Chapter 4: Do Jutsu Require Hand Seals?

Chapter 4: Do Jutsu Require Hand Seals?

"Good morning, class. My name is Umino Iruka—I’ll be your homeroom teacher from today."

With the classroom bell ringing, a young man in a green vest strode in, stepping onto the podium to introduce himself. Smiling, he added, "Before we begin, why don’t we all introduce ourselves? Let’s start with the student on the far left."

"I’m…"

"Greetings! I’m Yamanaka Ino. Please take care of me!"

"Aburame Shino."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Believe it! My name is Uzumaki Naruto—remember it well! I’m gonna be the Hokage!"

"…."

Each student’s introduction revealed their personality. The most attention-grabbing was undoubtedly Naruto, who still bore Iruka’s silent disapproval. But today, his bold declaration met no ridicule—only blank stares.

When it was Hinata’s turn, she stood trembling, voice barely above a whisper. "M-my name is Hyuga Hinata… p-please take care of me."

Her shyness contrasted sharply with Ino’s vivacity. In a normal world, Hinata’s timid nature might have left her isolated, or worse—bullied. But this was no ordinary world.

"Izayoi."

Izayoi stood, offering a simple introduction. Yet his delicate, Sasuke-like features drew curious glances from the girls. Though he’d expected this—given how quickly children matured in this era—the intensity of their gazes still made him inwardly grimace.

Three-year-olds living independently? Five-year-olds fawning over love? Twelve-year-olds on the battlefield? Sixteen-year-olds saving the world? Ridiculous.

No wonder "genius" held so much weight here.

After introductions came the familiar ritual: textbook distribution.

Izayoi twitched as he flipped through the books. Basic subjects like language and math were expected. But biology, medicine, and chemistry? Suddenly, the students’ early maturity made perfect sense.

Iruka passed out scrolls beside the textbooks. "Chakra is a unique energy formed by blending physical energy—from your body’s 130 trillion cells—with spiritual energy from the mind", he explained. "The entrance exam tests your potential to become a ninja by measuring these energies. Knowledge and physical training both enhance them, so study hard—those still lacking chakra by the end of the observation period will be dismissed."

The room tensed. Students from civilian families, still chakra-less, sat straighter, already imagining themselves as Iruka’s model students. Izayoi said nothing. Though the school officially had no "advanced" or "remedial" classes, Class 1 was filled with either clan heirs or prodigies. Every student here had at least a white-tier aptitude, with many sporting green-tier chuunin potential. Even without passing the graduation exam, they’d all become genin.

Take Ino, for example—blue-tier jounin potential, standard for a clan heir. But Sakura’s stats intrigued Izayoi. Her ninja aptitude was only green-tier chuunin, yet her chakra control possessed a Kekkei Genkai-class purple trait. Such a waste. With her talent, she’d never rise beyond chuunin—unless fate intervened, making her one of the next generation’s Sannin.

The day split into academics in the morning and physical training in the afternoon. The latter focused on basic exercises and stone-throwing drills—no shuriken practice, no taijutsu, no jutsu at all. Clearly, this semester was about building foundations.

At first, Izayoi attended both sessions. But once he confirmed there’d be no combat training, he stopped attending physically, sending a shadow clone instead.

After all, with his Otsutsuki bloodline, his chakra reserves were absurd. Compared to Naruto—who couldn’t even extract chakra yet—he far surpassed even Kakashi’s childhood feats. His shadow clones could maintain form longer and withstand more damage than Itachi’s.

While the clone attended class, Izayoi transformed into a teenage version of himself and headed to abandoned training grounds to practice.

"Wind Release!"

He mimicked hand seals, channeling chakra into his palm to form a swirling vortex. A violent gust erupted, kicking up dust clouds.

The seals were just for show. Truthfully, aside from basic techniques like the Three-Body Formation or Shadow Clone, he needed no seals for elemental jutsu. His red-tier Otsutsuki aptitude surpassed even Sage’s Body and Byakugan Princess-level traits. Like the ancient Otsutsuki before Indra’s hand seals, he wielded elemental techniques instinctively—better than Hashirama, who still relied on shouted commands.

This wasn’t just talent—it was a secret weapon. When enemies expected him to be preoccupied with seals, he’d strike without warning.

They’d never see it coming.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end