Chương 24: Kunai Throwing

Chen closed the door behind him, letting out a long sigh. The first day at the academy had been... expected.

As he made his way to the bathroom, his footsteps echoed through the silence of the empty house.

The hot water from the shower cascaded over his body, washing away the tension of the day. Chen closed his eyes, allowing the sound of the water to drown out his thoughts for a moment. When he finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel, he paused in front of the foggy mirror.

"Ready," he murmured, and suddenly the memories of his clones flooded his mind.

Chen dried off and headed to his room, collapsing onto the bed. As he stared at the ceiling, he couldn't help but think of Mikoto.

Seeing her so young was disconcerting. That woman deserved better than that idiot Fugaku and especially the madman Itachi. "I'll change her fate," he murmured to himself, closing his eyes.

As he drifted into sleep, his mind wandered to what his clones had learned. All the jutsus Tsunade had given him, including the Strength of a Hundred Seal, he had now mastered.

Unconsciously, his hand moved to his chest, where three tomoes, similar to the Sharingan, marked his skin.

Chen smiled in the dark. He preferred this mark to Tsunade's; the three tomoes on his chest seemed more masculine.

...

Dawn came too soon. Chen got up with the first ray of sunlight, stretching. With a flick of his hands, several shadow clones appeared around him.

"You know what to do," he said, and the clones nodded before dispersing.

Chen dressed quickly: a white long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, long pants of the same pristine color, and his characteristic ninja sandals.

The white matched his Otsutsuki features.

In the kitchen, he prepared a hearty breakfast: rice, grilled fish, miso soup, and a variety of pickles.

Finally, with the sun already high in the sky, Chen left his house, heading for the Academy.

---

As soon as he crossed the classroom door, he realized he was the last to arrive.

Even Jian, who had been beaten unconscious the previous day, was already in his seat, glaring at him with disdain.

"Why did everyone arrive so early?" Chen asked, genuinely surprised.

Shikaku, with his head resting on his desk, replied in a sleepy voice, "They made us get up early. How troublesome."

Near the window, Nawaki and Minato were chatting animatedly.

"I'll definitely become Hokage!" Nawaki exclaimed enthusiastically. "We have to work hard to achieve our dreams!"

Minato nodded, his eyes shining with determination. "You're right, Nawaki-kun. Together, we'll become stronger."

Drawn by their heated interaction, Chen felt a chill run down his spine. "Those two... could they be...?" he murmured to himself, shaking his head to clear the thought as he made his way to his seat.

"Good morning, Mikoto-chan," Chen greeted, sitting next to her.

Without waiting for a response, he rested his head on his arms, pretending to sleep.

Mikoto looked at Chen with concern, thinking he might be tired from the previous day. She decided not to bother him and focused on her own thoughts.

Minutes later, Kuri entered the classroom. Noticing that Chen was still "asleep," Mikoto leaned toward him. "Chen," she whispered softly, "the teacher is here."

Chen opened his eyes, meeting Mikoto's warm smile. For a moment, he felt dazed, not by the supposed awakening, but by the beauty of that smile. "Thank you, Mikoto-chan," he murmured, straightening up in his seat.

Kuri stood in front of the class, his expression serious. "Listen up, everyone," he began, his voice heavy with gravity.

"Being a ninja is not a game. It's not an exciting adventure like many of you think. It's a dangerous path, full of blood and death. At any moment, you could lose your life in the line of duty."

As Kuri spoke, most of the students seemed distracted. Some doodled in their notebooks, others stared out the window.

Kuri felt a pang of frustration, knowing many of them didn't truly understand the seriousness of what it meant to be a ninja.

"Today, we'll start with the fundamentals: chakra refinement," Kuri continued. "This is the foundation upon which all ninja arts are built."

As he explained the basic concepts, Chen noticed that most of the students from important clans, with the exception of Mikoto, weren't paying attention.

In contrast, the students from humbler origins listened eagerly to every word.

Kuri, noticing this, warned, "Those who think they know everything, I ask you at least not to interrupt your classmates who are trying to learn."

As the class progressed, several students succumbed to sleep, following the ancient school tradition of napping in class. Chen, for his part, maintained a look of attention, though his mind was elsewhere, refining his chakra.

Finally, the bell rang, marking the end of the class. A collective sigh of relief swept through the classroom.

The initial enthusiasm had given way to shared resignation, and most of the students just wanted the day to end soon.

When lunchtime came, Chen pulled out a generous bento from his backpack. Although his classmates were already familiar with his voracious appetite, they couldn't help but stare in awe at the amount of food Chen had brought.

...

After lunch, the students headed to the training field, the excitement for the practical class palpable in the air.

Kuri awaited them, his posture upright and a serious look on his face.

"I hope everyone brought their kunai, as instructed yesterday," Kuri began, scanning the class. "Today we'll learn and practice the correct method of kunai throwing."

A murmur of anticipation swept through the group. Kuri stood before them, pulling a kunai from his pouch with a fluid motion. "Watch closely," he said.

With an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist, Kuri threw the kunai.

The weapon sliced through the air with a whistle, embedding itself with a satisfying 'thunk' in the exact center of the target fifty meters away.

"Woah!" Nawaki exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. "That was amazing, sensei!"

The other students burst into exclamations of awe and applause.

Jian, however, didn't seem to share the general enthusiasm. With bruises on his face, marks from yesterday's fight, he stepped forward. "Sensei," he said arrogantly, "allow me to demonstrate the superior technique of the Uchiha clan."

Kuri nodded, stepping back. Jian pulled out three kunai, holding them between his fingers with practiced confidence. With a swift motion, he threw them simultaneously.

The three kunai flew in perfect sync, embedding themselves in the target fifty meters away. Although they weren't as perfectly centered as Kuri's, the feat was equally impressive.

The students looked at Jian in a new light. Even those who had previously considered him a mere bully now murmured in admiration.

"Not bad, Jian," Kuri said, nodding in approval.

Nawaki, feeling overshadowed, stepped forward. "I can do it too!" he exclaimed, pulling three kunai from his pouch.

With a determined frown, Nawaki threw the kunai. Two of them hit the target, though not as centered as Jian's. The third, however, barely grazed the edge, landing in the eighth ring of the target.

An awkward silence fell over the group. Nawaki looked at the ground, his face red with embarrassment.

________

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