The instructor, who looked like he would be in charge of our homeroom for this year, stood at the front of the class with his arms crossed while wearing a thoughtful expression on his face as he scanned the gathered students.
"Alright, listen up," he called out, his deep voice cutting through the chatter amongst the gathered students.
"Today marks the start of your formal ninjutsu training."
"Up until now, you've worked on improving your chakra control, enhancing your bodies and molding chakra through the Academy fundamental three."
He paused, swept his gaze through the crowd before smiling for whatever reason
"But from this point on, you'll be learning practical combat techniques."
An excited murmur spread through the students. Although I was expecting it, I wasn't exempt from the feeling of excitement we were all feeling.
What person would remain unaffected at the prospect of learning Magic, or in this world's own term…Ninjutsu.
While I was excited, I didn't allow it to show externally, and just like me, some, like the clan kids who already had a head start, barely reacted.
Few, like Aiko, clenched their fists in excitement.
The instructor continued.
"Today, we'll be starting with a fundamental D-rank technique that all shinobi should be able to perform: Shokkuha no Jutsu (Shockwave Technique)."
The instructor stepped forward as he raised his right hand. His fingers moved at a fast but perceivable speed, forming a quick sequence of hand seals; Ox → Tiger → Ram.
Chakra pulsed visibly around his palm, shimmering in the air. Then, with a sharp thrust, he pushed forward.
A concussive wave of force erupted from his hand, distorting the air as it surged outward scattering
The grass in front of him flattened under the invisible pressure of the wave causing the students in the front row to instinctively step back.
It wasn't flashy, elemental, lightning or explosions, but it was an efficient technique.
"A direct application of controlled chakra release," the instructor explained, lowering his hand slowly.
"This technique uses chakra to generate a sudden burst of force that can push opponents back, break objects, or disrupt attacks. The key is chakra molding, not brute strength."
I tapped my fingers against my arm in excitement. A technique like that was both subtle and practical. There were no wasted movements in its release.
I liked it already.
"Like all ninjutsu, this technique requires hand seals," the instructor continued as he went through the hand signs slowly so everyone could see it.
"Ox, Tiger, Ram. If you don't form them correctly, the chakra won't stabilize, and the technique will either fail or backfire."
He glanced around, scanning the class. "Who wants to give it a shot?"
Immediately, hands shot up whereas Aiko directly stepped forward. "I'll go first!"
And without waiting for the go ahead from the instructor, she squared her stance and raised her hands, and carefully formed the hand signs, Ox, Tiger, Ram.
I could see the chakra gathering in her hand, flickering unstably and with a quick motion, she thrust her palm forward…
Nothing.
The instructor sighed. "Too much chakra, not enough control. You're trying to force it instead of shaping it. Try again."
Aiko scowled, nodded, and went through the seals again. This time, a weak pulse of air left her hand, barely strong enough to rustle her hair.
She clenched her fist in frustration but backed away to let the next student try.
One by one, my new classmates attempted the technique.
Some managed weak pulses, a few lost control completely, sending bursts of chakra in all directions. One kid nearly fell over from pushing too hard, his own shockwave rebounding on him.
Katsuro sighed beside me. "You go. I'll go after."
I rolled my shoulders and stepped forward.
"Alright, let's see what you've got," the instructor said, watching me closely.
Ignoring him, I took a deep breath and formed the hand seals—Ox → Tiger → Ram.
I felt my chakra move with each hand sign. As I made the last one, I felt my chakra being guided towards my palm.
I raised my hand, feeling the familiar weight of my chakra stirring.
A lapse in my concentration would have had my chakra rushing out in a blunt surge, but as I took control of it, I discovered that I could do three specific things with the chakra.
I could shape it, give it form and then direction. Which means I could release this technique from somewhere else other than my hand.
The principle behind this technique was simple: imagination of form and controlled chakra release.
This gave it a lower standing on the technique hierarchy.
For one, It doesn't need elemental manipulation. It doesn't require complex chakra shaping and finally, It relies purely on raw chakra pressure, the user simply imagines a push and releases a pulse.
It scales easily.
A tiny pulse for distracting an opponent,
Or a heavier burst to shove someone off balance.
And the chakra requirement? Almost negligible.
You could dump more chakra into it for a bigger shove, sure, but you didn't need to. Even the weakest Academy student could create a small shockwave with enough focus.
Low chakra cost, low complexity, low risk.
D-rank.
Compared to the Fireball Jutsu
Now that was an entirely different beast.
The Fireball Jutsu (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu) is categorized as C-rank for good reason.
It requires nature transformation (Fire Release).
It needs constant chakra molding from lungs to mouth.
Missing even a single step results in a pathetic puff of smoke.
And most importantly, it guzzles chakra like a starving bijū…
…I don't know how a starving bijuu acts when it is starved but I'm pretty sure that's why we all have imaginations.
Anyway, a standard fireball is already a giant, rolling mass of flame.
A bigger fireball?
That takes even more chakra, exponentially so.
Even talented students like Sasuke in canon had to practice intensively before they could maintain heat, shape, and volume without exhausting themselves.
Comparatively?
My newly acquired D-rank shockwave looked humble, invisible, quiet, and small, but what it lacked in spectacle it made up for in efficiency and potential.
No burned lungs, no nature transformation, no flashy theatrics.
Just force, released cleanly.
Hmm… a push instead of a firestorm.
That was the difference between a technique built for practicality…and one built to burn down the battlefield.
It was just like a gentler version of what I did when I reinforced my seals.
I shook my head and refocused as I felt my chakra move on my palm and while all this is an interesting discovery, I didn't forget where I was, and, with a steady breath, I thrust my hand forward and the air rippled as blunt force of chakra tore through the space in front me.
It did not come out as a huge blast, but a controlled and concentrated pulse of invisible energy that shot forward, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
It wasn't as strong as the instructor's, but it carried the same effect of flattening the grass in front of me, exactly as I wanted.
The instructor raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Huh. Not bad. You controlled the output instead of just pushing as hard as you could."
I put on my perfect smile and said, "Much appreciated, sensei." I gave a short bow before walking back to the crowd.
Katsuro clapped me on the shoulder as he walked out. "You've got that whole 'minimal effort, maximum result' thing down, huh?"
"Says the guy who hasn't gone yet." I rolled my eyes at the guy. That was me giving it my full effort and this bastard was probably waiting to use my display as a benchmark.
Ninjutsu of this level was unfamiliar territory so I went by feeling back there. It's not like I care about the grading as long as it goes by properly.
Katsuro didn't seem to care about my words as he lazily stepped out. He was a Nara, and if there was one thing I'd learned about him in the past year, it was that he hated wasting effort.
He lazily formed the seals, Ox, Tiger, Ram—then lifted his hand. With a half-hearted push, he sent out a small but steady shockwave that traveled about a meter before fading.
The instructor tilted his head. "Not bad, but you barely tried."
Katsuro tilted his head. "Enough to pass, right?"
The instructor wanted to say something, but ended up giving up and just pinched the bridge of his nose and called on the next person.
By the time everyone had taken a turn, it was obvious that most of the class still needed practice.
The technique wasn't complex, but the level of control required meant that even the strongest students would struggle to get consistent results.
Aiko was still fuming over her weak attempt. She crossed her arms and scowled at me. "How the hell am I not even surprised you got it so easily?"
I smirked. "Wouldn't it have been more suspicious if I didn't get it??
"Ugh. Smug bastard."
I chuckled. "You can always come to me in my free time and I'll give you some pointers."
She snorted. "Like you are ever free."
"I don't think I'm usually busy in the early hours of the morning." I pointed out but she sneered.
"And give up on my sweet sleep time?"
I shrugged, but before I could voice my reply, the instructor clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention back. "Alright, not terrible for a first attempt."
"You'll be practicing this regularly from now on, along with chakra control exercises. By the end of the year, I expect every single one of you to be able to perform this technique without issue."
Some students groaned. Others nodded determinedly.
I simply tucked my hands into my haori. This term was looking like it'll be an interesting one.