Chapter 4: The Harsh Reality
This Naruto world held a grim, unspoken rule that deserved serious contemplation.
It was this: any student who successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy and became a shinobi would inevitably be sent to the battlefield.
No matter how young, they would be thrust prematurely into the deadly dance of clashing blades.
This was especially true in Konoha Year 42. In less than six years, the flames of the Third Great Ninja War would ignite.
In the classroom, Liumu rested his forehead in one hand, his gaze distant as he mentally catalogued the major events that would unfold one after another.
"Liumu!"
A young, slightly shy girl's voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Turning, he saw it was his classmate, Nohara Rin, with her distinctive twin red markings on her cheeks.
"Is something wrong, Rin?"
Hearing him address her so directly by name, Rin blushed instantly. She timidly placed her homework notebook in front of him. "Um, there's a question from yesterday's assignment I couldn't figure out. Could you... explain it to me?"
Homework?
What the—?!
A cold dread washed over Liumu. He had gone to Hokage Rock after school yesterday, and with the sudden awakening of the system, he had completely forgotten about the assignment.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was far too late to do it now...
"Tsk!"
"Liumu-kun, what's wrong?" Seeing his expression shift from shock to dismay, Rin thought she had disturbed him and asked with concern.
"Ahh..." Liumu sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. It's too late for me, but I'll explain the problem to you first."
Liumu had always been at the top of the class academically. Aside from the practical classes, he consistently ranked in the top two in every written exam. His only true rival in that regard was Hatake Kakashi, who had graduated at age five.
As for Rin, though smart, her grades were only middling.
"Look here. The hand seals for the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique are Boar, Ram, Dragon. For the Water Release: Water Wall, it's Ram, Snake, Ram, Snake, Ram, Snake. This information is in the footnote on the bottom right of page 55 in the 'Water Country' section of the textbook. Since it's not core curriculum, most people overlook it."
Following Liumu's guidance, Rin indeed found the relevant section in her book.
"The textbook actually has the seals for these two jutsu?!" Rin, realizing this belatedly, solved the problem that had plagued her all night. She stood up happily, preparing to return to her seat.
But as she turned to leave, she suddenly looked back at Liumu. "Thank you, Liumu. And... I hope you achieve great results in today's practical assessment."
This practical assessment was a special, impromptu test ordered by the village for the Academy students, following the early graduation of their classmate Kakashi. Its purpose was clear: to see if this class contained any other high-quality talents like him.
In the past, the mere mention of a practical assessment would have filled Liumu with dread, given his notorious weakness in combat. But now, having fused with the Saitama template...
"Hehehe…" A strange, low chuckle escaped Liumu as he swept his gaze across his classmates. 'I won't hold back this time. I'm going all out.'
...
...
...
Inside the Training Grounds.
A Chunin instructor stood to one side, clipboard in hand, watching as the Academy students stepped forward one by one for the shuriken-throwing test.
"Next! Uchiha Obito!"
At the instructor's call, a black-haired boy wearing goggles shoved his way through the crowd and stepped into the examination area.
"Rin! Rin!"
Obito pulled a shuriken from the pouch at his waist, enthusiastically waving toward Nohara Rin, who was standing not far off.
Rin, who had been discussing another textbook problem with Liumu, heard her name. She looked up, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents as she smiled.
"Good luck, Obito!"
Empowered by Rin's encouragement, Obito visibly swelled with confidence. His expression turned serious, eyes locked on the target five meters away. The shuriken left his hand with a swish. A moment later, a thunk sounded.
"Obito! Three rings!" the Chunin instructor called out.
Obito: "…"
"Pfft— Hahahaha!"
As a member of the Uchiha clan, shurikenjutsu was supposed to be their specialty. And yet...
Obito stared at his dismal score, a desolate sigh escaping him.
"Next! Liumu!"
...
"Next, Liumu! Where is Liumu?!"
"Liumu, I think it's your turn!"
Liumu, thoroughly engrossed in his chat with Rin, hadn't noticed the calls at all. It was only after the Chunin instructor called his name several times that a classmate nearby nudged him, reminding him it was his turn to step up.
"Here! I'm here!"
Liumu raised a hand, squeezing back through the crowd as he answered. Arriving at the mark five meters from the target, he offered an awkward smile to the instructor. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now."
For a top student like Liumu, the instructor naturally wasn't too harsh. After a brief admonishment to pay attention, he urged Liumu to begin so they could stay on schedule.
Liumu glanced at the wooden target. He reached for a shuriken, gave it a casual—almost flippant—twirl between his fingers, and without seeming to aim at all, flung it with a seemingly lazy motion.
BOOM!
A sound more akin to an explosion than an impact echoed. The shuriken didn't just hit the bullseye; it punched straight through the thick wooden target. The remaining structure of the target was left webbed with dense, spider-like cracks.
"Uh… this…"
Liumu scratched his head in genuine surprise. He thought he'd barely used any strength. How had he still caused this much damage?
They won't make me pay for that, will they?
"Ahem…" Liumu awkwardly approached the instructor, who was staring, dumbfounded, at the shattered target. He asked with a strained smile, "If I said I didn't mean to do that… would you believe me?"
"WOW!"
"Liumu is too strong!"
"Incredible! How much power was that?!"
...
The students, finally snapping out of their shock, instantly swarmed around Liumu, a chorus of praise and astonished questions about how he trained his shurikenjutsu.
After all, for most five-year-olds, accuracy was one thing, but few had the raw arm strength to properly embed a shuriken in the target, let alone obliterate it.
But what they had just witnessed...
"Liumu! Ten rings!"
A large, warm hand landed on Liumu's shoulder. Looking up, he saw the Chunin instructor smiling down at him with a mix of pride and bewilderment. "Go on and take a rest."
"Liumu, so besides studying, your shurikenjutsu is this good too!" Off to the side, Nohara Rin, still clutching her textbook, asked excitedly, "How do you practice? Why can't the rest of us seem to aim correctly?"
"Yeah, yeah! We always miss!" piped up another classmate nearby.
Liumu looked at them and offered a faint smile. "You really want to know?"
Rin nodded with utmost seriousness.
"It's actually quite simple," Liumu replied, adopting a sage-like tone. "What we call 'genius' is, in truth, made of one part talent plus ninety-nine parts hard work!"
Rin frowned slightly, pondering his words. "So… you're saying as long as you work hard enough, you can succeed?"
"No, no, no!" Liumu hastily waved his hands, cutting her off. "I haven't finished. What I mean is, aside from that hard work and talent, the remaining nine hundred percent... is all pure, dumb luck!"
(End of Chapter)
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