... how frustrating..." Chino had already given up hope of Zi Xu pulling off a victory, bitterness rising in her heart.

Hatsumi, just off the field, lowered her head apologetically.

"Sorry for letting everyone down..."

"Just practice harder next time. This isn't a battlefield..." Chino's tone remained cold, but Hatsumi could tell she was trying to comfort her, even if the delivery was a bit awkward.

"It's fine. Just work on your focus next time. Losing concentration in a real fight can be deadly." Zi Xu offered casual reassurance. Though he planned to teach Nohara a lesson during the team battle later, this little brat really rubbed him the wrong way. Starting school bullying at this age? He felt it was his responsibility to stop it—a small step toward changing the ninja world.

On the other side, Nohara, seeing his team had basically secured first place, started taunting Zi Xu's group:

"Sorry about that, eternal runner-ups. Blame the gross bug girl and that half-baked loser, hahahaha!" Nohara laughed loudly, pointing at Hatsumi and the others without restraint. Goda spoke up:

"Nohara, watch your words. A ninja can't just say whatever they want." A half-hearted warning. In truth, the Academy encouraged competition among students—it pushed them to compare, improve, and weed out those who couldn't keep up.

That's what the higher-ups told Goda and the others, so he didn't take it too seriously. Even when Hatsumi went home crying about her bugs being killed by Nohara, her family didn't think much of it—competition was normal.

"Next up, Uzumaki Zi Xu." Goda urged him on. Zi Xu didn't dawdle. Though no one believed he'd do well, he stepped up calmly, pulled shuriken from his pack, and aimed at the wooden post.