6 Passing and the Elite Class!
{Konoha Academy, Konohagakure}
...
[Chakra: 214/214 {E-}]
[Chakra Regen: 5.5 Chakra/min {D}]
[Chakra Control: 21.92%{ D-}]
...
I read the status panel once again and stared at the number of decimal points attached to the Chakra Control stat. Every few minutes, the number would change and go up. Staring and waiting for the number to rise was a good pastime that I had gotten used to. It was exhilarating to see myself improve in real-time, and for that, I would thank whoever produced the glitch in the matrix so that I could see this.
The exhilarating feeling didn't last long, though. Even though I managed to keep the leaf stuck to my forehead for as long as possible, it only lasted about 40 seconds. The familiar sense of heaviness returned, and I knew if I dared to push more, I would spend the next 15 minutes curled into a ball, feeling nauseous.
It all started three days ago when I was allowed to go home from Konoha Hospital. While I was going through Konoha, I took a fallen leaf on my trek back to the Orphanage and tried to replicate the exercise shown on the show. It wasn't easy, and the problem came from my understanding of chakra itself.
In the show, it was shown that just using a steady stream of chakra would allow you to stick a leaf to your forehead. Even the same theory was behind tree walking, while water walking never made sense to me. I just chalked all of it up to chakra magickery bullshit and enjoyed the show. Now, though, when I was in the world and had to find a way to achieve that same magic, it became a little difficult at first.
The main reason why the leaf sticking and, to a greater extent, tree/wall walking works is because of the property of the chakra that allows it to maintain its structure, given you have enough control. Take the Rasengan, for example- it is supposed to be the epitome of shape manipulation, which is mostly what chakra control is, to be able to exert influence on your chakra once it's left the tenketsu.
It was hard at first, maybe because my initial direction was wrong. When I started practicing controlling the chakra in the hospital, I figured out things by trial and error, and once I saw my chakra control improving, I kind of overindulged in the number going up bullshit and configured all of my tenketsu to release the chakra by removing all obstruction. That was the wrong approach as each second, 10 to 20 units of chakra left any or every single one of my Tenketsu.
The Tenketsu spread throughout my body and worked like an extension of my will, a muscle that I didn't have in my past life but one that I could control, given I was familiar with its location. But any time I tried to do the Leaf Concentration exercise, the leaf would be blown away because too much chakra was leaving my tenketsu for the exercise to work.
I then had to think of ways to overcome the problem, and even though the situation was simple, retraining muscle memory was harder than learning something new. Now, instead of blasting the chakra from the opening like opening a dam, I try to squeeze as little chakra as possible, something similar to a stream. A hint of this was even present in the original anime, one that I had forgotten in my haste.
It was the main reason I didn't hesitate or even try to hide my abilities today and tried to do as best as I could. As much as I would like to believe I know hidden shortcuts from the show and I do have some useful information, there is nothing that would help me with the basics.
'The Elite class would have more resources, I would never be able to overtake Itachi, the heir to the Uchiha Clan when it comes to resources, so I need to do the best I can, and that means getting into that classroom. I don't know if I will get a chance to do so either, considering that I know nothing about Taijutsu and ShurikenJutsu.' The thought lingered in my mind as the leaf settled down onto my hands.
My chakra was exhausted, and I just hoped that the chunin in charge got the time right- when I looked up at him, he nodded suddenly at the unasked question, even though he was looking at someone else.
'Was he nodding at me?' I thought, but getting the answer to that question didn't change anything. I was asked to perform the exercise, and I did so; the rest was not up to me.
The rest of the class was also quickly finished, as most of them were just 5 years old and quite new to chakra and chakra control. Almost all of us had pitiful reserves and chakra control. So, the effectiveness of one's chakra was very low. That's why very low expectations were set from the very beginning.
My chakra was slowly regenerating, and by the time everyone was done, the heaviness at the back of my head had disappeared. I wasn't good to go, but by the time I reached back to the Orphanage, I would be able to do this exercise once again.
Repeated exhaustion of my chakra reserves to dangerously low levels not only allowed me to train a bit more, but every time my chakra reserves became full again, they increased somewhat. The change was random but confined within a range of 1-3. So I was determined to do this exercise every day, if nothing else than to increase my reserves.
"Alright, good job. As I told you guys, your results will be posted on the board outside the reception desk. All of you will likely be admitted to the Elite class. Well done!" With that praise, the chunin waved his hand, dismissing everyone. Everyone's stoic demeanor broke as the different groups started discussing their latest triumph in excited whispers.
I slowly started to get up, ignoring the protests of my body. My leg trembled at the sudden pressure, but it lessened as I managed to regain my balance. My struggle didn't go unnoticed as both Izumi and Itachi, who were close, were eying my leg.
"...Why? Why did you push through what clearly is a previous injury?" Izumi asked, her face set in a mixture of confusion and apprehension.
I stared at her and then at Itachi and then sighed, "Doesn't matter, I got what I wanted... It was nice to meet you. Take care of me in the future." I didn't bow down. A little hint of leftover rebellion from my last life wouldn't allow me to do so, not to my peers. I simply inclined my head in a greeting before I started walking toward the exit.
A second later, both of them moved and followed me. It hurt, but I managed to walk straight without a stumble. As we arrived at the hallway, I took advantage of the amassed crowd and slipped behind Itachi and Izumi once again. My little bit of rebellion aside, I don't want to make the mistake of leading the heir when his father likely would be waiting for us.
As we arrived at the entrance, a small hallway passed by. My eyes scanned the crowd, and only Fugaku and Izumi's mother were there. The matron was nowhere to be found.
'Did she go back? Makes sense, she is quite busy as always.'
Other than that, there was no sign of Seiji, either. I simply followed Itachi, seeing that his father, the heir, had made a beeline to the Uchiha entourage.
"How did it go, Itachi?" Fugaku asked.
He got a small smile from Itachi, who nodded and replied, "Pretty good."
"Good," Fugaku nodded. His eyes turned to me as I was the only one waiting. Izumi was already swept away by her mother. They were whispering among themselves.
"Himiko-san had to go back to the clan. You can follow us back to the compound." Fugaku spoke/commanded.
I resisted the urge to frown and simply nodded, "Good, let's go." Fugaku spoke.
'What happened with Seiji? Did he go back with the Matron?' I thought but didn't voice my question.
As Fugaku began moving, Izumi and her mother joined our group. Normally, it wouldn't have mattered, but right now, she was standing in front of me, a frown etched on her face.
'Did I offend her or something?' I thought, but her next words caught me off-guard.
[Uchiha Kumiko]
"Show me your leg," the lady demanded. I looked at her blood-red name, and it was a swift and easy decision for me to comply. I put my right leg forward and used my hands to grab onto my pants and pull them up, exposing the bottom half of my injury.
Before I could speak, she was already moving. She bent down, her right hand sliced through the fabric of my pants, and a few hand seals later, her hand glowed green. A familiar chakra invaded my body, and this time, I had a little more picture of what was happening. My body, muscles, and skin were absorbing her chakra and regenerating.
'Did she practice the Iryo Ninjutsu, or did she copy the technique?' I thought as I stared at the state of my pants and sighed. While I have always complained about being poor in my last life, the state of my new life was particularly low. Even just the destruction of this pair of pants would make my life a little harder.
'Hopefully, I could get into the support package like Naruto. Having some money to spend would be great.'
"Your injury from the attack wasn't healed?" Fugaku questioned. He was frowning as he stared at my blood-soaked leg.
"Hai, Fugaku-sama," I replied, playing the role of a good little clan kid.
"Why were you discharged from the hospital without this being looked at? It takes barely a moment to heal something like this. Now, with you putting pressure on the muscle tear and light sprain, your injury has worsened," Kumiko asked, her eyes looking up at me with a frown on her face.
"There were more important and urgent injuries," I replied. The hospital's decision made sense to me, but it seemed like the adults took it in a different light. Fugaku and Kumiko stared at one another and had a silent conversation. All the while, she kept healing my leg.
'That takes care of one problem. Now I can focus on training my body as well; I haven't done anything to avoid aggravating the injury,' I thought. All in all, I was quite happy with the outcome.
"Still, why didn't you get this treated in the clan?" Kumiko asked as she finally turned her attention back to me. The situation seemed to have irritated her, as she was frowning.
Seeing that she had healed me and was continuously doing so, I answered, "I'm an orphan son of two branch members, Uchiha-san. Plus, it was a minor injury, nothing to be worried about."
My answer, though, made her freeze for a moment before she nodded and stood up. A sense of numbness filled my calf, and I lifted my foot and twisted it left and right.
'Hmm, that's pretty good. I should let it rest for today, just in case. Tomorrow, I'll try some basic exercises.' I thought as I turned to Kumiko and bowed my head slightly.
"Thank you for the help," my thanks were genuine, and I got a nod in return. I took a step back and used Itachi as a shield once again.
'He's quite reliable like this, isn't he? I don't mind using him for a bit before he turns from a mature kid to a murder hobo...'
"Let's move," Fugaku ordered, and we moved. My first visit to the academy has been eventful, and hopefully, I will get into the Elite class.
'Wait, when are we supposed to report for classes? Should I wait for the notice?' I thought before shaking that thought away.
'Since the Matron was the one to leave me behind without backup, she will have to deal with this problem...' I turned my focus back to my stats and noticed the change that I had been ignoring till now.
...
[Status:]
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[Chakra: 24/214 {E-}]
[Chakra Regen: 5.5 Chakra/min {D}]
[Chakra Control: 21.93%{ D-}]
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[Physical:]
[Strength: 8 {F+}]
[Speed: 6 {F}]
[Dexterity: 7 {F+}]
[Vitality: 10 {F+}]
...
[Mental:]
[Reflexes: 9 {F+}]
[Processing Power: 34 {D-}]
[Memory: 21 {E}]
[Vision: 10{F+}]
...
[Status Effects:]
...
'My vitality increased by 1 point, and my chakra increased by 10...'
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AN - First lesson in the next chapter?
