NARUTO: A Certain Scientific Ninja

"Good morning, Kimura-san!" 

"Good morning, Hyuga-san!" 

After two months of interaction, even though Hyuga Mirai didn't pay much attention to his classmates—whom he considered expendable—he had memorized everyone's names, specialties, and grades. 

Mirai's performance at the Ninja Academy had been exceptional. Whether it was theoretical lessons or tactical classes, his answers were often praised by the teachers. He also excelled in throwing shuriken and taijutsu training, consistently ranking among the top students. 

It wasn't that he didn't want to remain low-key; it was just that his classmates, still naïve to the harsh realities of war, lacked the focus on their ninja training. They spent most of their time playing and comparing themselves to each other, which meant it was hard for them to make noticeable progress. 

Mirai also knew that if he didn't outshine these underperforming students, he would face punishment when he returned to his clan. Unless one of the students turned out to be an exceptional civilian genius. 

Compared to his dominance in Class B, the competition in Class A was much fiercer. The members of Class A included the heir to the Hyuga Clan's main family, the son of Konoha's White Fang, the son of the Hokage, and children from various other prominent Konoha families. 

Although some of them came from smaller families, the politically savvy Third Hokage had placed them in Class A. Obito Uchiha was also in this class. Though his entrance exam scores hadn't surpassed Mirai's, he was the only Uchiha in this batch, so he was placed in Class A. 

"Hyuga-san, have you heard?" 

Just after class ended, a girl with bobbed hair approached Mirai and asked. 

It was Kobayashi Haruko, a student who sat in front of him on the left. Her performance had been average, neither particularly active nor falling behind during taijutsu training. 

Mirai quickly recalled her details in his mind and smiled. "Oh, Kobayashi-san, what's going on?" 

"It's the practical class, Hyuga-san," Kobayashi whispered, as though revealing a top-secret message. "We're having it this afternoon." 

"A practical class? But we've only been here for two months..." Mirai thought, feeling that it was a bit too early. For some of the students, they probably couldn't even hit the target with a shuriken. 

Kobayashi shook her head. "I'm not sure. It seems we'll be joining Class A. Haruko-san overheard it while passing by Teacher Ishii's office." 

"Ah, so we're with Class A." 

Mirai quickly grasped the situation. He could guess the reasoning behind the academy's decision—or more specifically, Ishii Ichirou's plan. In Class B, aside from him, no one had earned the teacher's praise. If it hadn't been for the fact that the term had only started two months ago, Mirai suspected that Ishii would have scolded the entire class by now. 

"Using the excellence of Class A students to motivate the 'lazy fish' of Class B," Mirai mused to himself. 

Kobayashi, satisfied with sharing information Mirai didn't know, moved on to other classmates and quietly whispered, "Ishii, did you hear? The practical class is this afternoon." 

Mirai didn't pay attention to the rising noise around the classroom. He stayed in his seat, quietly thinking about the practical class that awaited them. 

The heirs of major families had likely already started refining their chakra, and they might even have mastered the three-body technique by now. Mirai, on the other hand, had missed some time due to his father's passing when he first arrived and hadn't had proper guidance. He had been training alone. 

This practical class offered a chance for him to see just how strong the Class A students were. 

Soon after, their cold-faced teacher Ishii Ichirou entered the classroom, and the students immediately fell silent in unison. These rowdy kids hadn't yet learned how to face a veteran ninja like him without flinching. 

"Looks like most of you already know," Ishii began, "That's right, this afternoon we'll be having a practical class with Class A. Both Teacher Ishii and Teacher Kinoshita will supervise it, and your results will be recorded." 

After speaking, he noticed the excited faces of the students below and turned even colder. With a sharp 'thud,' he slammed his lesson plan onto the desk. "To be honest, for the practical class this afternoon, I have some expectations only for Hyuga Mirai. As for the rest of you, I hope you realize the gap between you and the excellent students. Only then can you work harder, practice more, and hopefully make me proud when you become ninja. I don't want to see any of you failing the graduation exams!" 

His words were like a bucket of cold water splashed over the students' heads, dousing the fire of motivation they had just ignited. If even the teacher didn't believe in them, what was there left to look forward to? Nevertheless, most of the students' eyes turned to Mirai, some with envy, others with jealousy. 

Ishii, indifferent to their inner turmoil, didn't care if they accepted this minor blow. If they couldn't even handle this, they might as well drop out now. He wasn't here to be a counselor for children but a teacher who trained ninjas for Konoha. 

The following theory lessons went largely unheeded, and Ishii Ichirou didn't mind. This was his teaching style—if students couldn't even handle this level of pressure, they probably didn't have the talent to be ninjas. 

Mirai, however, listened attentively. There wasn't much he could do during the theory lessons, but he had to ensure that his theoretical knowledge was solid, as this was the foundation for becoming a medical ninja. 

Even though many of the theory lessons were impractical, such as "An In-Depth Analysis of Konoha Spirit." 

Soon, it was time for the practical class. 

The sixty students from both classes arrived at the training field under the supervision of their teachers. Mirai's classmates had recovered their composure by now. Their eyes were filled with defiance and fighting spirit as they observed the Class A students, sizing them up repeatedly. 

Mirai also looked at Class A, preparing to get to know the future famous figures. This year's batch wasn't as strong as the one that would graduate in a few years, but there was still a Six Paths-level powerhouse, a causality-based talent, a ninja-money unit, and the Konoha Steel Fist Master—quite a few noteworthy individuals. 

Mirai paid close attention to everyone, not missing a single person. However, his gaze was drawn to the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's main family—Kiyo Hyuga, who was also a member of the clan's elder line. 

"Your class seems full of fighting spirit," said Kinoshita, the teacher of Class A, as he turned to Ishii Ichirou. 

Ishii shook his head. "Fighting spirit is fine, but it won't get them anywhere. I don't have high hopes for them. Let them see how excellent their peers are. That's enough." 

(End of Chapter)