I took my training seriously. Days passed. Then weeks. Before I realized it, one full month had gone by.
My time was divided carefully.
Morning exercise.
Academy.
Personal training.
Repeat.
Every single day.
In the mornings, I woke up early and followed my workout routine. Running. Strength training. Flexibility. My stamina had improved even more. My body was lean but strong.
At the Academy, the morning classes focused on physical training.
We learned basic taijutsu.
Stances.
Guard positions.
Simple punches.
Basic blocks.
Footwork.
Nothing advanced, but important foundations.
I practiced seriously. Even when others joked around.
In the middle sessions, we focused on chakra control exercises.
Leaf concentration.
Balancing chakra flow.
Basic meditation.
For me, this part had become easy. After years of practicing the leaf exercise, I could do it without thinking.
At this point, it felt almost useless.
But I still practiced.
Then came theory classes.
Village laws, Why shinobi must follow orders, Mission responsibility, Academy math. Distance estimation, Counting shuriken hits, Simple tactical calculations.
These classes are so boring.
I mean, seriously, who actually wants to sit and read about this stuff? We're supposed to become ninja, not librarians. You don't learn how to throw a kunai perfectly by staring at a book. You learn by picking it up, aiming, throwing it, missing, and then trying again.
Over and over.
No book can teach you how it feels when the kunai leaves your hand. No lecture can show you how your wrist should turn at the last second. You can't understand distance, weight, or balance just by listening to someone talk.
You learn that by doing.
By throwing until your arm hurts. By missing the target a hundred times. By adjusting your grip again and again until it finally sticks in the center.
That's real learning.
And don't even get me started on the lessons about village laws.
Why shinobi must follow orders.
Why loyalty is everything.
Why questioning commands is dangerous.
It feels less like teaching and more like brainwashing.
They tell us to obey. To trust the system. To never doubt the mission.
But how can we understand something if we're not allowed to question it?
If a shinobi only follows orders without thinking, are they strong? Or are they just tools?
I'm not saying rules are useless. Rules keep things from turning into chaos. But there's a difference between understanding a rule and blindly following it.
If I throw a kunai wrong, I learn from the mistake. If I question an order, maybe I understand it better. Maybe I become smarter because of it.
Sitting in a classroom all day won't make me strong.
Training will.
Sweat will.
Failure will.
Experience will.
That's how a real shinobi grows.
Anyway, at the end of the day, we practiced shuriken and kunai throwing.
After the academy ended, I went to an empty training ground, using the training grounds.
I corrected my form daily.
Again and again.
Slow throws.
Controlled throws.
No rushing.
I practiced Body Flicker until it became smoother.
Faster.
More controlled.
No crashing into trees anymore.
Most of the time.
Tree walking also improved. After many embarrassing falls, I could now climb halfway up a tree without slipping.
Sometimes even reach the top.
I also trained taijutsu. Repeating the stances. Practicing punches and blocks. Shadow fighting in the empty training grounds.
And then,
Weapon Construct. I practiced forming chakra into small weapons.
Shuriken.
Senbon.
Kunai.
At first they were unstable.
But with practice, they became sharper.
Denser.
More solid.
Then I practiced throwing them.
Again and again.
The best part?
It saved me a lot of money.
No need to buy endless throwing weapons.
I could create my own.
Slowly, things began to change.
My body felt stronger.
My control improved.
My confidence grew.
And just like that, one month ended.
—
The training yard of the Konohagakure Ninja Academy buzzed with nervous energy.
Today was sparring day.
We stood in pairs across the dirt field while Ikuta-sensei watched from the side with his arms crossed.
The first few matches were between civilian kids.
They were clumsy.
Wild punches.
Bad stances.
Too much shouting.
One boy tried to tackle his opponent like it was a street fight.
Another closed his eyes while swinging.
Ikuta had to stop one match early before someone broke a nose.
Then a name was called.
"Sasuke Uchiha versus… Daichi."
A quiet civilian boy stepped forward.
Daichi looked nervous.
Across from him stood Sasuke Uchiha.
Calm.
Still.
Focused.
The whispers started immediately.
"Poor Daichi…"
"He's fighting an Uchiha…"
The girls grew louder.
Sakura and Ino were already cheering.
Another girl joined them, shouting Sasuke's name excitedly.
Daichi swallowed and bowed stiffly.
Sasuke gave a small, respectful nod back.
"Begin!" Ikuta shouted.
Daichi rushed first.
Too fast.
Too nervous.
He threw a straight punch toward Sasuke's face.
Sasuke moved slightly to the side.
The punch hit nothing but air.
Before Daichi could pull his arm back, Sasuke tapped his wrist and shifted his body just enough to throw off his balance.
Daichi stumbled forward.
Sasuke stepped aside again, calm as ever.
The watching students grew quiet.
Daichi gritted his teeth and tried again.
This time he circled carefully.
He aimed low with a kick.
Sasuke blocked it with his shin.
Thud.
Daichi winced.
The impact hurt him more than Sasuke.
Sasuke countered with a light strike to Daichi's shoulder.
Not powerful.
But precise.
Daichi dropped to one knee.
Ikuta watched closely.
"This is a friendly spar," he reminded them.
Sasuke did not respond.
He simply stepped back and waited.
Daichi stood up again, breathing heavier now.
"You're not even trying…" he muttered.
Sasuke's face stayed calm.
"I don't need to."
That sentence hit harder than any punch.
Daichi's face turned red.
Frustration replaced fear.
He charged again.
This time he tried something smarter.
He raised his right fist but shifted his weight left.
A feint.
It almost worked.
Almost.
Sasuke noticed the change in balance instantly.
He ducked under the real punch and swept Daichi's leg.
Daichi crashed into the dirt with a loud thump.
Dust rose into the air.
Sasuke stood over him.
He did not attack again.
Ikuta raised his hand.
"Match over."
Whispers filled the field again.
"So fast…"
"He didn't even get touched…"
"You were awesome, Sasuke!"
"You're so cool, Sasuke!"
"Let's go on a date, Sasuke!"
Sasuke ignored them all.
He simply turned and walked back to his spot.
Calm.
Untouched.
Efficient.
I watched carefully.
His movements were clean.
No wasted energy.
Not flashy.
Just effective.
—
Ikuta-sensei called out. "Kiba Inuzuka versus Shikamaru Nara!"
A grin spread across Kiba Inuzuka's face.
"Finally! Something interesting!"
On the other side, Shikamaru Nara sighed like he had just been told to do extra homework.
"What a drag…"
They stepped into the circle.
"Begin!" Kiba immediately dropped into a fighting stance, full of energy.
Shikamaru… sat down.
Right there in the dirt.
"I give up," he said calmly.
The entire class froze.
Kiba blinked.
"…What?"
Ikuta-sensei frowned. "Shikamaru. This is a spar."
"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, lying back and staring at the clouds. "He's faster. Stronger. More motivated. I lose. Done."
Murmurs spread through the students.
Kiba's face turned red.
"You can't just quit!"
Shikamaru shrugged.
"Seems efficient."
Ikuta-sensei stepped forward, voice firm.
"Giving up is not an option. A shinobi doesn't quit before a fight even begins."
Shikamaru slowly sat up.
He stared at the sky one more second.
Then sighed deeply.
"…Fine."
He stood up lazily and brushed the dirt off his clothes.
"Let's get this over with."
Kiba smirked.
"About time!"
He rushed forward instantly.
Fast.
Direct.
A straight punch aimed at Shikamaru's face. Shikamaru barely moved in time. He stepped aside clumsily. The punch missed by inches.
The students leaned forward.
Kiba attacked again kick, punch, elbow.
Quick and aggressive.
Shikamaru blocked awkwardly and retreated. He didn't look skilled. He looked like he was barely keeping up.
Kiba grinned.
"See? You should've stayed sitting!"
He lunged again and Shikamaru tripped. Or at least, that's what it looked like.
He fell backward, scrambling to his feet.
The class snickered.
Even Kiba laughed.
"Pathetic!"
Shikamaru stood up. Kiba charged again.
Punch. Kick. Elbow.
Shikamaru blocked one strike, redirected another, and stepped away again. Always toward the edge of the circle.
Kiba grinned.
"I've got you!"
He rushed in wildly.
Shikamaru suddenly stopped retreating.
Kiba swung a heavy right hook.
Shikamaru ducked.
At the same time, he lightly kicked the dirt. Dust flew up into Kiba's eyes.
"Hey!"
Not enough to hurt. Just enough to distract.
Shikamaru stepped behind Kiba.
Not attacking.
Just positioning.
Kiba spun around angrily and charged again. But now he was close to the circle's edge.
The chalk line was right behind him.
He didn't notice.
Shikamaru did.
Kiba threw a wide punch.
Shikamaru blocked with both arms and stepped slightly to the side.
Then he pushed.
Not hard.
Just enough.
Kiba stumbled backward. His heel crossed the white line.
Silence.
Ikuta-sensei looked down.
Kiba looked down.
One full step outside the circle.
"Match over," the ikuta-senei said.
The class gasped.
Kiba stared at Shikamaru.
"You didn't even fight fair!"
Shikamaru shrugged. "You stepped out."
"That's cheap!"
Shikamaru looked at him calmly. "You rushed. I waited."
Kiba clenched his fists.
Then paused.
Realization slowly replaced anger.
"You… planned that."
Shikamaru gave a lazy half-smile.
"You were stronger. So I let you burn your energy."
He glanced at the chalk line.
"You kept pushing forward. I just needed you to push one more time."
The ikuta-sensei nodded.
"That," he said, "is using your head."
Shikamaru walked out of the circle, hands in pockets.
"Can I sit down now?"
The ikuta-sensei sighed. "Yes."
As he passed Kiba, Shikamaru added quietly,
"Next time, watch your footing."
Kiba looked at the circle again.
Then at Shikamaru.
A slow grin returned to his face.
"Next time, I won't fall for it."
Shikamaru flopped down under a tree.