Takeshi-sensei turned around and wrote in big letters: Taijutsu.
Kaito, who was sitting in the back, paid close attention. Before, he was wondering why Takeshi-sensei didn't introduce Taijutsu in the class before, but it seems like it was the next lesson.
Takeshi-sensei stood at the front of the classroom, arms crossed.
"Today we begin taijutsu."
He scanned the room, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat. No ninjutsu. No genjutsu. Just your body...trained, conditioned, and weaponized."
He stepped forward.
"It's the foundation of every shinobi's survival. You can run out of chakra. You can lose your weapons. But if you can move, you can fight."
He paused.
"Speed, strength, reflexes, positioning. That's what matters here. Not flashy techniques. Not bloodline advantages."
His gaze lingered on a few students.
"Some of you think taijutsu is beneath you. That it's for those without talent."
He shook his head once.
"Wrong. Taijutsu is what keeps you alive when talent fails."
Kaito found himself agreeing with his words. Even the Kages and those beyond fight hand-to-hand combat, not to mention weaker ninjas like genins that have very little chakra to spare or spam ninjutsu.
Takeshi-sensei then turned toward the board and began writing again.
"Now. Let's begin with the basic stances."
'I really didn't want to teach taijutsu this fast. Normally, the first year is for basics and academics. But time is tight, and we need more ninjas. The borders are getting restless,' he thought with a slight sigh.
As Kaito was absorbing all the information on the board, a ding suddenly sounded in his ear.
*Ding*
[Konoha Taijustu +1]
Kaito was stunned for a second and opened the panel:
__________________________________________________________
Name: Kaito Arata
Age: 6
Chakra: —
Power Level: —
Skills:
[Konoha Taijustu: Entry (1/100)]
Knowledge:
— Chakra Basics Textbook (17/100)
— Japanese Textbook (85/100)
— Math Textbook (63/100)
— Physics Textbook (32/100)
— History Textbook (56/100)
— Science Textbook (33/100)
__________________________________________________________
Kaito's face bloomed with a smile.
He finally got his first skill...
While he was looking at his panel, Takeshi-sensei continued talking.
"Konoha Taijutsu. Standard hand-to-hand style. The Third Hokage made it himself. It's basic, but it works for Genin, ANBU, anyone. Clean strikes, solid stances, no wasted movement. Doesn't matter your chakra nature. Everyone starts here."
"When you reach mastery of this taijustu, you will be able to infuse your chakra into your body and enhance it, making you stronger and faster."
As time passed, Kaito kept getting +1 signs, making him pay even closer attention to what Takeshi-sensei was saying.
"We will go to the training fields and I will help you with your stances."
As the class followed Takeshi-sensei out into the training field, Kaito looked at his progress:
[Konoha Taijustu: Entry (9/100)]
That lecture alone brought his progress up to 9 points, and he hasn't even started doing the stances yet. Of course, this wasn't as impressive as the clan children and descendants of ninjas in his class.
After all, the clan children have their own taijustu that they have access to long before entering the academy. The descendants of ninjas, on the other hand, have access to the Konoha Taijutsu from their parents. Unfortunately, even though his dad was a ninja, his death was unforeseen, and there wasn't anything left for him except for some cash and coins.
The class moved out to the training field. The sun was sharp overhead, casting long shadows across the dirt. Takeshi-sensei stood at the front.
"Stance first. Feet shoulder-width. Knees loose. Center low."
He stepped into position. The students followed. He walked the line, adjusting elbows and feet.
"Hands up. Elbows in. No flailing."
It was Konoha Taijutsu: basic, clean, made to fit anyone.
Kaito glanced around.
The Hyūga kid was doing Gentle Fist. The Uchiha girl had her own stance. The Inuzuka twins were crouched low, already syncing with their ninken. All the clan children had their own moves.
They're using their clan styles, Kaito noticed. He then threw his thoughts out and started focusing on his own movements.
He reset his stance.
"Good. Again."
Dust kicked up as the class moved.
Time passed and now the day was coming to its end.
After leaving the academy, he returned back to his room in the orphange and plopped right on, exhausted.
He turned around and looked at his panel:
[Konoha Taijustu: Entry (29/100)]
It increased by 20 points. The Konoha Taijutsu is easy to improve at the beginning, but he realized that he was doing much better than his peers who were either civilians or orphans. Some of which aren't even at the entry level, from what he could see. As for the clan children and the ninja descendents...yeah, we don't talk about that.
However, Kaito wasn't discouraged. With his panel, he would be able to catch up and even surpass them soon enough. From what he could see, many of the clan children were still at the entry level. After all, they probably only started practicing a few weeks before them, since it is not recommended to practice taijutsu at an age too young.
After resting for an hour and doing some studying with academics, Kaito decided to focus on the Chakra Basics Textbook and unlock his chakra as soon as possible.
He felt the urgency in Takeshi-sensei and had a feeling that he wouldn't have the average 4-year ninja academy experience. He needed to become stronger, faster.
Takeshi's current panel:
__________________________________________________________
Name: Kaito Arata
Age: 6
Chakra: —
Power Level: —
Skills:
[Konoha Taijustu: Entry (29/100)]
Knowledge:
— Chakra Basics Textbook (17/100)
— Japanese Textbook (92/100)
— Math Textbook (68/100)
— Physics Textbook (37/100)
— History Textbook (61/100)
— Science Textbook (43/100)
__________________________________________________________