Chapter VI

I spent the remainder of the night practicing my calligraphy, following the manual to the best of my ability. At times, my mind would wander, and I would consider using my old mother tongue and a combination of runes instead of traditional oriental script, but I realized it wouldn't make much of a difference. In the end, what mattered was the effect behind them.

I had tested both methods, just to satiate my nagging curiosity. The seal for "Flash," written with Kanji and Elder Futhark Runes, had a comparable effect. However, Kanji proved to be far stronger than runes could ever be. Even though both had been written with the same representation behind them, Kanji's influence was much stronger in this world. It drew meaning from higher concepts and had more power, so to speak.

Rune did not exist in this world, so it was amazing that it drew any effect at all. Furthermore, there were more learning resources available for Kanji than for runes, which I had slowly forgotten about in this world.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that my old mother language and runes are useless. They could be employed as a secret language or code that only I understand, or when I need to conceal the effects of my seals in a language that my adversaries cannot comprehend.

While there is no concrete evidence of higher existence or some sort of global consciousness in this world, I am inclined to maintain my faith. After all, this is a world where death gods can be summoned to seal someone's soul, which seems to align with my logical train of thought.

I quickly took a note about the existence of higher being and devising a way to reach them. The disembodied voice didn't count.

After feeling content with my musings, I briefly shifted my attention to the lecture, only to realize that it was a biology class and the topics of mitochondria. I silently groaned at that particular lecture. I promptly redirected my focus back to my seal-crafting.

Instead, I found more pleasure in designing explosive seals in the midst of what was essentially an elementary school classroom. There was a certain thrill in being able to create dangerous objects while surrounded by innocent, unknowing classmates.

With the exception of one classmate, Itachi had been fixated on me ever since I pulled out the Uzumaki's book and my supplies of white parchment and ink. The allure of shadow clone is getting stronger day by day as I need to manage what leisure time I have with the time of my self-improvement.

The thought of challenging his gaze seemed impossible, let alone forming an argument beyond my wildest imagination.

"Have you been studying Fuuinjutsu, Nobuyuki-san?" Itachi asked, breaking the silence.

I was taken aback that he was speaking to me, let alone initiating a conversation. Not wanting to be rude, I robotically turned my head towards him.

"Y-Yes, that's right. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, trying to sound as non-confrontational as possible.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I find it admirable that you're trying to surpass your peers."

"I'm not so sure about that," I replied, feeling a bit insecure. "I'm not interested in rushing through my childhood." I said this while thinking about how Itachi was aiming to graduate early.

It made me feel a little envious, but at the same time, I didn't want to give up the experiences that come with being a child.

As I spoke, I sensed a hint of curiosity in Itachi's eyes, but it quickly faded away. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his mind. He had always been an enigma to me, always silent and distant, never really interacting with anyone unless he had to.

I hope I didn't trigger his flag. I'm not swinging that way. And will never be.

Fortunately, the rest of the class went by uneventfully.

.

During lunch break, I headed to the school rooftop as usual but was stopped by a group of kids. Some were too busy chatting with each other, while others were judging me based on my worth. "Brat," I clicked my tongue, feeling annoyed.

The leader stepped forward, and I recognized him as Kousuke, one of the kids from the market district. I didn't feel any hostility from them, so I listened to what he had to say. "Yo, Noboyuki, want to play Ninja tag after school?" he asked.

I tried to sound more confident when I replied, "You guys realize we have sparring lessons after this, right?" My eyes wandered from left to right as I tried to avoid a nervous breakdown.

"Tch, who cares? We can miss a day or two. It won't hurt," one of them said, and the others nodded in agreement.

As much as I wanted to follow their line of thought, I simply couldn't. I can't miss an actual class that was mildly interesting compared to the others, not when I could observe and note down the clan taijutsu style for me to copy.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," I said flatly. It was a shame to turn down an actual invitation from my peers to play, but I couldn't afford to miss the upcoming class.

"You, refusing our invitation..." one of the kids fumed at my attitude, but Kousuke cut him off.

"Lay it off, it's cool. See you later, Nobuyuki." I nodded at him.

Kousuke obviously respected me because I once worked with his dad's store, and I kind of beat up the money lender who tried to extort his father, so he knew who not to mess with. Who knew that everything could be solved with a good measure of fisting?

Ninja affairs normally didn't bleed out to the civilian sector other than overall security of the village, after all, so small-time thuggery was sometimes beneath their notice.

During lunch break, aside from Kousuke's group, everything went smoothly. I had become used to ignoring Itachi's presence on the rooftop as I focused on crafting explosive seals, using it as a way to hone my calligraphy skills and for other personal reasons.

.

As we waited for our turn to spar on the academy's training field, I brought out my notebook and sketched down every form I witnessed during the clan kid's fight. Sometimes, even civilian kids could bring something interesting to the table, or at least in their heads before realizing how difficult it was to execute.

"Kousuke and Nobuyuki!" our names were called for our matchup that week, which seemed rather ordinary.

"Form the seal of confrontation as I've taught you. Remember to do seal of reconciliation after the sparring match too," Kato-sensei reminded us.

"Please be gentle with me, Nobuyuki-san," Kousuke joked.

I nodded and formed the seal with him before he charged ahead. We mainly used the academy style that we had been taught in the past week, which was fairly predictable if you got used to it. It mainly involved punching and kicking, but if you got creative, you could also incorporate grappling.

Kousuke aimed for my face, but the force was weaker than expected. It was a feint. His real aim was the side of my stomach followed by a strong kick. I quickly grabbed his retracting fist and, using my strength, slammed him down to the ground. I didn't let him recover and knee-jerked him while continuously pinning him down.

"I yield," Kousuke said.

We formed another Unison sign. Unexpectedly, Kousuke smiled at me then winced at the pain in his abdomen.

"Ah, my bad," I said.

"It's alright. I need to get used to the pain soon," Kousuke replied.

"I suppose. Pain is our friend from now on," I said, half-jokingly. It reminded me of a man who will be hit by a giant slab of stone sometimes in the future. It's an inside joke, you know pain… whatever…

I remembered Kousuke's invitation to skip class, but here he was following the class. Maybe he changed his mind? Or was it his intention all along? I didn't bother to ask and instead enjoyed the comfortable silence between us. It was a rare occurrence for me to talk to someone without feeling nervous.

The class ended with the usual sight of Itachi cleaning the floor from us plebs.