A Good Era

The ninja world is actually quite simple.

Grasp your role, establish your niche, know when to bend and when to stand tall, and you can live better than 90% of ordinary people.

Yamada Soji, who had transmigrated here, cleared his head from the very beginning.

Therefore, he skipped the standard phase of self-pity and lamenting that life in the ninja world was worth less than a dog's. Once his physical condition met the requirements, he actively participated in training for professional ninja skills.

Unfortunately, limited by his talent, Yamada-kun's academic path was not smooth.

By the age of 11, his combat ability among his peers was barely middle-of-the-pack... Dreaming of calling the wind and summoning the rain with personal combat strength was something that could only happen in his sleep.

Fortunately, Yamada Soji was not discouraged by this.

Moreover, compared to other chaotic years in the Naruto world, he actually felt that the 29th year of Konoha was a truly golden era!

Relying on his precocious mind and the keen "sense of smell" cultivated through office politics in his past life, the unconventional Yamada-kun had already prepared to transition into logistics.

He even used the information he had gathered and the plot developments he knew in advance to create a comprehensive plan for his next twenty years of career, just waiting to start operations once he graduated from the Ninja Academy.

However, on his birthday, an accident occurred.

The system that had been late for many years suddenly exploded in his mind, manifesting as a Scottish Round-Faced Fat Chicken!

The Hogwarts acceptance letter, accompanied by an entry-level spell, became an unexpected and powerful aid on Yamada Soji's path as a ninja.

"Energy Purity: E"

"Unlocked Spell: Accio"

Lying in his bedroom, he stared blankly as the flashy system effects disappeared one by one, and then he gestured with his hand... causing the Ninja Handbook on his nightstand to fly straight toward him!

The excitement of unlocking a new skill lasted all night.

By the time he went to school the next day, neither his classmates nor his teachers could detect anything unusual about Yamada Soji.

Nearly 40 years of life experience, combined from his past and present, gave him a sense of calm when facing such sudden events. After a brief burst of excitement, he immediately began modifying his life plan to accommodate this unexpected windfall.

At present, although the Second Shinobi World War had not yet officially begun, the tense atmosphere on the eve of war was already extremely thick.

To seamlessly integrate with the battlefield, most of the Ninja Academy's curriculum was tied to physical fitness and practical combat training.

Yamada Soji waited until he had finished the morning 20-kilometer all-terrain cross-country run with his classmates before finally finding an opportunity to speak privately with Uesugi Taro, the teacher responsible for teaching them the Ninja Tool Throwing Technique.

As for the main content of the conversation, it naturally had to do with the "cheat" he had suddenly acquired last night.

For Yamada Soji, who came from a civilian background, this was a trial to prove his worth and a crucial gamble to secure his first offer as graduation approached.

--Before he could even voice his question, Yamada Soji bowed to his teacher with the utmost seriousness, as was his custom.

Don't underestimate this seemingly insignificant detail; every gesture and movement condensed Yamada Soji's analysis of the current environment.

Since the First Hokage ended the Warring States period—an era of infighting among clans and a hundred schools of thought contending—the Ninja Sect had replaced all other violent apparatuses, leaping to become the symbol of supreme military power in every nation.

Changes in status brought about shifts in power.

The presence of ninjas rose rapidly, and they eventually found their niche in the new political circle by establishing ninja villages.

Thus, compared to the small-scale, clan-based governance of the Warring States period, unprecedentedly large amounts of manpower were now unified and managed in a brand-new way!

The inexperienced leaders of the five great ninja villages could only scratch their heads, forced to "cross the river by feeling the stones" while looking at the heaven-sent powerhouse that was Konoha Ninja Village.

Ninja Academy, Police Force, Anbu, Hospital, mission assignment and intake agencies...

As a large number of new institutions were established, it coincided with the departure of the older generation of powerhouses, including Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara, leaving a power vacuum that was filled in an almost barbaric manner.

Although the largest piece of the cake in this gluttonous feast was still controlled by the old-money clans who had invested their capital, the new lifestyle objectively increased social mobility!

In other words, compared to the timeline after iconic events like the Sannin leaving or the Fourth Hokage dying, the current Konoha was still at a historical turning point where the class hierarchy had not yet fully solidified.

The younger generation, represented by the rising star Sarutobi Hiruzen, was constantly seizing the legacy left by their predecessors.

This Third Hokage, who would eventually have to take primary responsibility for the ossification of the Konoha system, was currently in the prime of his life, full of drive and ambition! The entire atmosphere of ninja society was trending toward freedom and openness.

Yet, everything in the world has two sides.

The pursuit of freedom is, to a large extent, synonymous with contempt for authority.

Just looking at the Third Hokage's own disciples and son, it is not hard to imagine how subtle the teacher-student relationships within Konoha were during this period...

This environment, where development and contradiction coexisted, provided natural, favorable conditions for those with ambition to stand out.

Therefore, after anchoring his historical coordinates, Yamada Soji decided to go with the flow and planned a suitable development path for his ninja career early on.

--From the very beginning, he never thought about clinging to the thighs of the second-generation heirs in the academy to get ahead.

That was too unstable and too much of a waste of time, causing him to miss the historical opportunities right in front of him.

Therefore, even though the persona of a "good student who respects his teachers" wasn't very popular among his peers, he had persisted for years to gain the favor of the academy teachers.

Now, it was time to reap the rewards.

"Teacher Uesugi, regarding the 30-meter target practice you assigned last time, I've suddenly had some new ideas these past few days."

"Yamada-kun?"

His signature bowing gesture increased his recognizability, allowing Uesugi Taro, who was teaching hundreds of students at the same time, to quickly identify the source of the question.

The specific mention of "teacher" in Yamada Soji's words subtly emphasized the mentor-student relationship between the two.

This caused Uesugi Chunin to instinctively put a bit more effort into his response before speaking, reminding himself that he must fulfill his responsibilities as a mentor.

"Are there any questions you need your teacher to answer?"

"It is about the Shuriken Throwing Technique..."

Yamada Soji nodded slightly and took a shuriken with nearly rounded edges from his ninja tool pouch.

"I was thinking, since the number of projectiles one can carry on any given mission is limited, it is essential to maximize the efficiency of using ninja tools. If there were a way to change the trajectory of a kunai or shuriken after it has been thrown, would it not be possible to achieve better results?"

"I see. It seems you have indeed incorporated your own thoughts into the ninja tool throwing curriculum."

Uesugi Taro raised the corners of his mouth, first affirming Yamada Soji's spirit of inquiry before slowly detailing the important points of knowledge.

"In fact, every ninja village does have its own unique throwing methods.

The most common usage on the battlefield is to combine projectiles with functional ninja tools like wire, Explosive Tags, or Flash Tags to expand damage or achieve specific objectives;

Furthermore, techniques like the Shuriken Manipulation Technique used by the Uchiha clan in conjunction with the Sharingan allow for changing the flight path of projectiles through collisions, enabling attacks on enemies in blind spots;

And then there is the Hokage's Shuriken Shadow Clone, which perfectly combines ninjutsu with throwing techniques to achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Uesugi Chunin counted the points off on his fingers for his student, and only after citing several examples did he shift the conversation to a more realistic level.

"However, none of these advanced throwing techniques can be used without the close coordination of keen eyesight, accuracy, and chakra training, which is why they are almost impossible for most young genin to emulate.

You are still young; do not aim too high. Rather than focusing on these advanced skills that you cannot yet master, it would be better to keep your feet on the ground and start with the daily training within your reach."

"Yes! This student has been instructed, and I will certainly work harder to solidify my foundation from now on."

Yamada Soji bowed again, but he did not put the shuriken back into his pocket.

He had already been well aware of the content Uesugi-sensei had just explained.

He had specifically asked this question not only to choose a moderately difficult topic that would allow a thirty-something Chunin who had faded into mediocrity to indulge in the pleasure of being a mentor, but also to make the transition to the main topic smoother.

"However, I have encountered a strange occurrence during my practice these past few days, and I hope you can help me resolve it as well, Teacher."

"Tell me about it."

"...I think it would be faster if I demonstrated it."

As expected, with the good atmosphere established by the previous exchange, the moment Yamada Soji put on a troubled expression, he immediately received an encouraging look from Uesugi Taro.

Thus, Soshi immediately chose a direction that would not affect his classmates and threw the shuriken.

Then, without waiting for the hidden weapon to hit the target, he activated the power of the Accio spell in advance!

--Shuriken Accio!

Under the influence of the spell, the high-speed rotating shuriken paused for a moment, and then curled back in an inconceivable manner...