Nichijin: Am I Living in Someone Else's Shadow?

A week had passed since the opening ceremony. Young Sarutobi Hiruzen had not been discouraged by it. Aside from feeling embarrassed at first, he instead felt that this was the life he wanted.

There was no preferential treatment, nothing special. Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen was simply an ordinary elementary school student inheriting the Will of Fire. Only this way could he prove himself. Without relying on his father or his teachers, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the finest among his peers.

Today was the first day of the second week of school.

Their teacher, Yi Ji Shou, stood at the front of the classroom.

"Students, today we'll be learning characters together. Please take out your paper and pens and follow along."

Yi Ji Shou was under a great deal of pressure. He was merely an ordinary chunin with rather weak combat ability, so he had been assigned to teach at the academy. Class A was the academy's best class; its students were either sons of ministers or heirs to clan heads. He could not afford to offend a single one of them. He could only hope these young masters and young ladies would not be too difficult to handle.

"Teacher, I learned this a long time ago."

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his hand high. He had recognized a thousand characters at three, recited poetry at four, and mastered haiku and tales at five. He had long since finished this trivial first-year material.

"Hmph. Teacher, I know it too." Shimura Danzo immediately raised his hand as well. As Sarutobi Hiruzen's lifelong rival, how could he possibly fall behind Hiruzen?

"Teacher, I know it too." Mitokado Homura raised his hand as well. This was a chance to show off in front of Koharu; he could not let Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo steal the spotlight.

"We already learned this in our clan." Utatane Koharu raised her hand as well.

"Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!"

Right after that, nearly the entire class raised their hands.

"You students are truly impressive. You've all learned it ahead of time. However, we still need to follow the teaching plan."

How could Sarutobi Hiruzen give up so easily? If he did not stand out, how would he earn the annual Outstanding Student award? He was Teacher Yan's finest student.

So he raised his hand again. "Teacher, I think we've already learned this, so there's no need to study it again. If you don't believe us, you can test us. We can write out the characters and words from the textbook from memory."

"That's right, Teacher, you can test us!" Shimura Danzo also raised his hand indignantly. Hiruzen always raised his hand whenever Danzo was not paying attention. He could not fall behind.

"Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!" Many more students raised their hands, asking to write out the textbook's characters and words from memory.

Although Mitokado Homura felt somewhat guilty, seeing everyone else raise their hands, he raised his too.

Yi Ji Shou looked at the forest of arms below him.

"Very well. Students, this lesson, I'll test you first. Let's begin by writing out the characters and words from the textbook from memory."

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pen and wrote rapidly, his heart filled with pride. He would gladly take first place in this dictation.

Ten minutes later, the students finished writing. Yi Ji Shou collected their papers and began grading them.

Class A truly deserved to be Konoha's best class. The students had not lied; many of them had done quite well. Three students had gotten every answer right.

"You've all done wonderfully. Many of you performed well, and three students got every answer correct."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly. He had not expected that, besides himself, two others would also get everything right.

"Student Hiruzen, Student Danzo, Student Kagami—these three students got every answer correct. Everyone should learn from them."

"Hiruzen, see that? I got everything right too!" Danzo turned around and shouted at Sarutobi Hiruzen, unable to hide the pride on his face.

"Danzo, you're so noisy. Can't you be quiet during class?" Utatane Koharu said unhappily.

"Koharu, sorry. I was just too excited." Danzo scratched his head sheepishly.

"Danzo, you truly are my lifelong rival," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied.

"Hiruzen, you're so noisy. Can't you be quiet during class?" Danzo whispered to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"It's fine. Boys should be bold like that," Utatane Koharu added.

He had not expected that besides Danzo, Uchiha Kagami had also gotten everything right. No wonder he had been the freshman representative.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a little unconvinced. He did not believe he was inferior to Uchiha Kagami.

"Teacher, you can keep giving us questions to test us," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, raising his hand again.

"That's right, Teacher, keep asking questions! I have to settle this with Hiruzen!"

Yi Ji Shou considered it briefly.

"Very well. Which students know the concept of chakra?"

"Me!" Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his hand without hesitation.

"And me!" Danzo refused to be outdone.

Uchiha Kagami raised his hand as well.

Once again, only those three raised their hands. Yi Ji Shou had each of them recite a portion of the definition of chakra. All three answered correctly, without missing a single word.

"Then what about the basics of the human body's meridians? Which students know them?"

It was still Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and Uchiha Kagami who raised their hands. Yi Ji Shou had them write their answers on paper, and once again, all three got everything right.

"Next, I'll have you identify human acupuncture points. Let's see which student can name them."

This was third-year material. The first- and second-year material could no longer stump these genius students, so Yi Ji Shou directly increased the difficulty.

Yi Ji Shou walked to the front of the classroom and pointed to the position in the exact center of the chest on a diagram of human acupuncture points.

"Student Danzo, what acupuncture point is this?"

Th-This... Shimura Danzo hadn't expected the teacher to start with something this difficult. He could only guess based on vague memories.

"Wrong." Yi Ji Shou shook his head.

"Wrong."

"All wrong."

Danzo guessed several times in a row, getting every one wrong.

"Danzo, don't be like that. If you can't think of it, then you can't think of it," Utatane Koharu said unhappily.

"Sarutobi, you tell us." Seeing that Danzo had failed to answer a single one correctly, Yi Ji Shou turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was smart, this knowledge was indeed beyond the curriculum. He could only make blind guesses by instinct.

"Wrong."

"Still wrong."

Sarutobi Hiruzen also guessed several times in a row, missing every one.

"Isn't he just the same as me?" Danzo began to gloat.

"No laughing! Hiruzen was brave enough to try. Isn't that a good thing?" Utatane Koharu glared at Danzo.

"Kagami, you tell us." Seeing that both Hiruzen and Danzo had been defeated, Yi Ji Shou called on Uchiha Kagami.

"Shanzhong."

"Correct." Yi Ji Shou nodded. "What about here?" He pointed to another acupoint.

"Zhongwan."

"Here."

"Qihai."

"Here."

"Guanyuan."

Yi Ji Shou pointed out several acupoints in succession, and Uchiha Kagami answered every one correctly without a single mistake.

"Kagami answered very well. Please take your seat."

Uchiha Kagami had actually gotten them all right.

Yet he hadn't gotten a single one right.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like a clown.