Iruka's chalk scraped lightly across the blackboard as he spoke with measured enthusiasm.
"How far an object travels depends on its altitude and its initial speed," he explained. "For example, imagine you're a ninja standing on a five-meter platform. You throw a shuriken with a horizontal speed of one hundred meters per second. How far will it fly before hitting the ground?"
Naruto stared at the chalkboard, his mind already fogging over.
"…Abba… Abba… Abba…" he muttered helplessly.
"What the heck is going on? I don't understand a single thing!"
A familiar, metallic chime rang in his head.
[Host, please listen and learn with full attention. Otherwise, you will be baptized by the Lightning Release System…]
[Warning. Countdown: 5… 4… 3… 2…]
"Ah, ah, ah—I get it!" Naruto yelped, sitting bolt upright.
He rubbed his cheeks violently, forcing himself to focus as if that alone would push the lesson into his skull.
Iruka continued, "When we throw a shuriken forward at one hundred meters per second, how do we calculate the final distance?"
Naruto whispered to himself, "Uh-huh… okay… keep it together…"
A sudden thought popped into his head. "Aha! I know! If it's a hundred meters per second, then no matter how many seconds it flies, it's gotta be hundreds of meters!"
Then he frowned. "But… how many seconds can it stay in the air?"
Iruka's gaze wandered across the room, eyes scanning for the unlucky student who would have to answer.
The class fell silent, as still as a winter forest. No one even dared to breathe.
Finally, Iruka sighed. "Sakura, you answer."
"Yes, Teacher Iruka!" Sakura sprang to her feet, her voice confident. "To find the final distance, you multiply the initial horizontal speed by the total flight time. The flight time depends on altitude. Considering that gravitational acceleration in the Ninja World is roughly ten meters per second squared, you can conclude—"
Her explanation rolled on, precise and technical. Most of the class looked hopelessly lost.
Naruto, of course, understood even less than usual. But unlike before, he forced himself to listen with every ounce of strength. Eyes wide, ears straining, snot threatening to drip, he clung to every word Sakura spoke.
[You have fully focused on the lecture for the first time. Mastery of [Physics] increased. Proficiency +3. Current proficiency: 28 points.]
Naruto froze. Then his eyes lit up.
"Wait—did I just… level up in physics?!"
He could barely grasp the concept, but there was no doubt the system had rewarded him.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at the chalkboard again. The strange formulas still swam before him—but this time he almost, almost understood.
"Am I… actually a genius?" he whispered, a foolish grin tugging at his lips.
[Detecting that the Host has left the state of full concentration. Lightning Release Baptism initiating…]
[Warning. Countdown: 5… 4… 3…]
"—!" Naruto didn't waste a second. He snapped back to attention, heart pounding. No way I'm getting zapped again!
Iruka nodded with approval. "Very good, Sakura. You remain the best student in the class."
Sakura beamed and turned, hoping for a nod from Sasuke. "Did you hear that, Sasuke?"
Sasuke, as always, remained expressionless. Sakura deflated slightly and sat down.
Naruto watched the scene, ready to sigh—
[Warning. Countdown: 5…]
"Height… initial speed… gravitational acceleration…" he muttered quickly, forcing himself back to the numbers.
What should have been an ordinary lesson now felt like a life-or-death interrogation. For Naruto, class had become as terrifying as an Anbu torture cell.
The forty-five-minute session stretched endlessly, each second a tiny eternity. For someone like Naruto—restless, playful, allergic to sitting still—focusing so completely was harder than climbing a sheer cliff with bare hands.
He fought to keep his mind on track, but distractions prowled at the edges.
Sometimes he wanted to sneak a glance at Sakura.
Sometimes he wanted to curse Sasuke under his breath.
Sometimes his stomach rumbled and he could almost smell the heavenly aroma of Ichiraku's ramen.
Every time his thoughts drifted, the System's sharp warning cut through like a blade, and he jerked back to full awareness, sitting straighter, eyes locked on Iruka.
By the time Iruka finally clapped the chalkboard clean and announced, "That concludes today's physics lesson," Naruto felt as if he had run three full marathons. The tension left him all at once, and he slumped forward onto the desk like a deflated balloon.
Iruka, however, smiled faintly. "That Naruto didn't cause a single disturbance… and his eyes were wide open like copper bells. Maybe my advice is finally working."
He cleared his throat. "Ten-minute break. Next is Mizuki-sensei's chemistry class."
A collective groan echoed across the room.
Naruto didn't even have the energy to groan with them.
---
Break Time? Not Exactly.
The System's voice returned, cold and relentless.
[According to the schedule, break time is the best opportunity to surpass and crush others.]
[Begin Chakra Refining Technique immediately.]
[Daily cultivation time must not be less than eight hours.]
Naruto's head shot up. "Eight hours?! Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to sleep?"
[Host not cultivating as required. Lightning Release Baptism initiating…]
[Countdown: 5… 4… 3…]
"Ahhh! Fine, fine, I'll do it!" he shouted silently, clamping his eyes shut.
He formed the basic hand seal he'd been taught at the Academy and began the familiar but often-neglected Chakra Refining Technique.
The exercise was simple in theory: draw out physical and spiritual energy, mix and purify them, and convert the result into controllable chakra. Most civilians had the raw ingredients—stamina from the body's cells—but only trained shinobi could refine that stamina into chakra capable of powering ninjutsu or genjutsu.
Naruto's chakra reserves were already enormous, thanks to both his Uzumaki bloodline and the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within him. The fox's chakra leaked constantly, merging with his own and giving him vitality beyond any normal genin.
Now, as the energies flowed and mingled, Naruto felt the difference immediately. Despite his exhaustion from class, the slow rhythm of chakra refinement didn't drain him—it revitalized him. Strength returned to his limbs, a quiet hum of power thrumming in his veins.
[Chakra Refining Technique activated successfully. Chakra +1. Reserve increased.]
Naruto cracked an eye open, astonished. "It even keeps track of my progress? This system might not be so bad after all."
For the first time, he understood how motivating it was to see improvement quantified. A clear progress bar made even grueling effort strangely satisfying.
Across the room, his two closest classmates finally noticed his uncharacteristic behavior.
Choji paused mid-crunch, a potato chip halfway to his mouth. "Shikamaru… am I seeing things, or is Naruto actually practicing chakra refinement during break?"
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, still half asleep. "Maybe I'm not awake yet. Troublesome…"
Choji blinked rapidly, eyes wide. "That can't be the Naruto we know…"
Meanwhile, Naruto sat alone in the corner, eyes closed in fierce concentration, while laughter and chatter filled the classroom. Sakura and Ino giggled over something Sasuke had said, but Naruto didn't even glance their way.
For once, the loudest boy in class was utterly silent, lost in a discipline that might—just might—bring him closer to his dream of becoming Hokage.
---