Bright sunlight shone over Konoha's training ground. A crowd of students watched from the sidelines, cheering for their classmates during the one-on-one combat drills—today's practical lesson.
To be honest, Uchiha Tsukiki had regretted attending the Ninja Academy from the start. It took up most of his time, cutting deeply into his training schedule. Even with extra practice after school, it wasn't enough.
As for classes? Well, it was complicated. The academic lessons were child's play for him. But with students at different levels, they had to start from the basics—chakra control. After a month, Tsukiki found it useless; he'd already learned it all.
He wasn't the only one. Among the nearly 80 students in his class, those from clans had received similar training. The classroom atmosphere was… predictable.
It wasted too much time. No wonder Uchiha Fuhei had been dismissive of the academy. With training like this, building a solid foundation was hopeless. Letting the clan's best be taught this way? Unthinkable.
Even worse, this half-hearted approach was applied to branch family members too. Already disadvantaged, they were left to self-study without systematic guidance—relying solely on personal comprehension. Their future prospects were limited.
Tsukiki had planned to master water walking in half a month, but it took a full month. With average talent, he had to invest more time just to keep up with the academy's top tier.
The top tier—the elite sixth-year class. Most were between 11 and 13, surpassing him in both stamina and chakra. Some were Uchiha main family members, rumored to have awakened the Sharingan.
He'd seen their combat drills. Their skills were easily graduation-level. By Uchiha Fuhei and Sarutobi Tetsusuke's standards, they were elite genin—capable of holding their own against some chunin, though the gap among chunin was wide.
Especially among bloodline limit users. Besides the Uchiha and Hyuga, there were famous teams like the Ino-Shika-Cho. But the one Tsukiki least wanted to face was the Aburame clan—their swarms of insects were downright nauseating.
After observing the top classes, Tsukiki recognized the gap between himself and them. Even Uchiha branch family members in the sixth year were no match for other clan students.
He'd sparred with them on the clan's training ground, using everything he had, and still lost. The difference was clear.
Sparring wasn't limited to one's own class. Usually, it was inter-class, especially between elite and ordinary classes. The "cannon fodder" classes had no say.
But today, for some reason, the combat lesson was an internal match within Tsukiki's class. His opponent: Nara Shikaku, with his iconic pineapple hairstyle.
What puzzled Tsukiki was that Shikaku was stronger—not in basics, but in clan techniques. In raw metrics, Tsukiki outperformed him, but in ninjutsu, Shikaku led.
This was partly due to Tsukiki's lack of experience. He'd only sparred with or been ganged up on by his clansmen—never against other clan members with their strange secret techniques and bloodline limits.
Plus, Nara Shikaku was highly intelligent and confident, with chakra reserves rivaling the top sixth-year elites. How did someone like him end up in a cannon fodder class?
It was a tough fight for Tsukiki. The academy used blunted training tools—barely sharpened kunai and shuriken that could hardly stick in targets.
The short swords? Unsharpened—only good for dealing pain, not injury. Under chakra reinforcement, everyone's pain tolerance was high.
Worse, Tsukiki's Fire Release was banned from direct use—it could cause severe injury or death. It could only be used for emergencies or jutsu clashes.
This wasn't unique to the Uchiha; the Sarutobi and others with powerful fire techniques faced the same restrictions. Other highly lethal jutsu were also off-limits.
This put Tsukiki at a disadvantage. Nara Shikaku, leveraging his intelligence and terrain, kept a safe distance, expertly dodging Tsukiki's throwing attacks.
Tsukiki, in turn, had to avoid Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique. Smart people had strong mental energy—Shikaku had mastered his clan's jutsu.
Many clans retained Warring States-era habits—jutsu were their lifeline. Maybe when the oldest generation died out, this would change. Like the Uchiha, they spared no effort in strengthening their clans.
But the new generation—those born around Konoha's founding—would gradually abandon these ideas. Their worldview and environment were different; outdated concepts no longer fit.
Nara Shikaku was a product of this era. Unfortunately, with low status and no backing, he was placed in a cannon fodder class. His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and combat spirit were excellent—he belonged with the elites.
Tsukiki landed several sword strikes on him. Though they didn't draw blood, they weakened Shikaku. But Shikaku kept fighting back, and Tsukiki also took hits—though in better shape, thanks to his experience being ganged up on since childhood.
"Tch… Uchiha are so stubborn," Shikaku muttered.
"You're not bad either. Too smart—not as easy as the others. But we've both revealed too much today. Next time we face them, it'll be harder."
Tsukiki stayed vigilant against the Shadow Imitation Technique. If caught, he couldn't break free quickly—the match could end in an instant.
Hm? The shadow's range increased? How? Did he get stronger? Impossible.
As Tsukiki dodged, he noticed Shikaku using the afternoon sun to lengthen the shadow's reach, even splitting it into smaller ones to block Tsukiki's retreat.
I see… using the sun's angle. Can't underestimate any opponent. Do I have to drain his chakra? That feels cheap—like a hollow victory.
Tsukiki leaped and dodged like a dancer, elegant but elusive.
"Damn… even without the Sharingan, he's so tricky. His speed… my split shadows can't keep up."
Just then, Tsukiki threw several shuriken backward. Shikaku had to dodge—while not lethal, they hurt and hampered movement.
"Now's my chance!"
After dodging, Shikaku noticed Tsukiki slowing down and seized the moment, redirecting his shadow to finally capture him.
"Got you!"
Poof!
"What? A clone? When? Oh no—"
As Shikaku retreated in panic, Tsukiki appeared beside him—where one of the shuriken had landed. He'd overlooked it, and now he was vulnerable.
Being closed in by Tsukiki was a nightmare—Shikaku had observed enough to know that. In their rushed exchange, his kunai-wielding arm was nearly numbed from the impact.
He had no choice but to close the distance, minimizing the threat of Tsukiki's sword. Retreat was too slow, and his speed was inferior. This was the best option—using his kunai in close combat.
But Tsukiki twisted his grip, pressing the blade flat against his arm to block Shikaku's kunai, then pressed forward. With the sword guarding his arm, he wasn't worried about the kunai.
As their arms crossed, Tsukiki's right hand pressed down, trapping Shikaku's arm. If Shikaku pulled back, he'd risk cutting himself on the blade.
The moment Shikaku retracted his arm, Tsukiki leaned forward, stepping in with his right foot. His right hand—gripping the sword's hilt—drove hard into Shikaku's body.