The weather was much colder today as Hikaru leaped from one building to another toward the academy in a leisurely manner. The morning sun shone across Hikaru's face as he felt the cold breeze hitting him while moving.
He had initially planned to walk the entire way but later changed his mind to enjoy the scenery from the tops of the buildings. The view was quite enjoyable, allowing him to see the village's architecture from a different angle.
Hikaru couldn't help but smirk as he moved along the buildings. His parkour style would now leave all the professionals from his previous world stunned and jealous. Chakra made it simple to execute many difficult moves that were previously impossible.
As Hikaru approached the academy entrance, he could see the three-story building surrounded by a dense canopy of trees, with a small training ground nearby.
The Hokage office and the academy were located in the same area, just as Hikaru had seen in the anime. From a distance, he could see the Hokage Rock landmark behind the Hokage office building, with a large kanji word for "fire" visible in front.
Although Hikaru shared the same year as Uchiha Itachi, they were not in the same class.
Hikaru's performance in the academy entrance exam qualified him only for a subclass, which included twenty-seven students, most of whom were civilian ninjas or orphans. Some rare ones came from a clan, such as the Inuzuka boy in his class.
Hikaru watched a large group of children arrive at the school's entrance as he strolled past many of them to his assigned room, 4A.
Hikaru entered a room full of kids, but he wasn't friends with any of them. Therefore, he remained silent and walked past everyone to sit in the back near the window, patiently waiting for the class to begin.
Many people looked at him but did not pay attention, as they knew he was not originally a talkative type. These were the characteristics of the original body before he took over, so he kept it this way.
As the class bell rang, a Chūnin ninja suddenly appeared with a puff of white smoke. He donned a Konoha chūnin suit, adorned with spiky hair and a leaf forehead protector.
'Takayama Koji sensei,'
Hikaru immediately thought of the name of the shinobi who had been teaching them since the beginning.
"He is a bit of a showoff, isn't he?"
A corner of his mouth lifted as Hikaru heard someone nearby point this out, and he couldn't have agreed more after seeing the acts.
"Welcome back, everyone, to the classroom," Takayama Koji sensei started the class with a greeting smile. "It's been a month without school, and what's better than a morning exercise to warm up?"
"Let's do a morning round, everyone, and we'll come back to continue our studies after." Koji sensei spoke with his hand raised, showing five fingers and indicating he wanted everyone to do five rounds.
"Five rounds in the morning?"
"Sensei, are you joking?"
"Can't we just stay in the class?"
"Don't blame me if I throw up later."
Upon hearing this, numerous children voiced their complaints. Koji couldn't help but stare at these children with a deadpan expression, thinking, 'These spoiled brats.'
"Hurry up, or else you will need to do ten if you are not leaving here by the count of ten," Koji sensei said, and he began counting down the numbers to put pressure on them.
Hikaru had no choice but to get out of his seat and join the other students in the classroom.
They ran along a track near the academy. For him, five rounds didn't seem like much; Hikaru was able to complete them with ease, having run significantly longer distances over the past month.
Hikaru couldn't say the same for other kids, given their struggles with running a five-round course. This could potentially explain why the majority of them ended up in the same class.
Hikaru tried his best and finished the morning race in the top five. He was working hard because he wanted to earn a positive evaluation from his sensei, but not too much to attract unwanted attention.
Koji sensei only gave him a nod as he finished his round and waited for others. After everyone finished, he declared, "That concludes the warming exercise; let's return to the room."
Once everyone had returned to the room, Koji sensei began calling the names of students who attended the class before starting with a brief review of the lessons learned so far, including chakra theory, chakra control, hand seals, taijutsu, genjutsu, and shurikenjutsu.
Hikaru paid the most attention in the class to cross-checking his comprehension of the reading he had done.
To keep students entertained, Koji sensei also added new elements to the lesson, such as a rope escape technique and a cloak of invisibility technique.
As for the other fundamental lessons, Koji sensei would delegate teaching to other senseis. This included reading, writing, mathematics, science, ninja history, and geography. He would be solely responsible for the ninja theory lessons and physical exercises.
As soon as the bell rang to indicate the morning class had finished, Koji sensei reminded everyone, "We will do a taijutsu exercise in the afternoon; meet me at the training ground nearby later after lunch," and immediately dismissed the class.
Observing that Koji sensei hadn't yet taught the academy three jutsu, Hikaru began to analyze his situation: 'Should I ask him for the three academy jutsu? Or should I wait until later?'
Both had advantages and disadvantages. His talent wasn't great, so it would be better if he could train the jutsu early on, but Koji sensei could get suspicious.
After a few moments of contemplation, Hikaru decided to approach him once everyone had left the room.
"Sensei," Hikaru began to ask with a hopeful voice, "Could you please teach me the Bushin no Jutsu (clone technique), Kawarimi no Jutsu (body replacement technique), and Henge no Jutsu (transformation technique)?"
"Why do you want to learn these three jutsu early?" Koji sensei asked, raising his eyebrow suspiciously, "Do you want to graduate early?"
"No, no, of course not, Koji sensei." Hikaru waved both hands in denial and said, "You know what happened to my parents after the Nine-Tails demon fox attack, right?" Koji sensei nodded slightly as Hikaru began retelling his made-up story.
"I would like to learn some cool jutsu that could make my sister smile, knowing that I have accomplished something from the school." He then scratched his cheek and added, "She has been kind of depressed recently."
"I see." Koji sensei used his hand to support his chin, thought for a few moments, and then looked at Hikaru before replying, "I would have taught you these three soon anyway, but if you're in a hurry, how about this?"
He took his teacher badge from his pocket and handed it to Hikaru. "You can show my ID badge at the school library and tell them I approve of you getting the three jutsu you need, as I don't have time right now to teach you."
Before Hikaru could grab the ID badge, Koji sensei held it back first and reminded him, "Only the three jutsu, understand? If I discover you took more, you'll be in trouble, kid."
Hikaru nodded his head and promised that he would only take the three he wanted. Koji sensei then handed him the ID badge and dismissed him.
Excitedly, Hikaru walked toward the school library. When he met the caretaker, he handed over Koji sensei's ID badge, made his request, and confirmed that he already had permission.
After a few minutes, the caretaker presented him with the three jutsu scrolls he required.
"I finally got this on hand," Hikaru said with a smile curling up in his mouth, holding the three basic jutsu required for graduation.
To be honest, he didn't really want to graduate early; he preferred to spend three to four years in the academy before making that decision. However, his talent may require him to learn more quickly than others, as it has taken him longer to perfect the necessary skills.
With his free time almost gone, Hikaru returned to his room, placed the three jutsu scrolls in his backpack, and went out for a quick lunch.
The afternoon's taijutsu training was disappointing; it primarily focused on throwing punches and kicks and learning how to evade, which is the typical academy style of taijutsu. Koji sensei had not yet scheduled any fights between students.
It seemed that the pace of his class's learning was a bit slow. Hikaru wished he could be in the same class as Uchiha Itachi; maybe he would learn more.
According to his parents' detailed experience, the most effective way to learn taijutsu is to engage in real combat. This practice will not only enhance your skills, but also your instincts about how to react to an opponent's fight.
More battle experience means better responses to each situation.
This does not imply that his parents were proficient in taijutsu themselves; it simply refers to the theory they developed.
Hikaru agreed that learning anything like taijutsu, ninjutsu, or even shurikenjutsu is like learning how to drive a car or ride a bicycle. At first, you pay close attention to every detail and adjust your movements accordingly.
However, after driving for a while, it becomes muscle memory through repetition. You react to every situation naturally, even without thinking.
Of course, talent also determines how quickly you can learn them.
One day, Hikaru aspired to attain a state akin to the ultimate instinct, a stage reminiscent of a beloved manga story. His mind would perform any task autonomously, eliminating the need for thought. This ability perfectly complemented his lazy attitude.
Suddenly, a small fist went straight to Hikaru's face while he was smiling dumbly, lost in his own thoughts. The impact knocked him down instantly, causing blood to run from his nose as he woke up in a stuporous manner.
Many students in the classroom also yelled out in surprise as it occurred and stood away from the impact.
"Seiji-kun," Koji sensei said, immediately calling out the perpetrator's name and asking, "Why would you attack your classmate?"
Inuzuka Seiji shrugged at Koji sensei's inquiry and replied, "Sorry, sensei. Judging by his blank expression and lack of movement during practice, I assumed he was under a genjutsu skill or something similar."
"I was only trying to help wake him up," Seiji added, picking his ear with his finger.
Hikaru stood up and wiped his bleeding nose, glaring at the Inuzuka boy, thinking, 'What the heck is wrong with this kid?'
"What?" As he noticed Hikaru staring at him, Seiji teased, "Do you need another helping hand?"