Practical Training

After the introductions, Iruka brought over stack after stack of books and began handing them out.

To become a ninja, there was a lot to learn: the theory and practice of ninjutsu.

Konoha was so powerful that it had even compiled illustrations of many common techniques into the textbooks, so students could familiarize themselves with them.

On top of that, there were countless other academic subjects.

Ino watched Lu Yu and Shikamaru with interest. The two brothers moved in uncanny unison.

Both of them frowned at the thick books in front of them. They flipped through a few pages, then couldn't help yawning before muttering glumly:

"This is such a drag. Haaah..."

Lu Yu had no idea what his little brother was thinking, but he was currently locked in an intense inner debate.

Should he spend the whole afternoon learning everything in these books, or take his time and leave it for later?

What a complicated question...

As Lu Yu agonized over it, the afternoon came around in no time.

The afternoon was reserved for the annual start-of-term lesson on passing down the Will of Fire at the Ninja Academy.

As Sarutobi Hiruzen droned on about the Will of Fire, Uzumaki Naruto and the others listened with rapt attention, nodding from time to time to show their agreement.

Meanwhile, Lu Yu and Shikamaru listened to his rambling voice and, in perfect understanding, started dozing off.

Seeing the two little rascals fast asleep, Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced helplessly toward Shikaku Nara, who was watching the field from a distance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, of course, knew Shikaku's two beloved sons well.

The two boys' laziness was no secret. Sarutobi also knew that before starting school, they usually got up around eleven or twelve—not because they'd slept enough, but because hunger had finally woken them.

Leaving the two little scamps alone, Sarutobi finished his speech about the Will of Fire, chatted briefly with the new students, and checked in with Iruka before heading straight out of the Ninja Academy.

On the first day of school, they only went through the basic routine and told the students what to expect.

After the Third Hokage left, Iruka led the class back to the classroom. He explained the schedule for the term and went over some important school rules. And with that, the first day of classes came to an end.

The moment Iruka announced that school was over, Lu Yu and Shikamaru, who had been sound asleep a moment earlier, sprang back to life. All traces of fatigue vanished from their faces, and their eyes shone brightly.

Just how much did they hate class?

Ino watched the two of them speechlessly as she packed up, ready to head home with them and Choji.

Once Lu Yu had gathered his things, he turned to Hinata.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata."

Hinata's face flushed red. She nodded lightly, parting her lips but unsure what to say.

Seeing her like that, Lu Yu could only shake his head helplessly. Then the three members of Ino-Shika-Cho left together.

Watching them go, Hinata gazed enviously at Ino's retreating figure and murmured softly:

"Lu Yu..."

Time flew by, and before they knew it, two months had passed.

Over those two months, Lu Yu's life had changed beyond recognition.

It all started one day when both his parents were away on missions and Lu Yu and Shikamaru overslept.

They woke up hungry around noon, ate their fill, then went to school that afternoon. To their surprise, Iruka didn't react at all to their lateness.

Lu Yu and Shikamaru were both clever. They immediately realized something was up.

A few days later, they finally figured it out: Iruka must have been instructed by the Hokage not to bother making them attend class.

It didn't take long for them to work out why. The Third Hokage probably thought they were so lazy that even wandering around outside while skipping class was better than sleeping in the classroom, so he'd specifically told Iruka to give them special treatment.

Of course, that only applied to the two of them. Anyone else who skipped class would be in for a much rougher time...

Once Lu Yu and Shikamaru realized this, they couldn't help grinning to themselves.

Shikamaru found a nice spot on the mountain and settled in to relax.

As for Lu Yu, he went home, stole a saw and some blades, and strolled into the forest.

Before long, Lu Yu had made himself a reclining chair and a fishing rod. At last, he could live the laid-back life he'd always dreamed of.

Fishing by the lake, sleeping in class, and coming home to a prepared meal—Lu Yu felt like he'd reached the peak of life. It couldn't have been more comfortable.

Over those two months, the Ninja Academy had taught them some theory and a certain amount of basic ninja training.

By then, almost all the kids had found their own little groups. There was nothing unusual about that.

Uzumaki Naruto was among them, too. With Lu Yu's help, the Ino-Shika-Cho group had welcomed Naruto in.

That made Naruto much more outgoing.

Of course, nothing in life came for free. The main reason Lu Yu had accepted Naruto was that the kid was a natural-born fall guy.

No matter what they did wrong, as long as Naruto was there, everyone else involved was innocent.

Over the same two months, Ino had realized that when Lu Yu smiled or got serious, he was incredibly handsome.

But he spent all day disappearing without a trace. Even when she occasionally saw him in class, he was fast asleep. And the most infuriating part was that Iruka-sensei turned a blind eye.

Besides that, they'd had a theory test during those two months. To everyone's surprise, the first and second places went to Lu Yu and Shikamaru, who were nowhere to be seen most days.

The students who were always tattling had to admit defeat and put their grudge on hold.

That afternoon, at the Ninja Academy's training ground.

"Class, two months have passed since you started at the academy."

Iruka held a sheet listing everyone's names and spoke with a serious expression:

"Other than the theory test, we haven't held any practical assessments. So this afternoon, we'll be having a practical exam."

"Please take this seriously. This afternoon's exam will determine who's the best in the class..."

The moment Iruka finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up—first place!

Those two words held enormous appeal for the children. It was an honor they all wanted to claim.