Chapter 13 – Learning My First Official Ninjutsu
The next morning, the academy bulletin board was already swarmed with students eager to see the results from yesterday's sparring matches.
Taichi strolled up, but before he could even scan the list, an excited Might Guy bounced over and spilled the news.
"Taichi! Congratulations! You ranked fourth!"
"Oh? And you, Guy? Who took first place?"
Guy scratched his head sheepishly. "Hehe… I'm third. First place went to Kakashi, second to Asuma."
"Figures," Taichi nodded. "At this stage, Kakashi's definitely the top of our class. But Guy, I'm surprised you're not second when it comes to taijutsu alone."
Guy laughed awkwardly. "Well, Asuma's pretty strong too… he is the Hokage's son, after all."
Chatting as they went, the two made their way to the classroom to await their teacher, Yamada-sensei. He arrived shortly after, and the room quieted.
"I'm sure you've all seen your rankings by now," Yamada began. "Overall, you did well. You showed your true abilities. Those who ranked high—keep it up. Those who ranked low—double your efforts."
He was just winding up for a long speech when—
"Report!"
Everyone turned. Obito stood in the doorway, looking flustered.
"Sorry, sensei. On my way to school I saw an old lady fall. I helped her home before hurrying here, but it made me late."
"U–chi–ha–O–bi–to…" Yamada's voice rose into a roar that echoed through the entire school.
"Last time it was catching a cat. Before that, helping a kid find his mom. And before that, finding a cane for an old man! Don't even get me started on the ones before that! Since term began, have you ever arrived on time?!"
"Sorry, sensei…" Obito mumbled. He knew it was true—he just couldn't stop himself from helping whenever he saw someone in trouble.
Perhaps, Taichi thought, that was exactly why Obito's Mangekyō would one day awaken so explosively—deep love forged into overwhelming power.
"Go sit down," Yamada sighed. He knew Obito wasn't lying; he'd even tailed him once and confirmed the boy's good deeds. Still… the chronic tardiness was maddening.
"Alright, today we'll practice the Three Basic Jutsu." Dropping his planned lecture, Yamada gave instructions and let everyone train freely.
The Three Basic Jutsu had been taught before, but most first-years still struggled: their ninjutsu skills were raw, and their chakra reserves tiny. Even low-cost jutsu like these couldn't be used many times in a row, so extra practice time was precious.
Of course, this didn't apply to prodigies like Kakashi—or to Taichi. His chakra reserves were already at the lower genin level, even without actively building them. And he'd mastered the Three Basics long before the school officially taught them.
---
That afternoon, instead of joining his friends for training, Taichi headed alone to the riverside. Today, he would attempt the other ninjutsu recorded in his parents' scrolls.
He began as always—feeling his chakra flow—then slowly formed the hand signs, recalling his father's notes. He pictured a flame igniting in his chest.
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
With the final seal, the flame surged up his throat and burst from his mouth—a Fire Release: Flame Bullet.
What emerged… was a pitiful little flicker.
Taichi's face twitched. How depressing. He had no idea that producing any flame on a first attempt would amaze most people.
A crisp notification appeared in his mind:
[Congratulations! Learned Fire Release: Flame Bullet Lv1 (0/100)]
[Congratulations! Learned Fire Nature Transformation Lv1 (0/100)]
[Practice +1 EXP to Flame Bullet, +1 to Fire Nature Transformation]
[Focused practice grants +1 Ninja Apprentice EXP]
So… technically he'd succeeded—it was just too weak. The only solution was more practice.
Soon, small flames kept puffing into the air, each one bigger and flying farther. By the time his chakra was drained, his Flame Bullet actually looked like a proper jutsu. Still, it was far from battle-ready.
Checking his remaining chakra, he realized he couldn't do much else today. He plopped down by the river, unwrapped the rice balls he'd packed, and ate while planning:
Today—Flame Bullet.
Tomorrow—Phoenix Sage Fire.
The day after—Great Breakthrough.
If he could master all three techniques left by his parents, he'd finally shed the "blank-slate" label as a ninja.
As for medical ninjutsu… that would take far longer to grasp, but at least he had Nonō to consult.
After resting, he resumed his basic taijutsu training.
[Basic Taijutsu practice—insight gained!]
[Basic Taijutsu EXP +1]
[Focused practice grants +1 Ninja Apprentice EXP]
Then—
[Congratulations! Physique +1, Strength +1, Agility +1]
[Congratulations! Ninja Apprentice level up!]
[+1 Attribute Point, +1 Skill Point]
A lucky day indeed—stronger body and a level up. Taichi opened his status panel:
Name: Matsushita Taichi
Profession: Ninja Apprentice Lv4 (1/600)
Talents: Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent, Top Student
Age: 6
Constitution: 12
Strength: 13
Agility: 12
Spirit: 19
Chakra: 365 (max 4800)
Attribute Points: 7
Skill Points: 7
Fire Nature Transformation Lv1 (5/100)
Skills:
Basic Taijutsu Lv7 (753/1200)
Basic Meditation Lv7 (965/1200)
Chakra Refinement Technique Lv7 (142/1200)
Ninja Tool Throwing Lv5 (697/800)
Transformation Jutsu Lv4 (435/600)
Clone Jutsu Lv5 (364/800)
Substitution Jutsu Lv5 (425/800)
Fire Release: Flame Bullet Lv1 (21/100)
---
Looking at the comparison between the experience gained from nature transformation and Fireball Jutsu, it's not hard to guess just how difficult nature transformation really is to train. These mere 5 points were probably just insights he gained from first learning Fire Release. It seemed clear that if he wanted to progress quickly, he'd need a reliable teacher — trying to master it purely through self-study was simply too difficult.
Thankfully, Taichi knew he was only at the starting stage, with plenty of room to grow. Plus, with his skill panel, as long as he kept training, he'd continue to improve without hitting a bottleneck — though progress might slow later on. For now, he'd just master everything he could, then figure out the next step.
After finishing his taijutsu training, it was time for basic meditation. The spot Taichi chose was quiet and serene, perfect for deep focus. Now that he needed to practice ninjutsu, training at home was becoming inconvenient, so he had deliberately found this secluded place by a small river — an ideal spot for private practice.
[You practice Basic Meditation — related insights improve!]
[Skill "Basic Meditation" has leveled up — EXP +1]
[Skill "Chakra Refinement" has leveled up — EXP +1]
[Your focused meditation boosts your "Ninja Apprentice" profession — EXP +1]
Reading the prompts, Taichi realized that training basic meditation also improved his chakra refinement. Thinking about it, it made perfect sense — refining chakra had always involved a trace of meditative focus. No wonder these two skills had been leveling up faster lately — they actually reinforced each other.
In fact, many skills seemed to be interconnected. For example, training Fire Release would naturally improve one's fire-nature transformation. Basic taijutsu would enhance throwing weapons, and even provide bonuses to future taijutsu techniques he hadn't yet learned.
It all made sense — both the human body and human learning were complete systems. Improving one area inevitably drove progress in related areas. It wasn't like a machine, where upgrading one part only strengthened that specific part.
With those thoughts in mind, Taichi wrapped up his day's training and lay down to rest.