I woke up early again the next day.
My body felt fine overall. The fight from yesterday did not leave any serious damage. My shoulder still hurt, though. The claw wound had started to heal, but it felt stiff when I moved it too much.
Still, I followed my morning routine.
Running.
Stretching.
Light strength training.
I avoided putting too much pressure on my injured shoulder, but I did not skip training. After breakfast, I headed to the Ninja Academy.
The first period was the same as yesterday.
Running drills.
Push-ups.
The results were also the same. I came first in the race again.
But during push-ups, I struggled. My shoulder hurt every time I lowered myself.
I had to stop earlier than usual. I did not like that.
After a short break, we returned to the classroom.
Second period: Ninja Tools Introduction.
A large wooden crate sat on Ikuta-sensei's desk. The moment students noticed it, whispers filled the room.
"Are those weapons?"
"Real ones?!"
"Cool!"
At the back of the class, I half-stood on my chair trying to get a better look.
"Is it swords?! Please be swords!" one civilian boy shouted excitedly.
At the front, Ikuta-sensei clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright, settle down!"
The room quieted down… mostly. "Today's second period," he said, "is Ninja Tools Introduction."
That got everyone's attention. Even Shikamaru looked slightly less sleepy.
Ikuta-sensei lifted the lid of the crate.
Inside were rows of metal tools neatly arranged.
Kunai.
Several students gasped.
The metal blades reflected the classroom light. For many of them, this was the first time seeing real ninja weapons up close.
For me as well.
Ikuta-sensei picked up one of the kunai and held it up so everyone could see clearly.
"This," he said, "is a kunai. It is one of the most basic tools used by shinobi."
He turned it slowly in his hand. The metal blade was sharp and pointed. The surface reflected the classroom light.
"The blade is strong and narrow," he explained. "It can stab, cut, carve, or be thrown."
Some students stared at it like it was treasure.
A few even leaned forward in their seats.
I did not get excited.
Instead, I studied the shape.
The weight balance.
The length of the blade.
The grip.
Details matter.
Because, it will help me in creating my own chakra kunai.
Ikuta-sensei continued.
"The ring at the end helps with grip and balance," he said, pointing to it. "It also allows you to attach wire, rope, or explosive tags when you are more experienced."
That caused another wave of whispers. Explosive tags sounded much cooler.
A hand shot up quickly.
It was Sakura Haruno.
"Yes, Sakura?" Ikuta-sensei asked.
"Sensei," she said politely, "are Academy students allowed to carry them already?"
"Good question," Ikuta-sensei replied.
"You will begin with training kunai. They are dull and safer. Real combat tools will come later, when you are ready."
Several students sighed in disappointment.
Some slouched in their chairs.
They wanted the real thing.
Well whatever, skill matters more than sharpness.
If I master control first, then I can make my blade deadlier later.
Ikuta-sensei's expression suddenly became serious. He took the kunai and drove it point-down into the wooden desk with a firm thunk.
Several students jumped in their seats. The sound echoed in the quiet room.
"Listen carefully," he said.
The classroom went completely silent.
"A ninja tool is not a toy."
His eyes slowly moved across the room, meeting each student's gaze.
"If you misuse it, you can seriously injure someone… or worse."
The air felt heavier.
Even Choji stopped chewing his snacks.
Ikuta-sensei raised three fingers.
"Three safety rules."
He spoke clearly.
"Rule One: Never point a weapon at someone unless you are training under supervision."
"Rule Two: Always know where the blade is facing."
"Rule Three: Control before speed."
He paused to let the words sink in.
"Speed means nothing if you cannot control your weapon."
From the side of the room, Kiba grinned.
"So… we get to throw them, right?"
A few students leaned forward again.
Ikuta-sensei allowed a small smile.
"Yes."
Excited murmurs spread through the class.
Some students pumped their fists quietly.
Others whispered to their friends.
Good. I can train my throwing skills at the academy.
Ikuta-sensei walked to the board and quickly drew a simple diagram of a shinobi pouch.
"Most ninja carry their tools here," he said, tapping the drawing. "On the back of the waist."
He drew a small outline of a kunai inside the pouch.
"This keeps your hands free while running, climbing, or fighting."
Shino Aburame spoke calmly from his seat.
"Is it for balanced weight distribution during movement?"
Ikuta nodded with approval.
"Exactly."
Shino gave a small nod and fell silent again.
Beside me, Hinata Hyūga was listening very carefully. Her hands were folded neatly on her desk. Her eyes followed every movement of the kunai.
Ikuta-sensei reached back into the crate.
"Now," he said, "I will give each of you a practice kunai."
The moment he said that, chaos.
"I will impress Sasuke with my throwing skills!" Sakura declared loudly.
Ino immediately shot back, "Yeah? He'll be impressed by how you miss every target."
Kiba grinned. "I bet I can throw mine the farthest!"
Shikamaru leaned back in his chair.
"What a drag…"
Ikuta-sensei rubbed his forehead.
"I already regret this," he muttered under his breath.
He began handing out the dull-edged practice kunai one by one.
When mine reached my hand, I felt its weight carefully.
Balanced.
Solid.
Across the room, Sasuke tested the balance of his kunai calmly, flipping it once in his hand like he had done it many times before.
Experience showed.
Ikuta-sensei stepped back to the front of the room.
"Alright, class."
He pointed toward the training yard outside.
"Let's see who can follow instructions."
I grinned slightly.
The first throwing lesson was about to begin. Ikuta-sensei had also called a few other teachers to help with the session. It made sense. Thirty students throwing metal objects at the same time could turn dangerous very quickly.
We were lined up in front of wooden target boards placed at different distances.
"Six throws each," Ikuta announced. "Focus on form. Not power."
One by one, students stepped forward. Most of the clan kids performed well.
Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyūga tied for first place.
Both of them hit near the center multiple times.
Shino, Kiba, and surprisingly, Ino rounded out the top five.
I was a little surprised by Ino's serious attitude.
She was focused.
No joking.
No distractions.
Her form was clean.
'I guess she's different from her canon self as well,' I thought.
Then it was my turn. I stepped forward and gripped the kunai.
This was actually my first time throwing one seriously.
I had never trained throwing skills before.
I mean… why throw a kunai when you could throw a fireball?
But right now, that mindset was biting me.
I took my first throw.
Missed.
Second throw.
Missed again.
Third throw,
Clink.
It hit the board, but near the edge.
Out of six shots, I only managed to land one properly on the board.
And even that one was far from the center.
I can make the excuse that i wasn't able to hit the target due to my injured shoulder but even with a fully healed shoulder i doubt that i could have hit the target more than two times.
My final ranking?
22nd in the class, not impressive at all.
After the throwing session, Ikuta-sensei met each student one by one and gave advice.
When he reached me, he crouched slightly to my height.
"Alright," he said calmly, "you have a lot of work to do here."
I nodded.
"First, we fix your throwing form," he continued. "Once your base is correct, improvement will come quickly."
He adjusted my stance.
"Feet shoulder-width apart."
He corrected my grip.
"Relax your wrist."
He adjusted my elbow angle.
"Don't throw from your shoulder. Use your whole arm."
I listened carefully.
Then I tried again.
My second attempt felt smoother.
Still not perfect.
But better.
He corrected me a few more times until he was satisfied.
"Good," he said. "Practice this. Do not rush."
Then he moved on to the next student.
I stood there quietly.
Honestly…
I was half expecting something else.
Maybe being ignored.
Maybe receiving less attention.
Maybe even subtle sabotage.
But none of that happened.
Ikuta-sensei treated me like any other student.
No hate.
No bias.
Just instruction.
This world was truly different from canon and that made it more dangerous because I could not predict anything anymore.
But for now, I had a weakness to fix.
And I did not plan on staying 22nd for long.