We're Screwed, I Caused Trouble Again

"...hundreds of Shuriken! They almost turned me into a pincushion..."

The Chunin shouted, blood spurting nonstop from his head.

Iruka kept apologizing with an ingratiating smile, then finally took the ninja to the Medical Room.

Before leaving, he glanced back and shot Shinki a glare, as if to say: Just you wait, kid! (눈益눈)

Catching Iruka-sensei's eye, Shinki hunched his shoulders.

I'm screwed!

I caused trouble again!

Still, I think I did pretty well today...

Naruto leaned over to Shinki and joked, "Shinki, have you noticed how busy Iruka's been ever since you got the hang of things?"

Shinki thought about it for a moment and realized it was true. He laughed along with him.

By the time Iruka-sensei returned, half an hour had passed.

Shinki, the culprit, was naturally dragged to the Office for a scolding.

"That guy's fine now. Luckily, his injuries weren't serious, and the doctor bandaged him up. Don't you ever throw anything over the school wall again, kid..."

Iruka-sensei lectured him.

Shinki nodded. "But sensei, you were the one who told me to demonstrate the Shuriken Shadow Clone..."

Iruka glared at him. "Did I tell you to throw hundreds of Shuriken at someone too?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Shinki obediently shut up.

For the rest of the day's lessons, Shinki kept feeling as though the teacher was glaring at him.

To keep the teacher from getting annoyed at the sight of him, Shinki spent the entire class sprawled on his desk, fast asleep, avoiding eye contact with him.

Being a ninja is too hard!

Soon, the day's lessons ended.

Iruka-sensei didn't say what they would be testing tomorrow or anything of the sort. Instead, he addressed the class with a serious expression.

"Tomorrow, we'll move on to studying ninja knowledge. Besides the three basic supplementary Ninjutsu—the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique—the written portion also accounts for a large share of the final exam."

"This is important. Whether you can graduate from the Ninja Academy and become real ninja all comes down to this exam, so everyone, go home and study hard."

Shinki and Naruto nodded and went home.

Night fell.

Just like every other night before, Shinki and Naruto practiced Ninjutsu.

Just then, Shinki spotted the same shadow he had seen the night before.

The shadow crouched atop the wall, hesitating for a long time.

"Who are you?"

This time, Shinki didn't attack rashly. Instead, he faced the shadow and asked.

"Huh? Shinki, what are you talking about?"

Naruto wondered if Shinki had practiced himself stupid lately, talking to thin air.

Shinki looked serious. Thinking the person might be one of the Third's men acting in secret, he made an excuse. "It's nothing. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I'm going out for a bit."

Naruto watched Shinki leave and scratched his head.

"Why's Shinki been so mysterious these past couple of days?"

Sure enough, after Shinki went outside, he encountered a masked Anbu.

There was something familiar about him.

Shinki recognized him as the one he had injured with Wind Release: Shuriken yesterday.

Shinki immediately felt guilty.

Was this Anbu here for revenge?

So he put on an obedient expression and said, "Lord Anbu, is there something you need? Did the Third send you?"

"Yes."

Black lines covered Yamato's face as he answered reluctantly.

Getting beaten up by Shinki yesterday had been a huge embarrassment for him in the Anbu!

He continued, "Actually, I came yesterday and today for the same reason. The Third sent me to teach you some special Ninjutsu..."

Shinki's eyes lit up.

(´◊ω◊｀)

Had the Third finally discovered his potential and decided to give him special, focused training?!

"What Ninjutsu? (⌯︎¤̴̶̷̀ω¤̴̶̷́)✧︎"

Shinki asked, a little excited.

Beneath Yamato's mask, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

That's more like it. That's how a kid his age should act.

Much cuter than when he unleashed his self-developed Wind Release: Shuriken the moment we met yesterday!

Yamato began his explanation.

"Wood Release, a secret technique created by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, is a type of Kekkei Genkai. It combines earth- and water-nature chakra and is a Ninjutsu that the user activates using his own chakra as a source of life."

"I'm sure you've heard of the First's achievements. In that era of constant war, he ended the fighting, subdued the Tailed Beasts, and conquered the world with Wood Release..."

"Does Lord Third want me to learn Wood Release?" Shinki asked.

"Yes."

Yamato nodded.

"But you just said Wood Release is a type of Kekkei Genkai. Can I learn it?"

Shinki asked, puzzled.

"Since Lord Third sent me to teach you, that means you're qualified to learn Wood Release. Just focus on learning."

Yamato spoke with the poise of a teacher.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Yamato, and I'll be your teacher from now on."

"Today, I'll give you your first lesson: sensing the existence of Wood Release..."

As he spoke, Yamato closed his eyes and pressed his palms together. "Do as I do. Use water-nature chakra and earth-nature chakra in your left and right hands respectively..."

Shinki closed his eyes and followed along, looking utterly confused...

Yamato continued, "Next, we need to give the 'water' and 'earth' a seed. Once that seed grows, it'll become the Wood Release we want to use..."

Shinki did as Yamato instructed...

Soon, he felt a small sapling sprout in his palm...

"Sensei, I think I can feel it..."

Shinki reported, seeming to sense something.

Yamato: ??

A genius!

He sensed the existence of Wood Release that quickly!

Back when Yamato himself was learning, it had taken him a full two or three days of sensing before he managed to make a tiny flower grow in his palm...

"What do you sense?"

Yamato asked with his eyes closed.

"A blade of grass?"

Shinki said uncertainly.

Yamato nodded, agreeing inwardly.

Not bad.

He sensed the existence of Wood Release so quickly, and even managed to form a blade of grass in his palm...

Remarkable talent!

"Sensei, I think this grass is a little too heavy. I can't hold it up..."

Shinki spoke again.

Yamato felt slightly displeased. "It's just a blade of grass. Just hold it up. Can't a young man even manage that much?"

Just a moment ago, Yamato had thought the kid was reliable, but now he was showing his true colors.

A flower raised in a greenhouse, unable to endure hardship!

"No, sensei, I think this grass has grown a little too big..."

Shinki went on.

"I told you to hold it up. How heavy can one blade of grass be?"

There was a hint of displeasure in Yamato's voice.

As he spoke, he opened his eyes and looked at Shinki's palm...

The very next moment!

His pupils dilated sharply, and he clutched his chest and shouted a choice swear word.

"HOLY SHIT!!!"

After Yamato's shout, Shinki opened his eyes and looked at his palm.

In his palm, he was holding a towering tree as thick as a water vat and forty or fifty meters tall!!

"Th-th-this is what you called grass???"

Yamato asked, his voice trembling with shock.