The Strange Sharingan

Kazue's eyes turned cold. The moment she threw the kunai, her body moved at high speed, charging forward.

When she saw Genitsu, her expression faltered slightly.

"Going this hard on your own classmate? Kazue, that's not like you."

Genitsu easily knocked the kunai aside, then dropped low, bracing one hand on the ground as he kicked out sideways. The sheer force made Kazue let out a muffled grunt.

A backflip put distance between them. Kazue stared at him with wariness and shock.

"Why are you here, and your strength..." Her face shifted as she drew a new kunai, gripping it tightly.

This place was the reason she'd grown so much over the past year—the root of how she'd broken free from her mediocre talent and earned her clan's attention. She absolutely couldn't let an outsider discover it!

"You really are hardworking. So this is how you made such rapid progress in a year... You must have eaten through a layer of topsoil by now. If I hadn't come an hour early today, I might never have found you out..."

Genitsu studied Kazue. This was the first time he'd seriously observed this Uchiha.

Well, no signs of genetic mutation yet—no extra organs sprouting or anything...

"To channel such dangerous power in a positive direction on a broad scale... Kazue, everyone misjudged you. You're a genius. A true genius."

Genitsu spoke with a grave expression.

Kazue's face flickered with confusion and alarm.

"How do you know?!"

"The reason is simple..."

Genitsu formed hand seals, then, under Kazue's wary gaze, crouched slightly and slammed his palm against the ground.

Smack!

The radiation buried deep in the earth was instantly absorbed by Genitsu, leaving no trace even if someone later noticed something was off.

"I admire your courage and your resolve to get stronger. If you want to keep growing, come find me... At least I won't make you eat dirt anymore."

Genitsu smiled, turned around with his back exposed to the stunned Kazue, and walked away at a leisurely pace.

"..." Kazue's mind churned like a stormy sea. She checked again and again—the strange power that stimulated her body and made her stronger was gone...

"Just who are you?!"

Ninja Academy.

Anyone walking through the main gate could see Might Guy running laps around the training ground like an idiot, while his father, Might Duy, stood outside the fence cheering him on loudly.

By the time Genitsu arrived at the school.

"Guy, you bastard!"

Duy's fist shot through the fence, sending his son Guy flying.

"Waaah, I'm sorry, Father! I've let you down again! I'm almost eleven, and I still can't run a thousand laps around the field. I'm such a failure!"

Might Guy knelt on the ground, sobbing.

"Guy, my son! You mustn't give up so easily! Your taijutsu is the medal of your youth, and youth never lies!"

"Waaah, I understand, Father! I'll do eight hundred push-ups right now, and if I can't finish them, I'll jump rope fifteen hundred times!"

"Guy!"

"Father!"

The father and son hugged each other, weeping.

"..."

Genitsu felt like his eyes were about to go blind.

He finally understood why he hadn't seen Duy and Guy this morning—a rare occurrence.

"Oh! Genitsu-san, you're here early today!"

Duy waved at Genitsu, a look of respect on his face.

"Still as hardworking as ever, Mr. Duy. But didn't Guy already graduate early? Why is he back here?"

Genitsu walked over, ignoring the pointing fingers and scornful looks around him, and smiled.

Among this batch, Kakashi graduated at five, and the "dead last" Might Guy graduated at eight—the only two exceptions.

Duy adjusted the forehead protector on his head. "That's right. Guy and I received a mission from the village to come back to the Ninja Academy and maintain order. There's still some time before the competition starts, and we can't waste it! Striving is what youth is all about!"

"Genitsu-san, thank you so much. Once the war is over, we'll work hard to earn money and make up for your losses!"

Duy and Guy both bowed at a ninety-degree angle, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.

"The Will of Fire burns so strongly in you both—I can feel it clearly. But if you keep saying that, I'll get angry. We're all Konoha ninjas; contributing to the village is only right. Besides, I fully agree with your views."

Genitsu nodded in praise.

Guy clenched his fist and encouraged him. "Genitsu-san, with your strength, if you work hard, you might even be able to graduate early!"

At that, the crowd passing by burst into laughter.

"A guy like Genitsu thinks he can graduate early?!"

"No matter how good his theory classes are, they're useless!"

"Damn it, what's the village thinking, letting a dead-last like Guy graduate early..."

Students from various grades walked by, some of them burning with jealousy.

It made sense for Kakashi to graduate early—he was incredible. But what right did a dead-last like Might Guy have? His theory was terrible, his ninjutsu and genjutsu were barely passable, and he only got by because his taijutsu crushed everyone his age.

And yet he still became the second one to graduate early!

"A ninja who only knows taijutsu? What a joke. You and your old man are both the village's laughingstocks!"

"Oh, thanks for the support!"

Dai gave a thumbs-up to everyone mocking them.

Genitsu shook his head, offered a few more words of encouragement, then walked straight toward the classroom.

Might Guy watched Genitsu's retreating back.

"Genitsu-san is truly a great man. He's kept me and my father alive, never looked down on us, and always encouraged us... He's not good at fighting, so I'll protect him with everything I've got!"

In secret, Guy clenched his fists tightly, two flames igniting in his eyes.

Genitsu, walking ahead, sensed something and nodded to himself.

What a fine look in his eyes. He deeply looked forward to the day when Guy would burn his entire youth for him.

Soon, Genitsu returned to his own class.

Many were whispering about today's practical combat lesson, faces flickering with nervousness and anticipation.

Early graduation!

An honor only geniuses were qualified to receive.

Aside from a very few who'd gotten vague hints from their parents and felt a trace of unease, most were naively dreaming of becoming the second Kakashi—not the second Might Guy.

The village's goal of making Kakashi the benchmark for the new generation had succeeded.

Genitsu sat back down in his seat, waiting for the upcoming practical combat lesson.

As for this lesson, Genitsu couldn't care less. Right now, they were only saying they'd select the best for early graduation, but in truth, soon everyone in Genitsu's year would be forcibly graduated and sent to the battlefield to shine for the village.

Besides, Genitsu had already grasped the basics of Nuclear Release, giving him some means of self-defense.

As long as he wasn't crazy enough to go head-to-head with a jonin, his Nuclear Release and his own constitution were enough to keep him safe.

"You're pretty relaxed, huh. Not worried about your future at all?" a pale-skinned guy beside him asked casually.

Moonlight Hayate.

No idea what was wrong with Hayate, but he'd been sickly ever since school.

"Worrying won't help. I just need to give it my all."

Genitsu smiled.

Hayate shook his head, unable to understand Genitsu's laid-back attitude.

The Hayate Clan and the Shiranui Clan were both minor families in Konoha. At least the Hayate Clan had swordsmanship as a family tradition, but the Shiranui Clan had it worse—nothing at all.

If you had to say they had something... maybe senbon throwing?

The future of the Shiranui Clan fell squarely on Shiranui Genma in the next class over.

As for Genitsu, a theory master and a king of talk, he could maybe serve as Genma's assistant someday, but taking the lead was out of the question.

Just then, Uchiha Kazue walked into the classroom, eyes straight ahead, not even glancing at Genitsu, as if nothing had happened.

Soon, Yoshino Masada entered the classroom and led everyone straight to the training ground.

The other classes also filed in, and the place erupted in noise.

"So it's cross-class matchups, huh..."

Genitsu rubbed his chin.

They were probably assessing the strength of this year's students, gauging the possibility of forcing everyone to graduate early and sending them to the front lines.

The six-year system was about to become four years. The bloodiest days of the Third War were coming.

A ninja appeared with a Body Flicker Technique and formally announced the start of the practical combat lesson.

"First match: Uchiha Kazue versus Hyuga Iroha!"

The crowd stirred.

"Whoa! The first match is between the Uchiha and Hyuga, the two great clans?"

"Those two are among the best of their year. Not as good as Kakashi, but their grades are top-tier."

Kazue lifted her head calmly, stepped into the arena, and formed a seal of confrontation with Hyuga Iroha.

"Hyuga Iroha from the other class..."

Genitsu thought for a moment, then watched with interest.

Hyuga Iroha didn't make his "official debut" in the original story until the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Right now, though, he's a contemporary of Kakashi and Genitsu.

Crack!

"I've heard of you—the most outstanding genius of the Uchiha clan in recent years. I won't lose to you." Hyuga Iroha said confidently, activating his Byakugan on the spot.

"The Byakugan, huh? Not a bad pair of eyes. But before these eyes of mine, your pride is worthless."

Kazue shook her head and slowly closed her eyes, under the disbelieving gazes of everyone around.

Whoosh!

When she opened them again.

A single-tomoe Sharingan had already manifested—a beautiful pair of eyes, carrying a certain oppressive weight. If one looked closely, they'd notice that the tomoe was much blurrier than a normal Sharingan's, while the vast swaths of crimson were all the more intense.

"What? Kazue awakened the Sharingan? When did this happen?"

Yoshino Masada was stunned. He had taught Kazue for four years and had no idea about this at all!

Awakening the Sharingan at this age—was this what a genius looked like?

(Regarding Shiranui Genma, his age is a mystery. Judging by his ninja registration number, it's very close to Kakashi's, meaning the two became genin around the same time. Considering Kakashi graduated at age five, Shiranui Genma should be at least three to five years older. But in the original story, when Might Duy faced the Mist Seven Swordsmen, Genma was teamed up with Guy, and from the content, their heights and builds were similar, so they were probably the same age... This is likely an original plot hole. This book chooses to list Shiranui Genma as a contemporary.)