The Spreading of the Genius's Name

Silence.

The scene fell into an eerie stillness.

Everyone stared blankly at the two stationary targets not far away.

"How is this guy actually stronger than Kakashi?"

Obito's expression was a complex mix of emotions; he had cheered for Akiyama Shun mostly to spite Kakashi, never truly believing that Akiyama Shun was stronger than him.

Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, Obito was left completely dumbfounded.

Off to the side, Kakashi silently clenched his fists.

He had been a competitive person since he was young. Being outperformed by Akiyama Shun in the written exam had already been hard enough to swallow, and he had trained even harder during this period specifically to reclaim his pride in the "Ninja Tool Throwing" lesson.

Yet, the result remained the same.

No one was more shocked by Akiyama Shun's performance than Kazama Shinya, who had fallen into a state of utter disbelief.

As an adult, he understood the gap created by family circumstances all too well.

If this score had been achieved by Kakashi, he might have been surprised, but it would still be within the realm of expectation. Kakashi possessed immense natural talent, his father was the world-renowned "White Fang of Konoha," and he had received elite training from a young age with ample resources to practice every day.

But what about Akiyama Shun?

His parents were merely ordinary chunin who had died in the line of duty. Judging by his frugal daily life, the inheritance left behind was likely only enough to barely get him through childhood. Like most students, this should have been his first time ever touching a shuriken.

How could he possibly display such performance?

This wasn't just a matter of being a genius; this situation was completely outside his cognitive understanding!

Wait!

Suddenly, Kazama Shinya's peripheral vision caught sight of Yuhi Kurenai.

That's right, these two little ones were very close and played together every day. And Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, was a jonin. Perhaps Shinku had discovered his talent early on and trained him like his own son?

If that were the case, then everything would make sense.

"That was amazing, Shun! So cool!"

Once Yuhi Kurenai snapped out of her shock, she jumped up in joy to praise Akiyama Shun, then trotted over to his side and hugged his arm.

"No wonder whenever Father trained me, you just watched from the sidelines. So you were this good all along!"

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.

After Kurenai finished speaking, Kazama Shinya's brain simply couldn't process it.

What did she mean by "you just watched while I trained"?

Does that mean he had never trained before?

Beside them, Kakashi clenched his fists even tighter.

"Actually, I just learned it by watching you train."

Akiyama Shun scratched his head and chuckled softly, putting on the shy demeanor of a young boy showing off for the first time.

Perfect!

Deep down, Akiyama Shun couldn't help but give Kurenai a mental thumbs-up.

This sentence was the ultimate assist, allowing him to play this part even better!

Now, it wasn't just the higher-ups who would know after checking his records; everyone present knew that this was his first time ever touching a shuriken!

Using the excuse of learning by watching Kurenai train was excellent, and he could take advantage of the large crowd to spread it around!

This way, he could avoid a lot of trouble when he used the Shuriken Manipulation Technique later on.

He could simply claim he learned it by watching others, and as for how he managed to learn it just by watching—well, that was none of their business.

Is it a crime to be too talented?

"Then you are even more impressive!"

At this point, Kazama Shinya wasn't even listening to the two children anymore; he only knew that his salary seemed set to rise by a visible margin!

After school.

Kakashi walked down the street, looking somewhat distracted.

In his mind, he kept replaying Akiyama Shun's performance from the "Ninja Tool Throwing" class today.

He was unconvinced, yet he had to admit that he couldn't reach that level.

Especially those final three consecutive shots.

During dinner, Hatake Sakumo noticed his low spirits and asked with a smile, "Did something interesting happen at school today?"

Kakashi paused mid-meal, then told Hatake Sakumo about what had happened in the ninja tool throwing class.

After Kakashi finished speaking, Hatake Sakumo sat down beside him and ruffled his hair.

"It's alright, there is no need to be discouraged by such things. I remember telling you before: if you don't work hard, that kid named Might Guy might actually end up stronger than you one day."

"You know how that kid usually behaves; he is using desperate effort to bridge the gap caused by talent."

"I believe my child can do it too."

After hearing this, Kakashi stared blankly at Hatake Sakumo, as if lost in thought.

Three seconds later, Kakashi nodded solemnly.

"I will definitely surpass Akiyama Shun!"

Seeing that Kakashi had regained his focus and was no longer distracted, Hatake Sakumo returned to his seat to continue his meal.

Although his actions appeared no different from usual, in reality, after hearing about Akiyama Shun's performance in class, his heart was in a state of turmoil!

To reach that level the very first time he touched ninja tools?

This situation was not just happening at Kakashi's home.

The students who were present at the time had basically all told their families about Akiyama Shun's performance in the shurikenjutsu class.

This included Sarutobi Asuma.

After listening to his account, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression also turned serious.

He was very familiar with the name Akiyama Shun.

The child's "The Third Hokage is the sun" comment had left a deep impression on him at the time; he hadn't expected a small child to be so understanding of his hardships and difficulties, having already learned to think from the perspective of the Hokage at such a young age.

He had even personally graded the boy's exam paper with a perfect score.

He hadn't expected that beyond academics, the boy's talent for being a ninja would be terrifying to such a degree.

As for whether the claim of "never having trained before" was just bragging, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even consider the question.

Regardless of whether it was true or false, Akiyama Shun had already perfectly demonstrated his talent.

If it were true, then it was even more extraordinary!

If Akiyama Shun's talent for ninjutsu was also good...

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked into his courtyard and waved his hand.

An Anbu wearing a mask landed silently behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"I recall that child has received quite a bit of care from Yuhi Shinku; find him and ask about the situation."

At Yuhi Kurenai's home.

Yuhi Kurenai was chattering away to Yuhi Shinku about Akiyama Shun's performance in class.

"How about it, Father? Don't you also think Akiyama Shun is amazing~"

After finishing, Yuhi Kurenai stared intently at Yuhi Shinku, only breaking into a smile once she saw him nod.

"Sooner or later, I will be just as amazing as him!"

"I believe my daughter can certainly do it!"

After encouraging Yuhi Kurenai, Yuhi Shinku suddenly recalled his past assessments of Akiyama Shun.

He knew the child was a genius, but he truly hadn't imagined that his talent was already this strong!

To a certain extent, he could be considered to have watched Akiyama Shun grow up, and he was very clear on whether or not Akiyama Shun had ever trained before.

Then, as if thinking of something, he looked at Yuhi Kurenai beside him.

"You're on break starting tomorrow, right? As it happens, I don't have any missions tomorrow; would you like to invite Akiyama Shun over to play?"

"I might as well train the two of you."