The break passed quickly, and the second school year began. Jiogan spent the entire break practicing self-discipline, and his chakra amount grew considerably. He could now cast C-rank Ninjutsu three times.
His Taijutsu Skill was absolutely among the best in the class, no weaker than that of an ordinary Genin. After all, it was the result of training with Might Duy. However, he was still some distance away from opening the Second Gate of the Eight Inner Gates Technique, while Might Duy could already open the Third Gate. Might Duy's Taijutsu was exceptionally outstanding in the class. Comparing oneself to others really was infuriating. Might Duy had already drawn the attention of the school's higher-ups and Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although combat classes would not be held until the third school year, Jiogan had always trained with Might Duy, and the two often sparred. At first, they fought using only Taijutsu. Later, when Jiogan truly proved no match for Might Guy Emperor's father, they began fighting with every means at their disposal—Shuriken Throwing, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and everything else they could use. Their combat experience rose rapidly, and the same was true for Might Duy.
Might Duy was in the graduating class and had combat classes every week. With his absolute advantage in Taijutsu and the experience he had gained from sparring with Jiogan, he had actually never lost in his class. Jiogan's mastery of the Three Body Techniques was extremely high, and he also knew Water Release Ninjutsu. There were truly very few students in the school stronger than Jiogan.
School was the stage for building one's foundation. Being strong now only meant one had laid a solid foundation and worked hard enough. But after truly becoming a ninja, strength would enter an explosive growth period with age. Being strong early on did not mean one's ultimate achievements would also be great.
Konoha was famous for producing underdogs in the early stages who became top dogs later on. Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, and Obito Uchiha were all typical examples.
That day, Jiogan's class had a practical throwing lesson. Jiogan had secretly practiced Shuriken Throwing Technique all along. Because of his powerful soul, his skill had quickly risen from ordinary to proficient. He believed he was no weaker than the Uchiha students in the class, though he was still a step behind Itachi Uchiha from the Anime Timeline. Itachi Uchiha's Shuriken Throwing Technique had reached a level that could be called art. Throughout the entire Hokage anime, Jiogan had never seen anyone more skilled than him.
"Inuzuka Yoru, two hits in the 9-ring, three in the 8-ring, five in the 7-ring. Final grade: B-." Each student threw ten shuriken during throwing class, with their overall ring scores determining the grade. As soon as Inuzuka Yoru finished throwing, homeroom teacher Kiyokatsu Sarutobi immediately gave his evaluation.
"Aoba Yamashiro, three hits in the 8-ring, five in the 7-ring, two in the 6-ring. Final grade: C."
"Shikajiro Nara, one hit in the 9-ring, two in the 8-ring, four in the 7-ring, three in the 6-ring. Final grade: C."
"Taku Kimura, one hit in the 8-ring, two in the 7-ring, three in the 6-ring, three in the 5-ring, two misses. Final grade: D."
"Nawa Uchiha, two hits in the 10-ring, seven in the 9-ring, one in the 8-ring. Final grade: A-."
As expected, the Uchiha Clan's Shuriken Throwing Technique was impressive. Only two more people remained before it was Jiogan's turn. Jiogan wondered whether he should stand out a little or remain mediocre.
Better to be ordinary. Not too bad, but don't stand out either. The Ninja World isn't safe right now. There have been cases of geniuses from every village being assassinated. Ninja Clan geniuses have their clans to protect them, but I'm just a commoner with no one to protect me. Better to keep a low profile.
Finally, it was Jiogan's turn. After steadying himself, he sent ten shuriken flying out in rapid succession.
"Jiogan, two hits in the 9-ring, four in the 8-ring, four in the 7-ring. Final grade: B."
This result was already fairly good in the class, but it was still far from excellent and did not attract much attention.
It's only the second school year. Keeping a low profile has more advantages than disadvantages, and it's safer. But I can't be too mediocre either. I should stay around the top fifteen. Once I reach the graduating class in the third school year, I'll have to compete for things. By then, my ability to survive will have improved. I'll need to fight for resources when I should. If nothing else, being assigned strong teammates at graduation will improve my chances of survival. Jiogan thought as he walked off the field.
"Jiogan-kun, you're amazing. You got a B grade in your very first throwing class." Kurama Feiyun smiled at Jiogan.
"Although it's my first throwing class, I practiced Shurikenjutsu during the break and picked up a little experience. But I'm still far behind Nawa Uchiha's level." Jiogan replied modestly.
"Hmph! A mere commoner dares compare himself to my Uchiha Clan?" Jiogan had not lowered his voice, so Nawa Uchiha heard him. The Uchiha Clan's bad habit immediately surfaced, and he sneered with a disdainful expression.
"You!" Kurama Feiyun was immediately unhappy and wanted to argue with Nawa Uchiha, but Jiogan stopped her.
Jiogan was far too familiar with the Uchiha Clan's rotten habits. Most of them held their noses high in the air and looked down on everyone else, seeing themselves as Konoha's strongest clan. Gentle people like Kagami Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, and Shisui Uchiha were a rare minority. There was truly no need to fuss over such a trivial matter.
Ever since Jiogan had transmigrated to the Ninja World, the people he least wanted to deal with were members of the Uchiha Clan. Deep down, he wanted to stay far away from them, because he knew the waters of the entire Ninja World ran deep—but none ran deeper than the Uchiha's.
Soon, it was Kurama Feiyun's turn.
"Feiyun, good luck!" Jiogan encouraged her with a smile.
"Mm. Jiogan-kun, watch the results of my training too!" Kurama Feiyun said before turning and stepping onto the field.
"Kurama Feiyun, one hit in the 10-ring, four in the 9-ring, five in the 8-ring. Final grade: B+." Kiyokatsu Sarutobi announced her grade immediately after she finished throwing.
"Feiyun, that was great. You're already in the top five of the class! You must have trained very hard!" Jiogan congratulated her.
Under normal circumstances, Shurikenjutsu at B grade or above was the average level of the graduating class. Many Genin and even Chunin were only this skilled, because after becoming Chunin, most ninjas began learning advanced Ninjutsu and rarely continued focusing on Shuriken Throwing Technique. Powerful Ninjutsu was what they needed to focus on learning.
But Jiogan did not see it that way. In this Ninja World, where offense was strong and defense was weak, stray arrows and hidden projectiles were the easiest things to overlook, but they were also the deadliest. How many ninjas had he seen burned to death by Fire Release? Yet even Pakura of the Scorch Release, a powerhouse of Sunagakure, had been shot to death by shuriken and kunai.
"Thank you for the encouragement. I'll keep working hard!" Kurama Feiyun's eyes curved into crescents.
Soon, all fifty students in the class had finished the throwing lesson. Most of them had missed the target at least once. Fewer than fifteen received grades above B, and Nawa Uchiha was the only one to receive an A grade. The other Uchiha students had all received B+ grades.
"Students, today's throwing class is over. Everyone should learn from those with high throwing grades and practice more after class. Shurikenjutsu is the simplest attacking method, but also one of the most effective. If you throw more accurately than your enemy, the final result may be that you live and your enemy dies—and the reverse is also true." Kiyokatsu Sarutobi concluded before dismissing the class.
The students scattered like birds and beasts, each heading home.
After saying goodbye to Kurama Feiyun, Jiogan hurried toward his family's Fruit Shop. He still had to work part-time delivering food. Class is over, school is out—it's time to burn my Youth!
Without realizing it, Jiogan had already been influenced by Might Duy. "Burning Youth" had become his catchphrase.
Before you continue