Chapter 13: Chakra Nature

[Shinji's Perspective]

After my fight, the rest of the class paired up for their matches:

Akira vs. Koby (a Hyūga)

Akane vs. Fumiko

Shigeo vs. Aoi

The best fight by far was Shigeo vs. Aoi—not because it was an evenly matched battle, but because Shigeo, knowing his inevitable fate, immediately tried to forfeit. Unfortunately for him, Shinzo-sensei refused to let him escape. What followed was a hilarious one-sided beat down as Aoi pummelled the life out of him, while the rest of us laughed at his suffering.

The most notable match was Akira vs. Koby. The two fought neck and neck for five intense minutes before Koby barely pulled off the victory. Yet, despite losing, Akira didn't seem the least bit disappointed. If anything, he looked... unconcerned.

I narrowed my eyes. He's hiding something. Maybe he's already awakened his Sharingan?

As expected, Akane won her match against Fumiko, though there were no hard feelings between them.

Once the fights ended, Shinzo-sensei went down the line, offering critiques on each student's performance—techniques to refine, stances to correct, and training methods to focus on.

Then he got to me.

He stared for a moment, then sighed, shutting his notebook with a loud snap.

"You don't need any improvements. Just keep doing whatever it is you do."

With that, he turned and left.

The class blinked in surprise. Then, Aoi—munching on a pack of crackers he had mysteriously acquired—grinned. "Wow, you're so good, he didn't even have anything to correct."

I casually stole one of his crackers. "I follow Jiraiya-sensei's training program every day. He already covered everything I need."

Aoi nodded, stuffing more food into his mouth as we started walking toward the exit. The first day of the Academy had officially come to an end.

Or so I thought.

As I reached the gates, Kuruto stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His fists were clenched, frustration evident in his stance.

"How did you do it?" he demanded.

I tilted my head. "Do what?"

His Byakugan flared slightly as he nearly shouted, "Don't act like you don't know! How did you make your chakra change so much? I couldn't even see your tenketsu—it was all just a big mess! Are you even human?!"

I smirked. "Byakugan can't see everything. Start using your brain more."

I walked past him as he fumed. "My eyes can see everything! I'll find out what you did, and next time, I'll defeat you!"

Shigeo sighed as we left the Academy grounds. "Why do you have to rile him up? Now he's gonna be even more annoying."

I shrugged. "At least now he has a reason to actually train instead of relying purely on his bloodline. Good for him."

We laughed, chatting about useless things as we made our way home.

That evening, I headed straight to the ninja tool shop. With my Academy ID card, I was finally eligible to purchase basic shinobi gear—kunai, shuriken, and wire. Explosive tags were still off-limits, but I could work around that later.

I quickly grabbed what I needed before moving on to the main reason I came here.

Chakra paper.

I had lived in this world for a full year, yet I had never tested my chakra nature. Maybe it was because I hadn't needed it before, but with ninjutsu training about to begin, it was time to know where my affinities lay.

Back home, I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at the thin, delicate paper in my palm. Taking a deep breath, I sent a controlled pulse of chakra into it.

The paper immediately wrinkled.

Lightning.

I stared at it, processing the result. I expected water, since both my parents had it as their primary nature. But this? This opened up entirely different possibilities.

Lightning-style had some of the most powerful jutsu in existence—Chidori, Kirin, Lightning Chakra Cloak. All techniques that could put me in the big leagues if I mastered them properly.

A dangerous thought crossed my mind.

"Maybe I should raid the Raikage's office for some advanced Lightning Jutsu scrolls."

I shook my head, pushing away the reckless idea. Not yet.

Still, I had another thought.

"Can I modify the Hydrification Jutsu for Lightning Release?"

If I could merge Lightning-style techniques with a fluid body style, I could develop a completely unique jutsu – Lightning man.

I grinned. New goal unlocked.

Setting those thoughts aside, I retrieved my Fūinjutsu scroll and resumed studying.

The fundamentals of sealing techniques were surprisingly logical and scientific—a blend of chakra control, creativity, and mathematical precision. The symbols formed intricate circuits, functioning much like electric nodes, with chakra acting as the power source.

Right now, I was still at the basics, but one thing was clear:

Fūinjutsu was far more complex than people gave it credit for.

For now, my first goal was simple—learn how to make an explosive seal.

Hours later, after burning through multiple scrolls, I switched gears to plan my first jutsu to master.

I had already decided on two: Body Flicker and Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Both were incredibly useful, but I needed to fully master one before moving to the next. And in my mind, the best choice was obvious.

"Shadow Clone first."

Not only would it let me train at an insane pace, but with my insane chakra reserves, I could abuse the hell out of it.

With that decision made, my day finally came to an end, packed to the brim with training, study, and planning. I don't even have time for Academy homework.

Or friends.

The next morning, after finishing my training routine, I arrived at the Academy, prepared for another day of self-study under Shinzo-sensei.

"If he doesn't actually teach us anything, how are we supposed to pass the exams?" Fumiko whined, flipping through a scroll.

I didn't even look up from my Fūinjutsu notes. "If you ask him, he'll explain."

Shigeo yawned. "Yeah, he just doesn't want to waste energy teaching kids who don't care. If you actually want to learn, he'll help."

Classic lazy genius logic.

And so, our days at the Academy continued—training, studying, and slowly growing stronger.

[Itachi's Perspective]

Since the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha Clan had been growing more and more isolated from the village.

Every time I walked through the streets, I saw the same expressions—fear, suspicion, hatred. There was no evidence of our clan's involvement in the attack, yet the village looked at us like traitors.

And within the Uchiha Clan? Resentment was boiling.

If something didn't change soon, tensions would reach a breaking point—one that would end in blood.

I stood atop a tree, watching over the village when Shisui-san appeared beside me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The village, people living without fear of another disaster, smiling at each other" he said, gazing at the people below.

His voice was light, but there was a weight behind his words.

Then, he turned to me. "If the time comes, Itachi—who will you protect? The clan, or the village?"

I had no answer.

But in his eyes, I saw his.

And I knew that in mine, he saw mine too.