After school officially started, time seemed to suddenly speed up.

By the time Hikaru Akimichi snapped out of his intense absorption in learning, a whole month had already passed.

Aside from other things, he had already mastered all the knowledge and basic ninja skills required for the semester, thanks to the foundation he had built before school even began.

For throwing techniques and basic physical skills, Akimichi Choza put it simply: his skills were solid. Now, it was just a matter of time and practice to improve further in those areas.

Notably, energy pills became a daily necessity only a week after school started, helping Hikaru Akimichi kick his habit of overeating. Meals at home returned to normal, and though they were much tastier, his portions no longer needed to be extra-large.

Choji, however, hadn't let go of his snacking habit. But now, he treated it as a pleasure rather than an energy source.

With sufficient energy, both brothers had grown half a head taller than their peers in just a month, though Shikamaru still looked a little chubby.

"Father said our main focus from now on should be Gang Fist and the Secret Technique. And the Three Body Technique, too, though we just need to practice it enough to be qualified," Choji explained, counting on his fingers as he laid out the training plans to his brother, who had been sleeping little lately. Though the training with Hikaru was tough, he enjoyed it—especially since it was always followed by a good meal.

Next to them, Shikamaru lay there, looking pained and miserable.

It's over. Shikamaru had completely given in. The most direct result was that he and Ino were now training far more than before.

"Hikaru, we could actually take it easy for a bit. We're in our growth phase, after all," Shikamaru said tactfully.

"So, Shikamaru, you need to work harder too. Hikaru and I are already taller than you," Choji quickly shot back, gesturing as he spoke.

"Ahhh…" Shikamaru covered his ears and twisted his body, mumbling incoherently.

"It's time to relax a bit," Hikaru Akimichi said, looking at Shikamaru. Before Shikamaru could reply, he added, "You can delay the advanced courses on things like secret codes, assassination techniques, and traps. Building good relationships with your classmates is also important."

"And as for when you're home, just keep up the current pace. No need to rush."

Shikamaru was stunned. What difference did this make?

At that moment, he realized that having a friend who was too mature wasn't always a good thing. His friend was too driven and motivated. He missed his lazy friend.

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"Never mind. Whatever," Shikamaru muttered, giving up his struggle. A happy childhood wasn't in the cards at this rate. How could he stop Hikaru Akimichi from training?

Hikaru Akimichi ignored his defeated friend and started reflecting on his progress over the past month.

After some time in training, he had a clear understanding of his own limits. He wasn't a typical ninja genius—just average at best.

His quick grasp of different techniques was due to his slightly mature mindset and his ability to analyze and generalize, a skill he'd picked up from the test-oriented education system.

Right now, he was like a mix of early Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto—one with core support, and the other with physical enhancement. It looked promising but lacked true genius potential.

His progress was mostly due to hard work, though not as intense as Rock Lee's training regimen. Thanks to his Uzumaki bloodline, his training intensity was twice as high as Shikamaru's.

Recently, he'd also been feeling a strange restlessness, as if his abilities were on the verge of awakening.

This foundation would define his upper limit. The Uzumaki clan's unique abilities likely involved sealing techniques. Despite being Akimichi Choza's son, he doubted he'd master these skills.

Never mind, he thought. Maybe he was overthinking it. Perhaps he'd develop his own secret techniques to pave the way forward. As long as he had combat power, there was hope. But awakening his abilities remained uncertain.

Just as Hikaru Akimichi was lost in thought, a sudden hunger struck him. Every cell in his body cried out for energy. This signaled his body's urgent need, one reason he had started practicing the preliminary secret technique of the Akimichi clan two years ago.

"Cover for me, I'm going to take a nap," Hikaru Akimichi said, suppressing the urgency he felt. He nodded to Shikamaru and Choji before lying down.

Under the desk, he quickly popped five or six energy pills into his mouth. At that moment, the Akimichi clan's secret technique activated.

Choji and Shikamaru exchanged glances and perked up. Though they didn't know what was happening, they skillfully blocked anyone who might disturb Hikaru Akimichi while pretending to chat.

The energy pills were quickly absorbed by his body, thanks to the Akimichi clan's secret technique. Hikaru felt warmth spread through him, and he finally drifted off to sleep.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed, but suddenly, Hikaru Akimichi's consciousness snapped awake.

Still lying down with his eyes closed, he could clearly "see" Iruka at the front of the classroom writing on the blackboard. Every detail of the classroom appeared vividly in his mind.

Is this Kagura's Mind's Eye?

For a moment, Hikaru felt a thrill, but he quickly composed himself. He didn't want this power to become widely known; the Uzumaki bloodline was a rare asset in today's ninja world.

He noticed a figure outside the classroom, dressed as an Anbu, scanning the area vigilantly. The Anbu soon used a psychic technique to relay a message.

The Anbu protecting Naruto? Hikaru guessed. He focused his mental energy and slowly sat up from his desk.

Exchanging a brief look with Shikamaru and Choji, the three resumed paying attention to the class, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.

A minute later, Hikaru Akimichi sensed a faint gaze directed at him from above the classroom, but he ignored it, choosing to focus on the lesson. The sensation persisted for nearly ten minutes before fading.

When Iruka announced the end of class, reminding them not to play too much at home, school was over.

As usual, the three left school together.

Shikamaru and Choji asked nothing on the way. They exchanged a few covert glances at Hikaru, but seeing nothing unusual, they split at the intersection and went home as usual.

Once he entered the house, Hikaru finally relaxed, and Shikamaru shot him a questioning look.

"It's nothing. How about I cheer you on during training today? There's something I want to test," Hikaru Akimichi reassured his brother. He needed time to observe himself. It felt like he had awakened more than just Kagura's Mind's Eye.

"Alright," Choji nodded, asking no further questions. In terms of trust, he felt he knew his younger brother better than even their father did.