Chapter 6 – An Ordinary Day at the Ninja Academy
Early the next morning, after finishing his training with Guy, Taichi headed straight for the market. He deliberately sought out injured or inflamed livestock—chickens with broken wings, fish with wounds. In the end, he bought two chickens and three fish.
Back home, he retrieved the vial of allicin from the refrigerator and carefully applied it to the chickens' injuries. For one chicken, he even mixed a small amount into its feed—this one would serve as part of the control group for his experiment.
The fish setup was simpler: each of the three fish went into its own basin, with varying doses of allicin added to the water to observe any differences in effect.
Once everything was in place, all that remained was to wait for results. Taichi tidied up and set off for the Ninja Academy.
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As a first-year student, there were still classmates who hadn't even managed to refine chakra yet. Naturally, half the day was again devoted to chakra refinement practice. According to Yamada-sensei, they would spend every morning for the next month doing nothing else.
This was only possible in Konoha, where the system founded by Hashirama Senju and formalized by Tobirama Senju gave students the luxury of time. In the Warring States era—or even in some other hidden villages today—students would be rushed to the battlefield the moment they could refine chakra and learned the bare essentials. In Konoha, at least, the Will of Fire still counted for something.
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Feeling the chakra flow within his body, Taichi recalled how, just days ago, he'd needed to constantly monitor and guide it along a specific route. Now, after only two days of practice, it had begun to circulate on its own—almost as naturally as blood through his veins.
When he discreetly asked Yamada-sensei about this, the teacher's answer was telling: this level of control was typically only seen in jonin, not average chunin or genin. Taichi suspected this was another benefit of his "panel"—once a skill was formed, it became a permanent ability that would never regress.
This development also brought him closer to solving the problem of making chakra refinement an instinctive process. All he needed now was to regulate the pace so that his refinement rate matched his body's capacity—no more, no less.
Of course, this was no quick fix. It would still require long-term training. But at least now, he had a clear direction.
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[You practice Basic Meditation. Related insights improved!]
[Basic Meditation skill EXP +1]
[Your focus during Basic Meditation training increases "Ninja Apprentice" job EXP by +1]
…
[Congratulations! Constitution +1, Strength +1, Agility +1]
The strengthening effect of chakra was immediate. Attributes that might have taken a month of physical training to improve had now increased after just two days of possessing chakra. Of course, this was also thanks to his constant prior training—but it was clear that chakra made a decisive difference.
The gap between a chakra-wielding shinobi and an ordinary human was truly enormous. Now that Taichi had just stepped over that line himself, the difference felt startlingly real.
With the occasional status notifications chiming in his mind, the morning classes came to an end.
---
Afternoon –
That afternoon, Instructor Yamada stepped into the classroom and announced,
"Next up, we'll be having a ninja tool throwing lesson."
The room instantly buzzed with excitement. After all, they were only five or six years old—anything that let them move around and throw sharp objects was far more fun than sitting through theory lessons.
They followed Yamada out to the training field, where dozens of targets had been neatly set up—one for each student. In front of every target stood a small platform, each stocked with a dozen or so shuriken and kunai.
Taichi stepped up to his station, picking up a shuriken and weighing it in his palm. The balance and weight were just like the real thing, though the edges were dull—obviously practice versions.
"Alright, eyes up here," Yamada called, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ninja tool throwing is one of the most basic combat skills for a shinobi. Whether it's a shuriken or a kunai, what matters most is angle, force, and timing."
He demonstrated—his wrist flicked smoothly, sending the shuriken in a graceful arc that landed dead center on a target ten meters away.
"Relax the wrist. Let inertia do the work—don't just muscle it," he said.
Then he picked up a kunai, put in a little more strength, and threw. The weapon flew straight and true, striking another target fifteen meters away right in the bullseye.
The students erupted into applause.
"Remember what you just saw. Now it's your turn to practice," Yamada said.
---
System Prompt: [You've learned "Ninja Tool Throwing." Experience +1]
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Taichi smiled at the skill notification. Simple, yes—but definitely useful.
He mimicked Yamada's form, adjusted his grip, and gave his first throw…
Clang! The shuriken went wide. Way wide.
He scanned the others—aside from kids from ninja clans, most were missing their marks just like him. No shame in that.
On his second try, Taichi paid close attention to his finger positioning before flicking his wrist again.
Thunk! The shuriken clipped the edge of the target. Progress.
Soon he was in a rhythm—Thunk, thunk, thunk—his throws growing steadier with each attempt. Yamada moved among the students, correcting stances and emphasizing:
"Ninja tools aren't just weapons—they're part of your tactics. Feints, distractions, traps—master them, and you can control the battlefield."
"Yes, sensei!" the class chorused.
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System Prompt: [Your skill "Ninja Tool Throwing" has advanced to Lv1 (0/100)]
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With the level-up came a flood of instinctive knowledge, as if months of practice had been crammed into his body. He threw again—dead center. And again. Every shot hit the bullseye.
"Taichi."
He turned to see Shizune beside him.
"What's up?"
"I saw you improving so quickly… could you teach me?" she asked softly.
Little Shizune, it seemed, had always been this shy. Taichi glanced at her target—it was spotless.
"Sure. Give it a try so I can see," he said.
She threw. As expected, it missed completely. But Taichi noticed her mistake instantly—at the moment of release, she hooked her wrist inward.
"When you throw, keep your wrist loose. And especially when it leaves your hand—no hooking motion."
It was a simple habit to fix once pointed out. Shizune tried again, and her results quickly improved.
"Thank you so much, Taichi!" she beamed, already skipping the formal "classmate" in her address.
"No problem. If you need help, just ask."
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System Prompt: [Teaching others grants you experience. Skill "Ninja Tool Throwing" +1 EXP]
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The discovery made Taichi grin. Not only could he train on his own—he could level up by helping others. Teaching, after all, was just another form of learning.
As the saying goes: To review the old is to understand the new. The ancients knew their stuff.
From a distance, Yamada watched, pleased to see Shizune's rapid improvement under Taichi's guidance.