Training

Mirai was stunned when he heard the system notification. He never expected that simply inviting this cousin he knew nothing about would earn him 5 points of favorability.

It seemed that the young Itachi was actually quite easy to get along with. However, thinking of everything Itachi would go on to do—all for the sake of the village and for peace—he was, in truth, a truly great person. Even the First Hokage had acknowledged Uchiha Itachi as a true ninja.

Mirai brought Uchiha Itachi over and introduced him to his companions. Upon hearing that Uchiha Itachi was Mirai's cousin, they all treated Itachi with great friendliness.

They took turns introducing themselves. There were four close acquaintances Mirai currently had at school: two boys and two girls. The boy who had been acting a bit lofty earlier was named Cunxia Ye; he had spiky hair and dressed somewhat like Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage. His family ran a shop, and he was a kind person who often shared snacks with Mirai and the others.

Another boy was named Shiba Bun. He was quiet, wore glasses, and his family owned a bookstore. Though he was young, he was quite sharp.

One of the two girls was Hyuga Hiben, a spirited and energetic girl who was completely different from the shy, quiet Hinata Hyuga seen in the anime.

The other girl was named Mikazuki Sora. She didn't talk much, but she was very pretty, and it was clear she would grow up to be a beauty. Mirai didn't recognize any of their names, so they clearly weren't major characters, but Konoha was vast and the story only followed one specific path; there were plenty of people he hadn't seen before.

They all introduced themselves to one another and expressed how happy they were to meet Uchiha Itachi. Itachi revealed a childlike smile, which seemed to be his true self at this age.

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

Huh! It seemed his situation was quite optimistic. He could gain favorability even like this; he only needed 5 more points to earn another point.

After lunch, the afternoon was dedicated to practical training. Ninjas would eventually have to face the battlefield and needed strong physiques, so the school organized effective training to build them up.

Their homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, led all the students to the training grounds. With so many children gathered together, it was inevitably noisy; after all, this was the first step toward becoming a ninja, and everyone was filled with anticipation.

Teacher Nakamura gave a cough with a hint of authority: "Ahem! Everyone, quiet down. From now on, every morning will be for basics and theory, and the afternoon will be for practical training. 'Ninja' is synonymous with 'the strong.' There are no weaklings among those who become ninjas. You must possess a body far superior to that of an ordinary person to handle various types of combat. This requires diligent and hard practice. Do you all understand?"

"Understood~~!"

"Very good. Basic training mainly covers five areas: balance, agility, strength, endurance, and special techniques. These are the foundations of the foundations for becoming a ninja. Good balance allows you to find the most appropriate solution in any situation. Agility covers speed—movement speed, attack speed, and reaction time. Strength requires a massive amount of practice. Here at school, I will train you well. Even if you get injured, the school's medical staff will heal you, so be prepared. Endurance and special techniques will also be trained. Since today is the first day of school, we will start with some simple physical training. First, run five laps around Training Ground No. 1!"

"Ah~~?" All the students were shocked by Teacher Nakamura's words. Training Ground No. 1 was the smallest training ground, but even one lap around it was 3,000 meters. Five laps meant 15,000 meters.

"Clap, clap!" Teacher Nakamura produced a pointer from somewhere and struck the ground, shouting, "These are just the basics of the basics! Running builds strength, speed, balance, and endurance. It is the most effective way to exercise and the fastest way to increase physical fitness. For a ninja, body, mind, and technique are all indispensable, but the body comes first. Mind and technique are built upon a good body. Without a strong body, how can you become an excellent ninja? Start running!"

There was no other choice, so everyone began to run. However, what Teacher Nakamura said was undeniably correct; running was the most balanced way to improve physical fitness.

Still, for these children who had been aiming high, they had expected practical training to involve learning powerful ninjutsu, so they all looked a bit disappointed. Soon, however, even the energy to feel disappointed vanished.

They all followed Teacher Nakamura and ran. By the time they finished the five laps, everyone was sprawled out on the ground, exhausted. Teacher Nakamura, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. Mirai felt that this teacher was clearly unreliable and just wanted to show the students who was boss. However, he didn't have the energy to think about it; the only one who looked slightly better was Uchiha Itachi. Children from great clans underwent various forms of training from a young age, and in times of war, even four-year-olds were sent to the battlefield—and Uchiha Itachi was a child who had witnessed such scenes.

"I trust you've all rested enough. Now, we begin training for balance. See those pillars over there?" Teacher Nakamura pointed to some pillars about a meter high and as thick as a bowl not far away.

"Now, everyone stand on one leg on a pillar and maintain your balance without falling off. This is a test of balance and endurance. I will record everyone's results, and these will be linked to your graduation scores. The longer you hold out, the higher the score you receive. Every practical training result will be recorded, and a comprehensive score will be calculated to determine the top student. The more famous you are, the more likely you are to become Hokage. The Fourth Hokage graduated at the top of his class."

Mirai's ears perked up upon hearing this. His life-or-death main quest was to graduate at the top of the class. Since his life was on the line, how could he not take it seriously? It seemed he would have to give it his all starting from the very first day of school.