NARUTO: A Certain Scientific Ninja

"Hello, everyone. I'm Yamamoto Kazuki. I like eating red bean dumplings and taiyaki. My dream is to become Hokage!" 

"Hello, everyone. I'm Inoshita Ki, I love reading, and my dream is to become a great ninja." 

Even in the regular class, self-introductions are a must. The teacher of Hyuga Mirai's class is a middle-ranking ninja named Ishii Ichiro, who has scars on his face and a stern expression. Many of the students, when introducing themselves, can't help but sneak glances at him. The school likely assigned Ishii Ichiro to be the instructor of Class B with the intention of quickly imparting battlefield knowledge and experience to Hyuga Mirai and the others.

Soon, all the students finished introducing themselves, and it was Mirai's turn. 

"Hello, everyone. I'm Hyuga Mirai. My dream is to become a medical ninja. I look forward to working with all of you." 

It's quite unusual for a child of five or six years old to clearly state that their dream is to be a medical ninja, but when Ishii Ichiro saw the bandages on Mirai's head and looked into his eyes, he didn't say much more. Children from prestigious families do have a bit more exposure and experience compared to regular ninjas, and Ishii Ichiro had already assumed that Mirai's interest in becoming a medical ninja was likely a command from the elders of the Hyuga family. 

Compared to the heroic titles like Hokage or the heroes of Konoha Village, the title of medical ninja sounds rather humble. The only exception might be Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, whose fame came from her battles with the Demigod. Medical ninjas don't attract the attention of children, since it's not seen as "cool"—they don't understand the significance of being a medical ninja, and so no child would naturally seek to learn medical ninjutsu, unless influenced by the desires of their elders. This is the conclusion Ishii Ichiro had drawn from his experience. 

But what he didn't realize is that, under Mirai's small frame lies a mature soul. 

When the Third Great Ninja War starts, this group of students will surely be sent to the frontlines. At that point, medical ninjas are likely to be prioritized for protection. And there may even be a chance for medical ninjas to stay in the village, depending on the course of the war. If Mirai doesn't pursue medical ninjutsu, his future will be severely limited by the Hyuga family's separation status. his only hope for change would come from personal insight. The training notes his father left his only reach as far as the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, which is basic for a branch family member. If it's compared to the techniques in the original story, Mirai's family technique doesn't even match up to what Neji Hyuga had mastered. 

If someone were to claim that Mirai's father didn't have the talent of Neji, she would never believe that someone with such talent could be so restricted. Mirai's father must have had potential, but his legacy was carefully screened before being passed on to Mirai. If his father had any unique insights into the Byakugan or the ability to break free from the Caged Bird Curse, it had certainly been withheld. 

The clan would never allow a branch family member to learn the secret techniques of the main family. If Mirai had such thoughts, the clan would surely punish him harshly. Any attempts to study techniques outside his prescribed path would bring serious consequences—warnings and scoldings would be the least of it. If a clan elder decided he needed discipline, the punishment would be hellish. 

So, the only way for Mirai to avoid the Hyuga family's wrath is to appear sincerely interested in medical ninjutsu. After all, every major family cultivates their own medical ninja. 

Once all the students finished their introductions, Ishii Ichiro began the lesson. The first class wasn't about chakra training or ninjutsu. He called out the name of the textbook, and all the students began following along. 

Taking out the textbook, Mirai's heart sank as she read the title. 

'The Will of Fire'—written by the Third Hokage. 

Mirai knew this would take up precious time and energy, all for something that seemed useless in the context of battlefield survival. But this was a required course for students at the ninja academy and, ultimately, a mandatory subject for all ninjas in the village of Konoha. The content was extremely dry. If Mirai's classmates managed to stay awake for half an hour, they'd undoubtedly become formidable "ninjas" in the future. 

Though the content was dull, Mirai still studied diligently. A medical ninja may have a slightly weaker talent in combat classes, but their theoretical knowledge must be top-notch. They need to be better than ninety percent of their peers in order to have a chance at success. According to Mirai's research, there are no fools among the medical ninjas.

The theoretical lessons lasted for half the day, followed by taijutsu training in the afternoon. By then, the dullness of the morning had completely dissipated, and the children couldn't help but feel excited. Even Hyuga Mirai shifted his focus to the teacher, eager for the next lesson. The taijutsu class was also taught by Ishii Ichiro.

"Ninja battles come in many forms, and there are various weapons that can be used, such as shuriken and kunai. These are the most common ninja weapons." After explaining the key points of throwing shuriken, Ishii Ichiro demonstrated the technique himself, then instructed the students to practice individually.

At the Genin level, shuriken and kunai are the most frequently used means of attack. Since a Genin's chakra is limited and their ninjutsu skills are few, their main focus is survival, and most of their offensive capabilities rely on physical skills and shuriken throwing.

Hyuga Mirai paid close attention to Ishii Ichiro's demonstration. He understood how cruel war could be, and he was determined not to overlook any opportunity to grow stronger. Although he didn't plan to stand out in practical lessons, he knew he couldn't afford to neglect his own improvement.

After practicing throwing shuriken for a while, Mirai would pause after each throw to reflect on his technique and compare it to the one demonstrated by Ishii Ichiro. He would think, recall, adjust, and then throw the next shuriken.

Meanwhile, the other students, less mature than Mirai, started comparing their throws. Unable to hit the target, they began competing to see who could throw the farthest. "Such childish behavior!" Mirai sighed. At this rate, even if he tried to keep a low profile, he would inevitably become the top of the class.

After the day's lessons concluded, Mirai didn't feel tired at all. "The ninja academy is still too easy. It seems that real training at home is the key to becoming stronger." When he returned home, Mirai continued his physical training and then prepared a nutritious dinner, making sure to include plenty of meat, eggs, and milk to replenish the energy he'd spent during the day.

After dinner, he tidied up his place and began reviewing some of his theory textbooks. But before that, he decided to check on his "golden finger."

"System," Mirai called out silently in his mind. Immediately, a panel appeared before him.

[Scientific Template System] 

Host: Hyuga Mirai 

Extraction Function: Unavailable (Loading 0.3%) 

Traversal Function: Unavailable (Loading 0.001%)

The system only had two functions, both simple and straightforward. The Extraction Function allowed Mirai to randomly draw a scientist from any universe, granting him the knowledge of that scientist. The range was endless—Marvel, anime, novels, and all other multiverses were included. However, the loading process was quite slow. At this rate, Mirai estimated it would take at least two years to extract the knowledge of the first scientist.

As for the Traversal Function, the loading was even slower, and Mirai didn't plan to use it anytime soon. For now, his situation was relatively safe. Who knew where the system might send him? If it transported him to a dangerous place, he wouldn't even be able to guarantee his safety. That would be the end of him.

For now, Mirai's situation was a double-edged sword. As a branch family member of the Hyuga clan, as long as he didn't act recklessly, he could live peacefully until graduation from the academy, with the family providing security. However, his future was locked. As a member branded with the "Caged Bird" curse seal, unless something unexpected happened, he would be bound to serve the main family for life, always forced to please them, with no freedom allowed.

The thought of such a future terrified Mirai. "I can change all of this, I just need time. Only science can defeat the bloodline theory." He silently vowed. 

(End of this chapter)