Naruto: Mind Games Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Academy Part 1: Students




[[Hikaru Yamanaka]]



What does a person expect on his first day at the academy? 



His parents coming to drop him at school, meeting new people and being scared of them, crying and waiting to go home and meeting a kind teacher who would help you to get rid of that fear… unsuccessfully.



But none of that was the case for me.



I came to the Academy alone. Why? Because the Clan Head had something important to discuss with my father. So, he had to be there for the Clan Head, leaving his son on his own.



But I couldn't blame him. The Clan Head held absolute power and it was foolish to go against him.



As for the rest— 'fear of the unknown', I didn't feel it. 



Being back to school felt weird but that was mostly it. The rest of the kids weren't much different either as they looked either too excited or completely bored. 



There was not a single person that seemed to be scared. 



And finally the teacher…



How do I describe him? 



Bald, ugly and old? Yeah, that sounds about right.



"Now, I want all of you to remain silent and listen well." The bald man spoke for the first time. "First of all, congratulations on making it to the Academy. But do not expect life in here to be easy. You will be made to go through countless hurdles in order to be recognised as a proper shinobi and I hope that none of you will chicken out."



He looked around. "Is that understood!"



"Yes!"



Everyone shouted energetically but it was pretty clear that more than half of them were going to drop out.



Why do I know that?



Well, firstly their chakra capacity sucks and secondly, most of them relied on their family's connection to make a direct entry to the academy.



The state of the world was quite chaotic with a kind of cold war going on at many different places. And I remember father saying that it was only a matter of time before a full-scale war breaks out. 



The teacher kept on talking about the importance of staying vigilant and having a strong will, but all of that was entirely boring to me. 



So, I did the next most interesting thing. 



Analysing my classmates.



While most had trashy chakra, some of them still manage to stand out. 



Namely Arima and Inoichi.



But there were a few more. Chōza Akimichi, the heir of the Akimichi clan and Shikaku Nara, the heir of the Nara clan. 



Heir of the two major clans of Konoha. 



But surprisingly, it was none of them that intrigued me more than a random blonde kid sitting at the very back. 



I don't believe that he belongs to any major clan but his chakra reserves are far greater than the rest. 



"Did everyone understand?" 



Everyone gave the man a nod, including me.



The Hokage' speech was to follow but I had gone through his previous speeches… And every time it was the same.



How do I know that? Anything that the Hokage says in public is always recorded. 



'Words of the leaders are to go down the books of history.' 



Funny analogy but I have seen this a lot of times.



"So… everyone, now some of the teachers will show you some of their Jutsus. It will be an exhibition to the students as it was highly requested." 



Oh… That's interesting.



…


…



[Training Ground]



The heirs of the Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara stood together as they bonded quite well. 



However, that's because they are all heirs and their clans have a good relationship. 



But surprisingly, or not so surprisingly… Arima stood next to me. 



"What kind of Jutsus do you think they will show?" He asked.



"Nothing major. Mostly some C or D ranks? After all, there are people with civil backgrounds." 



"Eh… That's boring then. I wanted something cooler."



I gave him a weird look. "Your father is the leader of our village and you have seen him train at home, so what are you expecting from an exhibition match for us kids?"



Not to mention, Lord Third knows all the chakra natures and transformations. 



"You get food at home, don't you? Prepared specifically by the maids… yet you still eat out at times." Arima asked with a smirk. "Why is that?"



"That's not… Never mind, let's just watch."



The teacher stood on the ground and looked at a test dummy.



"Look closely!" He said and started making the required handseals.



Fire…



<<Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu>>



He breathed a ball of flame towards the dummy and within seconds it was burnt to a crisp. 



"That's the power of chakra! And you will all be able to do the same with time!"



His announcement rose a giant round of applause with the civilian kids looking at him with eyes of worship.



And something tells me that he is enjoying this.



Most of the children were impressed and that included the clan heirs. While their reaction was less intense than the rest, they still seemed amazed at the sighed.



But that was not true for everyone.



"Well, that was lame." Arima frowned. "I can do better than that."



This fucking idiot…



"Don't be so loud…"



But that was wishful thinking.



"Who said that?!" The teacher asked with visible annoyance.



Arima, without a fear— raised his hand. "That would be me, sir."



The teacher frowned upon realising who Arima was. 



"Lord Arima…" He mumbled, unsure of how to act in front of the Hokage's son. "You shouldn't speak so casually about such topics. While it might seem easy, these jutsus are complex and take a lot more than someone who has never used it would expect."



He was taunting Arima indirectly as he couldn't just straight up insult him.



But for a kid, Arima was far smarter than one would expect.



"I don't see how it can be so difficult, sir. It is a very basic jutsu."



I looked at him. `You realise what you are doing right?`



He smiled at me. `Don't worry about it.`



"Hooo… Then why don't you show us, Lord Arima. After all, you sound like you have mastered it."



The entire place was filled with murmuring and if the Hokage would have been here, it would have been an even bigger mess.



"Sure." Arima's casual answer surprised a lot of people. "I don't mind."



He laughed. "And even Hikaru can mimic jutsus of that level."



"Oi! I didn't say anything!"



Oii oi oi oi! Don't drag me into this.



"Perfect!" The teacher exclaimed with a smile. "Then Hikaru Yamakana will also join you in this test."



No no no… Your smile doesn't help at all, Teach. I can see that frown.



"I haven't agreed to this." I protested but he merely laughed. 



"No worries. It doesn't matter even if you fail. After all, everyone learns from their mistakes."



It was a good statement but he was trying to taunt me, not praise. 



"Can I sit this one out…?" 



"Nope." Arima said. 



The teacher shook his head. "I am interested in seeing what the students of the current batch are capable of. So, I would like it if you could show us your skills, Hikaru Yamanaka."



*Sigh*



I looked at Arima and whispered to him. 



"How did you even know that I can use jutsus of that level?" 



He seemed confused at my question.



"Oh, I didn't. I just guessed that my friend would be at least capable of doing that."



This fucking idiot...