Although he had just been electrocuted to a crisp, Naruto heard the System's notification.
His Physics course, its proficiency had increased?
While he didn't fully understand the exact meaning, there was no doubt… he had leveled up!
Uzumaki Naruto quickly rubbed his eyes hard, widening them again to their maximum, and looked back at the incomprehensible writing on the blackboard.
This time, it was indeed immediately effective, with outstanding results… he still couldn't understand it!
However… he also seemed to understand it a little!
"Am I really a genius?!"
Uzumaki Naruto chuckled foolishly twice, a sense of smugness rising in his heart.
However… [Detecting that the Host has departed from a state of full concentration in learning, a baptism of Lightning Release from the System is about to commence…]
[Warning countdown 5… 4… 3…]
Uzumaki Naruto: "…"
This time, he had experience and didn't slack off at all, immediately forcing himself into a learning state.
Iruka Teacher smiled slightly: "Very good, Sakura, truly the top student in the class."
Sakura was equally smug.
"Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke remained expressionless.
Sakura could only sit back down helplessly.
"Sakura…"
Uzumaki Naruto saw this scene and was about to sigh with emotion when suddenly… [Warning countdown 5…]
Uzumaki Naruto: "…Height, initial velocity, gravitational acceleration…"
What was originally an ordinary class, to Naruto now, felt as terrifying as being dragged into an Anbu prison for torture!
Class was like a funeral!
The short forty-five minutes became the longest time in Naruto's young life… Single-minded, fully concentrated!
It sounds simple, but for a guy like Naruto, who was used to being lazy and playful, it was harder than ascending to heaven!
Although he tried his best to force himself to listen carefully out of fear of the "baptism of Lightning Release," he still couldn't help but get distracted… sometimes wanting to steal a glance at Sakura Haruno… sometimes unable to resist cursing Sasuke a few times… sometimes his stomach would rumble, and the image of Ichiraku's Uncle's ramen, like a scene from heaven, would constantly swirl in his mind… But each time he drifted off, the piercing warning sound would immediately go off, forcing him to abruptly stop.
He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, with thorns in his back, and a fishbone in his throat.
This state of every second feeling like a year lasted for an unknown period.
Finally… he endured until the moment Iruka Teacher announced the end of class.
Uzumaki Naruto felt like he had run three marathons; he instantly deflated like a balloon, rapidly losing his dreams, and collapsed with a thud, sprawling on his desk.
Iruka Teacher, seeing this, instead showed a slight smile.
"That Naruto, he really didn't cause any trouble the entire class…"
"And his eyes were wide like copper bells; he seemed to really be listening to the lecture…"
"It seems my earnest advice did have some effect!"
He coughed: "Ten-minute break. The next class is Teacher Mizuki's Chemistry class!"
"Ah—"
The classroom immediately erupted in groans.
But Naruto didn't even have the energy to groan anymore… Just then.
[According to the schedule set by this System, break time is the best opportunity to overtake and crush others!]
[Please immediately begin cultivating the Chakra Refining Technique!]
[Current cultivation time for the Chakra Refining Technique must not be less than eight hours per day!]
Naruto: "…Are, are you kidding me?!"
"Eight hours?!"
"Am I not supposed to sleep?!"
[Detecting that the Host has not cultivated according to this System's schedule, a baptism of Lightning Release is about to be initiated…]
[Warning countdown, 5… 4… 3…]
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
"I'll cultivate, won't that do?!"
Although Naruto was mentally and physically exhausted, remembering the terror of the Lightning Release baptism, he could only force himself to sit still and begin cultivating according to the basic Chakra Refining Technique taught at the Ninja Academy.
The so-called Chakra Refining Technique, as its name suggests, is the process of extracting physical energy and spiritual energy from one's body, mixing and refining them, and transforming them into Chakra that can be controlled.
But to be precise, the mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy produced by a Ninja's 130 trillion body cells is not Chakra, but rather stamina.
Stamina exists in everyone's body, not just Ninjas.
At the same time, stamina is also the foundation for directly activating Taijutsu. Of course, Taijutsu can also be enhanced with Chakra to increase its power.
To activate Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, stamina needs to be converted into Chakra.
The Chakra Refining Technique taught at the Ninja Academy is essentially training to convert stamina into Chakra.
Continuously converting stamina into Chakra, thereby increasing one's Chakra "limit."
That is, the so-called Chakra reserves.
As for Chakra control and so on, that comes later; it's not an ability Naruto can master at present.
Naruto's Chakra reserves were, of course, enormous.
This was not only because the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within him, through the special Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, was constantly leaking the Nine-Tailed's Chakra, mixing it with his own Chakra.
It was also because Naruto inherently possessed the bloodline power of the Uzumaki Clan.
His Chakra reserves and life force far exceeded those of ordinary Ninjas.
At this moment… during the break, everyone else was laughing and playing freely. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka and other young girls once again gathered around Sasuke, while the boys were roughhousing in groups of three or five.
Only Uzumaki Naruto sat alone in a corner, quietly closing his eyes and beginning his cultivation.
As he activated the Chakra Refining Technique, after his spiritual energy and physical energy mixed, they slowly began to transform, thread by thread, into Chakra itself, which he could use to activate Ninjutsu.
What surprised Naruto was… that he had been utterly exhausted by the previous class.
But now, cultivating the Chakra Refining Technique not only didn't make him more tired, but actually restored some of his strength… Indeed, human potential is limitless!
[Host has successfully activated the Chakra Refining Technique. Chakra reserves +1…]
Naruto listened to the System's notification in his mind and suddenly felt that this System might not be so bad after all… Often, people don't try hard enough because they can't see a progress bar.
Once progress can be clearly visualized and even quantified, no matter how tedious the learning, cultivation, or work, it will bring powerful motivation, and even pleasure.
Naruto was currently in this stage… At this moment, Naruto's only two companions at the Ninja Academy, Akimichi Choji and Nara Shikamaru, also stared at him in astonishment… "Shikamaru, am I seeing things? Is Naruto still cultivating the Chakra Refining Technique during the break? Om nom nom nom…"
Nara Shikamaru also rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"Maybe I'm not fully awake yet…"
"I'll sleep a bit more…"
Akimichi Choji's eyes were wide, and he was eating potato chips in big mouthfuls, his eyes bloodshot.
"Oh no, that Naruto guy couldn't be…"
"You've gotten addicted to studying, haven't you?!"