After the Hokage's speech ended, Haruma and the others returned to the classroom.
Just like during school orientation in his previous life, Iruka organized a few students to fetch the textbooks and began distributing them, but when Haruma saw these textbooks, he felt his scalp go numb.
What the hell is this?
Shinobi history and basic ninja knowledge, those made sense, but basic culture, physics, chemistry, natural science, and even astronomy and geography...Is this really stuff first graders, six-year-olds, are supposed to learn?
Haruma realized he had seriously underestimated how twisted this world was.
As mentioned earlier, because the average age in this world is so low, kids mature extremely early. This maturity isn't just emotional or about independence, even their education system reflects it.
The six-year curriculum at the ninja academy teaches not only taijutsu, kenjutsu, shuriken throwing and the Three Basic Jutsu, but also extensive cultural subjects.Of course, the cultural classes weren't mandatory, they were options for those who didn't want to be combat-focused ninja and wanted other career paths.
Although the ninja world is technologically underdeveloped, there are still electric appliances and computers. People even know their planet is round, that space exists, and that the moon is, well, a moon.
Oh, and this planet is also called "Earth."
Faced with this bizarre mix of technology and knowledge, Haruma couldn't help but be speechless.
After getting the textbooks, Iruka immediately began the first class. As Haruma listened, he realized it wasn't hard at all, he fully absorbed everything Iruka taught.
Not because Iruka was some phenomenal teacher, but because Haruma's comprehension ability had become terrifying.
If it were back before he devoured Shisui, or even shortly afterward, he wouldn't have grasped things so easily. But after gaining Shisui's chakra, his comprehension had improved drastically, whether it was for ninjutsu or general knowledge, he could understand it all at lightning speed.
Realizing this, Haruma felt completely relieved.
When the first major exam arrived, he'd no doubt be the Number One student, top of the class. As a child with an adult's mindset, if he couldn't outshine a bunch of six-year-olds, that would be humiliating.
Now, he no longer needed to worry. Once he fully bonded with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Hinata, he could just send a shadow clone to attend school, he'd only bring his real body occasionally to improve Hinata and Ino's affection toward him.
And so, one month later, Haruma stopped going to school himself and let his shadow clone attend instead.
The real Haruma went to the Valley of the End to continue training in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
Sometimes, he'd sneak into the forest to hunt and devour wild beasts, converting their chakra into power. Although these animals didn't provide even one percent of the energy Shisui had, it was still far more than what three meals a day could offer.
Until he officially became a ninja and could go on missions, secretly devouring enemies, beasts were his best source of "supplements."
Thanks to this steady intake, his chakra level was increasing daily, occasionally experiencing small surges. Over time, his chakra had reached a level even higher than most Jonin, possibly close to Elite Jonin.
But even that wasn't enough.
Once Naruto grew older, the Eight Trigrams Seal would activate.
By third grade, his chakra would surpass Kakashi's and by the time he graduated, he'd be multiple times beyond that.
In Shippuden, Kakashi's chakra became a unit of measurement for Naruto's chakra levels.
If Haruma wanted that kind of power, he'd need to devour a S-rank ninja or a tailed beast.
Still, having near-Elite Jonin levels of chakra at this stage was incredible. He could maintain a shadow clone in school daily, create another clone for training, and still have enough energy for other things with his main body.
Over the next month, the ninja academy explained the Three Basic Jutsu and how to use the Camouflage Technique but so far, they hadn't introduced combat training.
Perhaps it was because the children were still too young, too much strain could leave internal injuries and hinder their development. That's why the first-grade cultural curriculum was extremely accelerated.
Only after three full months did Haruma and his classmates get a new class, Shuriken Throwing.
This subject required talent, both in visual acuity and technique. It was also the stage where Sasuke first showed off his skills. The Uchiha clan seemed born with a talent for fire release and ninja tools.
Sasuke, having been trained by his older brother Itachi before entering school, nailed his first round of throws: eight bulls-eyes, two nines, and not a single miss, instantly winning over a group of fangirls.
But this time, Sasuke's popularity wasn't as great as in the original story.Because this time since Haruma existed.
Having already awakened the Sharingan, even without activating it, Haruma's observational skills were extraordinary. With Shisui's training memories in his mind, his first throw was all bulls-eyes.
And his face, just as cute as Sasuke's. Once the baby fat faded, he'd definitely grow up to be a dark-haired pretty boy, on par with Tobirama and Kakashi. Plus, his gentle yet mature personality and top scores made him even more popular than the often cold, aloof Sasuke.
Because of this, Ino didn't fall for Sasuke, and she didn't fight with Sakura either.
Sakura still liked Sasuke though, and her fangirl behavior was slowly emerging. Naruto, at some point, also started to like Sakura.
Thus, the fate of Team 7 began to take shape.
But Haruma didn't care about any of that.
Three months in, Hinata had finally joined his and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's little group. She wasn't just a passive listener anymore.
However, she still couldn't hold eye contact with Haruma for more than three seconds, always bowing her head and whispering shyly.
There was nothing Haruma could do about that, no matter how much he encouraged her or tried to build her confidence, the moment she went home and endured her clan's pressure, she'd revert the next day.
Only after Hanabi was born and took on the clan's expectations would Hinata be able to breathe.
Right now, she was just a little girl living under extreme pressure, with no self-confidence whatsoever.