Shino also gave his self-introduction. As expected, it was all about how he liked bugs.
Naturally, both his appearance and his unusual interests made many classmates avoid him. Combined with his practically invisible presence, Shino was soon forgotten by most of the class.
Natsuki noticed this and patted his deskmate's shoulder in a show of support.
Then he stood up and said, "I'm Natsuki. I don't really have anything I particularly like, and I don't hate much either. As for my dream… haven't thought of one yet. That's it."
A name—and not much else.
Most of the class looked a bit speechless, but since Natsuki wasn't willing to share more, there wasn't anything they could do about it.
Plus, he wasn't especially eye-catching—just a clean and neat face. Like Shino, he was quickly overlooked.
That was fine with Natsuki. For now, he was focused on keeping a low profile. He just wanted to absorb knowledge, build a few useful friendships, and avoid trouble.
After everyone introduced themselves, the teachers began handing out textbooks.
As Natsuki had guessed, the curriculum included topics like the Will of Fire, the history of Konoha and the shinobi world, geography, math, physics, chemistry, biology, and of course, core ninja foundation classes.
Of course, there were outdoor classes too—training in taijutsu, kunai and shuriken throwing, rope escape, trap setup, and mock battles. These were the most important, since the real purpose of the Academy was to produce ninjas. And real ninjas lived and died by combat.
Once the textbooks were handed out, class officially began.
The first subject: reading!
Yep. Reading and writing.
This was a chaotic era, after all—and literacy was rare. Especially among five- or six-year-old kids. Many were orphans who barely knew any words at all.
If you wanted to train a proper ninja, first you had to teach them how to read.
Still, reading lessons wouldn't last long. The schedule was tight, and physical training couldn't be delayed.
And with that, Natsuki's school life had officially begun.
That afternoon, once classes ended, Natsuki said goodbye to Shino, Shikamaru, and Chōji, then hurried home, made a quick dinner, and began waiting for 7 p.m. to arrive.
It was the first of the month—time for the Special Laboratory Mode to activate.
As soon as the clock hit seven, Natsuki activated the training room with a thought and stepped inside.
The room looked the same as always—but it felt different. There was this odd sensation, like strength was limitless, like he was invincible… though it could've just been his imagination.
He quickly brought up the timer: ten hours remaining.
Without wasting a second, he began his first research task—one-handed hand seals.
Using Henge no Jutsu as a test case, he tried to mimic the chakra flow from two-handed seals using only one hand.
Ten minutes in, sweat was pouring down his face.
One-handed seals were vastly different from two-handed ones—not only was finger flexibility an issue, but monitoring the internal chakra control at the same time was mentally exhausting.
Fortunately, the Special Laboratory Mode seemed to boost his stamina and mental focus.
He calmed himself and resumed the attempts. He had no fear of injury or chakra drain. This was his greatest advantage right now.
An hour passed.
Natsuki completed a string of seals with his right hand—and poof! he transformed into Shino.
"…That's it? I did it?" Natsuki stared at his reflection. "As expected, Special Laboratory Mode is amazing. No risk, no resource limits. With my above-average talent and solid chakra control from earlier, I learned one-handed seals in no time. Now I just need to train my left hand."
Another hour passed.
Natsuki scratched his head, realizing he'd underestimated himself.
In just two hours total, he had mastered one-handed seals with both hands—it now felt as natural as breathing.
"Now what? I'm already good at this. No point grinding it more. But I still have eight hours left! I really should've prepped more projects to research. Gotta make the most of this."
After thinking it through, he made a decision:
Train the Rasengan!
He had transmigrated into the world of Naruto—besides the Three Basic Jutsu, what else could he train right now if not the Rasengan?
Plus, the training method had been thoroughly shown in the anime. Each stage was clearly outlined. And with unlimited chakra and no risk of injury, this was the perfect time to attempt it.
With a thought, a water balloon appeared in his hand. Time to begin the Rasengan steps.
Step one: Gather chakra and form a spinning mass inside the water balloon—without bursting it.
Step two: Increase power until the balloon bursts.
Step three: Switch to a rubber ball and burst that.
Simple steps. Far from easy.
But Natsuki's understanding was excellent, and his current state gave him the perfect training conditions. His progress was rapid.
And five minutes before the lab mode ended, Natsuki successfully formed a Rasengan in his palm.
BOOM! He pressed it against a thick tree trunk, blasting a clean hole through it.
"HAHA! I DID IT! Finally made the most of these ten hours!"
He was overjoyed. He played around with the Rasengan for a bit longer until the mode ended, and only then did he feel a wave of fatigue wash over him.
It was already 5 a.m. Chickens were starting to crow outside.
Natsuki yawned. Staying up all night was brutal for a six-year-old.
He hadn't felt it while he was training, but now that the excitement had faded, exhaustion slammed into him like a truck.
He left the training room, made breakfast, ate quickly, and by the time the sun was fully up, it was time for school again.
No chance for a nap—he had to head out.
He was the first one to arrive at class, and immediately slumped onto his desk and fell asleep.
Who knows how long had passed...
"Hey, Natsuki. Wake up. Class is about to start." Shino gently nudged him.
"Mm… I'm awake," Natsuki mumbled.
Except… he didn't move.
Suddenly, his instincts flared. He snapped up his hand—and snatched the incoming chalkboard eraser between two fingers.
The whole class stared. Even Iruka was momentarily stunned.
"Well, well. Pretty sharp there, sleepyhead," Iruka said with a wry grin.
"Uh, well, see… I was training late last night. Thought I was still in training mode. Got a little too used to reacting, sensei. Uh… should I go stand outside for a bit?" Natsuki asked with a sheepish grin.
(End of Chapter)
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