In this world, using ninjutsu consumed chakra.
The more powerful the technique, the greater the amount of chakra it required.
The same principle applied to esper abilities, and Iruka understood that all too well.
For example, with his rather ordinary chakra reserves, continuously using his ability to manipulate objects for half an hour had left his limbs weak and his head heavy and foggy.
It was a typical case of exhaustion caused by excessive chakra consumption.
Although manipulating objects was a derivative application of Vector Control and consumed nowhere near as much chakra as directly creating a gravity field, even a steady stream would eventually run dry.
At this point, Iruka had only enough chakra left to maintain his body’s basic functions.
Chakra was the energy produced by perfectly combining the various forms of energy within the human body under one’s control.
Once a person’s chakra reserves reached their natural limit, their maximum capacity would no longer increase.
To expand those reserves, the body needed external stimulation.
The most common method was to completely exhaust all the chakra in one’s body, stimulating it to adapt to the increased demand and gradually expand its chakra capacity.
In other words, training.
Under normal circumstances, once completely depleted chakra had fully recovered, one’s chakra capacity would increase slightly compared to before.
But that was under normal circumstances.
Iruka silently raised a hand, slowly curling his fingers into a fist before opening them again.
Feeling the hollow weakness left behind by chakra exhaustion, he sighed quietly and muttered,
“So it wasn’t my imagination after all.
My chakra capacity hasn’t changed at all, and for some reason, the amount of chakra I can use for my abilities has inexplicably decreased.
If this continues…”
His expression immediately darkened.
For some unknown reason, the chakra reserves left to him by the original owner of this body seemed incapable of growing.
Worse still, they were gradually weakening.
If he simply allowed things to continue, he might eventually become completely unable to use chakra—and, as a result, unable to use his esper abilities.
In this world, chakra was the foundation of everything.
The consequences of being unable to use it were unimaginable.
As he pondered the problem, the countless earthen kunai that had been floating behind him moments ago finally disappeared.
The blazing sunlight once again illuminated the ground, signaling the long-awaited liberation of the students who had suffered through the training.
“It’s…
it’s finally…
o-over…”
A weak voice came from within the cloud of dust.
Then came a thud, and everything fell silent once more.
Iruka slipped his hands into his pockets.
Although the problem of his weakening chakra weighed heavily on his mind, he had never been one to show his troubles on his face.
Around people he knew well, he always maintained a relaxed and easygoing demeanor.
It was a habit he had developed long ago.
No matter what happened, he was used to shouldering his burdens alone.
Telling others would only give them something else to worry about.
More importantly, he didn’t want the people he cared about to worry about him.
Before long, the dust finally settled, gradually revealing the scene within.
Of the five groups, Kiba and Shino’s group, Sakura and Ino’s group, and Shikamaru and Chōji’s group had all been completely wiped out.
The six children had rolled their eyes back and lost consciousness.
They were covered from head to toe in dirt, while the exposed parts of their skin were mottled with bruises.
They looked as though they had just survived a vicious group beating, and the swelling probably wouldn’t go down for at least a week.
And that was only because Iruka had deliberately reduced the initial kinetic force of the projectiles.
Had he used the same power as at the beginning, someone probably would have died.
Three out of five groups being eliminated was well within Iruka’s expectations.
After confirming that their injuries were merely superficial and that they were otherwise fine, he walked over to Sasuke, who was still barely managing to stand.
“Very good.
You managed to dodge half of the kunai.
You get a perfect score this time as well.”
A smile appeared on Sasuke’s handsome face when he heard those words.
If the praise had come from another teacher, Sasuke would naturally have dismissed it.
But Iruka was different.
He was a genuinely powerful shinobi, and his training wasn’t limited to basic Academy techniques like the Three Basic Techniques.
His was the kind of rigorous training where a moment of carelessness could leave someone covered in injuries.
Naturally, Iruka’s approval carried far more weight than that of the ordinary chūnin instructors who simply went through the motions.
To Sasuke, it was perhaps no less meaningful than earning his father’s approval.
The satisfaction of being recognized, combined with the overwhelming exhaustion that had been catching up to him, washed over Sasuke all at once.
His body swayed before he finally collapsed straight onto the ground.
“Heh.
This kid deserves a perfect score for pretending to be tougher than he is, too.
But speaking of pretending to be tough…”
Iruka turned toward the remaining group beside them.
Hinata was the only student who had made it to the end without a single injury.
That was obviously unusual.
While her theoretical grades were second only to Sakura’s, that didn’t mean she was particularly strong.
On the contrary, in terms of actual combat ability, she was probably near the bottom of the class.
Her personality made that clear enough.
Even though Iruka had barely spoken with her, he could tell that she had no desire to fight.
For someone as gentle and timid as her, simply raising her fists against another person was already an achievement.
The reason she remained standing without a scratch was the blond boy in front of her.
Even after losing consciousness, he hadn’t taken a single step back.
With his slender body, he had shielded her from every attack.
When Iruka approached, he saw that there wasn’t a single uninjured patch of skin on Naruto’s body.
His bruises ranged from purple to deep violet, and his injuries were clearly far more serious than anyone else’s.
Whether he would even be able to attend the Academy normally tomorrow was questionable.
Hinata’s fair face was filled with guilt.
Her eyes were red as she looked at Naruto.
She wanted to check his injuries, but when she reached out her small hand, she didn’t dare touch his completely discolored skin.
Anyone could tell that Naruto looked as though a strong gust of wind could knock him over.
Although Iruka had been preoccupied with the problem of his weakening chakra, that didn’t mean he hadn’t been paying attention to the students.
With his soul developed to its utmost potential, dividing his attention between two things was hardly difficult.
He knew exactly what had happened to Naruto’s group.
As soon as the training began, Naruto had said something to Hinata.
Then, like an idiot, he had stood in front of her with his arms raised over his head.
For the entire thirty-minute barrage, he had taken every single kunai head-on, leaving himself in this miserable state.
Iruka sighed softly.
“This isn’t training to see how much punishment you can take.
Still, that determination to shield a girl from harm is worth acknowledging.
Unfortunately, as a teacher, I can’t just let my students do whatever they want.”
He glanced at Hinata.
“Hinata, your group gets zero points this time.
You didn’t dodge a single kunai.
When Naruto wakes up, please let him know for me.”
“Iruka-sensei…
is Naruto going to be okay?”
Hinata looked at Iruka with reddened eyes, appearing as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Iruka didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at her with an amused expression, the corner of his mouth lifting into a slightly mischievous smile.
“Oh?
You care about him that much?”
Hinata looked down at Naruto, her face full of guilt.
“It’s all my fault…
If it weren’t for me, Naruto definitely wouldn’t have…”
Drip…
A tear slid gently down Hinata’s pale cheek.
Her small body trembled slightly as endless regret filled her mind.
For the first time, she hated her own weakness.
If…
if only I could become as strong as Iruka-sensei…
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Hinata suddenly felt a large hand rest on her head and gently ruffle her hair.
“Don’t overthink it.
The fact that he was willing to risk his life to protect you means that, in his heart, you’re someone very important to him.
So just accept his kindness for what it is.”
Iruka smiled softly and continued,
“After all, protecting the people who are important to you is a man’s instinct.
Even if he’s still just a kid.”
Hinata’s face instantly turned bright red.
“N-Naruto…
thinks I’m…
important to him?”
Hinata felt as though her heart were about to explode.
Before Iruka could answer, her vision suddenly went black, and she gently toppled over onto the ground.
A strange expression of bliss spread across her flushed face.
“H-Hey!
Hinata, what’s wrong?!”
Iruka called out to her several times, but Hinata gave no response.
Left with no choice, he could only abandon the idea of waking her up.
And just like that, the last student who was still conscious had collapsed, leaving a bewildered Iruka alone to face a very serious problem—
Wait…
how am I supposed to get all these little brats home?!