Chapter 2: Chapter I
"I am Nobuyuki, an orphan with no clan affiliation or known record," I stuttered nervously, hoping my introduction was adequate.
"That concludes our introduction section. You may sit wherever you like, Nobuyuki," the sensei said.
I gave myself a mental pat on the back for getting through it without too much trouble. First impressions were crucial, no matter where or when you were, and I had rehearsed that line countless times the night before.
The other kids seemed to have already forgotten about me, which was a relief. Children could be brutally honest and tactless, and the last thing I wanted was to be seen as weird or different for the rest of the time I studied here.
I headed towards the back left corner of the classroom, hoping to sit next to the window and watch the schoolyard below. But to my disappointment, the seat was already taken.
Of course, it had to be the one next to Uchiha Itachi, the favorite of the Fujoshi and the "I can fix him" crowd. I let out a sigh and resigned myself to my fate.
Fortunately, he didn't say anything nor care to do so in the first place. The guy was too high and mighty to notice the insignificant old me, and the arrangement suited me just fine; I didn't want any entanglements with this guy.
Homeroom class may be monotonous, but it's far from boring. If not for two reasons, I would consider it a blessing to experience school again: one, I'm attending an institution that trains children to become proficient assassins; two, I'm plagued by crippling social anxiety.
In my previous life, I used to be outgoing, but now the mere thought of talking to someone feels like torture. I cursed the disembodied voice that had caused this, not understanding how becoming socially crippled and an idiot were related, but at least I could still think clearly if I wanted to.
The god must be the true idiot here.
The bell signaled the end of homeroom class, and the students began to shuffle out to their next class. I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to follow them or wait. In my past life, I would have wasted this opportunity, but I had grown wiser in the past year and didn't want to squander my second chance.
As I watched the excited students form groups of friends, envy crept into my heart. But then I spotted the retreating figure of our homeroom teacher, Kato-sensei, in his green flak jacket. Without hesitation, I rushed over to him. Instead of calling out to him and risking disaster, I simply tugged at the hem of his shirt to gain his attention. He turned around and looked down at me with a smile.
"Nobuyuki-kun," he said, "What do you need?"
"I want access to the library," I said, trying my best to speak clearly.
"Ah, I see," he said, "As a Konoha Academy student, you're allowed access to a certain limited section of the Konoha library. You're wise to come to me since you need a homeroom teacher's permission to enter. Let me get you a permission card."
With a sense of gratitude, I nodded eagerly. Kato-sensei was so kind.
"Here you go," he said, handing me a green plastic card, "Don't lose it, or there will be consequences."
"I won't," I said, trying to sound firm. But then I stammered and excused myself, feeling embarrassed.
I did my best to forget the way he shook his head in amusement at my retreating figure when I subtly glanced back.
The library wasn't far from the academy, as it was situated next to the Hokage Tower. It was a public library, but a certain section was cordoned off, so permission was needed.
As I nervously entered the place, I felt a great relief upon seeing that it was empty.
However, a voice nearby almost made me jump out of my skin. A sleazy-looking ninja was reading behind a counter. Judging by the way he tied his hair -he was probably one of those from the Nara clan.
"What's your purpose?" he asked me, eyeing me suspiciously.
"I'm an academy student," I replied, trying to sound as confident as possible.
"The card is clear. You can go to the left wing. The seal should be unlocked for you," he said, his tone brusque, before returning to his book.
"Right," I muttered as I bolted out to the said section of the library.
I browsed the selection for a while, trying to figure out my options. To my horror, it was all just student textbooks and nonfiction.
It was foolish of me to hope that there would be certain techniques like all of those depicted in fanon.
I couldn't help but lament my fate; even a simple transformation technique would have been helpful. But it made sense not to include ninja techniques in a place like a library, especially for civilians and academy students.
I groaned again as I collected textbooks that easily stacked up to twice the height of my head. This was going to be a long process.
As someone without a clan, finding someone willing to teach me was going to be a challenge.
Maybe I could try seeking out Might Guy and hope he was just like how he was depicted in my imagination - willing to teach anyone showing an ounce of "youth" to his face.
But for now, I needed to start somewhere and these books were a good place to begin.
On the night the Nine-Tails had rampaged through the village, I had unlocked my chakra coils and chakra control had come naturally to me.
What I needed now was to specialize in a specific branch of techniques and refine my chakra control and reserves.
As for Taijutsu, I didn't want to ruin my basic foundation with the wrong techniques and habits, so I decided to wait until the academy taught me properly; I had never been taught martial arts before.
Thanks to the permission card that Kato sensei had given me, I ended up borrowing more than the allowed limit of two books. The list of books I borrowed included "Basic Chakra Even Kumogakure Nin Can Read," "Yin-Yang: The Overlooked Element," "The Nature of Chakra," "A Dummy's Guide to Learning Chakra Paper Bombs for Toddlers," and "Fuinjutsu: From Basics to Lost Arts of Uzumaki."
These were the most significant books that had caught my attention, among others. Once I had reached my apartment, I plopped the stack of books on my desk and procured a basket of rice crackers alongside a kettle of piping hot oolong tea to accompany me.
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