Shinobi have limits.
This was a truth Hinami had understood long ago. However, as Iruka's lecture progressed, her understanding of those limits deepened into something far more profound.
Insufficient chakra reserves were a hurdle every ninja eventually faced. Training in Taijutsu, Genjutsu, or Ninjutsu was all predicated on the use of chakra, yet the most fundamental question was often left unanswered:
How does one actually increase their chakra?
Iruka provided the final, sobering conclusion: Chakra capacity is almost impossible to grow through human effort alone. It is a byproduct of the Chakra Core absorbing energy. Physical and spiritual energies are rooted in a shinobi's innate life force—a quality bestowed at birth, unchangeable and fixed.
But... if things are truly as Iruka says, Hinami wondered, then what about the idea that the more you eat and the stronger your body becomes, the more chakra you possess?
The question had barely formed in her mind when someone else voiced the doubt.
"Sensei, then why does our chakra get larger as our bodies get stronger?" Haruno Sakura, the star pupil, was the first to raise her hand.
Iruka nodded approvingly and motioned for her to sit.
"An excellent question, Sakura. It touches upon a core concept championed by the Third Hokage, the 'Professor of Shinobi.' He debunked the greatest fallacy that persisted for a thousand years in the ninja world.
It is not that a stronger physique produces more chakra. Rather, it is only because you possess high chakra and abundant life force that your body has the opportunity to become strong!
People say, 'If I eat more, won't I have more chakra?' That is a grave error. Food is digested and absorbed into energy; but only if your life force is strong and your bodily functions are vigorous can you actually convert that energy. Otherwise, you would simply bloat and die."
High chakra is the prerequisite for becoming strong?
The realization hit Hinami like a physical shock. Iruka's teaching shattered her previous perceptions. Did this mean everyone's potential ceiling was locked from the very beginning? Without massive life force, all training would eventually hit the bottleneck of chakra capacity, leading to inevitable decline as life force waned with age.
Thinking of this, Hinami turned her head to look at Naruto.
He was slumped over his desk, impatiently scribbling notes. Inside him, the brilliant, sun-like radiance of his chakra was so dense it almost looked like liquid gold.
The terrifying vitality of the Uzumaki clan, the "Infinite Chakra" of the Yin-Yang Nine-Tails, and the life-representing Yang-attribute chakra of Asura...
Some people truly are born standing above the heavens.
Then what about me? Hinami closed her eyes, sensing the surging waves of energy within her. After consuming the flesh of the Three-Tails, her chakra had doubled. Did the Tailed Beast's chakra reinforce my actual life force?
She suspected it wasn't that simple. Missing key information made it hard to judge, but she was now certain of one thing: coming to the Academy was the right move.
Iruka actually had some real depth to him. It seemed that anyone who earned a place in the original story was far from mediocre. Her gaze toward the man on the podium lost its last trace of condescension.
"Because of these limits," Iruka continued, "shinobi categorize themselves into three types to maximize their efficiency: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu specialists.
Taijutsu types forge their bodies, using chakra as the fuel to sustain physical growth. They usually have the least chakra, but since Taijutsu itself has a low cost, they excel in long-term attrition.
Ninjutsu types avoid excessive physical strain to store more energy for explosive, high-impact techniques.
Genjutsu types are the rarest. They use chakra to fuel the growth of their spiritual power. They are the most mysterious and the most dangerous.
These three paths are, in essence, a compromise—a necessity born from the fact that no one has enough chakra to master everything."
Ring, ring, ring...
The bell rang just as Iruka finished. Before he could even say the word "dismissed," the students—who had been suffering under his long-winded lecture—leaped from their seats. Iruka shook his head with a wry smile and walked out.
He had been the same at their age, finding these theories tedious. Only in the future, when they hit their own walls and realized they could no longer grow, would they understand just how important this lesson was.
Once Iruka left, the atmosphere became chaotic. Curiosity about the mysterious and beautiful transfer student was reaching a boiling point.
Hinami sat in silence, still processing the lecture. The students, intimidated by her reputation for violence and her victory over a Jonin, didn't dare approach her directly. Instead, they turned their attention to Naruto, who seemed to be the only one who knew her.
Naruto was still focused on his task, his pencil scratching across the paper in messy, "dog-crawl" handwriting.
"Whatcha writing? Let me see!"
The tall boy who had clashed with Naruto earlier suddenly reached out and snatched the notebook from under Naruto's elbow. The pencil tip left a long, jagged streak across the page.
"What are you doing?!" Naruto yelled, panic rising in his chest.
He had spent the whole hour copying these notes for Hinami. If her notebook got ruined or lost because of him, she would definitely hate him. Having finally found a friend who didn't look at him with cold eyes, Naruto refused to let that happen.
"Give it back!" Naruto stood up to grab it.
"No way! Don't be so stingy, Naruto!" The tall boy held the book high over his head. Naruto stood on his tiptoes, but he couldn't reach it.
In his desperation, Naruto threw a punch straight into the boy's stomach.
"Gwah!" The boy doubled over, dropping the notebook.
Naruto scrambled to pick it up, but the boy's friends weren't having it.
"You dare hit me? Get him! Beat the monster!"
Thud! Smash!
Two other boys tackled Naruto to the ground. The three of them began to kick and punch him. Naruto resisted at first, but when he realized he was outnumbered, he curled into a ball. One hand protectively shielded Hinami's notebook, while the other covered his face, stoically taking the blows.
Hinata, watching from afar, bit her lip until it turned white. The violence made her tremble with fear, especially with Hinami sitting right there...
Choji and Kiba couldn't stand it any longer and started to move forward. However, Shikamaru reached out and stopped them, signaling for Sakura and Ino to stay back as well.
Shikamaru's eyes were fixed on Hinami, who sat perfectly still next to the brawl.
He was sitting right behind Naruto. The conflict had started because of her, and the notebook Naruto was protecting with his life belonged to her. They clearly knew each other.
So, Shikamaru wondered, why isn't she doing anything?
Unable to read her intentions, he held his companions back, waiting to see what the "Queen" of the classroom was planning to do.