Murakami's POV
The Shokkuha no Jutsu - Shockwave Technique.
I tapped my fingers against the desk, letting the words roll around in my head.
Unlike the three fundamental jutsus of Clone, Transformation, and Substitution, this one wasn't designed for deception or misdirection.
No smoke and mirrors, just raw, controlled force.
It was interesting because I could already see the potential of this seemingly weak technique.
Imagine upgrading this D-Rank jutsu so much that Shinra Tensei looks average…
…Nah, Shinra Tensei is stupidly overwhelming, though I won't place it outside of possibility.
I didn't know much about ninjutsu to dissect the technique, at least not yet, so, instead of pretending I understood the deeper mechanics, I did what I always did—I mentally shoved it into my memory scape, sealed it away in a nice little mental drawer labeled "For Future Genius Consideration."
One day, I'd come back to it. With more knowledge and experience.
For now, though? New classroom. New faces. New year. So I glanced around like any normal child would do in a new environment.
Some children were familiar, others weren't. But a few stood out immediately, and not just because of their personalities, no, if that were the case, I'd probably be glowing.
No, it was their clan markers that gave them away.
The Uchihas had a fan insignia boldly printed on their shirts, like they expected the logo to do half the talking for them, which if I'm being honest…it did.
The Hyūga, sported their white eyes. You couldn't miss that even if you were blindfolded. The two in my class had their forehead wrapped in a bandage, a subtle tell of their Branch Family status.
Even sitting still, he gave off a quiet pressure, like he was trained to notice everything and react to nothing.
The Akimichi, larger-built but surprisingly relaxed, was munching on his snack like this was just another lunch break…It wasn't.
He looked all relaxed and friendly-looking. You'd never think he would be the type to crush you with a single palm slap… he would probably apologize while doing it.
There was a single Yamanaka in a different group of boys chattering away and I almost raised an eyebrow as to why an Ino-Shika-Cho trio in my class looked nothing like friends.
I immediately killed the curiosity and went about my observation.
The Inuzuka had wild hair, red fang-like markings on his cheeks, and an air of restless energy.
He even had a tiny puppy snoring inside his jacket… which was impressive, adorable, and deeply unfair.
I wanted a nap too, but apparently the dog wasn't restricted by the concept of class participation.
And then there were people like me. The "masses," the ones without fancy bloodlines or clan to fall back on. We filled in the spaces.
I leaned back slightly in my seat, arms folded
"Count how many Uchiha yet?" a voice mumbled beside me.
Katsuro Nara, professional expert in looking one breath away from a nap.
I tilted my head. "Three."
He sighed. "That's three too many."
I smirked but didn't respond. He had his reasons, they were probably too competitive for his taste, and well, I had mine.
On the other side of the room, Aiko had already inserted herself into a group conversation.
She caught my eye and grinned before turning back to her new audience.
Socializing was an art, and she was a master at it. I, personally, preferred a more detached approach to human interaction.
The lesser the interaction the more time I could spend in my head. Funny enough, that's where the real world is built upon.
Then there was a tall, quiet boy near the back, scanning the room with sharp eyes. I took a mental note of him. People who watched were either dangerous or just as weird as me.
Then, the door slid open, and our instructor entered.
He was middle-aged and looked lean but not weak considering that he wore a standard shinobi flak jacket. This made him a chunin…definitely not a jounin since they had better things to be doing at this point in time. There was a slight tilt to his forehead protector.
Looking at his scarred hands, I immediately labelled him.
Fighter.
His presence was calm and controlled. Not the kind that demands attention, but the kind that commands it effortlessly.
And considering this room was one filled with kids…
He stopped in front of the class and let the silence settle while his eyes swept through each of us.
Then, finally…
"My name is Hizaraya Saito. That will be Saito-sensei to you." He stopped and squinted a bit at this point to let his words sink. He's probably gone through a lot because of that name.
I mean, who goes through childhood with that kind of name and comes out normal?
"I will be instructing you in ninjutsu and chakra control this year."
Ah, straight to the point. I liked that. Probably a perk of having such a name.
His eyes swept over the class, pausing slightly on the clan kids before lingering briefly on me.
I don't like that. I hope he hasn't categorized me in the same bracket as them.
"This class will be different from your previous years," he continued, uncaring for my thoughts.
"You are no longer beginners. From this point forward, you are expected to begin to apply what you have learned so far, not just memorize hand seals like a script."
Some students straightened in their seats and a few remained unaffected…just like Katsuro, remaining aggressively slouched.
"Ninjutsu," Saito-sensei began slowly, "is often misunderstood.
Ho-ho? Are we about to get some juicy knowledge from an extra?
"Many assume it is merely a collection of techniques, hand seals, chakra molding, and the resulting effect. But that is a simplification. A dangerous one."
He took a brief pause. Then, "Ninjutsu is a system. A logic. It follows principles. And like any system, it can be manipulated, adapted, and even broken."
That got my attention. Broken, huh. Well, that was true. I had seen it.
The Uchiha had the uncanny ability to break a technique with just a glance and then hijack the opponents already made handsigns, complete the jutsu and then use it against them.
Now that I'm thinking about…Damn
Saito-sensei let the words settle, watching us. Then, he continued.
"Take the Uchiha, for example."
Ah, I knew it!
I observed a couple of heads turn toward the trio sitting near the window. One of them, a boy with sharp features and an air of quiet arrogance, tilted his chin slightly, not quite a smirk, but close.
"Their Sharingan is a perfect example of how the principles of ninjutsu can be… bent." Saito-sensei paced slowly, hands behind his back. "With their Dōjutsu, they can copy almost any jutsu they see, replicating techniques they have never studied."
"For most shinobi, mastering a new jutsu requires weeks, sometimes months of trial and error. But an Uchiha?" He paused slightly, letting the class absorb the thought. "They only need a glance."
A few murmurs spread through the room. While I shook my head slightly. We weren't thinking about the same thing it seems, but he was not wrong.
"So," he said, raising an eyebrow, "what does that tell us about hand seals?"
Aiko's hand shot up. "That they aren't always necessary?"
"Correct. Hand seals are a tool, a medium to mold chakra efficiently. But efficiency does not equal necessity."
"The Sharingan allows a user to skip the learning process, letting them see the chakra flow of a technique in real-time and imprint it into their muscle memory almost instantly."
"This is an example of bending the system."
My eyes shot past my shoulders, glancing at the Uchiha. The boy from earlier was still calm and all, but his eyes…they were gleaming.
I bet he's already imagining himself as some major shounen protagonist.
Tsk, kids.
The other two were not so different too.
"And then, there's the Hyūga Clan."
This time, I caught the Hyūga, Hana Hyūga shifting slightly in her seat with her arms folded. She probably didn't like the attention that came with her family's name.
"The Byakugan offers its own advantages," Saito-sensei continued.
"While it does not allow the replication of jutsu, it grants the ability to see chakra flow in extreme detail, a 360° vision, and the telescopic ability to see through physical objects. The degree and distance varies with each person."
"This makes Hyūga shinobi masters of chakra control. They can manipulate their own flow with pinpoint precision, allowing them to perform feats that would normally take incredible training, or be outright impossible."
"Like what?" Katsuro mumbled, sounding half-interested.
Saito-sensei stopped pacing and faced the class.
"Like blocking an opponent's chakra points with a single touch, molding chakra into their palms and releasing it outward in a near-invisible attack. Like controlling their chakra so precisely that they don't even need hand seals for certain techniques."
I exhaled slowly. Right. I knew this one. There was no way I was going to forget something so precious.
The Hyūga didn't copy techniques like the Uchiha, they simply rewrote the execution of the technique.
Shinobi release chakra through external techniques like fireballs, lightning strikes, or earth walls.
The Hyūga internalize and refine chakra flow, shaping it with their precise control instead of forming hand seals.
Their Jūken (Gentle Fist) style uses chakra to attack the body's internal chakra network directly, something most ninjutsu can't do.
"So, to summarize," Saito-sensei said, leaning slightly against his desk, "ninjutsu has rules. But those rules are flexible. Some clans are born with advantages that let them manipulate this system. Others train relentlessly to achieve the same results through sheer effort."
He let that hang in the air before adding:
"And then… there are those who find entirely new ways to break the rules."
I tilted my head slightly. So that's what he meant by brokon, now that was interesting.
I wasn't a Hyūga. I wasn't an Uchiha. Hell, i didnt even have a bloodline like the Nara sitting beside me, so I didn't have a shortcut to mastering ninjutsu.
But if this was a system, then there had to be other exploits. I wasn't looking to stand out, but I will do everything within my power to get as strong as I can possibly be.
"You already know the two core components of ninjutsu: Chakra and hand seals. But tell me this, what is the purpose of hand seals?"
Several students put their hands up, eager to answer. One student looked like they'd win the lottery when Saito-sensei pointed at her.
"To shape chakra into specific forms!" she said confidently with a smile.
"Correct," Saito-sensei acknowledged. "hand seals act as instructions, guiding chakra into a specific pattern to produce an effect. Without them, most jutsus would fail."
Then, he smirked slightly.
"Most. Not all."
A few students exchanged glances. I narrowed my eyes slightly, I knew this too but seeing his smirk, I'm curious what differences there are between what we know.
"At a higher shinobi rank," he continued, "one can manipulate chakra without hand seals. Some do it through mastery of their control and others through instinct."
Saito-sensei clasped his hands behind his back. He narrowed his eyes, exhaling sharply.
"Going forward, you will come to know that understanding ninjutsu is more than just memorizing jutsus."
"It is about understanding the hidden mechanics between how chakra interacts with the world through us, how different releases shape different outcomes."
"Only then can you go beyond textbook techniques and truly adapt in battle."
Hmm, that does make sense and that also meant I had a lot more studying to do.
I glanced around the class before my gaze landed on Katsuro. His head was tilted slightly, eyes half-open. He looked bored, but I knew better. He was listening.
As for me? I was thinking about what I just heard. If ninjutsu was a system, that meant there had to be loopholes and then, ways to subvert the rules.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling quietly. This was going to be an interesting year.