School Days, Part Two

History really was a little girl anyone could dress up as they pleased. Konoha had existed for less than fifty years, and already things were like this. Once this clan was wiped out, it would probably vanish completely from the memories of future generations.

Thankfully, Higashino Makoto hadn't been reincarnated into the Uchiha Clan like his predecessors. Otherwise, he'd be tearing his hair out by now.

He wondered what Shisui thought as he read all this and compared it with what his clan had taught him.

Higashino Makoto sneaked a glance at him. Nope, he didn't seem to have any thoughts about it. He was already so absorbed in the book's Will of Fire that he couldn't tear himself away. Combining it with the teacher's explanations, he was writing up a reading response in his notebook.

The morning's general knowledge had been crammed into two lessons. The remaining two covered Chakra and the basics of ninjutsu.

In the afternoon, everyone was taken to the Training Ground, where practical lessons began right away.

Higashino Makoto looked around. All the new students in this year's intake had been brought out, and each class had its own training area.

His eyesight was excellent. He could see that every class had a few scattered clan children. They weren't weak, but they hadn't all been crammed into one class. Instead, they were spread out.

Was that the result of negotiations between the clans and the village? Let the children build bonds with their village peers from a young age.

Ordinary civilians made up the main force of the Ninja Army. They made up for the clan shinobi's tendency to produce powerful fighters but lack sufficient numbers.

It wasn't just the village's leaders who used Commoner Ninjas to balance the clans' influence. The clans also made a point of establishing their influence among Commoner Ninjas early on.

Actually, it was a pretty good thing. It was a process of integration.

There just weren't many children from major clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga. It seemed not every child of school age was sent to the Academy, and only the graduates were entered into the official records.

Practical lessons were mainly divided into using ninja tools and fighting one another.

At the Training Ground, rows of students stood in front of fixed targets, throwing Shuriken and Kunai at them. A steady series of thuds rang out.

The students in the two top-ranked classes had a solid foundation. Most had started training early, and their throws had decent force and accuracy. As a teacher, it made things much easier.

Even when a few students weren't very skilled, the teacher could pair them with an outstanding student for one-on-one instruction. It saved the teacher effort and strengthened the bonds between classmates—a win-win.

The lower-ranked classes had many more beginners. Their teachers usually explained everything first, then demonstrated it themselves and patiently taught the students. Naturally, they fell behind the top classes.

Only a small number of Ninjas had large reserves of Chakra. Most couldn't rely on ninjutsu as their main means of fighting. Ninja tools like Shuriken, Kunai, and Explosive Tags were what they used most often.

After the ninja tools lesson, the students took a short break before starting sparring practice. They immediately got excited, especially the boys, who looked eager to get started.

After all, they were only first-year students and didn't understand much about what it meant to be a Ninja. As far as they were concerned, what was the point of all those classroom lessons? Ninjas fought, and winning proved you were strong, didn't it?

Teacher Inoue chose their opponents based on their entrance exam results. There were no permanent pairings; students would be matched with new opponents as their scores changed, so they could face a variety of rivals and gain more experience.

There were exceptions, though.

Once everyone's opponents had been decided, the matches began.

The students in the top classes had a good foundation, but they were still young. Few had learned ninjutsu, and even those who had weren't allowed to use it. The matches were purely physical combat.

Ninja battles were quick. They didn't last dozens of rounds. Hashirama and Madara were exceptions—they could hardly even be called Ninjas.

Around the Training Ground, students leaped and darted through their matches. One pair after another stepped forward, fought, and reached a result.

Before he'd learned to refine Chakra, Higashino Makoto might have thought their matches were exciting. But after two years of training, his standards had become very high. To him, his classmates' fights looked like children playing house.

Maybe that was how Kakashi had felt when he was in school. He'd graduated after only half a year because there was no point in staying.

Soon it was Higashino Makoto's turn. His opponent was someone he knew: Hyuga Tokuma, a member of the Hyuga Clan. A headband covered his forehead, so it was hard to tell whether he belonged to the Main Family or the branch family. He was probably from the branch family.

The Main Family's circumstances were a secret. Only a few of the village's leaders knew about them; outsiders had no idea. Compared to the Uchiha, who often interacted with villagers, the Hyuga were more traditional, reserved, and mysterious.

After the two exchanged the Opposing Seal, Hyuga Tokuma immediately took up a stance. It looked like the opening posture of the Gentle Fist.

But the veins around his eyes hadn't bulged. It seemed he hadn't awakened the Byakugan yet.

The Gentle Fist was powerful in the early stages of a Ninja's career, especially for students. Unfortunately, it had limited potential and rarely produced top-tier fighters.

That didn't affect the Hyuga's standing in Konoha or the Shinobi World. The Byakugan's strategic value was simply too great. On the battlefield, it was like having a wallhack; ordinary traps and ambushes were practically useless.

Seeing that Higashino Makoto wasn't making a move, Hyuga Tokuma tested him. "Judging by yesterday's results, you're not just fast on your feet, are you, Makoto? If that's all you've got, you won't beat me."

"I'm not just fast."

"Oh? Do you have some special technique?"

"Hmm... I can run even faster."

"..."

Hyuga Tokuma felt like he was being mocked and stopped testing him. With a quick step, he closed in on Higashino Makoto and launched a flurry of palm strikes. His Gentle Fist looked convincing, and he was much better than the students Higashino Makoto had fought earlier.

The Gentle Fist's defining feature was concentrating special Chakra and precisely striking an opponent's tenketsu to kill or immobilize them.

But it required the Byakugan. A living person wasn't a tree stump; they moved. Without the Byakugan to help him observe, it was hard to land a hit.

Hyuga Tokuma hadn't awakened his Byakugan yet. Besides, this was a match between classmates, and he hadn't concentrated Chakra in his hands. Higashino Makoto held up both hands and deflected each attack, without moving an inch or taking a single step back.

"Are you just going to defend? What about attacking?"

He was still a child, after all. Hyuga Tokuma had been attacking for a while without getting anywhere, and he was starting to lose his temper. He turned his right palm into a fist, abandoning the Gentle Fist techniques, and swung hard at Higashino Makoto's face.

Higashino Makoto sidestepped and appeared behind Hyuga Tokuma. Apart from Teacher Inoue, Shisui, and a few others, the rest of the class couldn't even follow his movements.

"Wow, that was amazing!"

"Makoto is so cool!"

"Damn it, we all just started school. Why is that guy so strong? Did he grow up eating Chakra?"

Hearing his classmates gasp, Hyuga Tokuma turned toward the direction of their gazes and realized his opponent was behind him. He immediately turned to attack again. He was from Konoha's prestigious Hyuga Clan; there was no way he'd give up so easily.

But he saw Higashino Makoto holding out his right hand, ready to exchange the Reconciliation Seal.

"So this is the faster speed you were talking about? I'm not beaten yet."

Higashino Makoto raised his left hand and pointed at his own neck. "Oh, really? Take a look."

Hyuga Tokuma didn't understand, but instinctively touched his neck. A little ink stained his fingertips.

Clearly, while moving, Higashino Makoto had also pulled out a pen and drawn a mark on his neck. If it had been a Kunai, he'd be dead by now.

The match was over.

Hyuga Tokuma felt a little dejected. He hadn't expected such a huge gap between them. But he quickly pulled himself together and exchanged the Reconciliation Seal with Higashino Makoto.

"Makoto, I had no idea you were this strong. But I'll keep working hard. Next time—next time, I definitely won't lose to you."

"Sure. I'm looking forward to it."

Inoue Kuroiwa gave the outstanding student a serious look and made a note in his notebook.

He recorded every student's abilities in detail, not just Higashino Makoto's and Hyuga Tokuma's. It was part of a teacher's job.

Shisui and Yugao also won their matches with ease.

The three top performers from the entrance test were clearly a cut above the rest of the class.

When Uzuki Yugao came off the field, she bounced over to Higashino Makoto's side, edging out the girls who had gathered around him. She looked as if she were fishing for praise. "Big Brother Makoto, I was great, right?"

"Not bad. Looks like you've improved a lot."

"Hmph!"

Shisui looked at Higashino Makoto and said seriously, "Makoto, I had no idea you were already this strong. I really want to test myself against you."

"We will, Shisui. We'll get the chance. I think Teacher Inoue feels the same way. He might pair us up soon."

After a while, all the matches were over, and the day's lessons came to an end.

That was a typical day at the Ninja Academy.

Higashino Makoto had mastered everything the school taught before he turned four, and he was already far ahead of his classmates.

That was just how it was for us Cheating Players.

Finally, after behaving himself for half a month, Higashino Makoto began his evil plan to skip class.

That was why the Shadow Clone was such a great jutsu.

Did I skip class? My clone was sitting right there in the classroom. No proof, no truancy!