07 - The Glass Cannon Dilemma
---Ryouma's POV---
"My name is Aotsuki Ryouma. I enjoy studying ninjutsu, dislike unexpected events, and my dream is to protect the peaceful life I have."
I finished my self-introduction in a methodical manner and sat down.
"He's so cute!" A girl in the class whispered softly.
This wasn't surprising. In the shinobi world, where the average lifespan was less than 40, kids matured early. The harsh reality of our world pushed everything forward—childhood, training, even attraction.
What was more, I was indeed good-looking in this life.
Ignoring the girls who were swooning over me, I looked out the window. Yes, my seat was the legendary "last row by the window," famously the "protagonist seat."
But that wasn't the main point. The focus was on a green figure running outside on the playground.
Sweat had soaked through his outfit, and his breaths came in visible gasps. Yet his eyes—I could see them clearly—still burned with the same intensity as his first lap.
A banner fluttered behind him, reading, "Run 500 laps to qualify for admission."
That must be Might Guy. The person in the larger green bodysuit beside him should be his father, Might Duy.
According to the storyline, the Third Hokage should currently be secretly observing the new students. After witnessing Guy's perseverance, he would add Guy, who was initially rejected, to the list of alternate admissions.
It was hard to say if Guy's later deep respect for the Third Hokage stemmed, in part, from this. Life has a way of creating these quiet turning points.
Still, it might be a good idea to encourage the father-son duo after school. While Duy was another matter, I remembered that during this period, Guy cared quite a bit about others' opinions of him.
In my previous life, I really admired him as a character. For the current young Guy, having a peer acknowledge him might help him define his shinobi path more quickly.
---Third POV---
"My name is Aotsuki... no, I'm Nohara Rin. I enjoy cooking, don't particularly dislike anything, and my dream is to become a kunoichi like Tsunade-sama."
What am I even saying?! she thought as she quickly sat down, her face blushing at her slip of the tongue.
Her mind had been preoccupied with Ryouma's earlier self-introduction and the part where he mentioned "disliking unexpected events." She wondered what he meant by that. Before she realized it, she had blurted out her introduction.
Ah, I hope Ryouma doesn't think I'm weird. Rin, still just a young girl yet to become a ninja, was naturally concerned about how others perceived her.
In truth, not many people noticed her slip of the tongue—Ryouma included, as he was focused on the two green figures on the playground.
The self-introductions were nearing their end.
Suddenly, Ryouma felt a gaze locked onto him. It wasn't Rin; if it were her, his body wouldn't have reacted with such alertness.
Using his Rikugan and its 360-degree field of vision, he quickly pinpointed the source: a black-haired girl.
Judging by her clothing, she must be from the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha were indeed known for their good looks; she had the quintessential straight black hair. In his previous life, people would surely have called her "waifu."
Weird people.
The girl quickly looked away, as it was her turn to introduce herself.
"My name is Uchiha Shiori. I like growing stronger, dislike the weak, and my dream is to become a figure like the First Hokage." After speaking, she sat down.
Even her voice was the perfect tone of a studious girl. This definitely warranted extra attention—ah, no, it was worth taking note of her.
The academic workload at the Ninja Academy wasn't heavy, and school ended early in the afternoon.
Many clan ninjas sent their children to the Academy primarily to help them form reliable bonds and build relationships with the descendants of other ninja clans.
These clan-born children would spend much of their time after school mastering their family's secret techniques, so the Academy naturally didn't take up too much of their time.
As for civilian ninjas who truly wanted to learn more about ninjutsu at school, well, they had no choice.
The ninja world is like this: the gap between civilian ninjas and clan ninjas is enormous. Without some kind of extraordinary luck, most civilians would remain chunin for their entire lives.
Only a very few exceptions manage to break this limit—like Namikaze Minato or Aotsuki Ken.
---Ryouma's POV---
Rin and I walked out of the classroom together, while Kakashi went to help Obito with his enrollment paperwork.
Outside the school, Guy had collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, the dirt around him darkened with sweat. His legs trembled with each attempt to stand, but his hands remained firmly clenched, pressing against the ground as he pushed himself up once more.
Duy knelt beside him, one hand on Guy's shoulder. I couldn't hear their words, but I saw Guy's head shake, saw his father's grip tighten. Then Duy stood, demonstrating a stance—something about proper form even when exhausted, judging by his gestures. Guy watched intently, his eyes never leaving his father's movements despite his obvious fatigue.
As the sun set, the father and son embraced each other in tears.
"This feels like a scene from a historical drama. Let's go, Rin," I said, watching the touching moment as if it were a world-class painting. I felt like my eyes needed cleansing.
"But aren't those two... embarrassed?" Rin couldn't understand but decided to respect it.
"It's fine; it's just their way of expressing their emotions," I explained after seeing her shocked expression. "In our world, understanding others is as important as any jutsu."
As we passed by the father and son, I paused and spoke to Guy. "I saw your effort on the playground. That kind of dedication will make you an outstanding ninja someday."
"But I couldn't complete the challenge..."
"Does it matter? Real strength isn't about completing every task perfectly —it's about never giving up." With that, I quickly walked away.
I had to leave quickly—what if the two of them grabbed me and started crying together while singing praises of youth? I couldn't take that risk.
Rin also left a few words of encouragement before skipping a few steps ahead to catch up with me.
Guy loudly thanked us as we walked away.
"Thank you for your support!"
---
"You seem to understand a lot about being a ninja," Rin observed thoughtfully as we walked down the dusty road leading away from the Academy.
"I just observe," I replied with a slight smile. "Sometimes watching tells you more than any textbook."
Rin nodded, her footsteps light beside mine.
"This is where I turn," she said as we reached the intersection. She adjusted her bag, hesitating for a moment. "See you tomorrow, Ryouma?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I replied, watching as she headed down the street. Her small figure grew distant, occasionally waving to villagers she knew.
I continued my walk home, passing the training grounds where several chunin were wrapping up their practice.
When I reached home, I slipped off my sandals at the entrance and headed straight to my room. The house was quiet, save for the distant sounds of village life coming through my window.
I settled at my desk and opened the interface of my system.
[Name: Aotsuki Ryouma]
[Skills: Chakra Molding, Substitution Jutsu, Transfer Seal - Ōtoshi (One-time Use), Rasengan, Fire Release: Flame Bullet, Lightning Release: Ground Strike, Shadow Clone Technique, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique]
[Wish Rewards: Rikugan]
[Mail: No New Messages]
For someone who had just entered the Ninja Academy, this system interface was undeniably luxurious, all thanks to the chakra control capabilities of the Rikugan.
The Rikugan's chakra control ability is beyond what I anticipated, I mused while reviewing my progress.
The more I practiced the ninjutsu from the scrolls left behind by Father, the more I realized just how absurdly precise the so-called "precise chakra control" truly was.
My chakra attributes were Fire, Lightning, and Wind. My father had Fire and the Lightning attribute he later trained. Thus, I could only use Fire Release and Lightning Release as references for practice.
Since gaining the Rikugan, my abilities had significantly improved after just one year of training—especially in ninjutsu.
For example, both the Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan required little training; I mastered them on my first attempt. Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was similar in structure to the Shadow Clone Technique, so with minor adjustments, I learned it easily as well.
I focused most of my energy on studying the nature and shape transformations of lightning chakra. I wanted to develop a technique similar to the Third Raikage's Lightning Chakra Mode.
In my past life, it was well-known that most ninjas were "glass cannons." I envied the Lightning Chakra Mode for its defensive capabilities.
However, my research had recently reached a bottleneck. Without the refined, battle-hardened body of someone like the Third Raikage, adapting to the stimulation of lightning chakra was a slow process.
This realization made me understand that even with the assistance of the Rikugan, researching many ninjutsu techniques was far from simple. Researchers like Orochimaru and Tobirama—their greatest achievement wasn't jutsu creation, but understanding fundamentals.
And it was time to apply that lesson.