The Shinobi Academy is a large, three-story building that houses over a dozen spacious lecture halls where students receive their initial theoretical foundation. This foundation was developed by many shinobi who lost their lives in its creation. It could be said that the entire knowledge base imparted to the students is written in the blood of those who developed it.

 

Surrounding the building itself is a considerably large area where all students can train and engage in personal development. It is here that theoretical lessons are put into practice, allowing academy students to hone the most essential skills for shinobi work. The training area includes several different mini-biomes resembling those in which shinobi might operate: a sandy biome, a lake biome, a forest biome, and even a stone biome. These are crucial for preparation, especially considering potential adversaries. Particularly extensive training is conducted in the forest biome because Konoha is also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

 

The Academy itself operates as a semi-military formation because not everyone graduates as a qualified Genin. Those who fail the final test do not receive the much-desired badge but are given a choice: either to stay in the village or to go to the Military Academy at the court of the Daimyo, where all other soldiers and military personnel are trained for various officer ranks.

 

Upon entering the territory, I detected a faint smell of old paint and moss. Passing by an empty white booth, I noticed its paint beginning to peel off, creating a picture of time and oblivion. Inside, where it seemed there was never anyone, silence reigned. However, upon closer inspection, through the dirty glass, one could see an old stool and a table covered in a thick layer of dust, which danced in the rays of the sun penetrating through the window. Turning my head and frowning slightly, I looked at the old clock with rusty hands, somewhat hidden in the bushes from a fleeting glance. It seemed that no one had worked here for a long time, but to my surprise, the clock showed the correct time. Just a few more minutes.

 

Other students were also arriving at the Academy, hoping to make it in time for the start of classes. Being late is punished with penalties ranging from additional physical training to cleaning the dirtiest places in Konoha, namely the Akimichi pig farm near the wall. In short, it's not the most pleasant way to spend time.

 

Entering the building, I headed to my class. Most of the students were already there, actively discussing various topics. Casting a quick glance around, I noticed several hands shooting into the air, waving and beckoning me over. These were friends and comrades from the past, eager to reconnect. Not wanting to disappoint them and attract unnecessary attention, I headed their way.

 

On my way, I carefully observed the students, noticing a variety of interesting things. The first thing I noticed was Neji Hyuga, who sat alone, staring out the window. He was in the front row, his long hair tied in a braid at the end. His right arm and leg were wrapped in bandages. According to Suzuki's memory, young Hyuga always adorned his body with such decorations: a white shirt with a large collar and short sleeves, and dark brown shorts. He was the best fighter in our class.

 

Next, I noticed a girl sitting at the next desk. It was Tenten, the only one wearing two buns on her head. This student was dressed in a green shirt with short sleeves and long pants. She was the best in class at bukijutsu, also known as "weapon techniques." Tenten was exceptionally skilled at throwing kunai, and according to some teachers, she had even reached the level of a weak Genin in this art, but she was also quite proficient with a sword and staff. However, it was evident that she specifically focused on throwing weapons.

 

Others in the class weren't particularly famous, though they also had their strengths and weaknesses. The class consisted of non-clan members, like me or Tenten, and clan members, like Hyuga. Besides Neji, among the clan members, there was a girl from the Inuzuka clan with a small dog in her arms, a boy from the Akimichi clan who was always chewing something and was already wider than he was tall. Also, a boy and a girl from the Nara clan caught attention. The boy was as lazy as a log, while the girl was hyperactive and easily smacked the boy on the head, making him do something. The Yamanaka twins always tried to appear mysterious, but no one was fooled. They loved sweets more than anyone else. Even the Akimichi next to them was nothing in comparison. There were also students from minor clans, which numbered no more than seven people, but they definitely did not make up the majority.

 

Most of the students were not from clans. They might have one shinobi parent, or there might be no shinobi in the family at all. We made up the main gray mass of the class. We didn't stand out in most cases, except in numbers. The problem was that many didn't take shinobi training seriously. Non-clan students knew that the world could be dangerous, but almost none had an understanding of what this danger entailed. This meant that the students didn't have much motivation to train hard. Many students, after the end of the school day, ran off to play games, even leaving homework for later. I don't know the statistics for non-clan Academy graduates, but something tells me that very few of them achieve something great.

 

Even thinking about it, I can't recall a single famous Jonin from non-clan backgrounds. But clan Jonins come to mind very quickly. For example, the legendary Kakashi Hatake or Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Hokage. In general, life is not sweet for us. And if I want to break out from this gray mass in any way, I need to put in maximum effort to achieve results.

 

"Hey there, Suzuki!" said a guy shorter than me, with a broad nose and somewhat thick lips. He had chestnut hair. He was dressed simply and unassumingly. "You're a bit late today."

 

"Hi, Ajonni," I nodded to him. "Yeah, the walk just seemed longer than usual today."

 

"Is that so?" he nodded back. "We were thinking about going to the movies after school."

 

Movies are a popular form of entertainment in Konoha. Most of the clientele are not shinobi. Of course, this doesn't mean that shinobi don't go to watch movies, but they do so less frequently. Shinobi have less free time for such activities. No one says what they're busy with, but I think my assumptions will prove to be correct. I assume they spend the time between missions training or recuperating. Beyond that, it's hard for me to judge, as I don't have personal experience in such matters.

 

"What movie?" I inquired.

 

"The Prince and the Pig," he replied.

 

"Oh, I don't know," I shook my head, glancing at the clock. The lesson should be starting soon. "Probably not. I have some tasks I still need to take care of."

 

"As you wish," Ajonni shrugged. "Then we'll go, just the three of us. Thought to buy some chips, sweet water... You like sweet water, don't you?"

 

It's true, Suzuki really liked sweet water. I, on the other hand, am neutral towards it, preferring cold plain water, better with ice, but that's quite expensive.

 

"Ah," was all I could exhale. "I would like to, but I can't."

 

"Alright," he waved it off.

 

At that moment, our teacher entered the classroom. He was a tall, blond shinobi dressed in a light dark-green vest and dark-blue pants. His protector with the village symbol was on his arm, and he was looking off to the side. A pouch was on his left side and seemed a bit heavy. The teacher held a small stack of papers in his hands. As he approached his desk and placed the papers down, all the students were already seated in their places.

 

As soon as the clock hands passed a certain time, he turned to us and smiled.

 

"Good morning, students!"

 

"Good morning, Ichigo-sensei," the class responded in unison.

 

Ichigo Kuradaki became our teacher last year. Our previous teacher died on a mission he undertook during the summer holidays. We even attended his funeral. No one disclosed the mission's details, but I don't think it was high-level. After all, most teachers are chunin or sometimes tokubetsu jonin.

 

Our class loves the teacher. He assigns exercises and classwork but never exerts undue pressure. The same goes for homework. A student can complete it if they wish or not at all. I can't say I agree with this teaching method because non-clan students quickly start falling behind their clan peers. Moreover, it deprives the students of the chance to survive in critical situations. On the other hand, if a student doesn't want to learn, almost nothing can make them understand and remember the information. Of course, one could break the psyche of such students, but that's considered somewhat inhumane.

 

I thought inhumanity and shinobi couldn't coexist... until it came to training at the Academy.

 

However, as soon as a student approaches Ichigo-sensei with a question, he's willing to spend several hours of his free time ensuring the student has understood and grasped his answer. This means those who consistently reach out to him and ask questions have the opportunity to develop faster than others. I think I need to talk to him and inquire about some topics. From Suzuki's memory, I know that only Tenten approached him. None of the other non-clan kids did, not even Suzuki, which is unfortunate because in doing so, he lost opportunities and time. I'm not going to act that way.

 

"Tenten," he addressed the girl, "distribute these papers to all the students."

 

"Yes, sensei," she responded.

 

Tenten was something of our class representative. Although there's no official title as class representative in the Shinobi Academy, teachers still need assistants from among the students to pass on homework if a student is sick or, like today, to distribute some papers.

 

The girl quickly picked them up and began walking between the desks, handing a set of papers to each student. When she gave me mine, I began to examine the title page with great interest. The title of the stapled documents was "Chakra Beasts, Edition 29, Academic Committee."

 

Opening it, I looked with great interest at the pictures, as well as the short descriptions of the various monsters. They could only be called monsters. The brief descriptions included references to larger encyclopedias where one could find more detailed information. Chakra beasts are a major scourge of the world because they are incredibly dangerous to ordinary people. Besides being able to use chakra, chakra beasts can utilize it at their own level. Some use it simply to move faster, while others spit lava, acid, or something else. Even in Konoha, a few of them can be found without much trouble. And as soon as you leave the village territory, their numbers increase exponentially. One must be incredibly cautious with them.

 

Chakra beasts are dangerous creatures but can also be quite beneficial. The Inuzuka clan, for example, built an entire lineage on working with canine chakra beasts. Extracts can be obtained from them for use in medicine, various substances can be created, and even some artifacts. Of course, all this does not compare to pure chakra, but even so, it is something useful and important.

 

"As you probably understood," the sensei began to speak when Tenten returned to her place, "you received the new edition about chakra beasts. I advise you to spend a few hours and study this information because these are new types of chakra beasts that were discovered within a half-day's journey from the village."

 

So, this is what we need. We'll have to go to the library and study the encyclopedias on these chakra beasts. I wouldn't want to get a needle in the belly and not know how to save myself. Such a death would be disgraceful, and I have absolutely no desire to die.

 

After everyone briefly looked over the papers and enjoyed the interesting pictures, the lesson began.

 

The final course at the Shinobi Academy was heavily focused on chakra manipulation. Each student had to master chakra at a sufficient level to pass the final exam, which consists of demonstrating three techniques. The first technique is the Clone Technique. To pass successfully, one needs to create a minimum of three clones. The second technique is the Transformation Technique. For this technique to pass, the resemblance needs to be eighty percent accurate. In general, it should be impossible to recognize the transformation at first glance. And the third technique is the Body Replacement Technique. To pass, one needs to replace oneself with a log before getting hit by a stone.

 

We just started learning these techniques, and it immediately became clear that they were not so simple. Rarely could any of the students demonstrate anything. To start practicing them, one needs to learn to manipulate chakra. To manipulate chakra, you need to control it. And that's exactly how our school year began. I know of several practices for training control... that is, Suzuki learned them, but he did nothing when he returned from the Academy. Besides control and chakra manipulation, one needs to be able to create hand seals. And Suzuki, like many other students, ignored this most important skill.

 

In general, the situation is not very promising. I will need to put in quite a lot of effort to catch up with the clan members and even more to surpass them. The only thing I have is a tremendous amount of spiritual energy that can be utilized.

 

After the first class, which lasted an hour, we had a short break during which we could do whatever we wanted. The teacher left the classroom. Immediately, there was the sound of children running around, shouting, and expressing various other emotions.

 

To occupy myself, I started looking through the books and notebooks I had. The first thing that struck me was the impermissibly empty notebooks, as well as unopened books. You know, when you buy a book, put it somewhere on a shelf, and then open it a year later. It's like you've had it for a whole year, but what's inside... you have no idea. Maybe half of the pages are just missing.

 

That's the situation for me too. Without intending to postpone everything for later, I started reading the first chapter in the book: "A Guide to Chakra Control." Suzuki remembered the information the teacher said but didn't delve into the technical aspects. And these technical aspects mean a lot.

 

The next lesson was about the history of the Land of Fire and the village. It was an interesting lesson but not particularly impressive because nothing thrilling was shown or demonstrated. Only some might have been interested in the maps. But not in our class. The maps that hung with us were not interesting at all and allowed almost nothing to be understood. The distance was unclear, the scale was unclear, as were the elevations, markers, and everything else. In general, the maps could have been made better. No, I understand that maps will necessarily be made with errors so that enemies can't make proper logistics... but what we see on the board is sad.

 

Maybe the Hokage and jonin have proper maps, but definitely not the Academy. Most likely, they spared the expenses. Since the teacher had no intention of making us listen attentively and remember, the class soon turned into a sleepy kingdom. Students were nodding off, unable to fight the waves of sleep washing over them. I too might have fallen in this unequal battle if I hadn't started practicing chakra control.

 

The exercise I chose required very little: a leaf and time. Rolling it on my palm was very difficult. I really had to sweat and fully focus to keep it in one place. I would never have thought that controlling chakra could be such a difficult task. The teacher, when demonstrating this exercise, looked as if he could spin a hundred such leaves on his body and not even get winded. That's what a higher level of control means.

 

After this lesson, we had a longer break. Then there was supposed to be a practical lesson on chakra control, where we would all be working on its development. I think this will be one of the most important lessons for me because it will be my first time making a proper and adequate attempt to control this amazing energy. Like all the other students, I took out my food. No one approached me because my hierarchical position in the class was not high. All the previous school days, it was Suzuki who approached the desk of the "leader" of their group. It was the leader who suggested going to see a movie, which I declined.

 

Quietly enjoying my snack, I listened a little to the conversations. Naturally, girls were interested in boys. Boys, in turn, were interested in something completely different from girls. When we receive the rank of genin, it will mean that we have automatically become adults. And that means rights, duties, and responsibilities as adults. But looking at many, I can say they are very far from the concept of adulthood. Well, many will grow up quickly on their first missions.