Clan Academy

By the time Hyuga Iwa returned home, it was nearly lunchtime. Hyuga Yuko had already prepared a delicious meal and was waiting for him to return.

After washing his hands and sitting at the table, Hyuga Iwa could not help curling his lip as he silently criticized Hyuga Hiashi for being stingy enough not to even provide lunch.

Hyuga Iwa ate his lunch while deep in thought.

According to what Hyuga Hiashi had said that morning, ninjas needed to form hand seals and channel chakra to perform ninjutsu. Only by combining the two could they successfully cast a technique. That was also how the novels and videos he had seen in his previous life had described it.

Yet there was a contradiction here, because ninjutsu known as seal-less ninjutsu also existed.

But if it was ninjutsu, it must use chakra. And channeling chakra required the cooperation of hand seals. Was that not contradictory?

Of course, that was not what Hyuga Iwa was dwelling on. He simply felt that performing techniques without hand seals was more convenient and much harder to predict in battle.

Hyuga Iwa knew that Hashirama Senju, hailed as the God of Shinobi, could perform most ninjutsu without forming hand seals.

Could it be said, then, that hand seals were not actually essential to ninjutsu, and that chakra control was what truly mattered?

Also, if Hyuga Iwa remembered correctly, Bloodline Limits seemed to require no hand seals to activate.

Or perhaps, once a ninjutsu became sufficiently practiced, the hand seals could be simplified or even omitted, allowing chakra to be directly channeled into the technique?

Then what purpose did hand seals serve?

They could not possibly be useless. After all, most ninjas truly did need hand seals to perform ninjutsu.

A psychological cue?

Right, then where did hand seals come from?

Hyuga Iwa knew that the Shinobi World originally had no chakra. Chakra only appeared after Kaguya Otsutsuki consumed the Divine Tree Fruit, and Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, distributed chakra to the people of the Shinobi World.

Since chakra had not existed before, there certainly could not have been specialized hand seals either!

Hyuga Iwa suddenly remembered that he seemed to have read somewhere in his previous life that Hagoromo Otsutsuki had invented hand seals so that the people of the Shinobi World could use chakra more conveniently.

If that was the case, then it made sense.

Only when Hyuga Iwa reached for another bite did he realize that he had already finished all the rice in his bowl.

Embarrassed, Hyuga Iwa set down his chopsticks, served himself another bowl of rice, and climbed back onto his chair.

"By the way, Mother Yuko, can you form hand seals?"

"What?"

Hyuga Iwa had asked so suddenly, and Hyuga Yuko had not been paying attention to him, so she had not heard clearly.

"Mother, can you form hand seals?" Hyuga Iwa repeated.

"Hand seals? The kind used to perform ninjutsu?" Hyuga Yuko asked uncertainly. When she saw Hyuga Iwa nod, she continued, "Mother cannot form hand seals. After all, I was found to lack the talent to become a ninja."

"Oh."

"Iwa, is something wrong? You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Nothing. There are just a few things I have not figured out yet. I'll ask Lord Hiashi tomorrow."

"Iwa, you should use an honorific when addressing Lord Hiashi. I only heard today that Lord Hiashi seems about to become clan head."

"Oh? I understand." Hyuga Iwa was somewhat surprised. The current clan head did not seem to be dead yet, did he?

He was actually not attached to power.

No wonder that even when the clan head had been present the past few times, Hyuga Hiashi had been the one presiding. He was probably paving the way for Hyuga Hiashi.

Hyuga Iwa did not think much of it. As a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, why would he have the leisure to concern himself with the affairs of the Hyuga Main Family? Besides, even if he wanted to interfere, he could not.

That afternoon, Hyuga Iwa rested for half the day as Hyuga Hiashi had instructed.

Since they were still young, they were not suited for excessive chakra training. Otherwise, it would harm their bodies, and in serious cases, they could develop Bloodline Disease. That would be more loss than gain.

Such cases were far from rare in the Shinobi World, and throughout the Hyuga Clan's thousand-year history, there had been many instances of Bloodline Disease!

Moreover, most of those who fell ill had been "genius ninjas"!

The sun rose as usual, morning light spilling across the land. The next day arrived quickly.

Hyuga Iwa slept deeply that night, more deeply than usual!

And after getting up, Hyuga Iwa clearly noticed that his mental energy had not recovered as well as he had expected! While meditating, he also discovered that he had less chakra than when he had first extracted it yesterday!

Hyuga Iwa immediately thought of a question he had never noticed in his previous life: could chakra not be stored? Did extracted chakra gradually dissipate with the passage of time?

Hyuga Iwa sensed himself for a while, but remained utterly confused.

Only then did Hyuga Iwa realize that, as a beginner, he was still far too unfamiliar with this world of ninjas.

Even with the memories of his previous life, there were many things he could not truly understand without experiencing them himself!

There had been no power like chakra in his previous life either!

Things that had seemed simple when he read about them in his previous life now felt fraught with difficulties when he tried them himself. Could it be that he lacked talent?

After a while, Hyuga Iwa let out a soft breath and, after tidying himself up, set off for the training ground.

When Hyuga Iwa arrived at the training ground, several children were already there.

Hyuga Iwa casually found a spot and sat down cross-legged.

The two children who had successfully extracted chakra yesterday were excitedly gesturing about, while those who had failed watched them with envious expressions, occasionally letting out a cry or two of surprise.

Hearing the envious exclamations around them, the two became even more pleased with themselves.

Hyuga Iwa found the scene rather amusing, but on second thought, it was only natural.

Born into a world where ninjas reigned supreme, becoming a ninja was indeed something to be proud of—the two who had successfully extracted chakra already had one foot in the ranks of ninjas.

Though their futures still held many uncertainties, they had at least gotten ahead of everyone else.

Hyuga Iwa and the others did not wait long before Hyuga Hiashi arrived as scheduled.

Those who had failed on the first day took the secret medicine again, while those who had successfully extracted chakra received instruction from clan ninjas nearby.

Basic ninja knowledge, methods of forming hand seals, chakra training, taijutsu training, and most importantly—the awakening and training of the Byakugan. There was all sorts of instruction...

Hyuga Iwa noticed that perhaps because they were members of the Hyuga Clan, the clan ninjas barely explained how to perform ninjutsu. Most of their time was devoted to training in the clan's taijutsu.

The Hyuga Clan was famous throughout the Shinobi World for its Gentle Fist!

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, combined with its other ability, the Byakugan ocular technique, had caused countless people in the Shinobi World to die with regret.

Furthermore, because they were members of the Hyuga Branch Family, the ninjas teaching them gave only superficial explanations. The Hyuga Clan's advanced fist technique—Rotation—was scarcely mentioned at all.

Hyuga Iwa wanted to ask about it, but several times, the words reached his lips only for him to swallow them back down.

Because Hyuga Iwa accidentally discovered that not a single person studying at the training ground was from the Hyuga Main Family. Yet he knew that the Hyuga Main Family definitely had children of the same age.

As someone with an adult soul, Hyuga Iwa knew what that meant.

Sure enough, it was not hard to understand the Hyuga Branch Family's dissatisfaction with the Hyuga Main Family!

Learn whatever he could. If they would not teach him, could he not create something himself?

Having read so many novels in his previous life, Hyuga Iwa felt that one thing those authors said was right: everyone had their own habits and preferences. Only what suited oneself was best, and only what one comprehended oneself was most suitable!

At that thought, Hyuga Iwa recalled two other anime he had watched: Dragon Ball and Hunter x Hunter. Their similar power systems gave him a sudden flash of inspiration.

Hyuga Iwa decided that after returning home today, he would carefully organize the knowledge from his previous life and then make targeted attempts. He had a feeling that these things might bring him many indescribable benefits.

After steadying his emotions, Hyuga Iwa continued listening attentively. He knew clearly where his weaknesses lay.

In his previous life, he had lived in a world without supernatural powers. After transmigrating and being reborn, many things were unfamiliar and incomprehensible to him.

What one gains from books is always shallow in the end; without trying it himself, he had no right to speak!

Of course, the experience from his previous life could still provide him with great help. At the very least, it could keep him from taking many detours!

Time passed in the blink of an eye. Another two children successfully extracted chakra. Together with the three from yesterday, nearly half of them would embark on the path of ninja.

Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly, but soon relaxed. A probability of nearly fifty percent was about on par with the clan's results in previous years, so there was no point demanding more.

After all, becoming a ninja depended heavily on talent!

Hyuga Hiashi publicly announced the end of this ninja selection. Those who had succeeded over the past two days would have the chance to become ninjas, while those who had failed could only live as ordinary people unless they managed to extract chakra in the future without the secret medicine's help!

But Hyuga Iwa clearly knew how difficult that would be. They had almost no chance at all.

With a heavy heart, Hyuga Iwa returned home. After hastily wolfing down three large bowls of rice, he returned to his room and began organizing the knowledge from his previous life.