The leaves on the ground were finally lifted, floating in mid-air.
At that moment, an electric current surged through Seiji's right arm, greatly increasing the activity of his cells.
He suddenly drew his small katana and swung at the leaf.
The leaf in mid-air gradually developed a crack, then split in half, falling to the ground.
Seiji slowly transitioned from the drawn position to sheath the blade, and the metal gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
"Sure enough, speed is the foundation," Seiji thought.
His vision could track the movement of the leaf.
The drawback was that his body's reaction speed couldn't fully keep up, and his precision was insufficient.
He had trained in swordsmanship for too short a time, and it wasn't enough to hit the leaf in a single instant.
But his extreme speed exactly made up for the lack of precision.
One strike wasn't enough, then two.
Two strikes weren't enough, then three.
The first strike missed, and he quickly adjusted to swing a second strike, splitting the leaf in half.
To ordinary ninjas, all they could see was Seiji drawing his sword and swinging vaguely, and then the leaf split.
"You have unlocked a new entry: [Apprentice Sword Ninja (White)]"
A semi-transparent panel appeared before Seiji.
[Entry: Apprentice Sword Ninja (White)]
[Requirement: Use a sword technique.]
[Progress: Completed.]
[Effect: Your sword training speed increases by 10% over the original rate.]
[Note: Can be further upgraded.]
Before obtaining the second-hand small katana, Seiji had carved a tree branch into the shape of a "sword" to practice the Kumokakure-ryu sword technique.
After five days of practice, today he had just managed to perform the Kumokakure-ryu Sword Technique: Flying Bird, earning the new entry.
This increased Seiji's sword training efficiency by 10% compared to ordinary people.
"Ordinary Genin are roughly at this level," Seiji thought as he put down the small katana and went inside to get a glass of water.
Among Genin, strength varies more than between people and dogs.
The strong, like Maruhoshi Kosuke, a Genin for many years, had in the past lost comrades due to rash orders during missions.
He then vowed to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, that he would always remain a Genin, but his true strength could be considered elite even among Jonin.
The weak ones were children from common families.
Other ninjas with clan heritage rarely used the Three Bodies Technique, which for them was already their strongest technique.
Those who could use it and knew basic knowledge could become Genin.
"I still need to graduate as soon as possible."
Seiji set down the glass.
The Strong Body entry should be obtained this week, after which it can be combined with the Lightning Release Genin entry.
Remaining at the ninja school would just be wasting time.
For other ninjas, early graduation might mean becoming expendable sooner.
For Seiji, it meant more chances to trigger entries and rapidly increase his strength.
At ninja school, besides physical training, ninjas must also learn shuriken throwing.
Most carry shuriken at all times.
There are many techniques related to shuriken, such as Shuriken Clone Technique and Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Claw Red.
"Listen carefully, shuriken are the last line of defense for a ninja. If a ninja's chakra is insufficient for jutsu, skillful shuriken throwing can save your life…"
Instructor Fujimoto Kyohei lectured while demonstrating various types of shuriken, from larger Fuma shuriken to right-angle and curved variants.
Seiji quietly observed the various shuriken.
The Uchiha clan historically excelled in shuriken throwing techniques.
"Seiji, how is your shuriken throwing?" Akane asked softly.
Seiji was a transfer student, and last semester they learned shuriken, so this semester was scheduled later.
For Seiji, from the Land of Lightning and the Uchiha clan, Akane was curious about his throwing ability.
"I don't know. I haven't practiced much," Seiji replied.
Humans have limited energy, so he chose to strengthen his body first to have more chakra, then learn more jutsu.
Meanwhile, Arasuma Sarutobi watched Seiji and Akane interacting, confused about who was Akane's childhood friend.
He wanted to apologize to Akane but didn't know how to approach it.
"Are you feeling down, Arasuma?" Inuzuka Shishi approached and asked.
"No." Arasuma waved it off.
Being the son of the Hokage, he was used to having many eyes watching him since childhood and didn't want anyone to see him falter.
"All right, everyone, practice on your own."
Fujimoto Kyohei handed out shuriken borrowed from the school.
There were twenty training dummies on the field for practice.
"Kakashi?" Obito asked.
He hadn't seen Kakashi all day.
"This morning the teacher said Kakashi was absent. Did you even listen in class, Obito?" Rin replied.
Rin had received her shuriken and returned to her training spot.
"They're blunt and obviously very worn from years of use," she said.
"Hehe, Rin, I forgot," Obito said sheepishly.
"Seiji really is popular. Soon he made many friends," Rin said softly.
Seiji had been training with them, and now he seemed close with Akane.
"Hmph, he's just a foreigner. Everyone's curious," Obito muttered.
Seiji picked up a shuriken and headed toward Rin, with Akane following.
"Has Kakashi not come all day?" Seiji asked calmly.
"Maybe he had something to do at home," Rin replied.
Obito added, "Kakashi must be secretly training. He can't just be naturally talented."
Seiji didn't pay attention to their discussion.
His mind focused only on one thing: today was for physical training, to unlock the Strong Body entry.
He also noticed that the White Fang of Konoha had likely returned, probably defeated again.
(End of Chapter 27)