"Do you understand what happened back in the classroom?" Kimura Sai looked at the student he'd grown quite fond of. While Uzumaki Tong wasn't very good at ninjutsu, he was already top-tier in taijutsu and theoretical studies among kids his age.
To be honest, Kimura Sai was still a bit shocked—and relieved. Under his watch, this boy had suddenly unleashed such a massive amount of chakra.
That meant Tong could now start formal training on a professional level.
But Uzumaki Tong, clearly frustrated, replied with little enthusiasm, "I guess… it could've hurt my classmates. But I didn't expect that to happen at all. I mean, I couldn't even refine chakra last semester."
Kimura Sai paused in surprise. He knew every student in the class fairly well. Tong's family situation, in particular, was a tough one.
Most students had no idea, but as a well-known teacher at the Academy, Kimura Sai had access to more information. He'd heard that Tong's father had once been a skilled member of the Uchiha clan.
But after dying in battle, he and his family had been cast out. The details were hazy. Still, seeing a child from such a background rise like this, it pleased him.
That meant the boy would be more obedient and wouldn't act all arrogant like the kids from the big clans.
"You're right. If you had injured your classmates just now, you would've been forced to repeat the year. But… what you might not realize is the amount of chakra you released," he said seriously.
"Even among genin, your chakra volume is at the top."
What Kimura didn't say was that the amount Tong had released just now… was on par with high-ranking chūnin. Nearly equal to Kimura Sai himself.
Tong seemed to sense something and looked at his teacher with suspicion, then nodded, "I was wrong, sensei."
Seeing Tong acknowledge his mistake so earnestly, Kimura Sai smiled and patted his head. "It's time for you to start learning how to use chakra properly."
"Use chakra?" Tong blinked. That caught him off guard. In this world, chakra control was incredibly important.
With good control, chakra could be used to unleash tremendous power. After all, maintaining a high chakra output could be physically draining.
"We'll stop here for today. Go back to class for now. Tomorrow, after school, meet me in Training Room #1," Kimura said, and even gave him a mischievous little "you know what I mean" wink.
Tong shivered at the sight of it.
When he returned to class, he had no interest in the lesson. Nearly every kid seemed to avoid him now, like he was something dangerous.
"Well… this is peaceful, at least," Tong muttered and sat down.
Kimura Sai returned shortly after.
As Tong replayed what he knew about the Naruto world in his head, he realized the Chakra Scalpel was a pretty amazing jutsu. From Tsunade to Kabuto, every user of it had been formidable.
However, all those users also had exceptionally strong taijutsu to back it up. Combined with the power and perception from his Strongest Eye, he could start refining his close-combat skills.
Plus, his chakra reserves were already above average. That meant he could start training powerful ninjutsu.
As long as he had chakra, everything else would fall into place.
Thinking that, he could barely hold back a grin.
Later that evening, school over, Uzumaki Tong walked home with his tattered, old backpack slung over one shoulder. He looked so innocent and carefree.
"Was it that kid who exploded with so much chakra?" A ninja wearing a standard-issue chūnin flak vest asked his comrade, who was dressed in a black ninja outfit and crouched nearby on a rooftop.
"Yes. I wasn't sure this morning… but now I'm convinced. At the very least, he has the Uzumaki clan's physique. On top of that, he seems to have some kind of sensory ability that lets him detect movement around him."
The black-clad ninja let out a cold laugh. That strange moment this morning—when it felt like the boy had suddenly locked onto him—still lingered in his mind. And now, after monitoring him all day, he had confirmed the boy's chakra outburst.
"If this is real, then Root might've just found a powerful new prospect," the flak-vest ninja said. "I'll inform Lord Danzo right away. Yuantai, if you can, try to make contact. Hah—looks like the kid just noticed us again!"
With that, the flak-vest ninja vanished in a blur.
Yuantai, still crouched on the rooftop, chuckled as he watched Uzumaki Tong suddenly stop walking.
"Huh. Not heading home anymore? Let's see if you surprise me."
He rose silently and began tailing the boy, who was now running in a new direction.
At that moment, Uzumaki Tong was very much on edge.
He only had one technique: the Chakra Scalpel. And his taijutsu wasn't anything extraordinary yet.
If the opponent were even just a chūnin, they could probably kill him.
Still, factoring in the speed and power boosts from the Strongest Eye, maybe—just maybe—he could put up a fight.
His biggest disadvantage was a lack of real combat experience.
Without reference points, you never truly know your strength. Like in his past life, a martial arts master might lose his first fight against a war-hardened veteran who'd survived countless battles.
When he arrived in a narrow alley not far from the village center, he finally stopped. He didn't dare lead his stalker somewhere too remote.
If he got himself killed, that would be the dumbest thing ever.
"Come out. There were two of you before, but now… It's just you, right?"
He turned slowly, his gaze fixed on a rooftop beside him.
Yuantai, still hidden, was more than a little irritated. He even knows how many people were tailing him?
Then again… can he block me?
Drawing the blade from his back, he launched forward, appearing in front of Uzumaki Tong in an instant.
With one fluid strike, he brought the sword down from above, like a mountain crashing down.
But to his surprise, Tong grinned.
The moment Yuantai leapt at him—even with his incredible speed—Tong had seen him. And not just that, he had already predicted his movement.
With a sidestep, he avoided the blade and thrust his Chakra Scalpel directly at the enemy's blind spot.
Poof! The body he struck vanished in a puff of smoke.
"A substitution jutsu?" Tong frowned.
Before he could regroup, Yuantai appeared behind him, slashing sideways. Tong reacted instantly, kicking backward with a flying roundhouse.
Smack! His small foot was caught in Yuantai's hand.
But it was as if he had anticipated that, too.
With a swift motion, his Chakra Scalpel slashed directly at Yuantai's grabbing hand.
If Yuantai didn't let go fast enough… he'd get hit for sure.
Whoosh! The blade narrowly missed as Yuantai flung Tong away, sending him tumbling across the alley. Tong rolled several times before landing and immediately assumed a defensive stance, his body trembling slightly.
"Hah… kid, did you awaken some kind of eye technique already? No, wait—not quite. But how the hell are you reading my next move?" Yuantai asked, still smirking.
He narrowed his eyes at Tong's unbandaged right eye.
For a few seconds just now—that split second—it had felt like the kid knew exactly what he was going to do. Not just dodging, but countering in the same motion.
That level of situational awareness… at his age?
He'd have no problem graduating from the Academy. But then why—just yesterday—had he been beaten down by that Uchiha patrol?
Hadn't they bloodied his eye?
Yuantai couldn't make sense of it.
But his eyes remained locked onto Uzumaki Tong.