That afternoon.
Sarutobi Ichino brought all the students out to the training grounds.
"This afternoon's lesson is shuriken throwing. As before, your throwing scores this afternoon will also go on record."
Sarutobi Ichino took out several shuriken, casually tossed them at the wooden post behind him, then spoke.
With a series of thuds, every shuriken struck the very center of the wooden post.
That display showed off Sarutobi Ichino's skill with shuriken, but... did you think this was just ordinary shuriken throwing?
The next moment.
"Also, when throwing shuriken, pay attention to controlling the amount of chakra you attach to them. Bear in mind that this will also be graded. I'll check the state of the chakra attached to each of your thrown shuriken."
After throwing the shuriken, Sarutobi Ichino took out another and held it in his hand as he spoke in a low voice. As he spoke, the shuriken began spinning on his fingertip.
Chakra flow-in other words, attaching natureless chakra.
One could wrap one's own chakra directly around the surface of a kunai, tachi, or shuriken, reinforcing the weapon's hardness and slightly increasing its cutting power. The consumption was relatively low, but the chakra control requirements were relatively high.
Yes, this was one of the most basic things taught at the Ninja Academy.
As for the harder things... heh, there was the unfinished Space-Time Ninjutsu, [True Substitution Technique], which could only be learned after mastering the Summoning Technique.
There was the [Transformation Technique], which had to be used in conjunction with actual mimicry makeup and styling.
And the [Clone Technique], whose effects were almost identical to the original Shadow Clone.
What? What was that [Shadow Clone], you asked? Meet an actual physical clone, created by giving one's shadow physical form.
Its advantage was that it would not break at a touch and could fight normally. Unless it sustained a fatal injury, it could keep fighting. As for the drawback, if the Shadow Clone died, it really died, and one could never use the Shadow Clone ninjutsu again.
As for that forbidden technique, Multiple Shadow Clone, Uchiha Gen had never learned it and did not know the details yet, though he imagined it should be very, very powerful.
"All right, break's over. We're starting now."
Casually tossing away the shuriken that had been spinning in his palm, Sarutobi Ichino clapped to draw every student's attention, then spoke.
"Remember what I just said. Your scores in the upcoming throwing practice will be recorded. Especially you, Obito Uchiha-don't pull any stunts. Kurenai Yuhi, you're first."
"Yes."
The black-haired, red-eyed girl answered softly and walked out of the crowd to stand beside Sarutobi Ichino.
A wooden target stood a hundred meters in front of her, while a basket of specially made training kunai sat beside her.
Kurenai Yuhi picked up a shuriken. The next moment, a faint glimmer flashed through her red eyes. With a flick of her raised hand, she hurled the shuriken toward the wooden target.
The sharp edge produced by the chakra attached to the shuriken sliced through the air, and it embedded itself in the wooden target in an instant.
"Six points. Seven for chakra attachment. Not bad, I suppose. Shuriken throwing is one of a ninja's most basic skills. Ultimately, the Phantom Eye Kekkei Genkai is better suited to casting genjutsu. It's very difficult to use the Phantom Eye to pinpoint targets the way the Uchiha do with the Sharingan or the Hyuga with the Byakugan."
Looking at the shuriken in the wooden target, Sarutobi Ichino nodded slightly. After recording Kurenai Yuhi's scores, he spoke to her quietly.
"I... I understand. Thank you, sir."
At his words, Kurenai Yuhi shyly glanced at Uchiha Gen, then quickly lowered her head and spoke softly.
"..."
Uchiha Gen, who had received that inexplicable glance, was speechless. He had calmly accepted the fact that Kurenai Yuhi had suddenly acquired something called the Phantom Eye, an ocular kekkei genkai whose name alone marked it as a genjutsu type.
Yes, at this point, he could calmly accept whatever new things appeared.
"Next, Might Guy."
Boom!!
After an explosive crack through the air, Uchiha Gen could not help raising his eyebrows at the wooden target that had been "smashed" apart by a single shuriken, and the small crater that had suddenly appeared in the ground.
Yes, he had only made a small crater by throwing a shuriken. Perfectly normal.
"Zero on both counts. Next, Obito Uchiha."
Faced with the broken wooden target, Sarutobi Ichino calmly clapped and had someone install a new one, then called out the next name.
"Ah! I lost control again! Might Guy, how can you catch up to Kakashi like this? All right, it's decided! After school, I'll put on my new weights and do five hundred frog-jump laps around Konoha with Dad! If I can't finish before nine, I'll add two hundred laps around Konoha on a one-handed handstand!"
Hearing his score of zero, Might Guy burst into tears. Then, a second later, he was fired up again. After doing a few push-ups on the spot, he immediately announced a whole series of inhuman training plans at the top of his voice.
As Might Guy's classmate, Uchiha Gen could only say that he was used to it.
"Finally, my turn."
Obito excitedly walked to the front and picked up a shuriken.
"This time, I'll let you all get a good look at my strength! I've been secretly practicing shuriken throwing for ages! Wahahaha!"
Obito Uchiha hurled the shuriken forward.
"Missed the target. Zero points. But eight points for chakra attachment."
Turning to look at the empty wooden target, Sarutobi Ichino spoke listlessly.
"Impossible!!! I don't believe it! That was an accident! It had to be an accident! I want another try! I was clearly hitting it during practice!"
Hearing that, Obito Uchiha immediately threw another shuriken in frustration, yet the wooden target remained completely empty.
Sure enough, it passed straight through...
Uchiha Gen glanced at Obito Uchiha, then shifted his gaze from him to the empty wooden target.
Beneath his black cosmetic contact lenses, his One-Tomoe Sharingan shone with a faint red glow, replaying Obito Uchiha's shuriken throw in slow motion, frame by frame.
Yes, the One-Tomoe Sharingan in this Shinobi World had dynamic vision and could replay things frame by frame in slow motion. Perfectly reasonable, right?
Viewed in slow motion, the shuriken Obito Uchiha had thrown had not physically struck the wooden post. The instant the shuriken's blade passed through the wood, it had silently turned intangible.
Kamui's first appearance, before he had even graduated from the Ninja Academy? Interesting.
"Still zero. Obito, settle down. Stop disrupting the class."
Facing Obito Uchiha, who had picked up another shuriken and wanted to keep trying, Sarutobi Ichino spoke, at a loss for words.
"It was a mistake! A mistake! It really was a mistake! This isn't my actual level, sir! Please give me another chance!"
Obito Uchiha quickly glanced at Rin Nohara in the crowd, then hurried over to Sarutobi Ichino and pressed his palms together, pleading.
Before you continue