Special Guidance: A Jonin's Practical Lesson

"Students, this is Toma, a Chunin who has come to provide us with special instruction today. He specializes in shurikenjutsu and the application of basic elemental ninjutsu. Let's give him a warm welcome!"

Iruka introduced.

"Hello, Teacher Toma!"

The children shouted in a scattered, hesitant chorus, some intimidated by Toma's stern aura.

Chunin Toma's sharp gaze swept over every child present, eventually lingering briefly on Ling Xuan, Sasuke, and Naruto.

"Iruka, are these the few good seedlings from your current class?" His voice was low and resonant.

"Yes, Toma, they all have great potential," Iruka replied with a smile.

Ling Xuan's Eye of Truth had already been activated.

[Target: Toma (Konoha Chunin)]
[Chakra Level: Standard Chunin. Affinity: Fire, Wind.]
[Specialized Skills: Shuriken Throwing (Accuracy A, Power B), Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu...]
[Comprehensive Evaluation: Rich combat experience, solid foundation, but lacks creativity in ninjutsu...]

"Very well." Toma nodded, offering no further pleasantries as he went straight to the point.

"Today, I won't be teaching you any advanced ninjutsu. Instead, I will teach you how to maximize the effectiveness of what you have already learned, along with some basic ninjutsu, in actual combat."

He began by demonstrating shurikenjutsu. Unlike the basic throwing techniques taught by Iruka, Toma's angles were devious.

At times, the shuriken spun as they flew; at others, they were coated in faint chakra to increase penetration, and he could even cause the shuriken to alter their trajectory slightly in mid-air.

"Watch closely!" Teacher Toma gripped three shuriken in each hand and flung them out with a sudden, violent motion.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

All six shuriken pinned themselves precisely into the different bullseyes of the distant targets, burying deep into the wood.

[Skill Analysis: Multiple Shuriken Throwing, Chakra Coating (Wind affinity fine-tuning), wrist power burst technique... Optimization space: jitter correction, wind resistance calculation...]

Ling Xuan's eyes brightened slightly; Toma's shuriken technique was indeed far more refined than what was written in the textbooks.

The chakra coating and trajectory micro-control, in particular, provided him with significant inspiration.

Next, Toma demonstrated two C-rank ninjutsu.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" After weaving the hand signs, Toma spat out several small fireballs that scattered like falling petals, striking targets in different directions with pinpoint accuracy.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!" With a quick one-handed seal, a pale cyan blade of wind formed instantly and shot out, slicing a wooden log target in half with a clean, smooth cut.

[Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu: Chakra diversion control, flame shape compression... Analysis completion: 85%...]
[Wind Style: Wind Cutter: High-density wind-affinity chakra cutting... Analysis completion: 90%...]

It's stronger in instantaneous burst power than the micro-Wind Blade I've been practicing in secret, though it lacks the sustained cutting power and stealth... It's worth merging and optimizing.

Ling Xuan watched with great interest; for him, this was like having a gourmet meal served directly to his mouth.

Once the demonstration concluded, Chunin Toma began assigning practical tasks.

"Now, pair up and conduct a simulated spar. No lethal ninjutsu allowed; stop once you've made your point."

"The goal is to test your comprehensive application of the Three Body Technique and shurikenjutsu. I will provide extra guidance to those who perform well."

The groups were formed quickly, and Ling Xuan's opponent happened to be Sakura Haruno.

Seeing it was Ling Xuan, Sakura's face showed a hint of nervousness, yet also a stubborn refusal to back down: "Ling Xuan-kun, please go easy on me!"

She knew Ling Xuan's grades were excellent, but her competitive spirit as a girl made her unwilling to concede easily.

"Please go ahead," Ling Xuan remained calm.

The battle began. Sakura initiated the attack, sending several shuriken whistling toward Ling Xuan.

Within the vision of the Eye of Truth, the flight path, speed, and rotation angle of the shuriken were crystal clear.

Even the slight tremor in Sakura's wrist during the throw, which caused the deviation in angle, was accounted for.

Ling Xuan simply shifted his body casually, letting all the shuriken graze past him.

"So fast!" Sakura was startled and immediately wove hand signs: "Transformation Jutsu!"

She intended to transform into Teacher Iruka to confuse Ling Xuan.

However, the moment she began her signs, Ling Xuan moved.

Before Sakura could complete her transformation, he had already closed the distance, extending a finger to tap lightly on the nerve point on her shoulder just as she prepared her next move.

Sakura's entire body stiffened; the Transformation Jutsu was interrupted, and her limbs felt unresponsive.

"You've lost, Sakura-san," Ling Xuan withdrew his hand.

Sakura stood frozen in place, her face full of disbelief; she hadn't even seen how Ling Xuan had gotten to her.

"Excellent!" A flash of approval crossed Chunin Toma's eyes. "Ling Xuan, how did you judge her intent and seize that opening?"

Ling Xuan lowered his head slightly: "Reporting to Teacher Toma, I saw Sakura-san's hand signs and the starting flow of her chakra, so I guessed she wanted to use the Transformation Jutsu to create an opening, and I predicted it in advance."

This was, of course, another half-truth. He had indeed seen it, but it wasn't a guess—it was the perfect analysis and prediction of the Eye of Truth.

Toma gave Ling Xuan a deep look: "Excellent observation and judgment. In ninja combat, intelligence and prediction are often more important than raw power."

He turned to the other students: "Did you all see that? Even if your strength is inferior to your opponent, as long as you can accurately predict their moves, you can find an opportunity to secure victory! Ling Xuan did this exceptionally well!"

Sasuke snorted coldly from the side, clearly unconvinced; although he had won his own match against Kiba Inuzuka, he hadn't won with the same effortless ease as Ling Xuan.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked at Ling Xuan with envy and shouted: "Ling Xuan, you're amazing! Teach me how to do that!"

In the subsequent sparring rounds, Ling Xuan won easily in a similar fashion; he always managed to find his opponent's flaws and end the fight with minimal effort.

What he displayed was no longer just excellence, but a level of calmness and sophistication that far exceeded his age.

When the lesson ended, the Chunin Toma specifically asked Ling Xuan to stay behind.

"Ling Xuan," Toma's expression was softer than before.

"Your understanding of ninjutsu and combat far exceeds that of your peers. Are you interested in learning some advanced shuriken techniques ahead of schedule, or perhaps the two C-rank ninjutsu I demonstrated earlier?"

This was undoubtedly an offer for extra private tutoring.

Iruka also nodded with a smile: "Ling Xuan, this is a great opportunity. Teacher Toma has deep expertise in shurikenjutsu, as well as Fire and Wind Style."

Ling Xuan's heart stirred; this was exactly what he wanted. "Thank you, Teacher Toma. I would like to learn."

Toma nodded with satisfaction: "Very well. Starting tomorrow, come find me at Training Ground 7 after school."

"Your foundation is solid, but remember, true strength comes from absolute control over your own power and insight into the enemy's psychology. Do not be satisfied with superficial victories."

"Yes, I understand," Ling Xuan replied respectfully.