“Then, let’s start with the concept of ‘Chakra’…”
Iruka held his lesson plan in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other, writing on the massive blackboard that had been deliberately enlarged.
To provide the best possible lighting, the sunny side of the classroom was almost entirely filled with windows.
Sunlight poured in, warming the students’ spirits and illuminating the knowledge on the blackboard.
Sakura picked up her pen, copying the words Iruka had written on the blackboard, and selectively noting down the key knowledge points he only narrated verbally.
Although the knowledge taught in this “Ninja Classroom” seemed strange to Sakura—it wasn’t poetry recitation or article analysis.
The concept of “knowledge” was completely subverted due to the existence of “Chakra.”
But the process of knowledge transfer itself was not much different from studying in her previous life.
Teachers taught, students listened.
However, Sakura soon began to divert her attention from the instruction.
Regarding the concept of “Chakra,” although Iruka mentioned some points Sakura hadn’t heard before, overall, it was similar to what Sakura knew from the original *Naruto* manga; in fact, the summarized interpretation of “Chakra” in the original work was more straightforward.
So, Sakura stopped taking notes and focused her attention on the other students around the classroom.
After the self-introductions concluded, the first class at the Ninja Academy was purely theoretical, covering content that felt like basic common knowledge.
Most students born into civilian or ordinary Ninja families, like Sakura, listened intently to Iruka’s lecture.
They could not access many resources or much knowledge, so studying at the Ninja Academy was extremely formal and systematic for children from these families.
Even something as seemingly obvious as the “concept of Chakra” could only be systematically understood by entering the Ninja Academy.
As for the children born into Ninja Clans, they had already received instruction within their clans before officially enrolling, and this instruction would not cease even after matriculation.
Take, for example, Nara Shikamaru, who was sitting in the middle of the classroom.
Like Ino, he was a child of the Nara Clan, the “Deer” component of the Ino–Shika–Chō, one of the three great Ninja Clans.
Although he looked lazy and wasn’t paying attention, his demeanor wasn’t confused; it was as if he already understood everything Iruka was explaining in class.
Akimichi Choji, who had been chubby since childhood, sat beside Nara Shikamaru.
He probably wasn’t really listening, but with Nara Shikamaru around, his academic progress wouldn’t fall too far behind in the end.
In the seats by the aisle, Shino and Inuzuka Kiba, who would become teammates in the same Ninja Squad in the future, were sitting side-by-side.
Shino, already dressed in dark sunglasses and a high collar, sat straight up in his seat.
Because the sunglasses obscured his eyes, it was impossible to tell if he was spacing out or listening to the lecture.
Inuzuka Kiba, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in teasing Akamaru, the white puppy whose tiny body could currently cling to his clothes and hide on his chest.
Naruto and Sasuke sat one behind the other in the window seats.
Naruto bit his pen tip with a distressed look.
A blank notebook lay on the desk in front of him.
He was listening very seriously but couldn’t understand anything at all, nor did he know how to take notes.
Sasuke, on the other hand, had not stopped writing since Iruka began lecturing, constantly scribbling in his notebook, filling the white pages with neat handwriting.
With his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, who was known as a genius, serving as an example, Sasuke worked hard to chase after his brother and was unwilling to tarnish his brother’s reputation due to any shortcomings of his own.
Even though he had already learned this knowledge within his clan, Sasuke still listened to the class with extreme seriousness.
It felt like school life was pretty much the same everywhere.
Observing the various states of life in the classroom, Sakura came to this conclusion.
There were good students, bad students, cheerful idiots, quiet geniuses…
and also earnest, hardworking girls who were bad at socializing and prone to shyness.
Hinata, the girl with short, black-blue hair who lacked confidence, sat at the desk in front of Sakura.
The layout of the tiered classroom allowed Sakura, sitting high in the back row, to look down and observe Hinata, clearly seeing the meaning behind her every action.
Hinata huddled small in her seat.
She was also a serious student, occasionally jotting down a knowledge point in her notebook.
Although these were normal class behaviors, her every move seemed so cautious.
Under Sakura’s gaze, Hinata’s cautious movements gradually became somewhat stiff.
This girl, who possessed noble lineage but seemed untalented due to her gentle, non-confrontational personality, was clearly extremely sensitive to the attention of others.
Even without using the Hyuga Clan’s unique Byakugan, Hinata immediately sensed Sakura’s gaze coming from behind her.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally tilted her head slightly, tentatively looking behind her.
Finding it amusing, Sakura didn’t conceal her actions.
Naturally, when her eyes met Hinata’s, Sakura simply smiled openly at her.
“H-hello…”
Hinata tried to greet Sakura.
Although the two had already made preliminary introductions to each other earlier, their familiarity was clearly insufficient.
Hinata’s tone was somewhat unfamiliar, but considering her personality, it was evident that her initiative to speak contained immense courage.
“Hello.”
Compared to Hinata’s verbal stumbles, Sakura’s personality seemed overly outgoing.
Hinata certainly didn’t dislike this feeling, but given her easily shy nature, she found it difficult to handle the emotions Sakura brought her.
The courage she mustered dissipated too quickly.
Hinata, who had been able to speak moments ago, now just nodded, then quickly turned her head back around.
“Sakura, aren’t you making friends a little too quickly?”
Ino, who had witnessed the entire interaction between Sakura and Hinata, also broke free from the classroom atmosphere and quietly started chatting with Sakura.
“Is it?”
Sakura answered Ino with a rhetorical question.
Her mind wasn’t truly that of a five or six-year-old girl; if she put her mind to it, she could certainly immediately hit it off with the children in the class.
Ino naturally didn’t grasp the deeper meaning in Sakura’s rhetorical question, and nodding knowingly at Sakura, she affirmed, “It’s too fast!”
Sakura tilted her head slightly, gazing at the resolute Ino, still wearing the familiar smile Ino knew so well.
She spun the pencil in her hand and used the soft eraser tip to gently poke Ino’s tender cheek.
“Even so, my best friend is still only you, Ino.”