Facing Uchiha Sasuke's attention, Hikaru Akimichi responded with a kind smile.

Then, Sasuke turned his head away, a little embarrassed.

For someone like Uchiha Sasuke, who was at the early stages of being a tsundere, if you simply smile at him, 80% (or more) of the problems can be solved since he's self-conscious enough. If you confront him like Naruto does, though, congratulations—you’ll have lowered the IQ of both parties involved.

In the following moments, Hikaru Akimichi tried several more throws and began practicing with the standard form.

Skills are transferable. Once he mastered the trick, Hikaru Akimichi had no trouble with normal throwing. His track record was solid—only Sasuke could hit the bull’s-eye like him every time, which was truly enviable.

Talent is such an unreasonable thing; it made Inuzuka Kiba show his teeth and kept Shino silent, though Shino was always quiet.

After Naruto started taking things seriously, his talent began to show. Despite his throwing being a bit unstable due to his emotions, he was a practical learner and made steady progress. In this regard, he was ahead of Sakura, and the gap between him and Ino was small. After all, children from ninja clans are typically pioneers and may not take it seriously at first.

For the first time, Uzumaki Naruto enjoyed being treated like a genius. Those who had once laughed at him now fell silent as they saw how quickly he was improving. This "fox boy" seemed stronger and more talented than them.

In the first semester at the Ninja School, the curriculum was relatively relaxed, focusing mainly on guidance from teachers, since it was a peaceful time.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Akimichi Hikaru left the campus and headed home.

“Father will definitely be very happy, Hikaru,” Choji said, clearly in a good mood, even forgetting to take out his snacks.

“I didn’t expect playing with kitchen knives to have this kind of benefit,” Hikaru Akimichi replied with a smile.

He hadn’t understood at first, but later he figured it out. Although he hadn’t formally trained in such fine manipulation using his arms, he’d never neglected his sword skills. It wasn’t too surprising that he could quickly pick up and become proficient in the technique. It was a pleasant surprise.

To be honest, it wasn’t that extraordinary. They all had the basics of being ninjas, and his foundations were just a bit stronger than most people's.

Besides, he wasn’t planning on mastering ninja tools. The upper limit of that path depended on luck. He didn’t think he’d stumble upon Six Paths ninja tools like Tian Tian did. If there was such a path, he wouldn’t focus on the dual cultivation of ninja and body techniques—it would be putting the cart before the horse.

"I'm going to practice when I get home. Why does the Ninja School let out so early?" Shikamaru complained, his mood completely different from the other two.

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Ino nodded along in agreement, both of them feeling frustrated. The Nara and Yamanaka clans’ specialized training was quite boring at the start, and progress was slow. For kids their age, it wasn’t as fun as practicing throwing in school.

Hikaru Akimichi glanced at them and shook his head. He’d given them encouragement, but it hadn’t had much effect. When things weren't challenging for them and the external environment was stable, the little pressure they had wasn’t enough to transform into motivation.

But they were very smart. Even though they complained, they never lagged behind in their regular practice.

And while Hikaru Akimichi was relying on his physical talent to become a genius, they would soon feel the pressure to catch up.

Because of his constitution, he wouldn't follow the traditional routes of Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. This generation’s "Butterfly" would still be Choji. As Choji grew stronger, the others would have to work even harder to catch up. If there was too much of a gap in strength between them, even the classic trio would face great pressure.

As for Choji, whenever Akimichi practiced, it would naturally push him to increase his strength. Plus, the logistical support for training would be better than before.

At this age, how could you be so lazy?

The three little ones beside Hikaru Akimichi suddenly shivered, as if sensing some inexplicable "malice" in the air.

In the backyard of the Akimichi family, the two brothers quickly finished their prepared ration of food and then began practicing the family’s secret technique, converting the energy into power and storing it in their bodies.

Hikaru seemed very happy, but Akimichi Choji was a little disheartened.

Although the food tasted good after being processed, he still felt nauseous. He had maintained this unusual eating habit for nearly two years, and thankfully, it was finally over. Otherwise, even with his extraordinary cooking skills, he feared he would lose his ability to appreciate food.

This, absolutely, was not allowed.

“I really envy you, Hikaru. The food you cook is delicious and you don’t gain weight,” Choji said, looking enviously at his plump body.

“I’ll find a way later,” Hikaru Akimichi replied, but he didn’t hold out much hope.

There were alternatives, like Tsunade’s Yin Seal, but it was more difficult than the Akimichi clan’s secret technique and less common.

He didn’t think it would be easy to find a solution. If it were, the Akimichi clan would have solved it centuries ago.

“I believe you can do it, Hikaru,” Choji smiled innocently, offering his unconditional support.

Hikaru Akimichi smiled helplessly. This was why he felt burdened, but what could he say? After all, Choji was his older brother.

“Okay, Hikaru, since your father’s not here, I’ll teach you the basic physical skills. You can start training with me,” Choji said enthusiastically, fulfilling his role as his trainer. Hikaru Akimichi also began to train seriously. He had fallen behind and needed to catch up.

On the training ground, the sound of wind created by swinging fists and feet was intermittent at first, but gradually became continuous as time passed.

In Konoha Village, students returned home, and the events of the day spread throughout the village by word of mouth.

When Akimichi Choza returned home that evening and entered the training ground in the backyard, he found Akimichi Hikaru already practicing the basic physical techniques skillfully, looking quite capable.

Choji was cheering him on.

Although he had taken breaks, he still couldn’t train as continuously as Hikaru Akimichi.

“Very nice,” Choza said, smiling.

After finishing his round of training, Hikaru Akimichi wiped the sweat from his face and walked over.

“Come on, try it,” Choza said, a wider smile on his face.

Choji had already rushed up and was excitedly recounting the afternoon events.

Hikaru Akimichi stopped what he was doing, took the ninja tool bag, and after adjusting to the weight of the kunai, he attacked the target at the edge of the training ground.

Just like earlier, aside from the first throw being slightly off, the rest all hit the bull’s-eye.

Choza observed carefully, checked his son’s condition, patted his shoulder, and confirmed that his son was indeed a true genius.

That night, Choza was unusually drunk.