However, Hizashi Hyuga was somewhat afraid of Hyuga Shin, which left Shin feeling bored.
After returning to the Hyuga Clan, Shin parted ways with the two equally bored Hyuga brothers and went home.
Chapter 22: The School Years
After getting home, Shin took a bath and then dispelled his Shadow Clone. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, making him sway and nearly fall to the ground.
"As expected of a forbidden technique. Ordinary people really can't use it." He lay down to rest for a while, then sat up.
By now, he had learned all the ninjutsu Tsunade had given him, including the Yin Seal.
However, Shin hadn't altered the Yin Seal, so it didn't appear as a diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. Instead, it appeared on his chest.
And it wasn't a diamond-shaped mark, either, but three Tomoe resembling those of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
He felt that a purple diamond-shaped mark looked far too feminine. It might look good on a woman, but it seemed out of place on a man.
After resting for the night, Shin released Shadow Clones again early the next morning and sent them off to practice ninjutsu and simplify the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.
A year had already passed, and Shin had found some promising leads. The Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack was actually quite similar to the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, but Shin didn't know the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.
He couldn't use it just because he'd seen it in Naruto. Otherwise, the Hyuga Clan's Taijutsu would be far too easy to learn.
So simplifying the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack was extremely difficult. It would take at least two or three years, and that was only because he had so many Shadow Clones!
After breakfast, he gathered his ninja tools, did some exercise, and headed to school.
When he arrived, Shin realized he was the first one there. Even Uchiha Ken, who had been beaten unconscious the day before, had arrived before him.
"Why are you all here so early? Doesn't class start at eight thirty?" Shin asked in confusion.
"Ugh! Those two dragged me here. I really wanted to sleep in. School is such a pain," Shikaku said lazily.
"This is our very first class! How can I slack off when my goal is to become Hokage? Shin, you're too laid-back. You'll never become a powerful ninja like that," Nawaki said disapprovingly.
"My goal is to become Hokage too. Let's work hard together!" Minato gave Nawaki a sunny smile.
Watching them, Shin suddenly felt a little queasy. Could those two really spark some kind of passionate romance?
Not daring to think about it any further, Shin hurried to his seat, greeted Mikoto, and then laid his head on his desk to refine his chakra.
His current goal was to increase his chakra's purity. That was the fastest way for him to grow stronger right now.
"Is Shin tired?" Mikoto wondered, tilting her head. She didn't disturb him.
Soon, their teacher, Ueno Juri, arrived. When Mikoto saw him, she reached over and tugged at Shin.
"Shin, don't sleep. The teacher's here," Mikoto whispered.
Shin opened his eyes and raised his head. With his Observation Haki, he had sensed Ueno Juri's arrival long ago, but he still thanked Mikoto. "Thank you, Mikoto!"
"It's nothing." Mikoto smiled, her expression sweet and charming.
Shin stared, momentarily dazed. Mikoto's smile is so beautiful. It even left me stunned. Am I a lolicon?
Bang! Bang!
Ueno Juri knocked on the blackboard twice, then said, "Today is your very first lesson, the start of your ninja careers. Over the next five years, I hope you'll study hard."
"Being a real ninja isn't like the ninja games you play. It may be too soon to tell you all this, but I still have to say it."
"Once you become a ninja, you could be wounded at any moment—or even killed. You haven't experienced the cruelty of a ninja's life, so it's hard for you to understand."
"So I hope you'll pay close attention. What you learn now might save your life someday."
Ueno Juri spoke earnestly.
But looking at the grinning students below, Ueno Juri knew no one was listening.
"Ugh!" Ueno Juri sighed. He'd known this would happen. These youngsters, who had never truly understood what it meant to be a ninja, thought only of becoming great heroes. They had no idea how dangerous the life of a ninja could be.
"I hope you won't regret it someday!"
"Let's begin our first lesson: how to refine chakra. Chakra is the foundation of a ninja. Whether you specialize in Taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu, you can't do without chakra."
When they heard that he was teaching the Chakra Refinement Technique, the students from ninja clans lost interest.
Only the gentle Mikoto continued to listen attentively. The rest of the clan-born students entertained themselves.
Only the students from civilian families, who had never been exposed to chakra, listened closely.
Ueno Juri gave a couple of wry laughs. There was nothing he could do. That was the advantage clan-born ninjas had, but he couldn't skip this material. What would the civilian students do then?
"Those of you who already have chakra can listen along too. If you don't want to listen, at least don't disturb your classmates, or I'll send you outside."
At Ueno Juri's words, the others quieted down a little. They all chose to lie on their desks and sleep, a school tradition.
The whole morning was spent discussing chakra. When classes finally ended, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
They no longer felt the same enthusiasm they'd had when they first started school. Now, they only wanted the day to end as soon as possible.
After classes ended at noon, most students brought lunchboxes to eat at school. They had only an hour's break, so bringing lunch was more convenient.
When Shin took out his enormous, lavish lunchbox, everyone was still surprised, even though they already knew how much he could eat.
After eating and resting for a while, they began the afternoon classes, which were usually practical lessons held on the training ground.
"Yesterday, I told you to bring kunai. Today, we'll practice throwing them."
As he spoke, Ueno Juri took out a kunai and flicked his wrist. It struck the target fifty meters away, landing dead center and drawing a chorus of gasps.
"Hmph! Kunai throwing is one of the Uchiha Clan's specialties." Uchiha Ken, his face still swollen, stepped forward to show off.
He pulled out three kunai, held them between his fingers, and threw them. They formed a triangle and all hit the bull's-eye fifty meters away.
Uchiha Ken's display made many people see him in a new light. They hadn't expected the guy to actually have some skill.
"So what? Watch me." Annoyed, Nawaki stepped forward and pulled out three kunai of his own, hurling them at the target.
Nawaki's kunai also hit the target, but only two struck the bull's-eye. The third landed in the eight-ring, making him feel a little embarrassed.
Chapter 23: Asking the System for a Reward
"The Senju Clan is nothing special." Having forgotten the pain of his beating, Uchiha Ken grew arrogant again and looked at everyone with disdain.
"Hmph! So what if you're good at throwing kunai? Real battles depend on ninjutsu. What use are kunai?" Nawaki snorted, desperately trying to save face.
Nawaki's words darkened Ueno Juri's expression. I'm teaching you how to throw kunai, and you're standing here saying it's useless.
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