The Ninja Academy was where all ninjas began their training. After learning the basics at the Academy, students preparing to become Genin took the graduation exam. Those who passed were assigned to different teams, where they trained under their teachers and took on missions suited to their abilities.
The Konoha Ninja Academy had been founded by the Second Hokage during a time of war. It had been built in a hurry, but after decades of development, the Academy had expanded, and more and more students were enrolling.
When Lin Feng and Haruno Sakura arrived at the Academy, it was already bustling with noise. A lively atmosphere filled the place.
At that moment, a crowd of students had gathered in the middle of the Training Ground. Most of them looked to be around seven or eight years old.
Looking through the crowd, they saw a burly older student facing off against a short boy with blond hair.
Recognizing the blond boy at a glance as Naruto, the protagonist of Naruto, Lin Feng hurried over, pulling Haruno Sakura along.
"Hey, Taishan! How dare you bully younger students? Don't go too far!"
Naruto glared at the older student and shouted angrily.
Here was what had happened: Naruto had come to the Academy that morning and found Taishan bullying a younger student. Always one to stand up for the underdog, Naruto had challenged Taishan on the spot.
"Heh. So what if I bully you?"
"You weaklings are nothing. I could take each of you out with one punch!"
Taishan looked to be around ten. With his arms crossed, he looked at the furious Naruto and laughed mockingly.
"Bastard!"
Naruto clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and charged straight at Taishan.
"You're asking for it!"
Taishan swung a fist, and their punches collided.
Naruto was naturally no match for Taishan's strength. The force of the impact sent Naruto tumbling to the ground, where he rolled twice before coming to a stop.
He scrambled to his feet, not caring about the dirt covering him, and glared at Taishan, who still stood where he was. "Taishan, I'm not going to give up that easily!"
"Haha! I was only using thirty percent of my strength just now. This time, I'll send you home to lie down for a few days!"
Taishan laughed triumphantly. He suddenly charged forward, covering the distance in a few strides. Clenching his fist, he struck straight at Naruto's chest. A sharp rush of wind followed his punch.
Danger!
The students watching could all tell Taishan was giving it everything he had. If he hit Naruto, he would surely be seriously injured.
But they didn't know Naruto well, and none of them were willing to risk taking a punch to save him. They could only watch impassively.
"This is it for me..."
Taishan's sudden attack had caught Naruto off guard. With no time to defend himself, he could only cry out in despair inside.
But just as Naruto lost hope, a figure suddenly burst through the crowd, grabbed Taishan's fist, and flipped the heavy boy onto the ground.
The impact with the ground must have been too much for Taishan, because he passed out on the spot.
"So cool!"
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. They hurriedly looked over, and when they saw who had stepped in, admiration filled their eyes.
"The strength Sasuke just unleashed really is incredible! No wonder he gets such good grades at the Academy. He must have put in a lot of effort that nobody else sees."
After easily taking Taishan down, Lin Feng felt the strength still coursing through him and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
As a child, Sasuke had grown up in the shadow of his brother Itachi's talent. Their father had strict expectations for Sasuke, but sometimes neglected him because of Itachi. Perhaps Sasuke trained so desperately because he wanted his family's recognition.
"Sasuke, are you okay?"
Haruno Sakura walked over to Lin Feng, who had just knocked Taishan down, and asked with concern.
Lin Feng nodded at her, then pointed at Taishan on the ground. "Take him to the infirmary."
"Okay!"
A few students nearby carried Taishan away without another word.
"Hey, hey, hey, Sasuke! How could you knock Taishan down? He was my opponent!"
After Taishan had been carried away, Naruto came over to Lin Feng and complained loudly.
Naruto was naturally competitive. He had long considered Sasuke, the star of the Academy, his greatest rival. He hadn't expected Sasuke to save him today, and he was naturally very unhappy about it.
Lin Feng hadn't even had a chance to speak when Haruno Sakura answered furiously, heedless of how she looked. "Naruto, you idiot! If Sasuke hadn't stepped in, you'd already have been knocked flat! How dare you yell at him?"
"I don't care about anything else. Sasuke beat the opponent I challenged, so now Sasuke has to be my opponent!"
Perhaps Sakura's intimidating presence had frightened him, because Naruto's voice dropped considerably.
Looking at the protagonist, who in the Naruto anime shared a brotherly "bond" with Sasuke, Lin Feng smiled brightly.
At that moment, as a devoted Naruto fan, Lin Feng had so much he wanted to say to Naruto. But the hateful school bell rang.
"Naruto, we should get back to class. After school this afternoon, I'll give you an answer."
There was no helping it. Lin Feng could only shrug.
"Hmph! I'll be waiting for you this afternoon, then!"
Naruto snorted and turned to leave. He had plenty of confidence and showed no fear at all.
"Naruto!"
Seeing that Naruto still wanted to pick a fight with Sasuke, Haruno Sakura couldn't tolerate his unreasonable behavior any longer and looked ready to punch him.
Lin Feng hurriedly spoke up. "Sakura, you're not very cute when you look like that!"
"Sasuke, I'm a gentle girl..."
"I was only trying to scare Naruto..."
As soon as Lin Feng finished speaking, Haruno Sakura instantly changed her demeanor. She stuck out her pink tongue and looked adorable.
"I know. Come on!"
Lin Feng shook his head with a smile, then led Haruno Sakura to the classroom.
At the Ninja Academy, the curriculum mainly covered theory, physical training, lessons learned, and practical exercises. Since they were first-years, most of their classes focused on theoretical knowledge. Apart from one afternoon class on throwing Shuriken and Kunai, Lin Feng spent most of his time listening to the ninja instructors.
Although the theory classes were rather dull, Lin Feng studied especially hard. Having crossed over from Earth, he desperately needed to learn more about ninja life. He also wanted to prepare for graduation in three months.
After studying for a while, Lin Feng didn't feel tired at all. Instead, time seemed to fly by. In the blink of an eye, it was time to go home. The students began filing out of the Academy in groups, chatting and laughing as they headed home.
After school, the first person to come looking for Lin Feng was naturally Naruto. They had made plans that morning, and Lin Feng had no intention of backing out.
After saying goodbye to Haruno Sakura, Lin Feng left the Academy with Naruto.