Chapter 4: Clapping My Hands

"Really? I didn't notice," Chiya replied casually, deliberately concealing the fact that his remarkable growth was due to cultivating Tiangang Art.

This art had drastically enhanced his physical constitution and spiritual energy, making him far superior to ordinary children his age.

If he extracted chakra like regular ninjas, his six-year-old body could easily produce half a card of chakra — a massive amount for his age. In Sage Mode, his chakra reserves could surge tenfold.

And this was only the beginning. As his age and Tiangang Art mastery grew, his chakra reserves would increase exponentially. (Note: One card refers to the amount of chakra Kakashi possessed during the Kamui era.)

"Of course there's a difference! You were shorter than me before, but now you've already outgrown me," Izumi pouted slightly, exaggerating her tone.

At that moment, Chiya finally noticed what Izumi was holding — two bento lunch boxes.

Seeing his gaze, Izumi's cheeks flushed again. She nervously tightened her grip on the bag and turned her head slightly, feigning aloofness. "Don't get the wrong idea. I just happened to make extra lunch this morning… It's not like I was worried you'd have nothing to eat."

"Thanks a lot," Chiya said, feeling a rare warmth in his heart. Truthfully, he had forgotten to prepare lunch, and the academy didn't provide any.

Izumi's face instantly lit up with joy. "Mm! Let's head to class together."

---

The classroom was already bustling when they arrived. Most seats were occupied, and the air was filled with eager chatter. However, neither of them drew much attention.

Instead, most eyes were glued to one person — Uchiha Itachi.

Chiya could even hear some of the girls whispering in admiration.

"Wow, Uchiha Itachi is so cool!"

"Yeah, and I heard he's the son of the Uchiha Clan head!"

Chiya's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Are these girls serious? Already fangirling at this age?

Izumi, standing beside Chiya, noticed his silence and misinterpreted it as jealousy. Trying to comfort him, she blushed slightly and murmured, "I-I think Chiya-kun is much cooler than Itachi… especially after you saved me last month…"

Chiya sighed, suppressing the urge to facepalm. That's not how you comfort someone, girl.

"Let's just find a seat," he said flatly, moving toward the empty spaces.

At the same time, Itachi noticed them but hesitated to approach. Despite recognizing them from prior encounters, he wasn't the type to initiate casual conversations, especially with people he wasn't close to.

Soon after, their teacher arrived — a slightly chubby, bearded Chunin. Without much fluff, he introduced himself, wrote his name on the board, and began arranging student introductions.

The class atmosphere quickly became lively, filled with cheerful exchanges.

Following the introductions, the teacher distributed textbooks: Konoha Modern History, The Will of Fire, Chakra Refinement Techniques, The Three Basic Jutsu, Basic Taijutsu Methods, and Ninja Tool Throwing: From Beginner to Master.

Additionally, some general education books like geography and mathematics were also provided — essential for the six-year curriculum unless one graduated early.

Chiya casually flipped open Konoha Modern History, and his face instantly darkened.

The First Hokage founding the village? Briefly mentioned.

The Second Hokage ending the First Shinobi War? Barely a line.

The Uchiha and Senju co-founding Konoha? Completely omitted.

Instead, the majority of the book glorified the Third Hokage — how he was a "Ninjutsu Professor," a "Hero of Konoha," and how he led Konoha through the Second and Third Wars.

"Seriously? This is just shameless propaganda," Chiya thought bitterly.

Even the Fourth Hokage, who had died saving the village from the Nine-Tails, only received a single hastily added page. The rest was pure Hiruzen Sarutobi glorification.

He couldn't help but notice Itachi reading The Will of Fire with shining eyes, completely absorbed in the philosophy. It was at this moment that Chiya realized how the future Itachi's mentality began to shift toward village supremacy over his clan.

"Poisonous textbooks, huh?" Chiya sighed internally. If he hadn't retained his past life's knowledge, he might've been brainwashed too.

Tossing the textbook aside, he instead focused on the practical books — Chakra Refinement, The Three Basic Jutsu, and Ninja Tool Throwing. These were far more valuable for his development.

---

By lunchtime, Chiya and Izumi found a quiet spot on the rooftop to eat. After finishing his meal, Chiya shamelessly turned to Izumi.

"By the way… do you have any ninja techniques I can learn?"

Izumi blinked. "Ninja techniques? But the teacher already taught us the Three Basic Jutsu this morning."

"Too simple." Chiya grinned smugly. After ensuring there were no prying eyes around, he effortlessly performed all three jutsu — Clone Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu — with perfect execution.

Izumi's mouth fell open. "W-What?! You already mastered them?!"

"Piece of cake." In truth, his cultivation of Tiangang Art drastically improved his chakra control, making low-level jutsu trivial.

What surprised Chiya even more was that by activating his Sage Mode, he could execute the jutsu *without hand signs*. The natural energy streamlined his chakra flow, allowing him to imitate Hashirama and Madara's hand-sign-less jutsu.

His mind buzzed with excitement. Wait… does this mean I could eventually just clap my hands and summon jutsu like Hashirama and Madara?

A humorous thought struck him.

[Hashirama: "Madara, do you use hand signs?"

Madara (smirking): "Nope. Do you, Hashirama?"

Hashirama (laughing): "Hand signs? What's that? Just clap your hands and it works!"

Meanwhile, Kakashi, Zabuza, and Kisame: crying in the corner. ]

Suppressing his grin, Chiya turned to Izumi. "Seriously, though. Got any higher-level jutsu from your clan?"

Izumi hesitated, biting her lip. "I-I'll see if I can get something for you later…"

Nice. Chiya smiled.

Having access to Uchiha jutsu through Izumi was a major win. Soon, his ninja skill repertoire would explode.