The next day brought clear skies, with drifting white clouds casting cool shadows over the village. Kyosuke arrived early at the gates of the Ninja Academy.
Many parents were already there to drop off their children. There were proud shinobi from noble clans, as well as ordinary civilian families hoping for a better future. Of course, scattered among the crowd were a few lonely figures like Kyosuke.
"Kyosuke! Over here, over here!"
Standing beside his father, Might Guy raised his right hand and waved frantically. His booming voice instantly attracted a wave of surprised and scrutinizing gazes from the crowd.
Guy really had zero sense of self-awareness; he didn't care about the strange looks at all, shouting at the top of his lungs without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Fortunately, Kyosuke had lived two lives, and his current body was just a child's. He was even less afraid of a little public embarrassment. Ignoring the stares of the crowd, he walked up to the father-son duo with a warm smile.
"Thank you again for the meal, Uncle. I had barbecue with Guy yesterday. We're going to be classmates from now on, so we'll definitely get along well."
Over the past two years, Kyosuke had received a lot of care and charity from Guy's parents, and he was genuinely grateful.
Might Duy looked down at Kyosuke. Seeing a boy who was not only handsome but also so incredibly steady and sensible for his age, Duy couldn't help but like him. He flashed a brilliant, white-toothed smile.
"Kyosuke, my boy has a bit of a reckless personality and no other friends besides you. You'll have to look after him in the Academy!"
Guy pouted, looking dissatisfied. "What? Why would I need Kyosuke to look after me? Clearly, I'm the one looking after him!"
"Haha, don't worry, Uncle," Kyosuke chuckled. "Guy is a great friend. We'll look out for each other."
Ever since their accidental meeting during physical training, Kyosuke had appreciated Guy's personality. He was honest, straightforward, and wore his heart on his sleeve, making him very relaxing to be around.
The three of them chatted a bit more as the crowd at the gates continued to swell. Finally, the Academy opened its doors, and the entrance ceremony officially began.
Inside the campus courtyard, the new students stood in neat formations. The Third Hokage, looking kind and amiable in his robes, delivered a long, impassioned speech. He spoke of the Will of Fire, the future of Konoha, and the duty of a shinobi, constantly encouraging the children to strive for greatness.
Kyosuke looked around. Many of the kids were practically vibrating with excitement, their eyes glowing and fists clenched tightly, as if they had just decided to lay down their lives for Konoha right then and there.
After the Third Hokage finished his address, the Academy instructors took over. They compiled student information, assigned classes, explained the strict school rules, and distributed teaching materials.
By the time the administrative work was finished, the entire morning had passed. Formal lessons wouldn't begin until the afternoon.
When Kyosuke finally took his seat in the classroom, he spotted a wealth of familiar faces: Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Obito Uchiha, Genma Shiranui, Ibiki Morino, Ebisu, and Shizune.
Some of them Kyosuke recognized at a glance. Others he didn't immediately know by sight, but the moment roll call happened, the names clicked with his memories of the anime.
At this point in time, Obito was just a loud, careless troublemaker—he didn't look anything like a future mastermind boss.
Kakashi was the definition of a cool kid. Not only did he wear his signature face mask, but his spiky white hair made him stand out instantly. He was already drawing the starry-eyed attention of the girls and the bitter hostility of the boys.
Asuma looked strangely mature for a kid; one could tell at a glance he was destined to grow into a rugged, bearded uncle.
Kurenai already carried the gentle aura of an older sister. Rin's voice was soft and kind. Genma was already chewing on his trademark senbon-like blade of grass. Ibiki was unusually tall and looked fierce, Ebisu wore dark sunglasses and spoke with a stiff formality, and Shizune sat quietly in the back, flipping through a textbook.
These were the people destined to survive the brutal meat grinder of the Third Shinobi World War. They were absolutely worth paying attention to.
For the first lesson of the day, the instructor mainly focused on theory. He explained the core principles of Chakra, taught the students the mental and physical components needed to refine it, and issued stern warnings about the dangers of Chakra exhaustion.
Following the instructor's guidance, the students closed their eyes and attempted to refine Chakra for the first time.
For the clan heirs, this was barely a lesson. Many of them had begun basic training years before entering the Academy, easily extracting their Chakra on command. Even Guy, thanks to his father's relentless daily coaching, had already unlocked his Chakra network.
In stark contrast, the civilian children—who had never received a single day of shinobi education—hit an immediate wall. Unable to grasp the abstract feeling of combining physical and spiritual energy, they began to feel frustrated and anxious.
The homeroom teacher, a patient middle-aged Chunin named Takahara Naoyasu, walked through the aisles, correcting their postures one by one.
"Refining Chakra cannot be rushed," Takahara instructed gently. "Most people need several days to succeed. Your task today is simply to master the correct meditation method. There is no need to forcefully extract it."
Sitting to Kyosuke's left, Guy successfully circulated his Chakra and immediately began cheering at the top of his lungs.
"Go for it, Kyosuke! You've worked so hard on your physical training, you can definitely do it! Kyosuke, fighting!!"
Kyosuke fought the urge to facepalm. Not only did Guy's booming voice attract the whispers and stares of the entire class, but realistically, that kind of noise would ruin anyone's concentration.
Sure enough, Takahara quickly reprimanded him. "Guy, be quiet. Do not disturb the other students' meditation."
In reality, while Kyosuke appeared to be struggling to find his Chakra, it wasn't a problem for him at all. Thanks to his shared soul with Sensuke, he could have succeeded the second he sat down. He was simply calculating the optimal time to "awaken" it for the best theatrical effect.
As far as he knew, it had taken Guy more than half a day of grueling effort to first refine his Chakra. If Guy's ninjutsu talent was considered notoriously poor, how long would it take a true genius like Kakashi?
Half a day? Two hours? One hour? Surely not just a few minutes?
If Kyosuke wanted to be noticed by the big shots and secure a good mentor, he needed an eye-catching performance. But he couldn't be so fast that he looked like a monster or a spy.
Let's make it ten minutes, then, he decided.
So, while Guy stared at him with wide eyes and clenched fists—looking as if he were trying to refine Chakra for him—Kyosuke simply kept his eyes closed, adopting a mask of calm concentration as he waited for the clock to tick down.
Takahara scanned the classroom. Seeing Kyosuke sitting so steady and unhurried amidst the frustrated civilian students, the teacher gave him a high evaluation in his heart. Excellent psychological quality and pressure resistance were essential traits for a great shinobi.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The clock on the wall kept turning. Ten minutes passed in a flash. Only then did Kyosuke truly begin to pull on his energy.
The Chakra, which was so elusive and difficult for the other civilian kids to find, flowed like a river into the sea within Kyosuke's body. It was effortlessly refined and guided through his coils. The process was buttery smooth, exactly as if his body had been using Chakra for years.
"I did it! Guy, I succeeded!"
Putting on a look of sheer, pleasant surprise, Kyosuke snapped his eyes open and cheered, throwing an arm around Guy's shoulder. He looked incredibly emotional.
And honestly, it wasn't entirely an act. Knowing he possessed the memories of ninjutsu but lacking the Chakra to use them had been agonizing. Having to hold back for so long had nearly driven him crazy. Now that he could finally practice in the open, he was genuinely thrilled.
Guy, on the other hand, was utterly dumbfounded. "What?! It hasn't even been ten minutes, and you actually succeeded?! Kyosuke, you really are a genius!"
The commotion immediately drew the attention of the entire class.
The civilian students, clinging to the desperate belief of 'if an orphan like him can do it, so can I,' squeezed their eyes shut and worked even harder. They didn't fully understand the weight of what had just happened.
But the clan kids knew exactly what it meant.
Refining Chakra from scratch in under ten minutes indicated that Kyosuke possessed incredibly abundant physical energy, a terrifyingly high perception of spiritual energy, and flawless Chakra control. It meant that once he started practicing actual ninjutsu, he would master it at a frightening pace, and his jutsu would waste far less Chakra than average.
Damn it. I'm the son of the Hokage, yet I actually can't compare to some civilian nobody?
Sitting a few rows away, Asuma Sarutobi's expression turned remarkably ugly. He remembered that even with his father—the God of Shinobi—personally guiding him, it had taken him half a day to successfully mold his first bit of Chakra. The innate pride of being the Hokage's son suddenly felt like a heavy, humiliating weight.
Kakashi merely cast a cold, sideways glance at Kyosuke before silently resuming his own training.
Obito deliberately puffed out his chest, acting as if he didn't care at all, and started loudly boasting about his own Uchiha stamina to the girl sitting next to him.
In short, after just one lesson, almost everyone in the classroom would remember Uesugi Kyosuke—the somewhat handsome, short-haired civilian genius.
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