“Is that so?
I hadn’t really noticed.” Chiya naturally wouldn’t tell her that it was because his cultivation technique had caused his physique and spiritual energy to leapfrog over those of ordinary people.
If he were to refine chakra like a standard ninja, with his six-year-old body, he wouldn’t just be able to match one “Kakashi” worth of chakra; he could easily hit half that amount without breaking a sweat.
If he entered Sage Mode, that volume would soar at least ten times over.
And this was only because of his young age and the low level of his technique—in the future, this would grow exponentially.
(P.S.: 1 “Kakashi” = the amount of chakra possessed by one Sharingan-wielding Kakashi.) “Of course there is!
You were slightly shorter than me before, but now you’re taller,” Izumi said with theatrical emphasis.
At this point, Chiya finally saw what Izumi was carrying: two bento boxes.
Sensing his gaze, Izumi’s face flushed red again.
She tightened her grip on the bento bag and looked away, acting slightly tsundere.
“Don’t misunderstand!
I just happened to make too much lunch this morning.
It’s definitely not because I was worried you wouldn’t have anything to eat.” “Then, thank you.” Chiya felt a warmth in his chest.
He had indeed forgotten to prepare lunch, and the Academy didn’t provide any.
“Mn!” Izumi nodded firmly, a joyful smile breaking across her face.
“Come on, let’s head to the classroom together.” Soon, they arrived at the classroom.
Chiya pushed open the door to find it nearly full.
Their entrance didn’t cause much of a stir; most of the attention was fixed on Itachi Uchiha, who had arrived earlier.
Faint, muffled squeals of excitement could be heard from the girls.
“Wow, Itachi-kun is so cool!” “Right?
I heard he’s the son of the Uchiha clan head…” The girls in the Naruto world matured early.
Just like Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka in the original story—once best friends, their ship sank the moment they both started chasing after Sasuke.
Listening to the girls’ chatter, Chiya’s mouth twitched.
These girls are way too boy-crazy, he thought.
Izumi, standing beside him, assumed he was envious of Itachi.
She offered a comforting remark: “Actually…
I think Chiya-kun is even cooler than Itachi.” Recalling how Chiya had rushed to save her without hesitation a month ago, a flush spread across Izumi’s cheeks.
“Let’s just go find a seat,” Chiya said, thinking, That’s not exactly the kind of comfort I need right now.
Itachi spotted them as well, but after a moment of hesitation, he didn’t approach.
He wasn’t the type to express emotions easily, and they weren’t close enough for idle chatter.
Before long, their instructor arrived—a slightly chubby chunin with a beard.
He didn’t waste time, writing his name on the board, introducing himself, and immediately having the students do the same.
The classroom was soon filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Once the introductions were done, the instructor had textbooks handed out: Modern History of Konoha, Will of Fire, Detailed Guide to Chakra Refinement, The Three Basic Jutsu, Basic Taijutsu Training, Introduction to Ninja Tool Throwing, and so on.
They even threw in some humanities and math textbooks.
These would be their companions for the next six years—unless, of course, they managed to graduate early.
As a seasoned Naruto veteran, Chiya flipped open Modern History of Konoha.
One glance was enough to make his mouth twitch violently.
The founding of the hidden villages by the First Hokage was glossed over in a sentence.
The end of the First Great Ninja War was barely mentioned.
The fact that the Uchiha and Senju clans had co-founded Konoha wasn’t even written down.
The only thing that got a full page was the recently deceased Fourth Hokage—and that looked like a last-minute addition.
The rest of the book was entirely dedicated to how “great” the Third Hokage was.
“Professor of Ninjutsu,” “God of Shinobi,” and how he had turned the tide in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, single-handedly leading Konoha to victory.
It was a masterclass in propaganda.
Yet, shameless as it was, it worked surprisingly well.
Most of the civilian students stared at the pages with wide eyes, completely brainwashed.
Itachi, especially, was devouring the Will of Fire and Modern History of Konoha with a glowing expression.
From this moment on, Itachi began to view everything through the lens of this “Hokage-style” indoctrination.
He began to develop a rebellious psychology toward his own clan, viewing the Uchiha’s pride as incurable, all while completely ignoring what the village leadership was doing to them.
Though he eventually realized the truth before his soul ascended, it was too late—the Uchiha clan was effectively extinct.
Chiya could only conclude that poisonous textbooks really do ruin lives.
Chiya tossed the Will of Fire aside after a quick glance.
Compared to that manipulated history, he was far more interested in the technical manuals on chakra, basic jutsu, and taijutsu.
By noon, Chiya and Izumi met up on the roof to eat.
After finishing his meal, Chiya shamelessly asked the “little rich girl” of the Uchiha clan for some ninjutsu knowledge.
“Ninjutsu?” Izumi put down her bento, puzzled.
“Didn’t the teacher just explain the Three Basic Jutsu this morning?” “It’s too simple.” Chiya channeled his cultivation technique, sensed his surroundings to ensure no one was watching, and proceeded to demonstrate the Three Basic Jutsu for her.
Ever since he began practicing the Tiangang Art, he had mastered low-level jutsu instantly.
Even without the technique, he could perform them using ordinary chakra.
But more importantly, he discovered that after performing a jutsu once, he could channel his “Qi” to execute it without any hand signs at all.
This realization made him ecstatic.
Did this mean he could be like Hashirama or Madara—just clap his hands and make anything happen?
Hashirama: “Madara, are you doing hand signs?” Madara smiled: “I’m not doing signs, Hashirama.
Are you?” Hashirama shook his head: “Isn’t it just about clapping your hands and making it happen?
Who actually does hand signs in this day and age?” Kisame, Zabuza, and Kakashi: (Crying in the corner).