Learning Hand Seals

"Today afternoon, we'll be learning hand seals! Everyone, perk up!" Umino Iruka walked into the classroom, and his three sentences alone excited Kamiya Keiyun.

Finally, we're starting something new!

He had not been idle during lunch break either. He had wanted to find a library and pick out some books to study on his own, but after looking around, he discovered that the Ninja Academy did not even have a library. When he asked around, he learned that there was only one public library in the entire village—and it was not open to civilians.

In other words, during his elementary school years, he could only grow stronger through the Ninja Academy and methods he devised himself.

Since the teacher was going to teach, he naturally had to listen carefully!

"There are many seals related to ninja, but the most commonly used are the seals for casting ninjutsu. There are twelve in total!" As Umino Iruka spoke, he turned and began drawing on the blackboard.

"Couldn't they just print a book?" Kamiya Keiyun was speechless, though the teacher really was quite good at drawing. At the very least, the hands he drew made it clear how the seals were formed.

"Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar. These are the Twelve Hand Seals we'll mainly be learning. Besides these twelve, there are also ceremonial seals such as the Opposing Seals and Reconciliation Seal. I'll draw them here." Umino Iruka continued drawing.

"Aren't those the Twelve Earthly Branches?" Kamiya Keiyun was extremely familiar with those names. But on second thought, things like yin-yang arts and ninjutsu had originally spread over from Huaxia, so it was not strange for them to have such things.

He felt a little regretful. There were quite a few Daoist hand seals, but unfortunately, he only knew the Rebirth Seal—and that was only because of Kurumi.

If he had learned more, maybe they could have come in handy in this world!

He began forming seals along with the teacher. These twelve hand seals were not difficult, considering they were something even five-year-old children could master.

They first followed the teacher through them twice, then switched up the order and did them randomly. Umino Iruka even came down from the front, correcting the children's mistakes one by one by adjusting their fingers.

Even Kamiya Keiyun was corrected a few times.

There were too many students, and too many idiots. Uchiha Obito in particular could not learn no matter how he was taught. An entire afternoon passed, yet they only went through the seals four times. Many of them could form the seals while following the teacher, but when asked to do them on their own, they forgot everything.

Some students already knew them and were highly proficient.

Kamiya Keiyun quietly observed and found that the class was indeed vaguely divided into two distinct groups: clan children and civilians.

The civilians were the kind who could not even read and had to learn from the teacher. Not to mention the Chakra Refining Technique and hand seals—they were learning everything from scratch.

The clan children, meanwhile, already had solid foundations. They could read, had Chakra, and knew hand seals.

Kamiya Keiyun understood this situation very well. Hadn't his previous life been the same? Wealthy families hired private tutors early on and finished the lessons they were supposed to take during school breaks. Naturally, once they got to school, they were far ahead of the other students.

This was obviously harmful to the country, because it easily produced people who only knew how to take tests while failing to identify those with genuine talent. These test-taking specialists could also easily squeeze truly talented people out of their places.

Those who piled up their grades through time and effort often revealed their true colors as soon as they got to university.

That was why the country began cracking down hard while deepening educational reforms.

Konoha was the same. If this situation continued unchecked, Kamiya Keiyun felt that Konoha's future would remain in the hands of these clans for a long time. Eventually, social classes would solidify, and civilians would never again have a chance to rise.

"But why am I worrying about all this?!" Kamiya Keiyun shook his head. That was a habit he had brought over from modern times. What modern person was not an armchair political expert, eagerly criticizing the state of the world? No one thought they were inferior to anyone else.

He learned quickly, perhaps because he had a good memory, or perhaps because of Heaven Rewards Diligence.

This talent did not come with any sort of system panel that would let Kamiya Keiyun check his own attributes. He could only estimate them himself.

He had mastered the twelve seals at school. Even when their order was scrambled, he could match each one correctly. On the way home after school, he continued practicing.

He silently recited a character in his mind, then formed the corresponding seal. Then he recited another character and formed another seal.

It was a bit like memorizing vocabulary, except that had been English and Chinese matched together. Now it was Kanji matched with seals.

He also tried to increase his speed at forming seals. With his experience forming seals during the Chakra Refining Technique, he picked it up quickly. Not long after leaving school, he could already form a seal the instant the thought entered his mind.

"Kamiya Keiyun!" A voice rang out behind him. Kamiya Keiyun turned around and saw that it was Inuzuka Hana again.

"Need something?" Kamiya Keiyun asked.

"Can't I look for you if I don't?" Inuzuka Hana said irritably, then looked at Kamiya Keiyun's hands, which were still forming seals. "You're still practicing on your way home?"

"The early bird catches the worm," Kamiya Keiyun said calmly.

Inuzuka Hana's expression was complicated. "But you're no ordinary bird. You're a genius!"

"How am I a genius? My Chakra refinement speed is just a little fast. Besides, does being a genius mean you don't have to work hard?" Kamiya Keiyun shook his head. He had seen far too many examples of geniuses falling short.

There was Fang Zhongyong in ancient times, and even more in the modern League of Legends scene. In a fiercely competitive world, talent only meant meeting the threshold to enter that world, because geniuses worked hard too. If you relied on your talent to fool around and become arrogant, then you could only end up a failure.

"Only a genius who grows is truly a genius. I merely have a little talent. Before I grow up, I'm nothing at all!" Kamiya Keiyun waved his hand. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going!"

"So this is the classmate you mentioned?" A voice sounded from behind Inuzuka Hana.

"Mom, why are you here?!" Inuzuka Hana suddenly felt her entire face heat up. It was over—she had seen everything!

Inuzuka Tsume chuckled. "My, my. The talented daughter of the Inuzuka Clan has reached the age where she starts falling for boys."

"Mom, what are you talking about?!" Inuzuka Hana hurriedly shook her head. After thinking for a moment, she added, "And how am I some talented daughter? Compared to him, I'm far behind!"

"But he's a civilian. He has no ninjutsu and no resources. His future is destined to fall short of yours!" Inuzuka Tsume stopped teasing her. "Unless he can become as outstanding as Minato Jonin and receive Lord Hokage's recognition as an exception. But that's far too difficult!"

Minato Jonin's talent could be called a once-in-a-century rarity. From first grade through fifth grade, he had dominated every year. One had to know that among his peers were Bloody Red Pepper Uzumaki Kushina, the sons of the three Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads, Uchiha Mikoto, and the Hyuga Brothers—outstanding children from prominent clans. The fact that he had stood out among such monsters was proof enough of Minato's strength.

Especially when he was thirteen or fourteen. He had only been a Chunin then, yet he had instantly killed several Kumogakure Jonin and rescued Uzumaki Kushina.

Now, he had taken one of the Three Legendary Sannin as his master. It was said that he was also training in an exceptionally difficult Forbidden Jutsu. Once he mastered it, his combat power might even catch up to the previous generation of veterans!

This man's talent simply could not be measured by normal standards. He was the kind of person in novels who constantly challenged opponents above his level—the junior brother defeating the senior brother, the disciple defeating the elder.

How could Kamiya Keiyun compare to him?

"Alright, let's go home. If you really do like him, it's not impossible. We can just have him marry into our family. Don't be fooled by how proud he is now. Once he sees how difficult the road ahead is, he'll naturally make the right choice!" Inuzuka Tsume patted her daughter on the shoulder.

"Mom, you sound just like some wicked schemer!"

"Wow, I'm doing this all for your sake, and you actually say that about me."

Learning Hand Seals

Recognizing Hand Seals