In the blink of an eye, the morning had passed.

  At the Ninja Academy, csses typically followed a set pattern—mornings were reserved for theory, while the afternoons focused on practical training.

  Thanks to his adult mind and the memories left behind by his predecessor, Seimei had just about managed to keep up with the morning lectures.

  As for the afternoon practice sessions…As long as they didn’t test the Three Basic Jutsu, he could muddle his way through.

  And the Three Basic Jutsu?According to his predecessor’s memories, evaluations were held roughly once a week. The rest of the time was spent teaching hand-to-hand combat and the use of ninja tools.

  The st evaluation had been three days ago, so he was safe for now.

  And the next one…Four days should be enough for him to grind out the Clone Technique to a passable level.

  With that as a foundation, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting exposed during the test.

  Time ticked by, and before long, it was the afternoon.

  On the training field—

  Suginoki Ittō stood before the css of over thirty students, his voice stern and commanding. “Next, I’ll assign you to pairs. You will then engage in combat. Until I call for a stop, you are not allowed to quit. Even if you’re defeated, you must get back up and continue fighting. Understood?”

  His words immediately set off a wave of murmurs and protests among the students.

  Understandable. In the past, spars were done in small groups under Suginoki’s close supervision, with him offering guidance and analysis throughout.

  But now? Not only were they all going to fight simultaneously, they weren’t allowed to back down? That had never happened before.

  Seimei didn’t know what the others were thinking—but for him, one thing was clear: urgency.

  Yes. Urgency.

  Normally, this kind of intense combat training wouldn’t appear until the fifth or even sixth year. For it to be introduced now meant only one thing: the curriculum was being fast-tracked.

  And when combined with the current state of the ninja world, it didn’t take a genius to realize the Academy was preparing them for early graduation.

  It wasn’t surprising.

  In times of peace, a six-year program made sense. But during war? The front lines were always desperate for manpower. Naturally, schooling would be cut short.

  If I remember correctly, Seimei thought, Konoha holds its graduation exams every year between October 7th and 10th.

  After that, the results would be delivered to the vilge leadership, and—pending the Hokage’s approval—students would be officially registered as genin on October 15th.

  And today was September 3rd!

  In other words, in just over a month, he’d be forced to graduate.

  A sense of pressure began to tighten in Seimei’s chest.

  “Silence!”

  Suginoki’s shout boomed across the field, instantly quelling the chatter.

  “I’ll call names. Step forward when you hear yours. Hanada Sundo.”

  A sturdy-looking student stepped forward.

  “Hirai Matsu.”

  Another followed.

  “You two will be a pair.”

  “Yes, sensei!” Hanada and Hirai responded in unison, moving to stand side by side.

  Suginoki nodded slightly, then continued, “Yamanaka Hana, Aoki Ryuko…”

  One name after another was called. Soon, the entire css had been split into pairs.

  Seimei, of course, was no exception. His partner was Moriki Tetsu, a civilian-born student with decent aptitude—about evenly matched with Seimei’s predecessor.

  But that was back then. The current Seimei didn’t have the confidence to beat him.

  Sure, Moriki looked like just another ten-year-old brat, but when it came to real combat experience, Seimei couldn’t hold a candle to him.

  After all, his past life’s school never taught anyone how to fight.

  Thankfully, his adult mentality kept him calm.

  Then came Suginoki’s voice again: “Remember—no weapons allowed during this fight.”

  Seimei let out a subtle sigh of relief. Even if the training kunai weren’t sharpened, taking a hit to a vital spot still hurt like hell.

  Besides, he needed experience. If he could suffer a little less for it, all the better—he wasn’t a masochist.

  That’s right—Seimei had already resigned himself to taking a beating.Let’s just hope it’s not for nothing…

  With that thought, he opened his interface, just a quick gnce. If he was right, by the end of today, there would be a new skill added to the list.

  “Ready—form the Seal of Confrontation!”

  Suginoki’s command rang out.

  Seimei and Moriki Tetsu both raised their right hands, forming the traditional sign.

  “Begin!”

  As soon as the word left Suginoki’s mouth, Moriki lunged—his right fist smashing straight toward Seimei’s face.

  Even though Seimei had mentally prepared himself, the sudden ferocity of the blow still caught him off guard.

  But then—whether it was a remnant of muscle memory or the echo of his predecessor’s instincts—his body moved.

  He narrowly dodged to the side.

  And not just that. As he slipped past the punch, his fist flew out almost reflexively, aiming at Moriki’s cheek.

  Thud!Moriki raised his right arm and blocked the blow with ease.

  As they passed one another, Moriki pivoted on his left foot, core tightening, torso twisting ninety degrees—his right leg sweeping toward Seimei’s head like a whip.

  Damn! A little brat and he hits like a demon!

  Seimei cursed in his heart as he felt the wind slicing past his ear.

  But he also knew—this was a ninja's fight. Brutality wasn’t optional. You had to be ruthless with your enemies… and with yourself. Every battle was a dance on the edge of a bde.

  And this was only the beginning. Once Suginoki allowed the use of weapons, the danger would skyrocket.

  If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world, he had to adapt. Fast.Otherwise, even with his skill panel, he’d end up as nothing more than a deadweight.

  With that thought, Seimei stopped hesitating. He focused his attention, diving deep into his predecessor’s memories and syncing with every movement—draining every st drop of inherited knowledge at lightning speed.

  Time crawled on. The training ground was a warzone. Fights raged, screams of pain echoed one after another.

  But no matter how agonizing the cries, Suginoki didn’t call for a halt.

  Seimei himself was knocked down multiple times.

  Though his borrowed memories helped him hold out against Moriki, his moves were stiff and unnatural. It didn’t take long for openings to appear.

  And when they did—he paid the price.

  He had no idea whether Moriki held a grudge against his predecessor or was just naturally vicious, but he went at Seimei like a wild beast. By the end of the day, Seimei’s body was covered in bruises.

  “Ssss…”

  Walking down the street after css, rubbing a purpling eye, Seimei didn’t feel much resentment.

  If anything, he was grateful.

  Why? Because on his panel, a new skill had appeared—Basic Taijutsu.

  “Panel.”

  At his mental cue, the interface opened.

  A pale blue screen materialized before his eyes:

  【Name: Uchiha Seimei】

  【Age: 10】

  【Physique: 5】【Spirit: 7】【Chakra: 6 (127)】

  【Bloodline: Sharingan – Unawakened (51/100)】

  【Skills:】

  Chakra Refinement: lv0 (2/100)

  Clone Technique: lv0 (19/100)

  Basic Taijutsu: lv0 (35/100)

  Just one fight, and Basic Taijutsu had already reached lv0 (35/100), surpassing Clone Technique and becoming the fastest-progressing skill on the list.

  From what Seimei could tell, his predecessor had only just broken into level 1 with this ability.

  In other words, after two or three more fights like this, he’d fully absorb everything his predecessor had ever learned about taijutsu.

  And it was all thanks to Moriki’s relentless beatdown—forcing Seimei to fight with everything he had.

  So how could he possibly hold a grudge?