The teamwork fostered by several consecutive team cooperation classes continued to take root in Class A. The once-clear boundaries between its little cliques had blurred somewhat; at least when different groups worked together, everyone could communicate more smoothly. Yet the Ninja Academy's regular lessons still offered Shinji too little challenge. To pass the boring hours in class and give his surplus brainpower something to do, he did something that would seem rather "unorthodox" in this world.
Using his free time, he combined his understanding of strategy games from his previous life with this world's ninjutsu system to design a simple set of ninjutsu battle cards.
The cards were made from ordinary cardstock with poor chakra conductivity, with simple illustrations and descriptions drawn in fine ink. They were divided into several types:
- Ninja cards: these represented different ninjas, listing basic "Tai," "Gen," and "Nin" values-taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu-as well as special "talent" or "bloodline" effects in simplified form. For example, an "Uchiha Jonin" card might have a high "Nin" value and the effect "Sharingan: copy the effect of one opponent's ninjutsu card, once per game." An "Akimichi Chunin" card, meanwhile, would have an outstanding "Tai" value and "Partial Multi-Size Technique: boost taijutsu attacks this turn."
- Ninjutsu cards: these represented various ninjutsu, cost "chakra points"-which increased naturally each turn and could also be supplied by certain cards-and had different effects, such as "Fire Release: Great Fireball" for offense, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall" for defense, and "Genjutsu: Bringer of Hell" for disruption.
- Tactic cards: these represented various strategies or items, such as "Ration Pill" to restore chakra, "Trap Setup" to restrict the opponent's actions next turn, and "Intelligence Gathering" to look at the opponent's hand.
The rules were relatively simple. Each player had a set amount of "health" and used combinations of cards to attack and defend. The first to reduce the other's health to zero won.
At first, Shinji only drew them for his own amusement, occasionally dragging his little follower, Torayoshi Uchiha, into a test game. Though Torai initially found the explanations utterly baffling, under Shinji's "patient" guidance-mostly threats of force and the temptation of snacks-he gradually got the hang of it and began having a wonderful time.
During lunch break one day, Shinji and Torai laid out their cards in a corner of the classroom for a match, catching the attention of an idle Shikaku Nara. With a blade of grass between his lips, he wandered over. After watching just one game, his perpetually half-lidded eyes opened wide.
"Hey, Shinji," Shikaku said, taking the rare initiative to speak, his voice full of interest. "This thing you've made... it's pretty interesting. Explain the rules to me again."
Shinji glanced at him and gave him a brief explanation. Once he had heard it, Shikaku rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with calculation. "Spending chakra points, combining cards, taking turns... isn't this basically a simplified tactical simulation? More intuitive than chess, and safer than an actual fight."
He immediately demanded to join in. Shinji had no objections and played a round with him. Shinji won the first game thanks to his familiarity with the cards and rules, but by the second, Shikaku had quickly caught on. Through clever card combinations and careful calculation, he nearly turned the tables on Shinji.
"Interesting! This is so interesting!" Shikaku was completely hooked. He could see the card game's enormous potential for developing logical thinking, tactical anticipation, and resource management. "One more round!"
Their matches drew an ever-growing crowd. Looking at the simplified ninjutsu principles and tactical choices on the cards, Minato Namikaze thought it was an excellent way to reinforce what they had learned. Choza Akimichi was particularly interested in cards depicting food-Ration Pills-and taijutsu attacks, such as a simplified version of his own "Human Bullet Tank." Inoichi Yamanaka felt that deducing the opponent's hand and intentions through the cards was much like the psychological insight his clan excelled at.
Soon, the crude card game became all the rage among Class A's boys. Shinji had to put in extra hours-using chakra to speed up the papermaking and drawing processes a little, which the system met with silence-to produce more sets of basic cards. He even "opened up" card design, encouraging everyone to create new "ninja cards" or "ninjutsu cards" based on their own understanding and imagination. As long as the logic held together and they passed his "review"-mainly a check that the balance wasn't too outrageous-they could be added to the card pool.
And so a peculiar sight appeared in the classroom: during lunch breaks or after school, instead of merely chasing one another around or practicing with shuriken, groups of three or five Academy students sat together, playing cards with intense concentration.
"I activate Shadow Clone Technique! I can play one extra ninjutsu card this turn!"
"Hmph, I was ready for that! Trap card, Explosive Tag! Your Shadow Clone is negated, and you take one damage!"
"I use the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan effect to look at the next card you'll draw!"
"Oh no! I've only got one Substitution Technique left. Can it block his Lightning Blade?"
Arguments, cheers, and groans of frustration rang out endlessly. Without their noticing, the game deepened the students' understanding of the ninjutsu system and tactical combinations, while also exercising their logical thinking and ability to adapt on the fly. Even their teacher, Umino Kakumatsu, was surprised to find that in subsequent theory and tactical analysis classes, the students seemed better at applying what they had learned to new situations.
Shinji happily took it easy. He retreated behind the scenes, becoming the "arbiter" of the rules and the "reviewer" of new cards, occasionally joining a game to crush a few novices-mainly Kushina, who refused to accept defeat and kept coming back for more. Watching his classmates immersed in battles of strategy, he felt as though he could see his friends from his previous life fighting away at their computers. Learning through play seemed a rather fitting description.
Of course, wherever people gathered, rivalries followed, and card games were no exception.
A little "card economy" formed around the ownership and trading of rare cards-mostly the more powerful cards Shinji had drawn by hand early on. Choza Akimichi often traded snacks for the powerful "taijutsu-type" cards he liked. Tsume Inuzuka had a particular fondness for any cards related to "beasts." Shibi Aburame quietly collected all sorts of "insect" and "poison" cards. Though he seldom played, he seemed to be conducting some kind of research.
Occasionally, differing interpretations of the rules or disputes over wins and losses caused minor friction, but most were settled through the intervention of Shinji-threats of force plus final authority over the rules-and Shikaku-logical analysis plus mediation.
The craze even gradually spread to other classes. Some students from Classes B and C heard that Class A had a novel, entertaining game called "ninjutsu cards," and came to watch or even ask to buy sets. Shinji welcomed this. He figured that if it could raise the average intelligence of the entire school's students-especially when it came to tactics-it would count as a contribution to Konoha's future.
The only one who wasn't particularly taken with it was Choza Akimichi. He tried a few times, but always ran out of patience, preferring straightforward taijutsu clashes-even in a game. He often looked at his classmates gathered around their cards and curled his lip. "A bunch of idiots, getting so serious over scraps of paper." Then he dragged Torayoshi Uchiha, who was likewise not very interested in cards and mostly played to keep Shinji company, off to the training grounds to spar.
From time to time, Shinji observed how these future elites of the shinobi world played, catching glimpses of their personalities: Shikaku excelled at calculation and liked setting up strategies and controlling the field; Minato was flexible and adaptable, adept at seizing an opening to win in a single strike; Choza favored all-out attacks and lacked patience; Inoichi focused on intelligence and psychological games... Perhaps on the real battlefields of the future, these traits would reveal themselves in far crueler forms.
The card game became part of daily life at the Ninja Academy, a unique, nonviolent way to communicate and learn. It did not change the fact that ninjas needed to fight, but quietly opened a door for these children into a more complex tactical world, one that demanded greater wisdom. Shinji looked at the newly drawn "Flying Thunder God Technique" card in his hand, whose effect was a little overpowered, and considered whether to add it to the card pool or offer it as a prize for the next person who managed to beat Shikaku. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He felt he could put up with this peaceful-and entertaining-school life for a while longer.
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