Training

(Chapter 8: Training)

Ye Han heard the system notification and froze. He never expected that simply inviting this cousin, whom he hadn't even known about, would earn him five favorability points.

It seemed that the young Itachi was actually easy to get along with. And when Ye Han thought about Itachi's actions, he realized they had all been for the village and for peace. He was truly a great person. Even the First had acknowledged that Uchiha Itachi was a real ninja.

Ye Han brought Uchiha Itachi over and introduced him to his friends. When they heard that Itachi was Ye Han's cousin, they were all friendly toward him.

They introduced themselves one after another. Chen Fan had four close acquaintances at school: two boys and two girls. The boy who had been reaching a bit too high was named Cunxia Ye. His hair stuck up, and his style was a little like Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson from Naruto. His family ran a shop, and he was a good person who often shared tasty snacks with Ye Han and the others.

Another boy was named Shiba Bun. He was quiet and wore glasses. His family owned a bookstore, and though he was young, he was quite bright.

One of the girls was Hyuga Hiben, a lively, spirited girl who was completely unlike the quiet Hinata Hyuga from the anime.

The other girl was named Mikazuki Sora. She wasn't much of a talker, but she was very pretty, and it was clear she'd grow into a beauty. The names of the group didn't ring any bells for Ye Han, which meant they probably weren't major characters. But Konoha was huge, and the story he knew only followed one particular thread. There were plenty of people he'd never seen before.

They all introduced themselves and said they were happy to meet Uchiha Itachi. Itachi smiled like a child, as if this was what he was really like.

[ Ding! Uchiha Itachi's favorability toward you has increased by 5 points. Current favorability: (15/100) ]

Oh! Things seemed to be going pretty well. Even this had raised Itachi's favorability. He only needed five more points to earn another Point.

After lunch, the practical training began. Ninjas would eventually go to war, so they needed strong bodies. That was why the school organized effective training.

Their homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, led the entire class to the training grounds. A large group of children was bound to get noisy. After all, this was their first step toward becoming ninjas, and they were all eager to see what lay ahead.

Teacher Nakamura gave a stern little cough. "Ahem! Quiet down. From now on, mornings will be for basic and theoretical lessons, and afternoons will be for practical training. Ninjas are the embodiment of strength; there are no weak ninjas. You need bodies far stronger than ordinary people to handle all kinds of battles. That takes hard work and diligent practice. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Good. Basic training covers five areas: balance, agility, strength, endurance, and special techniques. These are the most fundamental skills a ninja needs. With a good sense of balance, you can find the best solution in any situation. Agility includes speed, movement, striking, and reaction time. Strength takes a lot of practice, and I'll train you properly here at school. Even if you get hurt, the school medical staff will treat you, so prepare yourselves. We'll also train your endurance and special techniques. Since today is the first day of the school year, we'll start with some simple physical training. First, run five laps around Training Ground No. 1!"

"Aw?!" All the students were startled by Teacher Nakamura's words. Training Ground No. 1 was the smallest, but even one lap around it was three thousand meters. Five laps came to fifteen thousand meters.

"Smack! Smack!" Teacher Nakamura somehow produced a pointer and struck it against the ground as he shouted, "This is only the most basic training. Running builds strength, speed, balance, and endurance. It's the most effective kind of exercise and the fastest way to improve your stamina. A ninja needs body, mind, and skill; none can be neglected. The body comes first, because the mind and skills are built on a strong foundation. Without a powerful body, how can you become an excellent ninja? Get moving!"

They had no choice but to start running together. But what Teacher Nakamura said was completely true: running was the most well-rounded way to build stamina.

Still, the children, who had such grand ambitions, had expected practical lessons to teach them powerful ninjutsu. They were disappointed, and soon they were too exhausted to feel disappointed anymore.

They all ran alongside Teacher Nakamura. By the time they finished five laps, every student was sprawled on the ground, completely worn out. Teacher Nakamura, on the other hand, looked perfectly relaxed. Ye Han thought the teacher was clearly the sort who liked to show off and make his students realize how impressive he was. But Ye Han was too tired to spare the thought much energy. The only one who seemed in decent shape was Uchiha Itachi. Children from great clans were trained from a young age. Some even went to war at four years old when fighting broke out, and Itachi was one of the children who had witnessed it.

"Have you all rested enough? Now we'll train your sense of balance. See those pillars over there?" Teacher Nakamura pointed at pillars a little over a meter tall and roughly as thick as a bowl.

"Now everyone stand on one leg on a pillar and keep your balance without falling off. This trains your balance and endurance. I'll record everyone's scores, and they'll count toward your graduation results. The longer you hold on, the higher your score. I'll record every practical training score, then calculate your overall results and choose the top student. The more famous you are, the better your chances of becoming Hokage! The Fourth Hokage graduated at the top of the whole school."

Ye Han's ears perked up. His main quest was to take first place in the whole school, and it was a matter of life and death. How could he not take it seriously? It looked like he'd have to give it everything he had from the very first day of school.