A few days later, one morning, Teacher Ibuki stood at the front of the classroom looking a little more serious than usual.
"Quiet down for a second. I have an announcement."
The classroom gradually fell silent, and all the children looked up at him.
Teacher Ibuki cleared his throat. "Today, we're getting a new classmate."
A wave of whispers instantly spread through the room.
"A new classmate?"
"At a time like this?"
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
Shin-chan tilted his head and poked Uchiha Toru beside him.
"Toru, why would we get a new classmate?"
Uchiha Toru thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No idea. Konoha only has one ninja school. I've never heard of another place."
"Then where did he come from?"
"Maybe from another village?" Uchiha Toru wasn't too sure either. "But people from other villages usually wouldn't transfer to Konoha..."
The two of them were still whispering when Teacher Ibuki nodded toward the door.
"Come in."
The door slid open.
A boy walked in.
He was taller than most of the kids in the class, wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt and green shorts, both neat and tidy.
But the most eye-catching thing about him was the glistening trail of snot hanging beneath his nose, swaying back and forth with every step he took.
The classroom fell silent for a second.
Then someone started laughing under their breath.
But the boy seemed not to hear it at all. His expression didn't change in the slightest as he walked straight to the side of the podium and faced the class.
"Introduce yourself," Teacher Ibuki said.
The boy nodded and opened his mouth.
"My name is Bo-chan."
His voice was flat, with no rise or fall.
And then he stopped.
The classroom was silent for another two seconds.
Teacher Ibuki waited for a bit. Realizing the boy really didn't intend to say anything more, he gave an awkward cough. "Uh... Bo-chan, where do you live? What are your hobbies?"
"Somewhere else."
"What place?"
"Far away."
The corner of Teacher Ibuki's mouth twitched.
The murmuring in the classroom started again.
Shin-chan's eyes were fixed on that swaying line of snot.
"Toru."
"Yeah?"
"His snot is really long."
Uchiha Toru glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah... it really is."
"Do you think it'll go into his mouth?"
"Probably... not?"
"What if it does?"
Uchiha Toru thought about it, pictured the scene in his head, and shivered. "Stop talking."
At the front, Teacher Ibuki gave up on asking any more questions and scanned the room for an empty seat.
Bo-chan's gaze also swept over the classroom, passing over one unfamiliar face after another.
"Bo-chan, just sit over there for now." Teacher Ibuki pointed to a seat behind Shin-chan's row.
Bo-chan nodded and slowly walked over.
As he passed Shin-chan's seat, he looked down at him.
Shin-chan happened to look up at the same time.
The two stared at each other for a second.
"Hi there." Shin-chan waved at him.
Bo-chan froze for a moment, but didn't respond. He simply looked away and kept walking to the back row, where he sat down.
Teacher Ibuki began the lesson.
It was about the basics of chakra control—some of it had already been covered before, so today was partly review and partly going deeper.
After talking for a while, he suddenly stopped and looked toward the back row.
"Bo-chan, do you understand what I just explained?"
Bo-chan lifted his head and looked at him.
"Yes."
Teacher Ibuki looked surprised.
This kid had just arrived. He hadn't even finished one class yet, and he was already saying he understood?
"Then tell me—what is the basic principle behind refining chakra?" Teacher Ibuki decided to test him.
Bo-chan stood up and answered without expression, "Chakra is created by mixing physical energy and spiritual energy. The ratio varies from person to person, and can be adjusted through training."
Teacher Ibuki froze.
That answer was completely correct.
"What's the most important part of chakra control?"
"The most important part of chakra control is stability. No matter how much chakra you refine, if you can't control it stably, you can't use it effectively. The core of stability is maintaining balance between physical and spiritual energy."
Bo-chan's voice was still perfectly flat.
"Also, different chakra natures require different methods of control. Before mastering basic control, it is not recommended to attempt nature transformation."
The classroom fell completely silent.
Teacher Ibuki opened his mouth, but for a moment didn't know what to say.
This kid... where exactly did he come from?
He glanced down at the transfer papers in his hand. They only said "studied at home previously." There was no other information.
"Ahem." Teacher Ibuki coughed twice. "Very good. Bo-chan has a very solid foundation. You may sit down."
Bo-chan nodded and sat down, but his gaze drifted forward again for a moment.
That child in the red shirt was slumped over his desk, looking like he was about to fall asleep.
The bell rang for recess.
The classroom immediately turned lively again.
A few curious classmates gathered around Bo-chan, trying to talk to him.
"Bo-chan, did you really study everything at home?"
"Yeah."
"Where's your house?"
"Far away."
"Are your parents ninja?"
"Don't know."
After a few questions, everyone realized talking to him was like squeezing toothpaste from a tube—you had to ask to get any answer at all, and if you didn't ask, he said nothing. And even when he did answer, every sentence was painfully short.
Worse yet, that string of snot kept dangling under his nose, swaying back and forth, without ever actually falling.
Finally, someone couldn't help asking, "Aren't you going to wipe your nose?"
Bo-chan looked down at his nose, then lifted his head again and said expressionlessly, "No need."
"W-Why not?"
"It'll go back on its own."
The people around him fell silent.
Everyone stared at the hanging snot, waiting to see how it would "go back on its own."
They waited a little.
Then waited a little longer.
The snot still hung there exactly the same, swaying back and forth with no sign at all of "going back."
Some of the kids started edging backward.
"Uh... I just remembered I have something to do..."
"Same here, I need to use the bathroom..."
"Let's go together..."
Very soon, a whole circle had opened up around Bo-chan.
He didn't seem to care at all. He just sat there, looking ahead, with no clue what he was thinking about.
The dismissal bell rang.
Shin-chan stretched and stood up to pack his things. When he turned around, he glanced toward the back row.
He happened to meet Bo-chan's eyes.
The two of them stared at each other for another second.
"Your name is Bo-chan, right?" Shin-chan asked.
"Yeah."
"Your nose." Shin-chan pointed at the space beneath his own nose. "Do you have a cold?"
Bo-chan shook his head. "No."
"Then why does it keep running?"
Bo-chan was silent for two seconds.
"Don't know."
Shin-chan tilted his head, thought for a moment, then pulled a crumpled tissue out of his pocket and held it out.
"Here."
Bo-chan looked at the tissue and froze.
Shin-chan held it out a little farther. "Do you want to wipe it?"
Slowly, Bo-chan reached out and took the tissue.
"Thanks."
But by then Shin-chan had already turned and run off.
"See you tomorrow."
Bo-chan stood there, looking down at the tissue in his hand.
It was wrinkled and still carried a little warmth.
~~~
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