Chapter 5: Academy Lessons and Future Plans
The homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen (the Third Hokage himself), took notice of Uchiha Naraku with interest. An Uchiha who was passionate about forging weapons? That was unusual.
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina! I like citrus fruits and fish dishes! I hate smug, arrogant people! And in the future, I'm going to become the wife of the Hokage!"
Naraku gave a small smile. Kushina would indeed become the Hokage's wife in the original story.
"'Where the leaves dance, the fire continues to burn. The flame will keep illuminating the village and nurture the sprouting new leaves…'" Sarutobi Hiruzen continued his usual opening-day inspirational speech.
Some of the younger kids stared up at him in awe.
Naraku listened for a bit out of courtesy—since he was already here—but quickly concluded it was all idealistic talk. No mention of how to actually achieve it, how to ensure fairness, or any practical steps. Just vague, feel-good philosophy.
He found it boring. If he'd known it would be this empty, he'd rather be forging or training. But he didn't dare leave early—not with the Third Hokage personally present—so he stood there, mind wandering far away.
Soon it was afternoon, and outdoor practical lessons began.
"The Three Basic Techniques—Transformation Technique, Body Replacement Technique, and Clone Technique—are the core ninjutsu tested in the graduation exam!
Transformation Technique: Temporary chakra alteration of an object, most commonly one's own body. Essence: Change.
Clone Technique: Creation of controllable illusory bodies—non-physical chakra projections, like holograms. Essence: Creation.
Body Replacement Technique: Distortion of perception, the foundation of genjutsu. Essence: Illusion…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen (the young instructor, often called "Hiruzen Jr." by some) explained the Three Body Techniques in detail.
Naraku had already mastered them long ago. While the lesson droned on, he used the time to seriously think about his short-term path to power.
He hadn't mentioned it much before, but he refused to ever get jumped by a gang of brats again. In the ninja world, lacking strength meant you could die at any moment. Sure, even jōnin died, but the probability was far lower.
First priority: his golden finger—the Undead Legion talent. That seemed like the fastest way to boost personal power.
He wasn't sure how much strength a collected jōnin soul would retain in the Shinigami Hall, but it had to be quicker than grinding basic ninjutsu, taijutsu, and precise chakra control.
Of course, those fundamentals couldn't be neglected—especially real combat experience. The ninja world was full of "geniuses" who overcame superior stats through skill, and equally full of high-stats losers who folded in real fights.
Take Danzō Shimura—famous for hacking at Susanoo with kunai. When others used Izanagi to turn the tables and survive fatal blows, Danzō treated it like extra lives. Utterly idiotic.
Naraku refocused his thoughts on Konoha Year 36.
That year, teams led by the Third Hokage's three legendary students would clash in the Rain Country against Chiyo's Sand Village forces and Iwa's Earth Village troops in a massive three-way battle.
Many people would die. That would be his opportunity.
The only uncertainty: Would Sakumo Hatake (Konoha's White Fang) participate? If he did, as a swordmaster at Kage-level, his kill count and quality would likely surpass any of the Sannin.
But Naraku was also very tempted by Tsunade's Senju clan talents. If he got lucky and drew Senju bloodline from a lottery…
He decided: take everything. First, forge Kirikabe Ichimonji (or another B-grade weapon) and gift it to White Fang to build reputation and harvest rewards. Later, use accumulated reputation to draw more materials and arm other powerhouses.
With a clear plan for the future, Naraku focused intently on training the basics—ninjutsu and taijutsu.
He executed every movement meticulously, pouring full concentration into each one.
He even proactively invited Namikaze Minato to train together.
Minato was a little surprised that an Uchiha like Naraku was reaching out. Naraku wasn't arrogant like some clan members, but he also hadn't been particularly social before.
Still, as a child, Minato was impressed by Naraku's high maturity and genuine demeanor. Naraku often dropped surprisingly insightful, almost philosophical comments that sounded refreshingly profound. Their relationship warmed up noticeably.
After school, Naraku rushed home—but instead of heading straight to the forge, he rummaged through storage.
His late jōnin father had left behind several ninjutsu scrolls:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique Uchiha-Style Swordsmanship Shadow Clone Technique
Naraku's eyes lit up at Shadow Clone. That technique had massive potential.
He started practicing immediately—after all, mastering it might let him skip classes entirely.
But progress was slow. Whether due to insufficient chakra reserves, poor control, or the technique's B-rank difficulty, he couldn't grasp the knack even after extended practice.
Frustrated, he asked the system if it could provide a detailed status panel to visualize his combat capabilities.
Surprisingly, the system complied—it had always had one, just never shown before.
[System Membership Level: Beginner]
[Name: Uchiha Naraku]
[Age: 8 / Mental Age: 80]
[Chakra Natures: Fire, Yin, Yang]
[Sharingan: Not awakened]
[Physical Strength: C]
[Mental Strength: C+]
[Chakra Amount: 0.4 Ka (Ka = Kakashi Hatake's chakra capacity as a jōnin benchmark)]
[Chakra Control: Poor]
[Ninjutsu: Clone Technique (Beginner), Transformation Technique (Beginner), Body Replacement Technique (Beginner), Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Novice)]
[Taijutsu: Uchiha-Style Taijutsu (Novice)]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Evaluation: Mid-to-upper tier among academy students at best.]
Looking at the panel, Naraku realized his conventional chakra nature was only Fire. His chakra reserves were a pathetic 0.4 Ka—embarrassing for a transmigrator. But chakra usually scaled with physical and mental growth, so it would likely surpass Kakashi's in time.
The real issue was his poor chakra control. No wonder he struggled with Shadow Clone—a B-rank technique was out of reach with low reserves and bad precision.
Still, Naraku figured he could master it within a week with focused effort.
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