13 Taijutsu sparring’s, more exams, hand seals

After exams and training day the classes had changed. Now it's only half of the classes is theoretical, and the other half now is practical.

Theoretical classes is also changed now, only part of it now contains the usual propaganda for brainwashing, while the rest of it now is where they actually teach some things like real history lessons, mathematics and geography.

While the practical classes is mostly the simple physical training with sometimes shurikenjutsu and the lessons on taijutsu.

When there are classes on taijutsu or shurikenjutsu, Yuta are not having a good time. He never performed anything of that sort yet, and it's normal that he struggles with it so much.

On taijutsu classes they teach the basic moves, the right posture, the right ways to punch and kick, and how to block and evade efficiently. Yuta already read about this basic academy taijutsu style in the library. It's specially made for the academy students, with simplicity and efficiency in mind.

This academy taijutsu style is very basic and not specializes on any particular aspect like speed or strength, it's just all-round, and serves as a good foundation for any advanced and more specialized style.

All the clan kids are already know some or another more advanced taijutsu style. As for civilian kids – most of them are struggling just like Yuta does.

As for shurikenjutsu, Yuta is also having problems to get used to it, it's just requires a lot of practice to develop the skill for it. Teacher showed how to hold shurikens and how to move when throwing them, everything else is just needs practice.

With those changes in the teaching process, Yuta changed his morning training routine to one hour of physical training and one hour of practicing shurikenjutsu and taijutsu moves. He also spent some money to buy some kunai and shurikens for his practice.

As for the money shortage Yuta didn't found any way to make some. The only way he has is to do some pickpocketing and stealing but after thinking about it he decides to not to do so. Now Yuta treats himself to a good meal once in a one or two weeks, and for the rest of the time he eats the ration bars.

Yuta somewhat getting used to it and doesn't want to risk stealing money or to waste his time to find some other ways to make some. For these days he is just focuses on his goals and trains and studies without thinking too much about anything else.

With that daily routine another two months passes, and now there is some sparring's started to happen during taijutsu classes. A few clan kids are not participating in the taijutsu sparring's, like Shingo Aburame, because they don't use taijutsu in their clans at all.

But for the two Hyuga kids the taijutsu sparring is just the opportunity to show off. Their whole Hyuga clan fighting system is built around their taijutsu style Gentle Fist. And whoever the teacher asks to have a sparring with one of the Hyuga guys, he is usually getting completely destroyed.

Only the Uchiha guy was able to fight on somewhat equal grounds with both Hyuga guys, but it's evident that it's not easy for him at all.

As for other clan kids they all are somewhat capable in taijutsu and use some advanced taijutsu styles of their clans, and based on that they usually able to win any sparring against anyone who uses basic academy style.

As for civilian kids, only those three ones with D-rank jutsus are somewhat capable, with Yuta among them on the same level, and all four of them lose the sparring's most of the times against clan kids.

The whole sparring thing is new to Yuta, as he never has fought before. In the sparring's he focused on perfecting the academy taijutsu style during the fight. The more he fights the more he getting used to it. But Yuta hates when he is asked to fight the Hyuga or Uchiha guys, he can't do anything to them during the fight and getting beaten quickly every time.

Yuta don't really mind losing the fight or enduring some pain because of it. What he don't like about those fights is that he don't learn anything from it.

The Uchiha and Hyuga guys is just faster, physically stronger and use more advanced taijutsu style, so it's just unfair for Yuta to have a sparring with them with no gains from it for him.

Before the sparring's started they also were taught a two hand seals: Seal of Confrontation and Seal of Reconciliation.

This two hand seals is not actual hand seals that are used while performing jutsu, it's just a tradition to perform the Seal of Confrontation at the start of the sparring and the Seal of Reconciliation after it. The teacher was always asking them to perform it.

After some time Yuta is getting used to the Hyuga and Uchiha taijutsu styles, but he concludes that as long as they are faster and stronger there is no chance for winning for him for the time being.

If Yuta wants to beat them in taijutsu he needs to go through some more serious physical training and focus on it for at least for half a year to become physically strong enough to have a chance against them in taijutsu. And even after that, the winning against them in taijutsu would be hard, they are more talented after all. So Yuta just accepts that he can't win in taijutsu against those three and moves on.

While more time passes, in taijutsu fights against his other classmates he actually starts winning more and more of the matches, and overall he scores somewhere around 15th place out of 40 in overall taijutsu capabilities.

In shurikenjutsu Yuta is not doing so well, and overall he is somewhere around 30th place among all his classmates, but he don't really cares much about shurikenjutsu, he practices it a little during his morning training routine and that's it.

In Yuta's mind throwing shurikens is not really important, he is not Uchiha who can activate the Sharingan and do some crazy things with shurikens, so there is not much reason in Yuta's mind to train hard in it.

After two more months, it's been 8 months since the academy started, series of exams conducted in the A-1 class.

First exam was theoretical, the questions is all about the history, geography and mathematics. Yuta scored overall good and gets the 5th place among the class.

'Well, even if I'm spending most of my time in the library, and paying attention during normal lectures, I don't really focus on this theoretical knowledge. I'm mostly learning about fuinjutsu, genjutsu theory and other useful stuff for time being. So getting scores this high on the theoretical exam is actually very good for me.'

After theoretical exams came practical exams on shurikenjutsu and taijutsu. In shurikenjutsu Yuta scored poorly and get 28th place among the 40 students. In taijutsu he did quite well and scored 12th place out of 40.

After exams ended the overall scores are announced in the A-1 class and Yuta gets 11th place out of 40.

'Huh, it's seems that theoretical exams is valued more than practical ones in the overall score. Well, 11th place in the top class is actually is much better than I expected.'

'After all, 11th place in top class is almost the same thing as the 11th place among the all students that entered the academy the same year! This is a very good result in my opinion. With just an average talent and without training too hard physically - that can be considered as a very good job.'

'I probably was able to achieve it and not fall to the bottom of the class only thanks to my everyday efforts without skipping it even once.'

'If not for my 2 hours of physical training every day for almost two years I would be beaten at the taijutsu sparring's every time.'

'Without putting even that little times every day to practice shurikenjutsu for a little bit, I would definitely be a dead last at shurikenjutsu exam.'

'And probably if not for training my mind with studying so much and having an hour of meditations every day, even if I was paying attention during normal lectures – I highly doubt that I would be able to score 5th place on the theory exams. Studying that much is actually helping to train a good memory and sharpen the mind to some extent.'

'And if I focus more on the topics that are tested during exams, I can get even higher score. But do I have to? Definitely not. After all I'm here not for competing for the first place at my class, I'm here to learn and master everything I can.'

'And currently I value the theoretical knowledge in the library about fuinjutsu and some other things much higher than physical training or theoretical knowledge about history and geography and stuff.'

After exams ended the normal routine of Yuta's academy life continues. And after a few weeks there was a new thing that teacher start to teach the class – the hand seals!

There was the 12 basic hand seals that demonstrated to the class, and teacher told that everyone should practice them hard so they can perform them in quick succession, in sequences with multiple different hand seals.

'Well finally some good stuff! I already read about this basic hand seals in the library a little, but I haven't practiced them yet. I will add the hand seals practice to my everyday schedule, I think a one hour a day will suffice, I only need to master them once and it's pretty easy to do.'

'I hope they will teach us the jutsu soon!'

After only a few days Yuta is already fully mastered the 12 basic hand seals and can perform them quickly enough. It's really not that hard for Yuta because he is already a somewhat trained young shinobi, and is much faster and more flexible than normal civilians.

'Well, now I can't wait to learn my first jutsus! From what I remember and from what I read at the library, the hand seals is used to help and guide the users chakra to mold the right way for performing the jutsu.'

'I not only need to learn the right sequence of the hand seals for the jutsu, I also need to know how to move and control my chakra while performing the hand seals. I hope they will teach us this stuff soon!'

---

[AN: I somewhat tired of the academy stuff already, but skipping it is just don't feels right, I need to cover a few more points during the academy arc.

Thanks to Ilay_David, KILLSECURED, poonie_jr, BT_TB, khalid_etefa, Novel_Lover_2360, Yuuryh and Fajar_Coker for the power stones!

Some extra chapters ahead of schedule release on webnovel on my pa treon /SycoreNovels 

Any support will be appreciated!]