We spent the first few days of the new school year refreshing our basics, just in case someone had slacked off during the vacation. And as expected from clan kids, none of them had slacked off at all. This rare display of universal competence made Daiken practically radiate with satisfaction.
However, after Daiken made certain that everyone met his strict standards in physical conditioning, chakra control, and knowledge of hand seals, the real second-year curriculum started off with a storm.
Not a literal storm, unfortunately. I would've preferred thunder and rain over what we ended up walking into.
Daiken-sensei stood at the front of the training yard with a line of battered wooden logs arranged behind him. Looking at the rugged, battle-scarred wood, I had a brief thought that maybe they were distant relatives of his. Certainly, their charming personalities matched.
"Today," Daiken began, his voice booming with all the subtlety of a war drum, "we start your first formal ninjutsu training. You have all demonstrated adequate chakra control, you understand the fundamentals of hand seals, and you're aware of how chakra interacts with your surroundings. That is sufficient."
I blinked. Did he really just say adequate? Coming from Daiken, that was practically the equivalent of tearful pride and emotional hugs.
A few students began whispering excitedly. Shizuru vibrated beside me with barely-contained energy. Kaen Uchiha cracked his knuckles like he planned on sparring directly with the jutsu. Sena stood with perfect poise as usual, though I swear even her eyes twitched with quiet anticipation.
Daiken gestured abruptly at the logs behind him. "Substitution Jutsu. You will learn about it today"
Straight to the point, as always.
He stepped forward, holding up a scroll. "Substitution is not magic. It is not teleportation. It is a pre-planned escape. You channel chakra into an object beforehand and link it to yourself using specific hand seals. When you're attacked, you trigger the chakra link and exchange positions with the object."
He slammed the scroll down dramatically. "Speed isn't the critical factor here. Preparation and awareness are. Read the situation. Time your seal activation correctly. Otherwise, you'll just be the first casualty on the field."
I raised my eyebrow skeptically Thinking "Wait. So instead of simply dodging, I'm supposed to pre-select a tree stump, pour chakra into it ahead of time, wait for someone to inevitably attempt murder, and then remember to activate the jutsu at the exact right moment?"
No one answered my thoughts. Rude.
Daiken spoke firmly, "After you read, understand, and memorize the hand seals, you will have one week to train. That's more than enough time to master it. Then each of you will demonstrate the jutsu individually. The exercise is simple. I'll simulate a strike, and you'll substitute yourself with your pre-prepared object. Fail, and you get hit."
He didn't specify exactly how hard the hit would be, but everyone silently agreed it wouldn't be gentle. That unspoken understanding provided the best motivation ever to learn the jutsu properly.
After a week filled with detailed instructions, constant clarification, and intense practice, test day finally arrived and Daiken looked disturbingly eager to start hitting people.
First up was one of the Inuzuka kids. He managed to substitute at the last possible second, landing face-first in the grass. A rough start.
Shizuru got the timing right, but the log appeared sideways when she swapped with it. Her immediate disapproval of her own geometry was obvious.
Sena, naturally, executed it flawlessly. No sound, no flash, just a perfect swap and a small, smug look that silently told everyone watching, your move.
When it was finally my turn, I walked forward confidently, log already tagged and gently pulsing with my chakra. I wasn't nervous. Not really. Just mildly aware that Daiken could snap all my ribs simply by blinking too aggressively.
He stepped into attack range.
I didn't wait for him to start his physical motion.
The instant I felt his chakra intent spike, I triggered the jutsu. My body snapped sideways in a flash of chakra, the log appearing and slamming heavily into the ground where I'd just been standing. I landed in a crouch, skidding slightly on the dirt, but stable and unharmed.
The class murmured. Daiken paused, observing me closely.
"You sensed the intent," he finally said, "before the actual movement."
"Yes," I replied, fighting back the urge to smirk openly.
He stared at me for a moment.
"Again," he said sharply.
After a few successful attempts, Daiken finally increased his speed a bit, using a slight amount of genuine effort, and struck me cleanly on the head. Despite this, he offered no negative comments about my overall performance.
A win is a win, I told myself firmly while holding the sizable lump on my head.
For some reason, Sena was now walking next to me, along with a visibly annoyed Shizuru. Looking between them, I realized Sena's presence might actually serve as an excellent motivator for Shizuru. My mind wandered briefly, imagining a highly motivated Nara actually reaching her true potential. Scary.
According to our earlier agreement, Sena would join Shizuru in her physical training from now on. Thankfully, I didn't really need academic tutoring anymore, which meant I could dedicate more time to my own training and growth.
"We should train the Substitution Jutsu more," Sena said cheerfully. "Daiken-sensei mentioned the more we practice, the fewer hand seals we'll need, and the better our timing will become."
I nodded in reluctant agreement, internally sighing at the ever-growing mountain of things I needed to train.
We reached one of the smaller training fields at the Academy, and I turned first to Shizuru. "I already know your current physical level, so here's a specific routine I made just for you," I said, handing her a detailed scroll. "It includes exercises you can also perform at home."
Then I turned toward Sena. "As for you, I still need to see your current physical capabilities. After that, I can make a tailored routine."
She smiled sweetly, but I interrupted her quickly with a serious tone. "Do not hide your true strength, or this entire exercise is pointless. If you're serious about this training, show me exactly what you're capable of."
Her smile faltered briefly, replaced momentarily by a chilled, calculating look, before smoothly transitioning back to her default politician's smile. "Alright. I'll make sure to do exactly that."
She began the test exercises I'd designed and explained carefully to her. As Sena went through each drill, my surprise grew steadily. She wasn't anywhere near my level, of course, nobody in the class was, but astonishingly, she ranked third, just behind Genta Senju. For a Yamanaka, that was impressive. They weren't exactly famous for their physical prowess, yet Sena displayed remarkable potential. More importantly, it was clear from her controlled breathing and fluid movements that she had trained hard to get there.
By the time Shizuru finished her own exercises, she was practically fuming. She shot repeated annoyed glances at Sena, her cheeks flushed and not from physical effort alone.
"Hmph. This routine isn't good enough," Shizuru huffed immediately upon returning. "Give me a harder one."
My eyes widened, pleasantly surprised. "Wow. I love the newfound motivation. Alright, I'll prepare something tougher by tomorrow."
Sena returned soon after, visibly sweating and breathing heavily from the exertion. I grinned. "That's more like it. Far better than your usual 'politely unbothered' routine."
She looked up at me sharply, a tick mark appearing prominently on her forehead. Seeing Sena's composure crack, even slightly, was enough to make Shizuru chuckle in satisfaction.
As I watched them, a thought settled quietly in my mind. Sena really might be the push Shizuru needed. And Shizuru, finally motivated, could become something extraordinary. Things were going to get interesting.