Morning sunlight poured into the Academy training yard, bright enough to make the chalk targets glow. Iruka stood in front of the class with a clipboard and the patience of a war veteran who'd long since stopped asking the universe for mercy.
"Alright, everyone! Today we're testing basic chakra rotation."
Half the class groaned immediately.
"Rotation is foundational," Iruka continued. "Control, shape, and balance all begin here. If you can't rotate chakra—"
"—you can't do ANYTHING cool," Naruto announced, hands on hips like he'd invented ninjutsu.
Iruka sighed. "Yes, Naruto. Thank you."
Ethan stood quietly among the students, hands folded behind his back. He felt… steady. His chakra the night before had been clumsy, but not unnatural. His body responded faster than expected, like it wanted to learn.
The system had definitely tuned him for this world.
Even now, he felt the warm pulse of chakra sitting like a calm river under his skin.
The Panel watched silently, humming at the edge of his senses.
---
ROTATION TEST FORMAT
1. Form the chakra ball in the palm.
2. Rotate it clockwise for three seconds.
3. Reverse rotation.
4. Release harmlessly.
Easy.
In theory.
---
Sasuke stepped up first, of course.
He formed the chakra sphere smoothly—too smoothly for a child his age—and rotation snapped into place with crisp, perfect alignment. Clockwise. Counterclockwise. Release.
Iruka beamed. "Excellent, Sasuke!"
Sasuke didn't look back, but Ethan felt the side-eye of smugness radiating off him.
Next was Sakura—nearly perfect control, though the rotation flickered once.
Then Ino—passable.
Then Shikamaru—lazy but precise.
Then came Naruto.
And the world collectively held its breath.
"Alright, Naruto," Iruka said gently. "Focus. Don't force it."
Naruto braced himself like someone preparing to wrestle a bear.
"CHAAAAAAAA—KRAAAAAA—!!"
A shimmering blob appeared in his hand, vibrating violently like it wanted to escape this plane of existence.
"Easy—Naruto—calm—"
"IT'S FINE IRUKA-SENSEI I GOT IT—!"
The blob detonated like a soap bubble of chaos, shooting chakra sparks everywhere. Kids dove for cover. Kiba laughed so hard he fell over. Iruka lost another three years of life expectancy.
Naruto sat smoking lightly, hair puffed up like a shocked cat.
He grinned. "Nailed it."
"You absolutely did not," Iruka groaned.
Ethan stepped forward next.
Naruto brightened immediately. "Oh! Ethan's gonna crush this—watch, Iruka-sensei!"
Sasuke crossed his arms. Watching.
Ethan inhaled.
Chakra rose like a ripple through a still pond.
Warm. Controlled. Familiar.
He extended his hand.
A pale-blue sphere formed instantly—stable, compact, obedient.
A quiet hush fell over the kids nearby.
"Whoa…"
"That was fast."
"He didn't even struggle."
"Is he… actually good at this?"
Sasuke's brows lowered just a fraction.
Naruto fist-pumped so hard he nearly fell. "SEE?! I TOLD YOU! MY FRIEND'S AWESOME!"
Iruka stared, blinking. "Ethan… you've been practicing chakra for how long?"
"Last night," Ethan said honestly.
Iruka dropped his clipboard.
Sasuke's jaw twitched.
Naruto gasped. "WHAT?! ONE NIGHT?! I TRAINED FOR MONTHS AND MINE EXPLODED!"
"Mine didn't explode," Ethan said gently.
"It SHOULD HAVE!"
"Why exactly?" Ethan muttered.
Before Iruka could stop him, Ethan reversed rotation.
Smooth. Clean. Controlled.
Then he released the chakra sphere with a soft dispersal of blue light.
Iruka exhaled like someone witnessing a divine sign.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Sasuke stiffened.
Naruto practically jumped onto Ethan's back. "YOU GOTTA TRAIN ME—YOU GOTTA—YOU GOTTA—"
"I'll help you," Ethan said softly, steadying him. "But we'll do it right."
Naruto beamed so brightly it felt like the sun blinked.
Sasuke approached then—slow, deliberate, shadows stretching behind him.
He stopped beside Ethan.
"You learned that in a night?"
"Yes."
Sasuke stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed slightly—not angry, but intensely focused.
"Fine," Sasuke said. "Then I won't underestimate you."
Naruto scoffed. "HA! You were TOTALLY underestimating him—"
"Shut up."
"YOU shut up!"
Ethan stepped between them before Iruka had an aneurysm.
---
PANEL MICRO-UPDATE — SOCIAL WEB ADJUSTMENT
Ethan → Recognized top-tier control potential (Academy level: exceptional)
Naruto → Hope + jealousy + inspiration mix detected
Sasuke → Rivalry level: +1. Interest level: +4
Deviation Risk: increasing (manageable)
Recommendation:
Start shaping both Naruto and Sasuke's growth paths.
Balance is critical.
---
As the class prepared for round two, Naruto tugged on Ethan's sleeve.
"Hey… thanks. For real. Don't leave me behind, okay?"
Ethan looked at him.
"I don't plan to."
The wind swept the training yard then—warm, gentle, promising.
The Naruto Node pulsed faintly, as if pleased.
Things were moving.
And they were only just getting started.