After finishing their unexpectedly generous meal, the children shuffled back toward their shared dormitory. The atmosphere was thick with the sounds of shuffling feet and the high-pitched chatter of kids who had far more energy than Ryo felt was strictly necessary.
"Let's settle this now," one of the older boys whispered loudly as they climbed into their bunks. "Who do you think will hit Jonin rank first from this year's batch? No clan members allowed in the bet—that's cheating. Losers have to fork over half of their highest-ranked mission commission to the orphanage fund by the time they become shinobi when bet is completed "
'Well, at least they're finding a way to assist this place in their own twisted way,' Ryo thought, stifling a yawn as he collapsed onto his thin mattress.
"That's a tough call," another voice piped up. "Even if I only count the ones who made it into Class Honor, there are still thirty of them, and I only actually know, like about nine."
"True, true. But where's the fun in a bet if we're all certain? Just name the one you find the most dazzling. The one who looks like they've got that 'legendary shinobi in the making' energy."
'I really should search the library tomorrow, for a jutsu that makes me temporarily deaf,' Ryo grumbled, pulling the scratchy blanket over his head and squeezing his eyes shut.
"I'm putting my money on the blondie," a boy chimed in. "He was incredibly fast during the exam. He basically beat everyone except for the Uchihas and Inuzuka in the race."
"Are you talking about that pretty boy? The one with the bright blue eyes?"
"Wait... was she not a tomboy?! NOOOOOO!!! WHYYYY??!!! My life is a lie!"
"Don't be so dramatic, Fuguki. At least you made it into Class Honor. You'll have plenty of chances to impress and actually date a real girl now."
"Hey! We're still in the room, you filthy guys!" a girl snapped from across the partition. "What makes you think being in Class Honor is enough to impress us? How easy do you think we are?"
"Well, you girls spend all day drooling over that stuck-up Uchiha kid who doesn't even know you exist, so I rest my case."
'And here we go again,' Ryo sigh.
As the sun began its ascent from the east, casting long, pale shadows across the village, Ryo was already awake. He slipped out of bed and navigated the quiet hallway toward the storage room, seeking out the Matron to ask for the day's permission.
"What do you need, my child?" she asked without turning around.
Knowing Ryo's habit of rising at this ungodly hour, the Matron continued her morning routine—meticulously checking the inventory to ensure the precious rations hadn't been tampered with or stolen overnight.
"I want to go outside to train and then head to the library after breakfast," Ryo explained. "I'll come back briefly for lunch and then return for good before the dinner bell."
'Good. No signs of a break-in or tampering,' the Matron thought, sighing internally in relief. 'The news hasn't reached the public yet'. She maintained her calm facade and finally looked at the boy.
"I understand, my child… seeing you growing up so fast, already heading out to train so you can shift to Class Honor on the next semester," she said, her voice wavering as she wiped away a few non-existent tears. She reached out and ruffled his hair, a gesture he tolerated with practiced patience.
"Just please, don't be reckless. Your body is still too young to handle heavy strain. Also…. it would be better if you trained on the academy grounds; they aren't being used at this hour and they're quite… safe compared to the alleyways or forest."
'I can use the actual academy grounds? Huh, it makes sense if I think about it,' Ryo thought. It made sense; if they had given him library access, the training fields were a logical next step.
After giving her a quick nod of agreement, he headed out into the crisp morning air. As he walked, he began mentally cataloging the physical exercises he needed to perform.
'I should start with a full-body stretch as recommended, then transition into a light jog, followed by some sprints. Then, push-ups. Do all of them to the point of exhaustion to estimate my current baseline,' he planned, so focused on his internal monologue that he was completely unaware of the silent footsteps far behind him.
"HUFF… PUFF…"
It had been less than forty-five minutes, and Ryo was already lying out on the grass, his chest puffing and his body covered with sweat.
"How the heck do people exercise?!" he cursed silently.
While he had successfully navigated the academy admission test—which involved its fair share of running and lifting—his mind and body had treated that as a one-off performance.Doing this every single day was a different beast entirely.
'Realistically, I can't sustain this on my own,' he realized, his muscles trembling. 'I'll end up giving up after a few days, making excuses to stay in the library. I need someone here to actually force me through the pain.'
He racked his brain for a potential training partner. He didn't have a single ryo to his name, so hiring a tutor was out. He knew the Class Green kids weren't serious enough to join him, and the Class Honor students were currently too stuck-up to entertain a request from a "regular" like him.
Then, a memory flickered—a flash of a bowl-cut hairstyle and a green jumpsuit that screamed "YOUTH!" at the top of its lungs. An exercise maniac would be the perfect solution. The problem was, he recalled three or four different people who fit that exact description, and his incomplete memories left him unsure of which "era" he was actually living in.
'I'll have to ask around about a guy in a green spandex suit and see if he actually exists yet.'
After resting for a moment, he crawled over to the shade of a nearby tree. He sat down, picked a single green leaf on the ground, and carefully placed it against the center of his forehead.
According to the manuals, a leaf was the ideal training tool because of its unique ability to conduct even the smallest amounts of chakra. It functioned similarly to chakra paper, metal or gems, but its fragility meant it had zero combat application—it was purely used for the chakra control training at this moment.
Simply placing the leaf there made it easier to feel the concentration of chakra in his forehead; it was quite gentle and subtle in feeling. However, that was only the easy part. The real challenge was the "Concentration" aspect: directing more chakra to that specific point.
If he couldn't learn to focus his chakra into a single point like his mouth, hands or feet, he would never be able to execute a real jutsu.
Sticking the leaf was a breeze, but increasing the flow of chakra was a nightmare. He had no internal gauge, no way to know if he was directing 1% or 100% of his reserves. He was clueless.
[Warning: 100% was used as a hyperbole maximum limit, do not try this in this reality. Chakra is tied to one's life force, so directing 100% chakra to one point literally strips your body of its entire energy reserve to focus on one spot, resulting in multiple body dysfunction, immediate death is one of the merciest outcomes here. Please, do not try this at home.]
This was boring, repetitive, and oddly enough, Ryo was content about it. He didn't expect to be good at it before classes started; he knew his limitations. He just wanted to prepare his mind and body beforehand so that when the teachers started explaining and teaching them, he could actually articulate the problems/bottleneck he was having.
'And if the teacher is useless, I'll ask Okaa-san,' he thought. He knew the Matron knew how to use chakra even if he had no proof, he just confident that her voice in the orphanage reaches way farther than it should be possible without straining her throat unless she uses chakra to magnify it
'Once I become good at it, I should proceed to rotate it,' he thought, already deciding on the next goal post he should move to.