Chapter 4: My Mind: Fast as Lightning!

Ninja Academy, First-Year Class 1.

Kimura Kazuya was droning on about the key points of chakra refinement, but more than half of the students in the classroom were occupied with their own activities.

Kimura Kazuya didn't mind this. He was well aware that many of the students who came from ninja clans or had ninja parents likely already knew how to refine chakra before even entering the academy.

Shūichi Hoshita was one of the students not paying attention to the lecture. His chakra refinement had been taught by Nonō Yakushi, so he had no issues with it.

At the moment, he was memorizing his textbooks, mentally storing every word into the memory palace he had constructed in his mind.

Of course, for many ninja-related subjects, memorizing alone wasn't enough.

Take hand seals, for example—remembering them was just the first step.

The second step was to practice so that both hands could skillfully and accurately form the seals.

The third step was to be able to channel chakra while forming the seals since the purpose of the seals is to guide the chakra for more effective jutsu execution.

Only when all three steps were mastered could one successfully perform a jutsu. As for the speed of forming seals, that required long hours of practice to develop muscle memory.

While Shūichi was filling his memory palace, he was also taking notes, making annotations, and leaving questions for himself.

This was his version of a study session.

Beside him, Shizune wasn't paying attention to the lesson either.

Already having a solid foundation, she found herself increasingly drawn to the focused and serious Shūichi.

Although Shūichi didn't have the cold, aloof aura of someone like Kakashi, his clean and refined appearance, paired with his warm and gentle smile, made him quite appealing. But it was his current look of intense concentration that really caught Shizune's eye.

…

At noon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the last class of the morning.

As soon as the teacher left, the classroom erupted as students scattered.

Those who lived nearby headed home, while those who lived farther away stayed at school to eat the lunches they brought with them. Shūichi Hoshita and Might Guy were among the latter group.

However, as they dug into their meals, a voice interrupted them.

"Shūichi-kun, I have some spinach here. Would you like to try some?"

Both Shūichi and Might Guy looked up.

Seeing a slightly shy Shizune, Shūichi was a bit surprised but smiled and didn't refuse, "Thank you, I won't be shy about it!"

So, what started as a meal for two became a meal for three, although Might Guy continued to eat on his own.

Shizune offered Shūichi some of her food, and in return, Shūichi reciprocated, "Shizune, this is beef I made myself. Try it!"

"Huh?"

"Amazing!"

Shizune was stunned. She hadn't expected Shūichi to be so skilled in cooking; she hadn't learned how to cook herself yet!

She picked up a slice, finding it surprisingly tasty.

As she watched Shūichi devour his food with gusto, a wave of sympathy washed over her. "Shūichi-kun must have it really tough, living on his own..."

The meal lasted only 15 minutes, with Shūichi even finishing the leftover half of Shizune's brown rice.

The time between lunch and 2 PM was designated as rest time, but Shūichi didn't rest. He continued his studying and memorization.

Might Guy was fast asleep beside him, while Shizune, watching Shūichi study so diligently, slowly drifted off to sleep herself.

At 2 PM, classes resumed, focusing on kunai throwing and combat training.

It was during these classes that the differences among the students became apparent.

Students like Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Shizune, who either had parents teaching them or came from ninja clans, performed exceptionally well in both kunai throwing and combat training.

In contrast, there was a clear divide between them and civilian students like Shūichi Hoshita and Might Guy.

Shūichi Hoshita happened to be paired with Shizune for sparring, and the result was a complete defeat!

Kakashi was matched against Obito Uchiha, and to Shūichi's surprise, Obito managed to hold his own against Kakashi in the first half of their match. The two exchanged blows with equal skill and precision.

Is this the same "dead last" Obito I knew?

Shūichi realized he needed to reassess the characters he thought he knew so well.

Among the students in Class 1, the most dazzling and admired by the girls was undoubtedly Kakashi.

Obito Uchiha, filled with envy and jealousy, was burning with frustration so intense that even Shūichi, from across the room, could feel it.

There was a time when Obito was also popular among the girls, but now Kakashi had completely stolen the spotlight!

"Damn it!"

Watching the girls cheer for Kakashi, especially seeing Rin Nohara's eyes filled with admiration for him, Obito's fists clenched in anger.

Next time, I'll definitely beat him down!

Obito gritted his teeth in determination.

...

At 5 PM, the day's classes ended.

Shūichi and Might Guy headed to the small forest to continue their training. Only after exhausting themselves completely did they return home.

Wash up, do the laundry, cook, eat.

By 8 PM, Shūichi was back to studying.

Whether for himself or for Nonō Yakushi, he couldn't afford to slack off.

The Tag System had given him limitless potential, but filling that potential still required him to give 120% effort.

At midnight, Shūichi went to bed on time, ending another busy and fulfilling day.

From this day forward, Shūichi's life became extremely disciplined.

He attended classes during the week and helped out at the orphanage on weekends, taking the opportunity to learn from Nonō Yakushi.

But whether it was a school day or the weekend, he never skipped his training with Might Guy.

However, from this day on, during the daily combat classes, Shūichi began a routine of constantly getting beaten up.

Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Shizune, Obito Uchiha… except for Guy and a few other civilian students, Shūichi couldn't win against anyone.

The gap was obvious.

Yet, in the eyes of their teacher, Kimura Kazuya, Shūichi's rapid progress was clearly visible.

Shūichi's eagerness to ask countless questions every day also gave Kimura a strong sense of accomplishment and fondness for the diligent student.

...

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

May 1st, 9 PM.

"Finally, I've completed 100 hours of 100% focused study!"

Though mentally exhausted, Shūichi was excited and full of anticipation.

Focusing on the Tag System in his mind, he immediately chose to merge the "Student" and "Self-Discipline" tags.

A new tag, covered in a green glow, appeared on the tree of tags.

"Scholar!"

Tag Effect: The ultimate study machine—10 times focus, with thought processing speed increased by 100%. The original tags effects remain.

As the tag's effects activated, Shūichi immediately felt the difference.

A mosquito flew by his face, and it seemed like its movements were slowed down.

"As expected, the increased thought processing speed means my brain processes information faster, resulting in what seems like 'dynamic vision.'"

"But it's not just dynamic vision—my overall thought processing speed has improved, not just my ability to process images."

"It also affects my brain's neural response time..."

Shūichi immediately raised his hands to form seals.

His speed had noticeably increased!

But then Shūichi frowned, "Although my seal formation speed has improved, my hands aren't keeping up with my brain."

Brain: I'm fast!

Hands: I can't keep up.

(End of Chapter)