Okay, here is the English translation of Chapter 1:
Chapter 1: Yamanaka Ino
Land of Fire, Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves).
At the northern edge of the village stood a tall cliff face. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha once stood atop this cliff, gazing out at the southern plains, envisioning a paradise free from killing and hatred, where children could shed their armor, cast aside their swords, wear smiles, and play freely.
The two abandoned their conflict and joined forces to establish the largest village in the ninja world, Konohagakure. Later, the Second Hokage, upholding the First's legacy, established a Ninja Academy below the cliff.
The faces of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage were vividly carved into the rock wall, their expressions solemn. Villagers occasionally looked up and saw the Hokage Rock, their respect for their leaders genuine and heartfelt.
Half a year remained before the graduation exams, and the teachers at the Ninja Academy were doing their utmost to impart more knowledge to the students.
To gauge the students' actual proficiency, exams were naturally indispensable.
"Sigh... I'm doomed."
"This is way too hard..."
"Heh, you actually think it's hard? I don't even understand the questions!"
A chorus of wails rose from the students. Everyone felt the questions were too difficult, and many turned in blank papers.
A few top students discussed quietly, concluding that at least three of the ten questions belonged in the Chunin Exam category. Heaven knows, they weren't even Genin yet.
Yamanaka Ino, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, a lock of hair covering her right eye, wearing a white long-sleeved jacket with the kanji character "亥" (Boar) within blue-green stripes on each arm, seemed a bit odd to her classmates. She existed somewhere between a top student and a slacker.
After handing in her paper, her movements and expression seemed exceptionally heavy.
"Ino, did you not do well either?" a familiar female classmate asked in a low voice.
"It's just... sigh, hard to put into words. I did terribly this time, definitely failed. I made mistakes in several places, my head is just full of mush right now." Ino looked utterly dejected, seemingly on the verge of tears.
"It's okay, it's just one practice test."
"Yeah, one slip-up doesn't mean anything."
A few of her superficial friends held her hands, offering comfort.
Before long, Iruka, a young teacher wearing a Chunin flak jacket with a noticeable scar across the bridge of his nose, finished grading the papers and announced the results on the spot.
"Ino Yamanaka, 95 points, first place!"
"Sakura Haruno, 94 points, second place."
"..."
Her slacker friends' necks stiffened, their gazes towards Ino shifting dramatically. Judging by your expression earlier, we were ready to offer surface-level comfort while secretly mocking you. And the result? First place? Are you kidding me!
Ino inwardly gloated. You guys play during class and play when you get home. I play during class but study hard at home. How can that be the same?
As someone who had applied for a sales job to buy a house, then became an intern at a renovation company after getting the internal price, and later jumped ship to be a guide at a furniture mall – a person with no fixed occupation – she had worked hard for over half a year. Just when she was about to move into her new home, she suddenly transmigrated into the perilous world of Naruto. Her heart was truly shattered.
She had no idea who would benefit from that house in the end; just thinking about it felt like a massive, unfair loss.
Ino looked out the window. Several dark figures flashed past at incredible speed, disappearing from view in less than two seconds. She knew very well they were the village's ninja.
Everyone was accustomed to it.
"Supermen" who could jump eight meters high and shatter a tree with one punch were commonplace in the village. Many ninjas preferred hopping across rooftops instead of using the perfectly good roads – it was considered "basic operation" for many of them. After going through phases of panic, suspicion, anxiety, and caution, she had slowly gotten used to it too.
Since she couldn't change the world, she could only try to change herself.
Study. Regardless of whether it was useful or not, she delved relatively deeply into all the knowledge available at the academy. She even found the handwritten copies of the "Will of Fire" series left at the school by the Third Hokage – books often criticized by fellow transmigrators – and earnestly/seriously read them cover to cover twice.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the Lankavatara Sutra; there were no secret martial arts techniques hidden between the lines.
To become stronger, she studied diligently. To avoid being ostracized by her classmates, she had to maintain the facade of a slacker. Ultimately, it all boiled down to a lack of security.
Everyone received their papers, and Iruka-sensei began explaining the questions.
"Question nine: An ether solution contains a certain aromatic hydrocarbon. Dilute hydrochloric acid is added first, followed by sodium hydroxide solution, then stirred to separate the layers. What compound remains in the ether layer?"
"What could it be?" Not expecting an answer from the students, he began writing on the blackboard himself.
"This is a problem ninjas often encounter during missions. Due to the lack of some necessary conditions, we must make reasonable assumptions and analyses.1 Assuming this aromatic hydrocarbon has an amino group, it will react with hydrogen chloride first. At this point, we must analyze..."
He started listing several possible scenarios, writing detailed analysis methods and results after each assumption. The blackboard filled with dense writing before the problem was fully explained.
"What is a ninja? Only someone with a calm mind in battle, capable of analyzing intelligence, can be called a ninja," Iruka said earnestly. He looked at his blackboard writing – the analysis was sound, the explanation clear, and his tone was quite encouraging. He glanced at the classroom out of the corner of his eye, and his heart sank... hardly anyone was listening.
Smack! Iruka-sensei slammed his hand on the blackboard, his voice suddenly rising. "You are the worst class I've ever taught! What are you daydreaming about? Write it all down! This question might even appear on the exam! Everyone, write it down!"
"Okay..."
"Hai..."
"Got it."
Except for a few genuinely good students scribbling furiously, ninety percent of the class responded with listless tones. The pencils in their hands made a few perfunctory scribbles as if completing the task. Judging by their performance, these kids were undeniably a bunch of slackers.
Ino continued to maintain her role as a pseudo-slacker, true top student. Her left hand supported her chin, occasionally glancing up, and she jotted down a concise summary of the blackboard content with a slightly lazy posture.
Iruka-sensei on the podium was still roaring at the room full of slackers. To be fair, he was truly a good teacher – responsible, patient, meticulous. Most virtues of the teaching profession could be seen in this 22-year-old man.
However, for many 12-year-old children, this material was genuinely difficult to learn.
There were no dedicated math, chemistry, or physics courses here. The Ninja Academy only had five subjects: Theory, Physical Training, Mindset/Experience, History, and Practice.
A vast amount of knowledge from mathematics, chemistry, physics, and geography was integrated into the single subject of Theory, naturally making it strenuous for students to learn.
Without the foundation of higher education from her previous life, it wouldn't have been so easy for Ino either.
(End of this chapter)