First Day at the Ninja Academy, Chakra Extraction Stuns the Teacher

Early the next morning.

The entrance to the Konoha Ninja Academy was packed with parents seeing their children off to school.

Sen squeezed through the crowd like a sleepy salted fish, swaying with every step as he slowly shuffled inside.

Ishikawa hopped around excitedly in front of him, bouncing like a little meatball.

"Sen! Hurry up! If we're late, we won't get good seats in the front row!"

"What's the point of fighting for the front row? So we can eat chalk dust?"

Sen let out a huge yawn, squeezing two tears from the corners of his eyes.

He had no intention of squeezing toward the front.

The moment he stepped into the classroom for Class One, Year One, his gaze locked precisely onto the window-side corner in the back row.

That was the legendary "protagonist's seat."

But to Sen, it was simply because the sunlight there was the best, and it was the least likely place for the teacher to call on him.

He walked straight over and flopped into the chair.

"Phew—"

The moment he sat down, warm morning sunlight streamed through the window and onto his body.

The Divine Tree Origin's [Photosynthesis] activated automatically, making him feel so comfortable he nearly moaned.

Just as he was about to lie down and catch up on some sleep.

The classroom suddenly fell silent.

A young man with a long scar running across the bridge of his nose entered with lesson plans tucked under his arm.

He had a brown ponytail, and his eyes held both nervousness and a trace of anticipation.

It was Iruka Umino, who had only recently become a teacher.

"Ahem, everyone, quiet down."

Iruka wrote his name on the blackboard, then turned around and tried his best to look stern.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino. Starting today, we're one family."

Scattered applause rang out in the classroom.

Sen did not even raise his head. With his chin resting on the desk, he watched the backs of the heads in front of him through half-lidded eyes.

The golden, spiky-haired kid in the front row was squirming restlessly. There was no need to guess—it was Naruto Uzumaki.

Next to him sat a black-haired kid with a cold face, trying to look cool: Sasuke Uchiha.

With this class lineup, this is definitely a powder keg, Sen sighed inwardly.

After Iruka finished his opening speech, he eagerly got to the main subject.

"If you want to become a ninja, the first step is learning how to extract chakra."

He drew a diagram of the body's chakra points on the blackboard and tapped it with his chalk, producing sharp banging sounds.

"Chakra is the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy. Now, close your eyes and follow the method I taught you. Try to sense this energy within your bodies."

The little children in the classroom immediately sat up straight, closing their eyes one by one until their faces turned red and their necks strained.

Sen also closed his eyes for show, crossing his hands on the desk.

He had no intention of showing off.

The second rule of lying low: the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. Being ordinary was the best camouflage.

I'll just pretend I can't extract any chakra and become a complete dead last. Then who would pay attention to me?

Sen had his plan all worked out.

But he had underestimated this body, which had been modified by the Divine Tree Origin.

For the past half month, he had been crazily absorbing sunlight every day like a vacuum cleaner.

The chakra within his body had long piled up like a mountain, nearly reaching the critical point of overflowing.

Normally, he relied on the system's weak concealment and his own desperate suppression to avoid exposing himself.

But the "extraction method" Iruka had just taught them.

Was like handing a lit match to a powder keg full of explosives.

"Everyone, relax. Don't rush. Slowly guide that warm current..."

Iruka walked through the aisles, his gentle voice encouraging them.

Sen merely found it a little boring, and casually thought about the chakra pathway Iruka had described.

Just from that brief lapse in focus.

Oh no!

Sen's heart sank.

The massive amount of chakra he had been desperately suppressing deep within his lower abdomen was like a shark that had smelled blood.

It instantly surged out wildly through the opening Iruka had taught them!

"Bzzzz—"

A low humming sound abruptly rang out from the back of the classroom.

It was not loud, but in the quiet classroom, it sounded especially clear.

Ishikawa, who sat in front of Sen, suddenly felt a chill down his back.

He turned around in confusion.

The moment he looked, Ishikawa slid straight off his chair and landed on the floor with a splat.

"M-Mom..."

Ishikawa pointed at Sen, his voice trembling like a sieve.

Sen was still sprawled over his desk.

But around his body rose an incredibly dense, visible blue aura!

That chakra aura was enormous, like burning blue flames wrapping around his entire body.

The intense chakra fluctuations formed an invisible storm.

Even the air around Sen began to distort.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

The solid wooden desk in front of him could not withstand the pressure of that terrifying energy.

Fine cracks appeared across its surface and continued spreading.

The chairs nearby also shook violently, producing ear-piercing scraping noises.

The sudden turn of events stunned the entire class.

Naruto turned around, his azure eyes wide and his mouth open wide enough to fit a duck egg.

Even Sasuke's cold face, which had been trying so hard to look cool, could no longer hold up. His black pupils contracted sharply.

He had grown up in the Uchiha Clan and seen quite a few strong people.

But he swore that not even his genius older brother, Itachi Uchiha.

Could possibly have erupted with such a terrifying amount of chakra at the age of six!

This was not power a child should possess at all. This was practically a humanoid tailed beast!

The classroom fell deathly silent, leaving only the buzzing hum and the sound of wood cracking.

Iruka, who had been guiding students in the front row, turned around when he heard the commotion.

When he saw the scene at the very back of the classroom.

With a crisp smack.

The half piece of chalk in Iruka's hand fell to the floor and shattered.

He stood frozen in place like a stone statue.

His jaw nearly dropped to his chest, his eyes fixed on the boy enveloped in blue aura.

"H-How is this possible?"

Iruka's voice was dry, as though it were scraping across sandpaper.

He was a chunin. While his chakra reserves were not among the best, he had seen his share of big scenes.

But now, he was certain.

The skinny-looking six-year-old sitting in the corner.

Was radiating more chakra than Iruka himself, an adult chunin!

On his first day at the academy, during his first attempt at chakra extraction.

He had erupted with chakra materialization comparable to a chunin's?

Where the hell had this monster come from?!

"Quick, stop! Your body won't be able to take it!"

Iruka finally snapped out of it and shouted as he rushed frantically toward the back of the classroom.

He thought Sen had lost control of his chakra and was in danger of exploding to death at any moment.

Yet Sen, at the center of the storm.

Was on the verge of tears.

He really had not done it on purpose!

It was like a reservoir that had been holding water for half a month suddenly having a small hole chiseled into it.

The water inside simply could not be stopped from spraying out.

Go back... Get back in there already!

Sen roared inwardly.

He gritted his teeth and desperately mobilized the suppressive power of the Divine Tree Origin.

Like a repairman plugging a leak, he frantically shoved the leaking chakra back into his lower abdomen.

After more than ten seconds of a desperate race against death.

He finally managed to plug that "gap."

The blue aura surrounding his body seemed to have had all its air sucked out in an instant.

With a hiss, it vanished without a trace.

The violent airflow subsided.

Only the cracked, wobbling desk remained, proving that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Sen panted heavily, putting on an exhausted look as he slumped in his chair.

Phew... That was close. I almost became famous.

He groaned inwardly. He was screwed now.

His great plan of lying low had died before it could even begin.

Iruka rushed up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and looked at him anxiously.

"Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Do your chakra pathways hurt?"

As he spoke, Iruka nervously checked Sen over from head to toe.

Sen weakly shook his head, forcing an incredibly strained smile onto his lips.

"I'm fine, Teacher. It's just... I'm just a little hungry."

Iruka froze.

Hungry?

After releasing such terrifying chakra, his chakra pathways were not damaged, and he was only hungry?

In disbelief, he carefully sensed Sen's body again.

There truly were no signs of chakra running wild.

But the enormous energy lying dormant deep within still made his heart palpitate.

The entire class looked at Sen as though he were an alien.

Naruto swallowed and muttered softly.

"This guy is amazing..."

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.

An intense sense of defeat and defiance began to grow wildly within him.

Iruka wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and tried to make his voice sound calmer.

"Y-You... what's your name?"

"Sen Senju," Sen answered weakly.

"Senju..."

Iruka's pupils shrank sharply.

He knew better than anyone what that surname meant in Konoha.

A descendant of the First Hokage!

No wonder... no wonder he had such astonishing chakra reserves.

This was not an ordinary genius. This was absolute suppression by bloodline!

Iruka took a deep breath and straightened up.

He looked at Sen, who was slumped in his chair, with an extremely complicated expression, as though he were looking at both a priceless treasure and a ticking time bomb.

"Student Sen Senju, what you just demonstrated... was extremely astonishing."

Iruka carefully chose his words, trying to conceal the shock in his heart.

"But your control is still far too poor. From now on, without a teacher's permission, you absolutely must not casually attempt to extract chakra again. Do you understand?"

Sen nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain.

"I understand, I understand, Teacher. I promise I'll never extract chakra again."

"From now on, I'll just sleep in class. I definitely won't cause you any trouble."

Iruka's mouth twitched twice.

This kid had such terrifying talent, so why was his attitude so perfunctory?

He was just about to lecture him a little more.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps rang out from outside the classroom door.

An ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask appeared in the doorway like a ghost.

"Teacher Iruka Umino, pardon the interruption."

The ANBU ninja's voice was icy and utterly flat.

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, passed straight over Iruka and locked firmly onto Sen Senju in the back row.

"The Hokage has given an order."

The ANBU ninja raised a black-gloved hand and pointed at Sen.

"Student Sen Senju, come with me to the Hokage Building immediately. Lord Third wishes to see you."