On the third floor, Masaki settled on the tatami mat, appreciating the calm of the space. The fullness from lunch had faded, and he felt ready to focus. As he closed his eyes, he felt his chakra reserves had grown noticeably since last night, thanks to his ongoing practice. The increase in his chakra and capacity was a reminder of the talent he’d received, his key to greatness in this world.
Now that he was familiar with chakra, his next step was mastering hand seals. He reached over and picked up a scroll, one his parents had left, which detailed the various hand signs and even shared tips on how to form seals quickly and efficiently.
He had read through it many times but had been cautious not to rush into practice. His young hands were still growing, and moving too quickly could strain them. Now, though, with the shinobi Academy starting soon, it was time to get familiar.
Opening the scroll, he began practicing slowly, one seal at a time, carefully matching each hand sign to the ones he’d memorized. One seal per second, then two, gradually building up his speed. He knew that true mastery wasn’t about rushing through the seals but understanding their purpose and flow. After several rounds, satisfied that he’d memorized the basics, he returned to refining chakra, focusing on his ever-growing energy reserves.
‘Chakra is at the core of everything. With my talent, I’ll make my reserve as big as possible.’
September arrived, and with it, the start of the shinobi Academy. A week had passed since Masaki and Shisui shared that barbecue meal. Shisui’s father had agreed to let Masaki join in on sword training, so Masaki had been going over to Shisui’s place each morning to learn. Shisui’s skills were no joke; he’d inherited the Konoha-ryu sword technique, passed down from his grandfather, Kagami Uchiha, a former guard of the Second Hokage.
Meanwhile, Masaki’s own training had progressed steadily. His chakra reserves were growing, and his proficiency in forming seals was improving. Although he hadn’t yet learned any complex jutsu, he’d read up on the basics like the Body Replacement (Kawarimi no Jutsu), Transformation (Henge no Jutsu), and Clone techniques (Bunshin no Jutsu), techniques he planned to master soon.
On the first day of school, Masaki said goodbye to Ayame and assured her he’d be careful. As he walked toward the academy, he spotted a few fellow clan members on the way. He greeted those he knew with a respectful bow and nodded to those he didn’t know well. His behavior had become known among the clan, so no one was surprised to see him acting mature beyond his years.
Just as he was about to leave the Uchiha district, he heard a familiar voice call out.
“Masaki! Masaki!”
Turning, he saw Shisui hurrying toward him, accompanied by his mother, Sayuri Uchiha .
“Hi, Shisui!” Masaki waved, then greeted his friend’s mother with a polite bow. “Good morning, Auntie!”
“Good morning, Masaki-kun,” she replied warmly, clearly pleased to see him. Over the past week, she’d grown fond of him and admired his mature manners. “Let’s go to school together!”.
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Masaki nodded, and they set off, the three of them walking toward the academy together. As Masaki and Shisui neared the shinobi school, the crowd grew denser. At the school gates, Masaki was taken aback—he’d never seen so many people gathered in Konoha. The sight reminded him of school registration days in his past life. Different worlds, same dedicated parents, he thought with a small smile.
Even though this was a shinobi school, all children of school age in Konoha could enroll. Only those who passed the graduation exam would earn the title of Konoha Shinobi. Thanks to their Uchiha clan status, Masaki and Shisui had already registered and entered the school grounds.
Meanwhile, Shisui’s mother, Sayuri Uchiha, waited outside like a proud parent.
Inside, the school had a large playground, already packed with hundreds of new students. As Masaki and Shisui entered, they felt the curious stares of others. Masaki noticed that even at this young age, children were forming groups. There were the Inuzukas with their pet dogs, some of whom sported face paint; the silent, pale-eyed Hyuga clan members; another group with dark sunglasses and serious expressions, clearly the Aburame clan; and finally, a group of Uchiha with identical high-neck tops, black hair, and dark eyes.
On the opposite side of the playground, a cluster of civilian children gathered, showing a clear divide between the clan children and the others. Masaki and Shisui naturally found themselves standing near their Uchiha kin.
“What’s all this grouping about?” Shisui asked, looking puzzled.
“Probably just kids trying to show pride in their families,” Masaki replied in a low voice, avoiding saying anything too loudly.
They chatted quietly until the registration was complete. Masaki estimated there were about 500 children gathered on the playground. The buzz of voices was loud enough to make the shinobi school feel more like a market, with groups beginning to interact and make introductions.
“Hey, are you from the Uchiha clan?” A voice called out suddenly. Masaki turned to see a dark-skinned boy looking at him with interest.
“Uh, yes. I’m Masaki Uchiha .” Masaki thought the boy looked familiar.
“My name’s Umino Iruka. Nice to meet you!” the boy replied, smiling.
‘Iruka?’ Masaki thought, recognizing the name as Naruto’s future mentor. “Nice to meet you.”
Shisui greeted Iruka as well, and they quickly struck up a friendly conversation.
“I heard there’s going to be an entrance exam soon,” Iruka said casually.
“Really?” Masaki was surprised Iruka knew this.
“Yeah, I overheard a few teachers talking about it,” Iruka explained.
‘An entrance exam, huh?’ Masaki thought, wondering what it would involve.
Suddenly, a loud voice filled with chakra boomed across the playground, quieting the crowd instantly. All eyes turned toward the high platform, where a group of teachers stood with a middle-aged, bald man who seemed to be the dean.
“Welcome to the shinobi Academy,” he announced. “Today is your first day of school. Before we begin, there will be an entrance exam. I ask everyone to cooperate with your teachers.”
After the dean’s speech, the teachers stepped off the platform, dividing the large crowd into groups for the entrance exam. Masaki, Shisui, and Iruka were grouped together, remaining in the playground for their test.
One of the teachers, wearing a Konoha headband around his neck, stepped forward. “Your entrance exam is simple: run ten laps around the playground. This test is to gauge your stamina and willpower. Based on your performance, you’ll be assigned to different classes. If you need to stop at any point, raise your hand. Understood?”
Several children around Masaki gasped, especially a few from the Akimichi clan who looked uneasy at the thought of running so much.
Masaki smirked, knowing he was prepared for a test like this. After weeks of daily sword training with Shisui, he was confident in his physical condition. He’d noticed that Shisui was often exhausted after training, while he himself felt just a little tired and full of energy again after a brief rest. He suspected only the best students could match his stamina.