Chapter 3: Memory Palace!
The "Scholar" Tag must be synthesized!
A hundred hours of studying with 100% focus—thanks to the Student Tag, focus isn't an issue. Even if you study just one hour a day, at most, it would take 100 days.
"If it really takes 100 days, then there's no hope…"
Shifting his gaze back to the desk, Shūichi Hoshita picked up the clock beside him and set the timer, then opened the scroll left behind by his father.
He had only skimmed through it before, but now he intended to study it thoroughly.
Under the enhancement of the Student Tag, Shūichi Hoshita quickly immersed himself in his studies, undisturbed by anything else.
The scroll contained a lot of information, and it was clear that much of it had been added later, not completed in one sitting.
It covered everything from chakra refinement, shuriken throwing, and the Three Basic Jutsu, to various matters a ninja must be mindful of during missions, and detailed explanations of two Fire Release jutsu.
It was very thorough.
However, when it came to chakra refinement, Shuichi quickly realized that his father was far less skilled than Yakushi Nono.
But that wasn't surprising—after all, Yakushi Nono was a medical ninja and currently at the jonin level, far beyond a chunin's expertise.
Even so, Shūichi Hoshita still gained some valuable insights on chakra refinement from the scroll.
Time ticked away, and when the alarm went off, it was already 4 PM.
Shuichi raised his head, slowly pulling his mind away from the scroll.
1st word: Amazing!
2nd word: Exhausted!
Not only was his mind mentally fatigued, but his body also felt weak, as if he had been completely drained.
Barely able to press the alarm off, Shuichi crawled to get some food.
Luckily, there was plenty of food left from lunch, so he had no shortage of nourishment.
After eating his fill, Shuichi felt revived and couldn't help but reflect, "High-intensity focus can't be sustained for long. Just over two hours and I'm already worn out. My body is still too weak."
Packing up two lunch boxes and two bottles of saltwater, Shuichi finally left the house, strolling to digest his meal as he headed to meet up with Might Guy.
In a small forest in Konoha, after reuniting with Guy, the two began their afternoon training.
Running laps around the forest, running laps on their hands, push-ups, lateral jumps, straight punches, kicks, and finally sparring.
After exhausting their stamina, the two lay on the grass, staring at the starry sky above, panting heavily.
"You truly are my eternal rival, Shuichi!" Guy suddenly grinned.
Despite all the training and sparring, Shuichi had never fallen behind.
Listening to Guy, Shuichi wanted to retort, "Kakashi is your eternal rival…"
But instead, he said, "Effort never goes unrewarded, Guy. When it comes to hard work, I'm not lagging behind you!"
He was a master of motivational speeches.
Of course, Shuichi knew that while 99% effort was crucial, it was the remaining 1% of talent that truly determined one's height.
That's why he was determined to obtain both the "Scholar" Tag and the "Strong and Sturdy" Tag.
And not just those—he needed to trigger more Tags as well.
How else could someone as ordinary as him ever hope to compare with a genius like Kakashi, challenge someone like Danzo, or stand against the Uchiha and Ōtsutsuki who seem to cheat their way through life?
After a brief rest, the two got up, pulled out their lunch boxes, and began devouring their food.
All three lunch boxes were emptied in no time, and Might Guy even licked his clean.
Teenage boys can eat a ton.
The inheritance left by his parents, combined with the village's subsidy, was more than enough to cover Shuichi's basic needs.
But anything beyond that was out of reach.
How could he make some money?
He was just too young!
Lost in thought, Shuichi casually chatted with Guy as they walked home, their occasional laughter startling a few birds from the trees.
By the time they got home, it was nearly 8 PM. After washing the lunch boxes, Shuichi took a refreshing bath, tossing his clothes in to wash as well.
The time was now 8:30 PM.
After preparing a late-night snack, Shuichi sat down at his desk, set the alarm, and once again focused intensely on his studies.
At 11 PM, the alarm went off.
Feeling drained, Shuichi turned off the alarm and quickly downed his prepared snack.
With a full stomach, he paced around the house, reviewing the contents of the scroll in his mind to reinforce his memory.
"My memory is much better than it was in my previous life; maybe I should try the memory palace technique I trained in back then."
Whether it was due to the fact that he had crossed over into this world, or because people in the Naruto world naturally had better memory, Shuichi felt it was worth trying out the memory palace technique.
Especially since in the Naruto world, there were genjutsu, brain-sealing jutsu, and various sealing techniques.
By the time he had finished digesting his food, it was exactly midnight.
He turned off the lights and got into bed.
Within a minute, Shuichi was fast asleep.
...
April 2nd, 5 AM, Shuichi woke up right on time.
After washing up, he went for a run, picked up some groceries, and grabbed breakfast.
After preparing lunch for the day, he ate his breakfast and arrived at the academy by 8 AM, carrying his lunch box as he entered the classroom for Class 1-A.
There was still half an hour before classes began, and the classroom was empty. Unbothered, Shuichi chose a seat and closed his eyes, starting to build his memory palace.
As time passed, the classroom gradually filled with activity.
Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi clinging to Kurenai, Aoba Yamashiro, Ebisu, and several members from various ninja clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Shimura clan, the Uchiha clan, and the Hyuga clan all arrived.
It was clear that Class 1-A was an "elite class."
When Might Guy arrived in the classroom, Shuichi opened his eyes and saw Shizune sitting beside him.
"Hi, I'm Shizune!" she greeted him with a bit of baby fat still on her cheeks.
Shuichi smiled warmly, "Hello, I'm Shūichi Hoshita!"
It seems Tsunade hasn't left the village yet!
After chatting for a bit with Guy and Shizune, the bell rang, and a young man in a green vest walked into the classroom.
The classroom quickly quieted down as the young man scanned the room full of kids, smiling. "Hello everyone, I'm Kimura Kazuya, and from today on, I'll be your homeroom teacher."
"Now, let's all go together to pick up your textbooks!"
A group of students followed Kimura Kazuya out of the classroom to collect their textbooks, just as Obito Uchiha rushed in.
Kakashi couldn't resist a jab, "Almost missed out on getting textbooks!"
Obito, frustrated, didn't have time to argue as Rin quickly urged him, "Obito, hurry and catch up!"
Hmph!
With a grunt, Obito caught up with Rin.
...
After picking up the textbooks, Shuichi realized that the ninja academy had quite a few courses.
Chakra Analysis, Hand Seals and Chakra, Secrecy and Codes, Traps and Tracking, Introduction to Genjutsu, Three Basic Jutsu, Will of Fire, Nindo, Konoha Chronicles, Ninja World, Introduction to Sealing, Mathematics, Mechanics, Biology and Poisons...
There were as many as 20 courses in total, and although this was spread out over the six years of the academy, it was still a lot.
Will of Fire and Nindo were basically ideology courses, while Konoha Chronicles and Ninja World were history classes.
The rest were all specialized courses.
Including subjects like Mathematics and Mechanics, which Shuichi had never imagined would be part of the curriculum.
Are these really useful?
After thinking it over, Shuichi realized that courses like mathematics and mechanics would indeed be useful for ninjas who needed to be versatile, like mercenaries.
Whether in combat, assassination, or espionage.
Carrying a large stack of textbooks, Shuichi realized he needed to reassess his understanding of what it meant to be a ninja.
(End of Chapter)