A series of system notifications flashed through Makoto’s mind.
Calmly, he felt the changes in his body.
His strength, speed, and taijutsu had all visibly improved.
While it wasn’t as exaggerated as “beating three people with one hand,” it was indeed enough to deal with Aoki.
A pity.
Makoto clicked his tongue internally.
That kid Obito said he believed him out loud, but in his heart, he only believed half of it.
Fifty percent trust, combined with his weight as an important supporting character, only manifested this much.
He wondered how high the feedback would be from a fool like the original protagonist, Naruto.
Furthermore, manifesting lies was related to the target’s inner thoughts.
Since no Chakra manifested this time, it proved Obito didn’t think Makoto had Chakra right now.
Forget it, no point overthinking.
“A-Are you serious?” Obito stuttered.
“What else?”
Makoto raised an eyebrow and looked at Aoki, who had already rushed over.
Aoki’s face flushed with anger.
“Uchiha Makoto! Come outside right now! To the training ground! I’ll make you pay for running your mouth!”
“Sure,” Makoto shrugged.
“But it’s class time right now. Are you going to skip class right in front of the teacher?”
Aoki froze.
Right at that moment, the classroom door opened.
A Chunin teacher walked in holding a roll book.
Seeing the two in a standoff, he frowned.
“What are you doing? Back to your seats!”
Aoki glared fiercely at Makoto, mouthed “wait till school ends,” and sat back down, fuming.
Makoto leisurely walked to his seat, located in the second-to-last row by the window.
As he passed Obito, the spiky-haired kid lowered his voice and said:
“Makoto… did you say that just to stand up for me? Th-Thank you! But Aoki has his father teaching him.”
“Shut up and sit down.” Makoto pressed him back down into his seat.
As for himself, he walked over to the window, sat down, and rested his chin on his hand as he looked outside.
Roll call began in the classroom, but many glances were still stolen toward Makoto’s direction.
Might Guy gave him a thumbs-up, his mouth shaping the word, “Youth!”
Asuma raised an eyebrow, seeming to find it amusing, while whispering something to Kurenai.
Rin looked over at Obito every now and then, and then at Makoto.
Great.
Makoto nodded internally.
“The persona is established.”
Although he used up today’s system uses, gaining a boost in strength and the entire class’s attention made it totally worth it.
Besides, as long as he demonstrated a bit of strength later, his arrogant claim of “beating three with one hand” could easily solidify into the impression that “this guy really can fight.”
“Kurenai.”
The teacher called out the name, and a very pretty little girl stood up to answer.
“Here.”
Uchiha Makoto took a brief glance.
Kurenai, the future mentor of Hinata.
Even though she had just started her first year at the Ninja Academy, one could already tell she would grow up to be a rare beauty.
Roll call continued.
In front and to his side, Obito secretly looked back, winking and gesturing with his mouth, “Let’s hang out after school!”
Makoto ignored him and kept looking out the window.
Class began.
“Uchiha Makoto.”
“Here.”
Roll call was still going on.
Makoto lazily gave a response, but his mind had already drifted far away.
Outside the window, leaves rustled in the wind, and sunlight streamed through the glass onto his desk, forming a dazzling patch of light.
Makoto stared blankly at the patch of light, his fingers mindlessly drawing circles on the desk.
On the podium, the Chunin teacher cleared his throat.
“Alright, roll call is over. Now, let’s begin our first lesson.”
The teacher turned around and wrote several large words on the blackboard.
Makoto raised his head, glanced over, and then froze completely.
Chakra Refinement Method.
Those five characters pinned him to his seat like nails.
“…Chakra is the foundation of a Ninja, formed by mixing physical energy and spiritual energy.”
The teacher’s voice echoed through the classroom.
“Today, we will learn the most fundamental refinement method.”
A commotion broke out in the classroom.
The kids whispered excitedly to one another; even Asuma, who had been sleeping on his desk the whole time, raised his head.
Uchiha Makoto, however, could not get excited at all.
He stared at the blackboard, his mind ringing like a thumping bell.
Their very first lesson was actually teaching the Chakra Refinement Method?
Why do I remember this being a second-year subject for Naruto and his peers?
No, that’s not the main point.
The main point is—!
“Year 41 of Konoha…” Makoto recited silently.
“Obito is 6 years old now, and the Battle of Kannabi Bridge is when he’s 12… That means Year 47 of Konoha…”
He took a sharp breath.
The Third Shinobi World War.
The Third Shinobi World War.
The war in the original story where the Uchiha Clan fought the Hidden Mist Village alone and suffered heavy casualties.
“War breaks out in Year 46, Kannabi Bridge in Year 47…” Makoto clenched his fingers under the desk.
“There are still five years left.”
Five years.
It sounds like a long time, but thinking carefully about it…
During wartime, students graduate from the Ninja Academy in three to four years, making him only 10 years old then.
By Year 46 or 47, he would only be 11 or 12.
Under normal circumstances, that’s precisely the age for Genin to head to the battlefield.
With better luck, he might have scraped by to Chunin.
And then?
Then he would be thrown into that meat grinder named “The Third Shinobi World War.” With good luck, he’d lose an arm or a leg; with bad luck…
“Tch.” Makoto couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
On the podium, the teacher continued endlessly: “…Therefore, refining Chakra requires a calm and focused mind to feel the flow of energy within your body…”
Makoto didn’t process a single word.