Chapter 133: Typical…

Umino Iruka stood before his students, gathered at the training spot in the academy. With a determined expression, he addressed them, "Alright, everyone, instead of just introducing yourselves, I want each of you to demonstrate your skills in ninjutsu." As his words sank in, sighs and discomfort spread among the students. Contrary to popular belief, performing ninjutsu was no walk in the park. It demanded immense mental and physical energy, leaving the user drained and unfulfilled. It was hard work intertwined with busy work, especially for cadets struggling with chakra control. Using chakra often left them tired or uncomfortable, especially if they lacked proficiency or had limited chakra reserves.

However, their new teacher remained undeterred by their reactions. He let out an awkward laugh and reassured them, "Don't worry, you're not going to be graded on this. It's merely for me to assess where you are in your studies and plan our lessons accordingly." It was a fair assessment, considering the varying abilities and classes that each student pursued beyond the mandatory curriculum. Even boys and girls had different expectations, with kunoichi often taking flower arrangement classes. As long as they maintained progress with the curriculum, students were largely left to their own devices, seeking guidance from teachers or family members when needed.

Nevertheless, all of this was inconsequential to Homura, who was still fixated on something their new teacher had mentioned earlier in class. "Chakra is greatly influenced by one's mental energy... Chakra is greatly influenced by one's mental energy," Homura repeated incessantly. It wasn't a groundbreaking concept; he already knew it. But he had overlooked a fundamental aspect for far too long, causing him to feel detached and lost. Chakra was a fusion of mental and physical energies, not a direct correlation to them. Homura couldn't believe he had made such a basic mistake for so long. He had never tried to infuse his actions with genuine feelings or delve deep into his connections with others. He had unknowingly locked away a part of himself, just as he had locked away his own potential. Sometimes, hearing a basic concept from someone else's mouth was all it took to realize a flaw or oversight in one's thinking. Yet, to everyone else, it seemed like an ordinary day, unaware of Homura's revelation. Perhaps his pragmatic mindset from his former world had prevented him from fully embracing the spiritual aspect of chakra, perceiving it more as a scientific concept. While both perspectives held merit, relying solely on emotions wouldn't write jutsu formulas or regulate chakra flow for complex ninjutsu. But despite these thoughts, Homura couldn't dismiss what their teacher had said next, "We'll start off with a basic clone jutsu then."

The mention of clone jutsu elicited disappointment from the students. It was a ninjutsu they had been learning for over two years, yet perfecting it remained elusive for most. Imperfect clones were the norm, with only a few students able to create near-perfect replicas. Unfazed by their reactions, Iruka glanced at his clipboard to identify the next student. Unfamiliar with most faces and names except for Naruto, he called out, "Huh, Uchiha Sasuke. Want to give it a shot?" At the sound of Sasuke's name, giggles erupted from most of the girls, their excitement evident. The boys, on the other hand, remained indifferent to the reaction. Naruto, however, felt his nerves buzzing uncontrollably, struggling to contain himself. Homura sensed a similar restlessness within him and thought, "The list in that guy's hand is basically a ranking list." He was aware that Sasuke had topped the rankings last year, but this was a new year, and Homura had trained hard to close the gap between them. But before Sasuke could respond, Naruto impulsively pointed at him and yelled, "Why do you have to act so smug all the time, you bastard?"

In his calm and dismissive tone, Sasuke retorted, "Just shut up, you loser." Sakura quickly interjected, coming to Sasuke's defense, "Leave Sasuke alone. You'll break his concentration."

Ino chimed in, adding, "That's right, you're just in the way, you loser!" The other girls joined in, hurling similar insults at Naruto. Yet, Naruto only paid attention to Sakura, the girl he was in love with. "Come on, not you too, Sakura-chan," he pleaded, his heart shattered. Witnessing this, Homura, standing beside Naruto, felt a slight relief, thinking, "At least he'll sh*t up for a while." He then activated his pair of Sharingan, hidden discreetly behind his thick reading glasses.

"Alright, Sasuke, give it a try," Iruka urged. Sasuke, positioned right in front of the teacher, poised himself and swiftly performed the necessary hand seals for the clone jutsu. With finesse, he proclaimed, "Clone Jutsu!" Two clouds of smoke billowed, obscuring the view, and as the fog cleared, the spectators were astounded by Sasuke's display. All, except Homura, remained in awe. Muttering under his breath, Homura called Sasuke a smug asshole. Sakura, impressed by Sasuke's performance, praised him, unable to discern the real from the clones. Homura scoffed at her naivety, thinking, "What nonsense!" An indignant Sakura demanded an explanation, "What!? What do you mean by 'they're both fakes'!?" Homura pointed towards a branch on a nearby tree, revealing Sasuke's hiding spot to everyone's surprise.

Sasuke, realizing his cover was blown, dropped down from the tree branch and dispelled his clones. With a slightly serious look in his eyes, he asked, "How did you know?" Homura, adopting a casual yet cold demeanor, replied, "You overestimate yourself too much. You're not the only one with good eyes." The two boys locked eyes, their silence speaking volumes, until Naruto, growing impatient, interrupted, "Grrr! What's going on? Why are you guys just staring at each other?" Both boys scoffed and averted their gazes. Sasuke returned to his spot, while Homura released his grip on Naruto's arm.

Iruka who had assisted at everything that had transpired could not help himself but be surprised. He had not expected Sasuke to be able to perform two clones and much less use that gap to hide.

"(That's amazing. He made 2 clones at once while the real Sasuke was able to slip away... Truly worthy of being called a genius, and that other boy called Homura...was able to see it through Sasuke's deception...this class truly has some incredible students.)" Hiruka thought to himself. 

However regardless of his astonishment, he was able to regain his composure and addressed the class once again. 

"Huh, Aburame Shino, please step forward." Iruka said as he looked at his clipboard and a young boy wearing a pair of shades stepped forward without saying anything, or seem unprepared.

He then went to create a perfect visual doppelganger of himself. 

The training session continued, but an air of tension hung among the students. As student after student was called to perform the clone jutsu. 

Last year went so bad for Homura that several students were ahead of him in almost everything, only Homura's academic knowledge saved him to fall severely in the class ranking.

Even Saya was overall ahead of him. 

However, Homura to this day remains the only student that has never made a mistake in any written test since the academy was founded, not even the third, fourth, Itachi and Minato were able to do something similar though they were all the pride of the academy during the time they attended.

Though Homura still had a few years to make a mistake, but as far as he knew that would never happen. He had access to all the knowledge he needed at all time. 

If he did not know something he could just have C show it to him or have C calculate an equation or problem he was having trouble devising.

"Next Homura." Said Umino Iruka as he thought to himself that he would finally see what the student that was able to see through Sasuke's ruse was able to accomplish. 

Sasuke himself finally paid attention to the things on going as he heard Homura's name.

He had thought that Homura was overall slipping when it came to his training last year, though his skills in taijutsu remained more or less the same.

"..."Homura proceeded to move to the center of the circle the students had subconsciously formed as it was the norm during practical exams.

Homura then proceeded to  close his eyes and decided to concentrate, he had ask C to show the recording of the time he was almost killed years ago on loop as he waited for his turn.

Homura tried his hardest to remember that feeling while he kneaded chakra as fast as he could while he remained completely still while doing a basic hand seal.

Homura could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he attempted to recall that elusive feeling that had led to his previous success. He closed his eyes, shutting out the distractions around him, and focused solely on the task at hand. With intense concentration, he began weaving hand seals at an incredible speed, his fingers moving with precision and agility as his eyes remained close to shut off all other distractions.

The strain of maintaining such speed and accuracy was evident on Homura's face. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, his muscles trembling from the exertion. He pushed himself to his limits, determined to showcase his skills in ninjutsu. Every ounce of his mental and physical energy was channeled into this moment.

After what felt like an eternity, Homura had finished waving all the hand seals he needed and channeling his chakra as accurately as he was able to do.

He then shouted "Transformation jutsu!" The intensity in his voice resonated through the training spot, capturing the attention of everyone present.

As the large cloud materialized beside him, anticipation filled the air. The students, their eyes wide with surprise, and even their teacher, couldn't help but be amazed by the spectacle unfolding before them. Four distinct figures emerged from the dissipating smoke, exact replicas of Homura himself. The clones stood in perfect unison, their presence commanding the attention of the entire class.

Homura despise of all odds had managed to create 3 clones. 

He only intended to create 2, but despite of all odds and to his surprise, he had managed to create 3 of them.

Shattering his previous records. 

This level of concentration he exhibited was beyond his wildest dreams, he felt drained as he poured all the energy he could at making clones at once. 

If he was asked to do do it again, it would be impossible. 

Since  Homura simply felt exhausted and was feeling that he could pass out at anytime, the stress he put himself under was a lot stronger than he thought possible. 

However, it was worth the effort if he was able to finally reach another breakthrough.

Chapter end.