Silence.
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
Everyone stared blankly at the two fixed targets in the distance.
"How is this guy actually even better than Kakashi?"
Obito's expression was complicated. He'd cheered Akiyama Shun on mostly to get under Kakashi's skin. He hadn't actually thought Shun could be better than Kakashi.
Now that he'd seen Shun really was better, Obito didn't know what to think.
Kakashi silently clenched his fist.
He'd always been fiercely competitive. Having Shun beat him on the written test had already upset him, so he'd been training even harder lately, determined to make up for it in the "Ninja Tool Throwing" class.
And yet, things had turned out the same way again.
The person most shocked by Shun's result was Kazama Shinya. He was completely unable to make sense of it.
He was an adult and understood better than most how much a person's family circumstances could affect them.
If Kakashi had achieved that score, he might have been surprised, but it would still have been within the realm of expectation. Kakashi was exceptionally talented, his father was the renowned White Fang of Konoha, and he'd received elite training from a young age. His family also had the resources to let him practice every day.
But what about Shun?
His parents had been ordinary Chunin who died on a mission. Judging by how tight money was in his day-to-day life, the inheritance they'd left him had probably only been enough to get him through childhood. He was likely like most of the other students—this was his first time even touching a shuriken.
How could he possibly perform like that?
This wasn't a question of whether he was a genius. This kind of thing was simply beyond Kazama's understanding!
Wait!
Suddenly, Kazama caught sight of Yuhi Kurenai out of the corner of his eye.
That was it. The two kids were close and spent every day together. Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, was a Jonin. Perhaps Shinku had realized early on how talented Shun was and trained him like his own son.
If that was the case, then everything made sense.
"That was amazing, Shun! You're so good!"
Once Yuhi Kurenai came to her senses, she jumped up and happily praised Shun. Then she trotted over and hugged his arm.
"No wonder you just watched whenever Father trained me. You're actually this good!"
She said it without a second thought, but Kazama heard every word.
What did she mean, he only watched when she trained?
So he'd never trained at all?
Kakashi clenched his fist even tighter.
"Actually, I learned by watching you train," Shun said with a bashful smile, scratching his head like a boy who'd just had his moment in the spotlight.
Perfect!
Shun couldn't help giving Kurenai a mental thumbs-up.
That line was the perfect assist. It let him sell the act even better!
Now it wasn't just the higher-ups who'd find out after looking into him. Everyone here knew that this was his first time touching a shuriken!
Learning by watching Kurenai train was a great excuse. With so many people around, this was the perfect chance to spread the story!
That way, after he used the Shuriken Manipulation Technique, it would save him a lot of trouble.
He could simply say he'd learned by watching someone else use it. As for how he'd managed to learn just by watching, well, that was none of their business.
His talent was just that incredible, all right?
"Then you're even more amazing!"
Kazama wasn't listening to the two kids anymore. All he knew was that his salary was probably about to shoot up right before his eyes!
After school.
Kakashi walked down the street, looking distracted.
He couldn't stop thinking about Shun's performance in that day's "Ninja Tool Throwing" class.
He refused to accept it, but he had to admit he couldn't do what Shun had done.
Especially that final three-shot sequence.
At dinner, Hatake Sakumo noticed how downcast he was and asked with a smile, "Did anything interesting happen at school today?"
Kakashi paused with his chopsticks in hand, then told Sakumo what had happened in the ninja tool throwing class.
After Kakashi finished, Sakumo sat beside him and ruffled his hair.
"It's all right. You don't need to feel discouraged over something like this. I remember telling you that if you didn't work hard, that boy Might Guy might end up stronger than you someday."
"You know how he usually acts. He's using all-out effort to overcome the gap in natural talent."
"I believe my son can do the same."
Kakashi stared blankly at Sakumo, as if thinking something over.
Three seconds later, he nodded solemnly.
"I'll definitely surpass Akiyama Shun!"
Seeing that Kakashi had recovered and was no longer distracted, Sakumo returned to his seat and continued eating.
His actions seemed no different from usual, but after hearing about Shun's performance in class, his heart had been just as rocked by a storm!
He'd only just touched a ninja tool for the first time, and he could already do that?
This wasn't happening only in Kakashi's home.
Most of the students who'd been there told their families about Shun's performance in the ninja tool throwing class.
Sarutobi Asuma was among them.
After hearing the story, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew serious.
He knew the name Akiyama Shun well.
The boy's remark that "the Third Hokage is the Sun" had left a deep impression on him. He hadn't expected a child to understand how hard things were for him, or to have learned to see things from the Hokage's perspective at such a young age.
He'd even personally given Shun a perfect score on his test.
He hadn't expected that Shun's talent for being a ninja would be just as terrifying as his academic talent.
As for whether Shun had really "never trained before" or was just bragging, Sarutobi Hiruzen never even considered the question.
Whether that claim was true or not, Shun had already demonstrated his talent perfectly.
And if it was true, then he was even more remarkable!
If Shun's talent for ninjutsu was also good...
With that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen went out into his courtyard and waved a hand.
An Anbu member wearing a mask landed silently behind him.
"I remember that boy received a lot of help from Yuhi Shinku. Ask him about the situation."
At Yuhi Kurenai's home.
Kurenai chattered away, telling Yuhi Shinku about Shun's performance in class.
"What do you think, Father? Don't you think Akiyama Shun is amazing too?"
After she finished speaking, Kurenai stared intently at Shinku. She only smiled once he nodded.
"Someday, I'll be just as amazing as him!"
"I'm sure you can do it, my daughter!"
After encouraging Kurenai, Yuhi Shinku suddenly recalled what he'd thought of Shun in the past.
He'd known the boy was a genius, but he'd never imagined his talent was this extraordinary!
In a way, he'd watched Shun grow up, so he knew perfectly well whether Shun had trained before.
Then, as if he'd thought of something, he looked at Kurenai.
"You're on break starting tomorrow, right? I don't have a mission tomorrow either. Why don't you invite Akiyama Shun over to play?"
"I can train both of you while he's here."
Before you continue