Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Indeed, history is like a young girl who can be dressed up however one pleases. Konoha has only been established for less than 50 years and it's already like this. If this clan is wiped out in the future, it will probably disappear completely from the memories of future generations.

Fortunately, Higashino didn't transmigrate into the Uchiha clan like his predecessors, otherwise he would be scratching his head in frustration right now.

I wonder what Shisui thought when he saw all this, combined with his family's teachings.

Higashino Makoto glanced at it discreetly, but didn't think much of it. He was already completely engrossed in the Will of Fire in the book, and spontaneously made reading comprehension notes in his notebook, combining them with the teacher's explanations.

The general knowledge lessons in the morning were compressed into two classes, while the remaining two classes were dedicated to chakra and basic ninjutsu.

In the afternoon, everyone was taken to the training field and began practical training.

Higashino looked around and saw that all the new students had been brought out, with each class occupying a training area.

His eyesight was excellent, and he could see that there were scattered family members in each class. They were not bad in strength, but they were not all crammed into one class. Instead, they were scattered around.

Was it the result of negotiations between the family and the village? To help children build connections with their peers in the village from a young age.

Ordinary civilians are the main force of the ninja army, which can make up for the fact that clan ninjas are more likely to produce experts, but their numbers are insufficient.

Not only do high-ranking officials use commoner ninjas to balance the power of ninja clans, but ninja clans also spontaneously establish influence among commoner ninjas early on.

Actually, it's a good thing; it's a process of integration.

It's just that there aren't many children from powerful clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga. It seems that not all children of school age were sent to school and registered in official records after graduation.

The practical training courses are mainly divided into the use of ninja tools and sparring.

On the training field, rows of students stood in front of fixed targets, throwing shuriken and kunai at the targets, making a dense "thud" sound.

The students in the two top-ranked classes have excellent basic skills. Most of them started training early, and their ninja tool throwing power and accuracy are remarkable, making it much easier for the teachers.

Even if a few students are not very skilled, the teacher can arrange for a high-performing student to teach them one-on-one. This not only saves the teacher some trouble but also strengthens the bond between classmates, achieving two goals at once.

The lower-ranked classes have more beginners, so the teachers in charge usually explain first, then demonstrate personally, and patiently teach them, so they naturally fall behind the advanced classes in terms of progress.

Ninjas with massive chakra reserves are always a minority. The vast majority of ninjas do not rely on ninjutsu as their primary means of combat. Instead, ninja tools such as shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags are their most commonly used items.

After the ninja tool lesson, they rested for a while before starting combat training. The students immediately became excited, especially the boys, who looked eager to try.

After all, they are only first graders and do not have a deep understanding of the concept of ninja. In their eyes, what is the point of those academic classes? Ninja is about fighting, and winning proves that you are very powerful.

The opponents are chosen by Mr. Inoue based on the students' entrance exam scores. There are no fixed opponents, and the opponents will be changed based on the fluctuations in the scores, so as to allow students to encounter different opponents and gain more combat experience.

However, there are exceptions.

After quickly identifying their opponents, the battle began.

Although the students in the top class all have a good foundation, they are still young, and not many of them have learned ninjutsu. Even if they do, they cannot use it, so it is purely physical combat.

Ninja battles are quick; there are no battles lasting dozens of rounds. Hashirama and Madara are exceptions, but they can no longer be considered ninjas.

In the training field, the students fought with lightning speed, one pair after another stepping forward to battle, and then a winner was determined.

Before he had refined his chakra, Higashino Makoto might have thought their fight was very exciting, but after two years of training, his standards had become extremely high. At this moment, his classmates' fight was like child's play in his eyes.

Perhaps Kakashi felt the same way when he was in school, which is why he only stayed for half a year before graduating, because it really didn't mean much.

Soon, it was Higashino Makoto's turn to take the stage. His opponent was an acquaintance, Hyuga Tokuma, a member of the Hyuga clan. However, he was wearing a headscarf, so it was impossible to tell whether he was from the main family or a branch family. It was more likely that he was from the branch family.

The situation of the Hyuga clan's main branch is a secret, known only to a few high-ranking members of the village. Outsiders are unaware of it. Compared to the Uchiha clan, which frequently interacts with the villagers, the Hyuga clan is more traditional, conservative, and mysterious.

After the two formed opposing hand seals, Hyuga Tokuma immediately assumed a fighting stance, seemingly the starting position for Gentle Fist.

However, his eye meridians were not open, so it seems that he has not yet activated his white eye.

Gentle Fist is quite strong in the early stages of a ninja's life, especially during their student years. Unfortunately, it lacks staying power, making it difficult to produce top-tier masters.

However, this does not affect Hyuga's status in Konoha or even the ninja world, because the Byakugan's strategic role is too great. On the battlefield, it's like having X-ray vision, rendering ordinary traps and ambushes basically useless.

Seeing that Higashino Shin hadn't made a move, Hyuga Tokuma probed, "Judging from your performance yesterday, you're not just fast, are you, Shin-kun? If that's the case, you can't beat me."

"I'm not just fast."

"Oh, are there any other special moves?"

"Hmm... I can run even faster."

"..."

Hyuga Tokuma felt he had been tricked, so he immediately stopped probing and took a step closer to Higashino Makoto, unleashing a flurry of attacks with his palms. His Gentle Fist technique was quite impressive, far superior to the other students he had fought before.

The characteristic of Gentle Fist is to precisely inject concentrated special chakra into the opponent's pressure points to kill or control the opponent.

However, this requires the cooperation of the "white eye" (a term used to describe someone who is observable by observing others), because a living person is not a tree stump but can move. Without the observational assistance of the "white eye," it is difficult to hit the target.

Hyuga Tokuma hadn't activated his Byakugan yet, and besides, this was a battle between classmates, so he hadn't gathered any chakra in his hands. Higashino Makoto blocked with both hands in front of him, deflecting the opponent's attacks one by one, but his body didn't move an inch and didn't retreat even half a step.

"All you can do is defend? What about your offense?"

Still a child at heart, Hyuga Tokuma, unable to break through the defenses, became somewhat arrogant. He transformed his right hand into a fist, abandoning the Gentle Fist technique, and forcefully punched Higashino Makoto in the face.

Higashino Shin suddenly appeared behind Hyuga Tokuma. Apart from Inoue-sensei and a few others, the rest of the students couldn't see his movements at all.

Wow, that's amazing.

"Zhen is so handsome!"

"Damn it, we're all just new here, why is this guy so strong? Did he grow up eating chakra?"

Hearing the exclamations of the onlookers, Hyuga Tokuma realized from their gazes that his opponent was behind him. He immediately turned around to prepare for another attack. As a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan of Konoha, he would not easily admit defeat.

But he discovered that Higashino Makoto had already extended his right hand, ready to form a reconciliation seal with him.

"Is this what you call faster speed? But I haven't lost yet."

Higashino Makoto raised his left hand and tapped his neck as a gesture: "Oh, really? Feel it."

Hyuga Tokuma, unaware of what was happening, subconsciously touched his finger, getting a little ink on it.

It's obvious that when Higashino was moving, he took out a pen and drew a mark on his neck. If it had been a kunai, he would be dead by now.

The outcome is decided.

Hyuga Tokuma was somewhat disheartened, not expecting the gap between them to be so large, but he quickly rallied and formed a reconciliation bond with Higashino Makoto.

"Zhen, I didn't expect you to be so good. But I will keep working hard. Next time, I will definitely not lose to you."

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

Inoue Kuroiwa took a serious look at the outstanding student and began to take notes in his notebook.

Not only Higashino Makoto and Hinata Tokuma, but he meticulously recorded the abilities of every student; it was a teacher's duty.

Next, Shisui and Yugao easily won their victory as well.

The three top performers in the entrance exam were clearly superior to the other students.

When Uzuki Yugao finished her performance, she skipped and hopped to Higashino Makoto's side, pushing aside the girls who were crowding around her, and said with a smug look on her face, "Makoto-nii, wasn't I amazing!"

"Not bad, it seems you've made quite a bit of progress."

"Hmph!"

Shisui looked at Higashino Makoto seriously and said, "Makoto, I didn't expect you to have such strong abilities. I really want to have a match with you."

"Yes, Shisui, there will be an opportunity. I think Inoue-sensei thinks so too. Perhaps we will be arranged as rivals soon."

After a while, all the matches ended, and today's lesson was considered over.

This is a typical day at the ninja academy.

Higashino had already mastered the knowledge taught at school before he was four years old, which put him far ahead of his classmates.

That's what we cheaters are like.

Finally, after behaving himself for half a month, Higashino Makoto began his wicked plan to skip class.

Therefore, Shadow Clone Technique is truly a great ninjutsu.

Did I skip class? My clone was sitting in the classroom, so there's no proof I didn't skip!