Early Graduation

One week later.

Lying on his bed, Shinichi's gaze quietly settled on the newly generated line of green text on his Personal Panel:

[Ninjutsu Proficiency (Green): Your speed in learning and mastering ninjutsu is increased. Your perception and application of chakra's shape transformation and nature transformation are significantly enhanced, allowing you to learn and stably perform ninjutsu of the corresponding nature more quickly.]

The effect of the Trait was undoubtedly strong, a great boon for future training.

Yet, though Shinichi's expression remained calm, disappointment lurked beneath the surface of his heart.

Not blue. Only green.

Why? Was the stir he caused not enough?

Or was the time too short, the fermentation of recognition insufficient?

He quickly dismissed both thoughts.

Although, afterward, the Konoha higher-ups had, for the sake of protection and secrecy, somewhat controlled the spread of specific details from the opening ceremony that day.

Even so, the intensity and breadth of the commotion caused by that event itself was absolutely no less than that battle years ago when he defeated Kakashi and cemented his reputation as a genius.

So, where was the problem?

Shinichi's thoughts drifted, and his gaze inadvertently swept over the [Ninja Academy Student] label in his Occupation column. A nearly forgotten detail suddenly flashed through his mind—it was the prompt that had appeared on the panel when the two Occupation Traits, [Ninja Academy Student] and [Swordsmanship Apprentice], were first generated:

"Based on the activation of the Ninja (Swordsman) Occupation, henceforth, the recognition others have of you related to the Ninja (Swordsman)... The Occupation level determines the conversion efficiency of others' recognition of your related talents. When the Occupation level reaches the highest..."

"The Occupation level determines the conversion efficiency of others' recognition of your related talents..."

Shinichi understood.

That was it. Unlike [Genius], a domain-wide Trait not limited to any Occupation, [Ninjutsu Proficiency] was a Trait clearly belonging to the category of ninja talent.

And what was the level of his corresponding ninja Occupation right now?

It was [Ninja Academy Student], the most basic, most elementary student level within the ninja system.

This Occupation level limited the conversion efficiency of recognition for related talents.

Even if the outside world had developed a strong perception of him as a ninjutsu genius, constrained by his current Occupation platform, this massive cognitive effect could not be efficiently converted into a higher-tier blue Trait. It had only condensed into green.

This also explained why [Basic Taijutsu (White)] had been unable to upgrade for so long—because taijutsu also fell under the category of ninja talent.

As for the battle with Kakashi, the outside world's focus had been on the second bout, the sword technique duel. Thus, [Basic Swordsmanship (White)], a talent belonging to the Swordsman Occupation, was also still in its apprenticeship period.

Yet, because of that direct clash with the White Fang Sword Style, borrowing the weight of that legendary stepping stone known as the "White Fang Sword Style," the quality of recognition gained was entirely different. That was why it had broken through to green in one go.

"Looks like I'll need to pay more attention from now on."

A faint sigh of realization passed through Shinichi's heart.

But even if he had known this limitation beforehand, would he have changed his choice?

No.

Shinichi's gaze grew calm again. For him, the power that could be grasped and held first was the best power.

The tangible boost brought by the green Trait [Ninjutsu Proficiency] was immediate. This was far more valuable than a vague, illusory blue Trait that might fail to generate due to insufficient conditions.

Moreover, looking at it realistically, even if he waited until graduation, when [Ninja Academy Student] upgraded to [Genin] and his Occupation conversion efficiency increased, he might never again encounter such a perfect cognitive ignition point as the opening ceremony, which had gathered the eyes of the entire school's staff and students, and even the Konoha higher-ups.

At that time, trying to trigger a cognitive commotion of the same scale would likely be even more difficult, and the harvest might not be greater than this time.

You gain some, you lose some. Although this scheme hadn't achieved its most ideal goal, the tangible benefits gained, along with the crucial understanding of the system's rules, were already precious enough.

Not to mention, the fact that he had created the Rasengan at age nine was already an ironclad truth. This matter would continue to be passed down, continuously generating corresponding recognition for him.

When the time came, his comprehensive ninjutsu Trait would eventually upgrade to the blue tier.

He closed the panel and shut his eyes.

Green, then. Let it be green.

Next step, it was time to push forward the graduation process.

Three days later, Shinichi formally submitted his application for early graduation from the Ninja Academy.

The reaction after this news spread was rather subtle—almost no one was surprised. Instead, there was a pervasive sense of "that's right," "it's about time," an air of natural inevitability. Some even muttered privately: Why did he only apply now?

This general mindset was easy to understand. In most people's eyes, Higashino Shinichi should have graduated long ago.

"The genius who beat Kakashi"—that title had been ringing out for over two years now.

And now, that former defeated opponent, Hatake Kakashi, had long since been promoted to Chunin and had been active on missions for nearly three years.

In contrast, Shinichi had been staying obediently in school the whole time, which instead seemed a bit out of place.

Not to mention the Rasengan he had independently developed, which had shaken the entire opening ceremony a few days prior.

An A-rank, seal-less ninjutsu, with potential even touching the threshold of S-rank... Achievements of this caliber had long since far exceeded the scope of what any Ninja Academy student should possess.

In the eyes of everyone, for such a monster—one who continuously created miracles, whose talent and strength were beyond doubt—to continue staying in the Academy, learning basics step by step, was simply a waste of time and talent.

His application for early graduation wasn't news; the fact that he had only applied now was the slight question.

Thus, when the application was formally submitted, everything felt like a natural progression, calm and unremarkable, as if it were merely setting in motion something that should have happened long ago.

But when this application was formally submitted and placed on the Hokage's desk, one person found himself somewhat troubled by it—the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He had no doubt whatsoever whether Shinichi could pass the graduation exam; that was simply not a concern.

His original plan had been to focus on fostering longer-term bonds. He had observed that Shinichi got along well with his classmates, especially his deskmate Shizune and Ishizuka Takashi.

So he had planned that when this class graduated normally, he would assign these children to the same squad, letting the friendships forged in their youth deepen and solidify through missions. This aligned with the "comrades" philosophy he had always valued.

What he hadn't expected was that Shinichi would voluntarily apply for early graduation. Seeing how he had kept his head down and behaved at the Ninja Academy for the first two years, the Third had assumed he would complete his studies step by step... This move had thrown his initial plans into disarray.

"What kind of teammates should I assign him?"

The Third Hokage tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, sinking into thought.

Kakashi?

The name flashed through his mind, but was immediately dismissed.

He had other arrangements for Kakashi, and besides, that child was now a near-emotionless mission machine, his heart sealed shut.

Pairing him with Shinichi would likely fail to build any bond, and might instead influence or even taint this promising young seedling whose disposition was still sunny.

Their teaming might have to wait until a more distant future, after Kakashi had changed.

After a moment of deliberation, the Third reached a decision: as long as Shinichi hadn't become a jōnin by then, and his peers or age-close comrades had also graduated smoothly, he would find a way to reassign them to the same squad, personally appointing a reliable jōnin as their instructor.

Until then, for this child who had taken flight too early, he would find a senior—one with firm political convictions, high awareness, steady hands, and the ability to guide the way.

Since relying on peer bonds was temporarily out of reach, he would compensate with mentorship from an elder.

The Third Hokage scanned the roster in his mind, and finally, his gaze settled on one name.