Chapter 8

"Coax..."

In the midst of Uchiha Tsuki's victory, the crowd erupted with excitement, cheering for him. In the Ninja World, experts are highly respected, even within the Academy. Experts become objects of admiration and often attract attention.

Moreover, the Academy has always had its share of senior students bullying the younger ones, especially those who enter with a reputation as geniuses. They become targets for many seniors to provoke. However, there has never been a precedent in the history of the Academy where someone like Uchiha Tsuki defeated the second-ranked genius shortly after joining.

Uchiha Tsuki had indeed achieved a miraculous feat before even attending the Academy—defeating the second-ranked genius.

However, Uchiha Tsuki didn't dwell on his achievement, as he knew he still had a long way to go compared to Hatake Kakashi.

Not only did Hatake Kakashi possess extensive combat experience, but his mastery of the Hatake Clan sword art far surpassed Uchiha Tsuki's. Uchiha Tsuki's victory over Hatake Dansui was mainly due to the latter's own immaturity. If Uchiha Tsuki hadn't discovered the strategic advantage of utilizing his spiritual energy and slowing down Hatake Dansui's attacks, he would have been defeated.

But for now, Uchiha Tsuki was the winner, and he had every right to stand proudly before the defeated opponent.

Moreover, Uchiha Tsuki needed a goal to strive for, and Hatake Kakashi was that goal. He wanted to grab Hatake Kakashi's attention.

On the other hand, Hatake Dansui, known as the Midnight Blade, was left humiliated by Uchiha Tsuki's victory.

As Uchiha Tsuki threw his short sword to the ground, Hatake Dansui snatched it and declared, "Uchiha Tsuki, wait for me! There will come a day when my Hatake Dansui defeats you fair and square!"

"Enough already! This is so troublesome!" Uchiha Tsuki muttered as Hatake Dansui and his group hurriedly retreated.

Just as Hatake Dansui escaped, Uchiha Obito approached Uchiha Tsuki, patting his shoulder, and praised him, "Raito, you truly deserve to be the genius of the Uchiha Clan. You even defeated that guy, Hatake Dansui! To be honest, he's just putting on a show, lacking true strength. Even his cousin, Hatake Kakashi, is nothing more than a renowned name."

Uchiha Tsuki wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied earnestly, "Hatake Dansui is actually very strong, and I have a gap in strength compared to him. Moreover, he is only the second-ranked genius in the Academy. We shouldn't underestimate Hatake Kakashi, who may already have the skills of a Genin."

Uchiha Obito seemed disappointed with Uchiha Tsuki's response. He shrugged and said, "Hatake Dansui, Hatake Kakashi...I get annoyed just hearing those names. The Hatake Clan has some really irritating guys. If I ever meet anyone from the Hatake Clan in the future, I'll definitely beat them down!"

Uchiha Tsuki chuckled, realizing that Uchiha Obito had a strong dislike for Hatake Clan ninjas, particularly Hatake Kakashi. However, he put those thoughts aside for now. His focus was on analyzing his battle experience and understanding the power of spiritual energy.

"When I fought against Hatake Dansui, I noticed that when I concentrated my spiritual energy, I could easily predict his offensive moves."

"Is this the mystical effect of spiritual energy?"

"No wonder skilled ninjas can anticipate enemy attacks in advance. It's all thanks to the mystical effects of spiritual energy."

With these thoughts in mind, Uchiha Tsuki became absent-minded during his conversation with Uchiha Obito. He concentrated his energy on using his spiritual energy, which was different from that of ordinary people. He had no trouble controlling it. Uchiha Tsuki explored the sensation of using his spiritual energy and started observing his surroundings with the use of his chakra.

As Uchiha Tsuki suspected, spiritual energy indeed allowed him to perceive the enemy's offensive paths clearly. Furthermore, with sufficient spiritual energy, he could even predict potential dangers.

As Uchiha Tsuki delved deeper into his newfound ability to use spiritual energy and sense danger, the Academy mentor, Sarutobi Shinsuke, appeared before everyone. The Third Hokage currently held authority over the Hidden Leaf Village, including the Academy, which served as the breeding ground for future shinobi.

Standing before Uchiha Tsuki and the others, Sarutobi Shinsuke, a jōnin from the Sarutobi Clan, recorded their names and clan information.

Once the introductions were over, Sarutobi Shinsuke didn't immediately begin teaching Uchiha Tsuki and the others. Instead, he talked about the structure of the Academy, the duration of the training, and the curriculum.

The current Academy differed from its portrayal in the original work. It now took a full six years to train a ninja.

The Academy's curriculum consisted of four stages: basic training, drills, practical application, and the graduation exam. By completing these stages, students could become Genin.

If a student felt they had mastered each stage of training, they had the option to take an exam to skip ahead and become a Genin earlier.

In addition to the four stages, the Academy also taught theoretical knowledge, such as general training knowledge, combat knowledge, the history of the Hidden Leaf Village, and other relevant subjects. At this stage, the Academy focused on practical learning, as the wartime period called for shinobi who could contribute to the village's defense, rather than just theoretical education.

The Academy's daily schedule ran from 9 am to 5 pm, with a lunch break of 1 hour.

Uchiha Tsuki and the others didn't immediately start their studies at the Academy after reporting their names. The official admission was scheduled for three days later.

After reporting to the Academy, Uchiha Tsuki didn't go home right away. Instead, he accompanied Uchiha Obito to meet other exceptional ninja from the same generation. Notable individuals like Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and Sarutobi Asuma greeted Uchiha Tsuki warmly. Uchiha Tsuki, having just defeated the second-ranked genius of the Academy, enjoyed a moment of glory. These individuals were eager to befriend him.

Uchiha Tsuki took the opportunity to introduce his good friend, Uchiha Obito, to the other Hidden Leaf Village ninja from their generation.

However, Uchiha Tsuki couldn't help but sigh as he noticed Uchiha Obito's constant gaze on Rin.

"Hey, Obito, you're quite infatuated!"

"Unfortunately, I don't have time for romance in the Academy."

"To strengthen myself, my next goal..."

"Is to master the most basic ninjutsu, the Three-Style Jutsu!"