the easy days

It was an unusually warm fall morning in Kumogakure. Herozen had already had a whole morning of training before he was due at the academy. He didn’t want to be caught slouching, not in front of many children. The added benefit of waking up early to train was that he was energized and focused. He wouldn’t want to nap in class, which already put Herozen at the top of the class. He was older than his classmates, and things naturally came easy to him anyway. There also wasn’t the children’s drama to distract him like there was for so many in his class. This made him an outsider, though; the children admired him and were jealous of how quickly he could pick up the basics and some of the more advanced skills they were learning. This also left the instructors giving Herozen more and more complex work more frequently.

As he worked his way from his place of early morning training to the academy, he saw one of his classmates walking to school. He found it awkward but slowed down and started conversing with his young colleague. “Good morning, Jojo, are you prepared for today’s lessons?” Herozen asked the young student, smiling down at him; there was no need to be rude to the young boy. “Did you practice your clone technique last night?” Herozen asked the young shinobi as they continued down the road. “Yes, Herozen, I think I can do it now.” Jojo said, smiling up at his elder, “You’re so talented, Herozen; why are you in class with us?” The boy noticed Herozen’s face drop a little. Herozen composed himself and thought it over. Why was he starting his career so late? He had a family full of shinobi; did he have to take the mantle? “You see, Jojo, I was allowed to try my hand at a different occupation. I realized I wanted to be a shinobi recently.” Herozen said, smiling at his junior colleague as they pressed on.

As the duo approached the academy, their number gradually increased. The students seemed to gravitate toward Herozen. He found it awkward, but there were currently his peers so what could he do? “Herozen-san, can you teach me some tips and tricks?” another student asked Herozen as they closed in on him. “You pick this stuff up so quick; I want you to help me out," he said, looking up at Herozen with hopeful eyes. “Look, all you have to do is listen when they’re giving lectures, they tell you everything you need to know.” Herozen chuckled as he scolded the student. “Come on, you guys, let's focus and learn everything we can.” Herozen and the students worked their way into the building.

As Herozen found his seat in the classroom, a sensei walked up to him. “Herozen, you’re wanted in the principal's office. It’s urgent. Bring your stuff with you.” He said to the Uchiha. This request filled Herozen with dread. What could the principal want with him? Did he do something wrong? Was he being expelled? He was the eldest in the academy, maybe they had a change of heart and didn’t want someone his age to start becoming a shinobi. They allowed him to stay for so long why would they change their minds now? He picked up his stuff and made his way to the door. “Herozen-san, where are you going?” Jojo asked him with a look of confusion across his face. “Well, I’m off to see the principal. Just make sure you focus on lectures and keep training. You’ll make a great shinobi someday.” Herozen said with an aloof tone. “I’ll see you around Jojo-kun.”

Every step Herozen took filled him with dread. What had he done? He thought back on his time at the academy. He listened to the instructors, followed the rules, and showed his ability to put his skills to practical use. Maybe they were just going to promote him? That couldn’t be it, and he still had much to learn. His mother and brother would help him between classes, but his father was usually busy with academy business. Ever since he joined the academy, he hadn’t seen his father much. His father was in charge of the accelerated course. In times of war, his father would take those who showed top shinobi qualities and promise and teach them quickly, getting them promoted to genin as promptly as possible. Since they were in a time of peace, his father was doing something else, something he wasn’t being forthcoming about, but at the end of the day, Herozen didn’t really care what his father was up to. His mother and brother were exceptional shinobi, and his father was a teacher.

He thought about his time training with his brother, a chuunin in the village of Kumogakure, and he was impressed. His brother's calculated nature, mixed with how he used his jutsu, often left Herozen asking, “How? " His brother was a genius working on becoming a jonin. Herozen had a lot of work to do to get to his level. The bond between the brothers was so strong they could tell when the other was upset or in a euphoric mood. Herozen’s training with his mom left him sore and out of chakra; she would push him to his limits, and if he faltered, she knew just how to motivate him. A quick questioning of his motivation or his willpower would have him back on his feet and ready to try again.

Herozen was just outside the principal's office when he heard voices. “Sir, he doesn’t belong in these classes.” He listened to the principal saying. That was it; his time as a shinobi in training was over. He was cooked. “You’re right; he should be a genin; he’s been getting training from his mom and brother outside in their free time.” He heard his father’s voice ringing. “I’ll take him on in the accelerated course. This way, he’ll get the lessons and information he needs, and we can promote him to genin.” He heard the approval in his dad’s voice. So they plan on putting me through the accelerated program; they want me to be a genin? I just got here. I guess there’s a need for Genin, which I wasn’t privy to. At that thought, the door opened. “Ah, Herozen, come in; we were just discussing you.

Herozen entered cautiously, “Well, don’t take too long, boy; we need to discuss your training from here on out.” His father scolded him with a smile on his face. The old man can’t take things seriously, can he? Herozen thought with a slight smirk on his face. “We’ve been reviewing your files, Herozen; the board and your instructors all agree the work they have you doing isn’t challenging you. You also come from a prominent shinobi family and are easily testing out of every class.” The principal said, moving around the office comfortably. “Starting today, you’ll be under Yokuba sensei’s instruction. We’ll reconvene in a week and see if you can take the Genin exam.” Fujui sensei, the principal, told Herozen as he looked out the window in his office. “Any questions?”

Herozen was elated after he got the information from the principal, and his anxiety washed away. He wasn’t getting removed from the academy. In fact, he was going to get fast-tracked to a promotion. This opened up a new set of anxieties. Would he be ready to be a genin in a week? Herozen also would be working with his dad directly. The reason Herozen never asked his father to help him with training was simple. He didn’t see his father as powerful; he was a teacher, not a shinobi, protecting the village or racking up accomplishments. Herozen also knew his mother and brother had awakened the Uchiha clan’s special ability named the Sharingan. This led Herozen to believe his dad wasn’t cut from the same cloth as his brother or mother. This also added some anxiety that he would be like his father and he also wouldn’t be able to awaken his Sharingan. His father always told him there was no shame in not awakening it, but he was already starting behind his brother, and the Sharingan was an essential tool in his arsenal.

Herozen walked down the hall to his new classroom, where a few people were waiting for him and his father. “Good morning, class. We’ll have a new student joining us.” Yokuba sensei told the class as he walked through the door. “That’s why my tardiness, now Herozen if you’d have a seat over there.” He said pointing to an open section of the classroom. “We’ll be going over chakra natures today, and I want everyone to open their books to page two hundred fourteen.” Yokuba started going over the lesson of the day.
Herozen paid close attention to his father's lecture like he always had, noticing his father had a way of explaining everything to everyone. If someone had a question about anything, he could change the wording and answer any follow-up questions anyone had. At that moment, Herozen understood that his dad was a genius, just in his own way. He could perform jutsu to show the visual learners; he could change the wording so others could understand. Herozen was impressed with his dad for the first time, as far as he could think.

Yokuba sensei had the class working in pairs. “Ah, it seems you make my classroom have an odd number of students; that’s alright; I’ll let you work with me, " he said, shuffling over to his student’s desk. We’re Uchiha, so I suspect you’ll have a fire chakra like your mother and me, " he said with a wide grin holding out a piece of paper. “Like I said, this paper is laced with chakra, so when you activate it, it’ll show us what you have.” Herozen took the paper into his hands and infused it with chakra, but it didn’t burn. It shot with electricity. “Hm, lightning chakra, that is quite intriguing. I have some jutsu I can teach you.” He said as he performed the snake hand seal, and sparks began to shower in a cone. “Here, practice this as I move around and check the rest of the class.” Yokuba sensei quickly walked over to the next group.

Herozen watched his father move around the classroom between different groups and observe them showing their chakra natures. His father was teaching Herozen a new jutsu, so he performed the hand seal and attempted to produce sparks; he pushed the chakra to his hands, and sparks of lightning came out. Hmmm, I guess he gave me something easy to pass the time; I don’t think he expected me to figure it out this fast. Herozen thought to himself as the sparks flew from his hand. He stopped the chakra flow from his hand, and the sparks stopped.

When Yokuba sensei finished making his rounds, he returned to Herozen. “Okay, I showed you a new jutsu. Were you able to perform it?” He asked, observing his student with intrigue. Herozen took this as a queue to perform his new jutsu. He made the snake hand seal and focused his chakra on his hand. Yokuba sensei’s expression went from intrigued to impressed quickly. “Alright, maybe I can give you something harder.” He said as he performed the snake and ox hand seal creating a lightning bolt twenty centimeters long and one centimeter thick. “With this jutsu, you’ll need to focus more chakra into your hand. Think of the shape of your chakra as a line coming from your hand.” He said as he released the chakra in his hand, and the bold disappeared. “I’m going to leave you to work on this while I check if the rest of the class is moving on with their new jutsu.” He quickly moved on to the next group.

Herozen took a few seconds to consider his sensei’s words. Okay, so imagine the change in chakra form, he thought as he formed the snake and then ox hand seals and focused on the change in chakra form. As he focused his chakra into his hand, the change of chakra and produced sparks again. Ah, this one is going to be a bit harder to get. He thought to himself. Alright, let’s try this again. He formed his two hand seals, snake, and ox, and focused his chakra on making a lightning bolt. As the chakra flowed from his hands, he focused on the change of chakra, but he failed to produce a lightning bolt again. What am I doing wrong? Alright, I’ll get it this time, he thought as he attempted the jutsu again.

Yokuba sensei walked back over as Herozen attempted the lightning bolt jutsu for a third time. “Make sure you focus your chakra; you’re letting it spray all over.” He said as he watched, “You need to focus your chakra more compressed.” He said as he watched his student closely. Herozen took his sensei’s advice and focused his chakra more, in a more compressed form, and the sparks turned into lightning bolts. “Alright, I did it!” Herozen said as he released the jutsu and pumped his fist. “Thank you, sensei; I appreciate the advice.” He said as he smiled at his instructor.

“Well, I guess that’s all for today. I’ll see all of you tomorrow for another lesson.” He said as the class left the room. “Hang on Herozen!” He called to his student. “Good work today. I’ll have you ready for the genin exams by next week. I would suggest administering them now, but the rules are the rules. Go on home now, and I’ll catch up with you during dinner.” He said shooing his student away. “Thanks for the lesson, Yokuba sensei. I’ll see you at home.” Herozen said as he left the classroom.

Claim:
wc: 2325 x 1.5
twc: 3,487

30 Chakra/ 4 vigor

Sharingan one tomoe 3487-2000= 1487
sparks 1487- 250= 1237
Lightning Release: Lightning Bolt 1237- 500= 737
Magen: Enenra – Demonic Illusion: Lightweight-fabric Smoke D-rank 737- 500= 237
one handed seals 1241+237= 1478/2000 1241 came from here