Chapter 2: Ninja School

Chapter 2: Ninja School

That's right, the ninja school does have an elite class. When Ishiro learned about the early enrollment of the ninja school yesterday, he heard from a well-informed classmate that students who graduate from the elite class are highly likely to be assigned to a Jonin captain, while general classes only get assigned to a Chuunin captain.

A Jonin captain! Ishiro was excited. Initially, he had misjudged his own position, but now, with a more accurate understanding of it, his goals had naturally changed as well. Mental strength testing, after all, he was the fusion of two souls. Not to brag, but just from the feeling he got while reading these past few days, he could tell his energy was clearly much better than in his past life. Now, he could sleep for only five hours a night and still be energized throughout the day.

Of course, this came with a condition: no intense physical activity. Since arriving in this world, Ishiro had been doing a certain amount of training daily, mostly running and squats. The intensity wasn't high, as he was preparing for the regular enrollment next year. Although he wasn't old enough, he still planned to shamelessly join the test. As long as he met the requirements, the ninja school teachers wouldn't refuse him. Now that the school had advanced enrollment, he had an opportunity, but no time for extensive training. Also, since this body had not been active much before, he was only just starting to adapt to long periods of physical exertion. This was one of the reasons Ishiro lacked confidence—he kept thinking that everyone would be like the Twelve Kage-level ninjas.

In fact, many ninja families started rigorous physical training at Ishiro's age. With better nutrition and expert guidance, their progress would be far ahead of his. For someone like Ishiro, whose talent and family background were average, and whose father had only recently become a Chuunin, his starting point was definitely much lower than those from prominent clans. If he didn't experience any extraordinary events, his life would likely peak as a Chuunin—one who barely earned that rank through experience. In a war, he would just be a relatively higher-level pawn.

Now, Ishiro had a stroke of luck. While he didn't have a grandparent or system to help, at least he had a mature soul. Perhaps he had some potential in genjutsu or other areas.

As for hiding his weaknesses? Haha! Not a chance. Ninja training wasn't about relying solely on talent—it required countless resources. Various food and medicinal herbs to enhance physical capabilities, ninja tools for training, and the legacy of various ninjutsu techniques all came at a cost. Ninjas were not just high-income individuals, they were also high-consumption ones. Although Ishiro's parents were ninjas, they hadn't left him much in terms of resources.

Ishiro went through his house. In his parents' room, there were two ninjutsu scrolls—one for Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, and the other for Earth Release: Earth Spike. One was for offense, the other for defense. At first, Ishiro thought it was a decent set of jutsu, but after reading the scrolls thoroughly, he was confused. The Earth Flow Wall required seventeen hand seals, and Earth Spike required fifteen.

In other words, even Uchiha Itachi would take two to three seconds to perform these jutsu—enough time for someone to land several strikes. In Ishiro's past memories, aside from Kakashi and Zabuza, no one used so many seals for offensive or defensive techniques.

This led Ishiro to realize something important—hand seals and ninjutsu were not always tied together. First of all, using hand seals wasn't always necessary to perform jutsu. The purpose of hand seals was to help control chakra more smoothly. Beyond that, hand seals were just a flashy part of the technique.

After reading the scrolls, Ishiro understood that beginners needed to practice hand seals to learn how to channel chakra. Hand seals helped guide chakra through specific paths, which was necessary when casting ninjutsu. After repeated use, both the body and soul adapted to the flow of chakra, making it possible to simplify the hand seals over time. For example, Naruto initially needed eight hand seals to perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu, but after using it repeatedly, he only needed one hand seal due to his large chakra reserves and familiarity with the technique.

Ishiro guessed that other people likely had simplified versions of the Earth Flow Wall and Earth Spike. While he might not be able to reduce the hand seals to one, he believed there were versions with three or five seals. Of course, these versions would be far more expensive than the basic ones he had.

Returning to the task at hand, the first round of the test was the simplest: a long-distance run. A Chuunin teacher would follow behind, maintaining a steady pace. If a student was overtaken, their performance would be considered unsatisfactory. They wouldn't be eliminated immediately, but joining the elite class would be out of the question. Those who weren't overtaken would be graded based on their speed.

In Ishiro's group, many of the kids were clearly stronger than average, both in terms of explosive power and endurance. From the start, they pulled far ahead of Ishiro. The 3000-meter run was completed in less than half the time it took Ishiro. Ishiro wasn't hiding his strength—he just didn't have the same physical capabilities.

If not for his recent crash training, Ishiro was certain he would have been overtaken by the Chuunin teacher, who was following behind casually. Standing at the finish line, Ishiro leaned on his knees, gasping for breath. Although the speed wasn't much faster than usual, the pressure from the Chuunin teacher drained more energy than he expected. Especially during the final sprint when the teacher shouted for them to accelerate, Ishiro and the others had to give it their all, feeling like their throats were on fire.

Looking at a few children from prominent families ahead, Ishiro pressed his lips together, not wanting to cause trouble. He turned his attention to the teachers, realizing that the elite students from the powerful families had no difficulty with the test. The teachers were likely evaluating students from ordinary ninja families or civilians, looking for potential.

After observing for a while, Ishiro felt disappointed. The teachers' attention was mainly on the better-performing students. He didn't focus on them anymore, instead turning his gaze toward the next testing area. The strength test wasn't as important as the physical one, but he wasn't sure if his small frame could meet the standards. His advantage lay in his spiritual power, but how could he showcase that?

After a while, when the rest of the group had rested enough, the teacher arranged for the next test. There were stone pillars of various sizes placed in the center of the field. A Chuunin teacher explained, "There are thirty stone pillars of different sizes. You must lift one of the first fifteen to pass. The specific score will depend on the weight. You can try multiple times, and the best result will be recorded."

Ishiro smiled slightly, understanding the purpose of the test. The previous round, with the teacher chasing after them, hadn't mattered much. The final scores were based on speed, but the chase had disrupted their rhythm, including Ishiro's. In the second round, the test focused on strength, but before they could use chakra, everyone's physical strength was fixed. The real challenge was knowing what to choose.

If students misjudged their own strength and tried to lift pillars that were too heavy, not only would they waste precious energy, but it would also affect how the teachers viewed them. After all, if a ninja didn't know their own limitations, the consequences could be disastrous. Of course, if you had the protagonist halo, things could work out differently.

Once the teacher finished explaining the rules, the other students hesitated. Ishiro stepped forward first, standing in front of the fourteenth stone pillar. Taking a deep breath, he used the weight-lifting techniques he had seen in his past life, step by step, lifting the pillar. As soon as he lifted it, he stepped back and released it, letting it fall to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ishiro didn't try the thirteenth pillar again. He turned and walked toward the open space, waiting for the others to finish. He could feel many teachers observing him. Their attention wasn't because he had been the first to step up, but because they were amazed at how well he understood his own abilities.

"Not bad, this kid," said one teacher. "His performance in the physical test wasn't exceptional, just average. He likely won't make it into the elite class."

Another teacher added, "But this kid is the reason for the early enrollment. He requested to join early, and that's why the Tsuchikage and the senior advisors decided to allow it."

Ishiro smiled inwardly. He had earned a 90 in this round. He didn't show it on the outside but shifted his gaze to the other students.

Perhaps unwilling to be overshadowed by Ishiro, a guy who was a head taller than him walked up to the tenth stone pillar and lifted it in one go. Then, with a provocative look, he glanced at Ishiro, gritted his teeth, and managed to lift the ninth pillar as well. After thinking for a moment, he tried the eighth pillar but came up short this time, failing. However, he wasn't discouraged and gave Ishiro a smug look.

Ishiro saw this and couldn't help but smile. "Comparison brings the pain," he thought. If this guy had started with the eighth pillar, he might have actually lifted it. Now, his display of childish arrogance only made Ishiro rate himself at 95 in his mind. "Thanks for the assist," he silently thought.