Fifth: The Practical Lesson

"Zi Xu, how are you doing with your shuriken and kunai practice?" A month had passed since the ninjutsu classes began. Aside from the Chakra Extraction Technique, he had nearly mastered the Clone Technique he'd been learning recently. He was just one step away.

The one asking was Hyuga Chino. After spending this time together, Chino and Hatsumi had gradually come around to Zi Xu's ideas about the Will of Fire. They acknowledged that Hiruzen Sarutobi's policies didn't quite match the will the First Hokage had left behind, but they were still a long way from completely turning their backs on the Third Hokage and joining Zi Xu's side.

"I'm doing pretty well. I've got a good feel for them. I think I can hit six or seven out of ten shuriken." Of course, he was lying to Chino. Since learning to use Chakra, he'd felt his progress in integrating the template during his regular training had sped up.

Over the past month, it had risen from 5.5% to 6%. His dynamic vision was incredible. With deliberate effort, he could even enter a state like bullet time for a short while, though it took a tremendous amount of energy. The price of such a powerful physique was an enormous appetite. Zi Xu felt that if he didn't find a way to make money soon, he might starve to death.

"Really? I remember you nearly hit Takeshi Goda the last time you took the shuriken test..." Chino sounded doubtful.

"That was an accident. Speaking of which, where's Hatsumi? I haven't seen her lately." Zi Xu had been practicing with the girls recently. Their practical lesson was coming up, and the three of them had been placed in a team to face off against the others. Chino's competitive streak had kicked in, and she was determined to beat the Uchiha girl.

"I don't know. Maybe her clan needed her for something. The Aburame Clan are all so secretive, always disappearing..." Chino's tone was still cold, but anyone who knew her understood that was just how she spoke. She wasn't actually upset.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to study her bugs. If the bugs absorbed my Chakra, would I be able to control them? Or would something else happen to them...?" Zi Xu muttered to himself. He still couldn't stop thinking about a bug reconnaissance squad.

Zi Xu took a few shuriken from his pocket and deliberately aimed wide of the wooden post. In the end, eight of the ten hit; the other two landed on the ground nearby. He shrugged and said,

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

Chino shook her head, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't. She reached up to touch the forehead protector on her brow and sighed, then changed the subject.

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

Zi Xu was used to Chino's way of speaking, so he simply turned and left. He still had to practice the Clone Technique. He was counting on his clones to help him earn a living. He was fairly satisfied with his physique so far, but he didn't know whether his clones would vanish as soon as they were hit, like the books said.

On his way home, Zi Xu passed a ramen shop and wolfed down another meal before leaving, completely satisfied.

"Hatsumi?" As he reached the shop entrance, he spotted Hatsumi hurrying past nearby and called out to her.

Hatsumi stopped at the sound of his voice and turned to look at Zi Xu. Her pale red glasses hid her eyes, but Zi Xu's sharp gaze caught how red and puffy they were. It looked like she'd just finished crying.

"Ah... Zi Xu. I-I'm fine..." She said she was fine, but her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

"Come on. Let's talk somewhere else." Zi Xu led Hatsumi toward the place where they usually practiced. She struggled at first, but soon let him lead her.

"Tell me, what happened? Who was picking on you?" Zi Xu gave a masterful performance as a caring, responsible young man with a bright future. Maybe he really was that kind of person?

Hatsumi met Zi Xu's concerned gaze and warm smile, and at last she couldn't hold back any longer. Tears poured out of her like a breached dam. She clung to him, her tears soaking the hem of his clothes.

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

Only then did Hatsumi stop sobbing. She spoke haltingly:

"They... They burned the bugs. They burned the bugs to death... Sob... The bugs..."

"Who burned them to death?"

"Nohara... He said the bugs were disgusting, and that I was a monster... I... I'm not a monster... The bugs didn't do anything wrong..." Hatsumi kept talking. The bugs meant more to her than her own well-being. She was used to people saying those things about her, but she couldn't accept them killing the bugs.

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

Zi Xu wasn't lying to Hatsumi. He really did plan to teach Nohara a lesson, but he couldn't go too far. He had to keep it within the bounds of what a middle-of-the-pack student could do, while also making Hatsumi trust him more and increasing the chances she'd join his organization. As long as he got the balance right, it would be fine.

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

"Good. If nothing else is wrong, head home and get some practice in." After soothing Hatsumi, Zi Xu sent her on her way. As he continued home, he felt exhausted too. He still had a long way to go before he could match Konoha's skill at propaganda.

Everyone had their own convictions, shaped by the way they'd lived for who knew how long. How could he change those beliefs with just a few words? Fortunately, Hatsumi and Chino were still young, and their worldviews hadn't fully settled. That left Zi Xu a chance to bring them into his organization.

On the Ninja Academy's training field, more than fifty students had been divided into teams of three, making around a dozen teams. Takeshi Goda stood before them with his arms crossed, recording something in a notebook.

"Uchiha Gen's team hit twenty-five out of thirty shuriken. They're in first place so far." Takeshi Goda announced the students' scores, prompting a discussion.

"No surprise there. They're the Uchiha Clan, after all. They hit almost all of them..."

"If their teammates hadn't held them back, Gen would've had first place locked down, right?"

Uchiha Gen looked quite happy. She didn't seem upset that her teammates had performed poorly.

"Not bad," she told her teammates reassuringly. But Nohara just clicked his tongue and muttered,

"Maruyama was the one who dragged us down. We would've scored even higher otherwise..."

The other boy, who was a little chubby, apologized sheepishly, repeatedly saying things like, "I won't mess up next time," and "Please give me another chance."

Leaving their team's internal problems aside, Zi Xu's team was up next. Chino went first and performed as well as usual. The shuriken fluttered around her like petals, each flying as if it had eyes. All ten hit the targets from different angles, earning their team ten points.

Hatsumi went second, and her accuracy was high too. Her first five shuriken hit their targets perfectly. But when she got to the sixth, Nohara, watching from the sidelines, pretended to talk to himself.

"Bugs are the most disgusting things ever. How can something so gross even exist...?" As he spoke, he pulled a face at Hatsumi.

Hatsumi tried to keep her emotions in check. Zi Xu's advice had helped her steady herself, but at the end of the day, she was still just a child. Nohara's words affected her, and in the end she hit seven targets out of ten.

Chino's heart sank. During their usual training, Zi Xu's best score had been seven hits out of ten. Even if he matched his personal best, their final score would only be twenty-four—one point below Uchiha Gen's team. They'd still be in second place.

"Damn it. We still can't win...? This is so frustrating..." Chino had already given up hope that Zi Xu could win. She was growing frustrated deep down.

Hatsumi had just come off the field. She lowered her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry I let everyone down..."

"Just practice more next time. This isn't a battlefield..." Chino's tone was still cold, but Hatsumi could tell she was trying to comfort her, even if her way of expressing it was a little awkward.

"It's okay. Just work on your focus. Losing your concentration in a real fight can be deadly." Zi Xu offered a casual reassurance. He'd planned to teach Nohara a lesson during the team battle later, but the kid really did get on his nerves. He was already bullying people at this age? Zi Xu felt he had a responsibility to stop it. That would be one small step toward changing the ninja world.

Seeing that his team had basically secured first place, Nohara taunted Zi Xu's team.

"Sorry, second place yet again! Blame that disgusting bug girl and this half-baked guy! Hahahaha!" Nohara laughed loudly, pointing at Hatsumi and the others and mocking them without restraint. Seeing this, Takeshi Goda warned him,

"Nohara, watch what you say. A ninja can't just say whatever comes to mind." It was a half-hearted reprimand. In truth, the Ninja Academy encouraged competition between students. It gave them a chance to compare themselves and improve, and those who couldn't keep up were bound to be eliminated.

That was what the higher-ups had told Takeshi Goda and the other teachers, so he didn't pay much attention to the matter. Even when Hatsumi had gone home and cried to her family after Nohara killed her bugs, they hadn't taken it very seriously. Competition was normal, after all.

"Next, Uzumaki Zi Xu." Takeshi Goda urged him on. Zi Xu didn't dawdle. Although no one believed he could get a particularly good score, he walked up to the field without a hint of anxiety and took the shuriken from his backpack, aiming at the wooden post in front of him.