Konoha Ninja Academy.
As a training ground for shinobi, it naturally wasn't something shallow or simple. Even in his previous life, where everything was measured by test scores, schools were still fertile ground for learning. All the more so in a place dedicated to cultivating military personnel.
Shikamaru understood this deeply. So of course, he never looked down on or grew impatient with his studies. As the saying goes, "A thousand-foot tower rises from the ground"—a cliché, yes, but profoundly true. Everything learned at the Ninja Academy formed the foundation for a shinobi's future career. The knowledge acquired here would all come into play eventually. That's why Nara Shikaku firmly believed that graduating too early from the academy was a desperate and unavoidable action. After all, there was barely a few years' difference between ages ** and twelve, yet those years were crucial to physical development. Rushing into the battlefield during that vital growth phase, without waiting even a few more years, said a lot. Those who thought early graduation was a good thing were shortsighted. Much of what should be learned in the academy would then have to be painfully discovered on the battlefield instead. Was that not counterproductive?
Furthermore, during peacetime, no matter how much of a genius one was, early graduation simply wasn't allowed. This wasn't for no reason—it was to uphold the integrity of the system. Exceptions would not be made for one or two individuals.
As Shikamaru copied notes in class, he couldn't help but admire how the Second Hokage had, back in the day, broken through the elite clans' monopolization of shinobi power to establish a ninja academy that allowed even commoners to enroll. That could only be described as "wise and decisive." Although compared to the noble clans with their secret techniques and kekkei genkai, it was harder for commoners to produce dazzling prodigies, the sheer number of them made up for it. And crucially, since they weren't beholden to the clans, they recognized and followed only those with true power and reputation.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze didn't rely on clan power to reach their positions. Even the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, strictly speaking, no longer represented a great clan—the Senju had declined. Tsunade's recognition came from her medical ninjutsu, her talent, her countless efforts, and her reputation as a healer.
In contrast, no matter how powerful a ninja who relied on bloodline or secret techniques became, people wouldn't truly respect them. In his previous world's terms, they were like trust-fund babies. Even if they achieved great success, their background would always come to mind. It was hard to be impressed.
That's also why Shikamaru had to develop new jutsu. The Nara Clan's shadow techniques were still fairly limited and had obvious shortcomings.
To develop new techniques based on the Nara Clan's yin chakra nature, one needed a deep understanding of chakra itself. Realizing this, Shikamaru made more time for training. Right now, he focused on tree-walking and practicing hand seals. There might be better training methods out there, but this was the best he knew—gleaned from the original work—and it was just the basics. Water-walking, for example, required an even higher level of chakra control.
In addition to that, he also meditated daily. This wasn't just to refine chakra, but also because he realized the excellent hearing he had developed in his previous life—due to blindness—could be extremely useful here. Even with a grown man's soul, he was still confined by this young body. He couldn't compare physically to a Uchiha with a kekkei genkai and superior natural gifts. They learned faster and had unique abilities.
What gave Shikamaru some comfort was that in a world with chakra, he could train his hearing far beyond what was possible in his previous life. Perhaps he could even develop a form of echolocation like the Hyūga's Byakugan.
"I'm kind of jealous of bats..." Shikamaru murmured as he closed his notebook and stretched. Overly enhanced hearing could be a double-edged sword, though—like the protagonist of that film Daredevil he saw once. The guy had to sleep in a coffin-like box because sound overwhelmed him. Just like how in the Chūnin Exams, one fart from Naruto nearly took Kiba out of commission. In real combat, explosive tags and similar tools were common—excellent hearing could become a liability.
Bats, on the other hand, had no such worries. Maybe when he became a jōnin one day, he could study sound pulses and echolocation. But for now, it was just a fantasy. Even in this world, achieving that kind of sensory precision would demand massive chakra and superb control. Without that, one might seriously damage their ears.
"Shikamaru! Let's go! Did you forget there's a shuriken application test today? Hurry, it's almost time!" Ino Yamanaka, with her long pale-blonde hair and pretty blue eyes, burst into the classroom and called out to Shikamaru, who was still jotting down notes. Then, with a sigh, she turned to the nearby Chōji, who was hiding in a corner snacking. "Chōji! No wonder I couldn't find you. Could you go outside during break for once? Get some exerci—"
"Ino!" Shikamaru quickly interrupted. They were close friends, but some topics were still off-limits.
"..." Chōji didn't argue, nor did he take Ino's words to heart. He quietly put away his snacks and joined Shikamaru to leave the classroom with her.
"You two are always like this. Shikamaru taking notes, Chōji eating snacks—don't you guys ever go outside and have fun after class?" Ino complained along the way, though her voice was crisp and pleasant, full of youthful energy. It was hard to stay annoyed at her.
Shikamaru didn't need to go out of his way to build friendships. The older generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had already started fostering a bond between the three of them. As for whether he had feelings for Ino—he didn't think so. He wasn't that low, having romantic thoughts about a ten-year-old girl. Maybe they'd grown up together for too long—Ino still liked Sasuke just like in the original. Though sometimes she'd complain that Shikamaru always outperformed her crush, leaving Sasuke stuck in second place.
"Um, Shikamaru…" Ino suddenly turned back, speaking hesitantly as they neared the training field. "Could you… maybe take it easy on today's test? Otherwise, that annoying Naruto is going to say something awful again…"
"No way," Shikamaru replied flatly. But seeing her disappointed expression, he softened his tone. "A ninja shouldn't rely on sympathy. If Sasuke found out, he'd just dislike you more."
"Ugh, you're right. You can't keep letting him win every time…" Ino sighed. Her porcelain-doll-like face flushed red in frustration. Then she suddenly shouted, "What do you mean by 'more dislike me?!"
...
By fourth year, shuriken tests were more advanced than just throwing at a bullseye on a post. A humanoid dummy stood ten meters away, with small red circles drawn on the forehead, throat, and heart areas.
The examiner shouted over the noise, "Quiet! This test is for shuriken accuracy! Each student will stand at the red line ten meters away and throw five shuriken within five seconds. Three must hit the forehead, throat, and heart areas. Two should hit the abdomen. Full score is ten points: three points each for the forehead and heart, two for the throat, one for the abdomen and other areas. Misses score zero!"
He looked down at the attendance sheet. As usual, the test order followed academic rankings. First up was—Nara Shikamaru.
"Alright, Shikamaru. Take your shuriken. When I say 'Start,' you have five seconds to throw all five," the instructor said, his stern tone softening slightly.
A hardworking and humble student was a favorite anywhere. Let alone one who always held first place. Shikamaru had cultivated this exact image over the years.
"Understood, sensei." There was no need to act gloomy or bitter all the time—such people just annoyed others and risked making enemies. For someone aiming for the top, that was inexcusable. Humility didn't mean weakness. When someone strong stayed humble, it made them approachable. But if someone weak acted humble, people just saw them as easy prey.
Shikamaru calmed his breathing, focusing completely. Shurikenjutsu was one of his key study areas—after all, the "Shadow Imitation Shuriken" was a very practical technique in the original work. So, he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Begin!" the examiner shouted.
Aside from those with Sharingan who could 'cheat' a little, success in shuriken throwing relied on training—coordinating the eyes, hands, wrists, and elbows. A stable mental state was also essential.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Five clean hits.
Each shuriken had landed precisely: forehead, throat, heart, and abdomen.
"Excellent, Nara Shikamaru! Full marks!" the instructor praised. "Next—Uchiha Sasuke!"
As Shikamaru stepped down and Sasuke stepped up, the two briefly passed each other. Shikamaru gave a friendly nod and smile; Sasuke gave a faint, cold nod in return. In the past, Sasuke wanted to surpass Shikamaru to earn his father's approval. Now, Shikamaru stood as the first mountain on his road to revenge. Though Shikamaru was stronger, he was also kind—Sasuke felt… conflicted.
"Full marks again, huh Shikamaru?" Kiba said, throwing an arm around him. "If Sasuke can't beat you again today, I bet his face is gonna look real sour."
Many boys in the class didn't like Sasuke. His constant scowl and air of tragedy rubbed people the wrong way. While rebellious girls swooned over his 'mature' demeanor and good looks, it only made the boys dislike him more.
In contrast, Shikamaru's good grades and friendly attitude made him well-liked. In peacetime, ten-year-olds didn't have complicated thoughts. A little kindness, some warmth, and top scores were enough to build friendships—especially with classmates like Ino and Chōji.
"Kiba," Shino said in his usual slow tone, "You do realize your scores are worse than Sasuke's, right? If his face looks bad, yours should look worse."
"Hey! That's only because he's so stuck-up! Naruto always teases him—but no one ever teases me!" Kiba pouted. Little Akamaru yipped in agreement.
"Didn't Shino just tease you?" Shikamaru chuckled, patting Kiba's shoulder.
Kiba turned red, about to retort, when he suddenly pointed at the testing area. "Look!"
They all turned to see Sasuke throw his fourth shuriken. So far, he'd hit the forehead, throat, and abdomen. One left—if it hit the heart, he'd match Shikamaru's score.
Sasuke paused—then threw.
The shuriken landed on the right side of the chest. Just off target.
Eight points.
"His hand trembled," Shino observed quietly.
"Yeah… he got emotional at the end. What a shame," Shikamaru said, genuinely a little disappointed. Even if Sasuke had gotten a perfect score, they'd just be tied. It wouldn't have changed anything.