The Cultivation Speed of a "Monster"

Hyuga Hinata walked ahead with her head bowed, her pace unhurried.

"Hinata!"

Akimichi Denji walked forward to greet her.

"De... Denji-kun. Good morning..."

Seeing Akimichi Denji approach, a flicker of pleasant surprise flashed through Hinata's white eyes, but she immediately lowered her head timidly upon noticing Yamanaka Ino, who was wearing a skirt, following beside him.

She was still very shy.

Ino stomped her foot in annoyance and followed after them.

Akimichi Denji handed over a bag of scallion pancakes.

"Breakfast for you. I didn't have time to finish it."

Hinata wanted to decline, but the boy had already firmly pressed the breakfast into her arms.

She lowered her head and said, "Thank you."

Feeling the lingering warmth of the breakfast against her chest, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

As they walked past the Nara Clan estate, they saw Nara Shikamaru.

"Everyone's here, then. Let's head to the classroom together."

"Hey, Ino, you're wearing new clothes today!"

Nara Shikamaru seemed to have just noticed and asked.

"Mind your own business!"

The young girl retorted aggressively.

The corners of Shikamaru's mouth twitched stiffly.

"Women, really... no way to tell what they're thinking..."

The group headed to the Ninja Academy together.

The classroom was still mostly empty in the early morning; however, Uchiha Sasuke, who sat the furthest away, had already arrived and was sitting quietly.

Once everyone had gathered, Iruka walked in.

"This morning, we will continue with our theory lessons. At the end of the class, I will assign an essay on the Will of Fire."

"Those who write well might even be seen by the Hokage himself!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.

"Old Man Third is going to read them?! Really?!" Naruto sprang up from his seat with a "whoosh," the legs of his chair scraping harshly against the floor, his face filled with undisguised, immense ecstasy.

Old Man Third could see his essay on the Will of Fire? Just thinking about it made his blood boil!

But the next second, that excitement deflated like a pricked balloon.

He scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression: "My last essay was covered in red crosses... I have to write an essay... how am I supposed to do that?"

"What a drag..." Shikamaru muttered, simply laying his head down, "More brain work."

Akimichi Denji chuckled inwardly. This Third Hokage really was obsessed with this stuff; it seemed like he brought up the "Will of Fire" every time he opened his mouth.

Yet, his own fellow disciples were the ones who most undermined the Will of Fire.

Recalling yesterday's events, a layer of gloom clouded Akimichi Denji's eyes.

He looked at the energy notifications constantly popping up on his panel.

Shimura Danzō... no need to rush, just you wait...

Suppressing the restless thoughts in his heart, he focused on the essay in front of him.

Although he had only been a fitness enthusiast in his past life, he had at least survived the nightmare-difficulty exam-oriented education of his home country.

Writing an exam essay that echoed an old man's ideology and aligned with Konoha's core values was well within his capabilities.

In the Hokage's office, smoke swirled in the air.

Akimichi Choza's massive frame stood before the desk, his voice low: "Hokage-sama, Danzō-sama approached Denji yesterday."

He paused, not continuing, but both men understood exactly what that meant.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, holding his pipe, faltered slightly.

Protecting Akimichi Denji was a decision he had already made. He hadn't expected Shimura Danzō to seek out Akimichi Denji in private regardless.

"I will have a word with Danzō, so do not worry. Denji is a part of Konoha."

Receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's assurance, Akimichi Choza felt slightly more at ease, but he continued to add.

"Although Denji returned from the Land of Rain, the blood flowing through his veins is truly and undeniably that of the Akimichi Clan."

"Over the past two days, I taught him our Akimichi Clan's Chakra Refinement Technique and the Akimichi Secret Technique. He mastered them completely in just two days."

"Two days?!" The pipe Sarutobi Hiruzen had held for years clattered onto the desk and rolled a few times.

His wrinkled face, those eyes that had seen all the vicissitudes of life, were rounded in rare shock, with turbulent waves surging deep within his pupils.

As the man known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," he naturally understood the difficulty of learning secret techniques.

Secret techniques were called such not only because they were controlled by various great clans, but also because of their difficulty and entry thresholds, which set them apart from other ninjutsu.

Some secret techniques required specific bloodlines to be practiced.

For instance, the Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan.

This naturally also included the Butterfly Transformation of the Akimichi Clan, the Shadow Secret Technique of the Nara Clan, and the Mind Transfer Jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan.

If there had been any doubts about Akimichi Denji's bloodline before, they vanished into thin air the moment those words were spoken.

Without the bloodline of the Akimichi Clan, it was impossible to learn the Akidō Clan's secret techniques, let alone at such a rapid pace.

A ninjutsu genius!

No, no.

Even he, who was called the Professor of Ninjutsu, required at least a month to master a single secret technique.

It was absolutely impossible to learn it in just two days.

Akimichi Denji had only just begun refining chakra two days ago.

Not just a genius.

But a monster.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but elevate the importance of Akimichi Denji in his heart by another level.

The current Konoha had long since lost its sharpest blade, the White Fang. His three disciples, known as the "Sannin," had left one after another. His most beloved disciple, the Yellow Flash, had died in the Nine-Tails Incident. And the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had yet to mature and could not be utilized.

It could be said that Konoha was currently in a transitional period, lacking combat strength within the village.

Precisely because of this, the seedlings of the next generation had to be well protected.

Seeing that the timing was somewhat appropriate, Akimichi Choza brought up another reason for his visit.

"Additionally, Denji's constitution is somewhat special. It seems he has unknown potential regarding Yang Release. Regarding this matter, I would like to ask Lady Tsunade to take a look."

Reporting Denji's talent today was one thing, but simply letting Sarutobi Hiruzen know about this talent was useless.

Thinking of the geniuses from the Aburame Clan and Yamanaka Clan who had been forced away, a cloud of gloom could not help but settle in Akimichi Choza's heart.

Therefore, the best method was to find a backer for Denji. Akimichi Denji had no foundation in the clan, which was not enough to make the Ino-Shika-Cho trio join forces.

After all, talent was just talent; before it was realized, it was like waste paper.

A genius who had not grown up was not a genius; too many geniuses in the ninja world had died prematurely.

It was enough to become a large umbrella to protect Denji, but it would be different if he were added as a student of Tsunade.

"The Akimichi Clan specializes in Yang Release ninjutsu. Even you cannot probe what is hidden within Denji's constitution?"

"Denji's constitution may have undergone some mutation. Our clan, after all, only has knowledge in combat ninjutsu and dietary therapy. We are not proficient in medical ninjutsu, which is precisely why I wanted to ask Lady Tsunade to..."

Akimichi Choza stopped, leaving the rest unsaid, though the implication was clear.

Rubbing his temples powerlessly, Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.

Tsunade? Her personality was not something he could easily persuade to return. If he could use this as a pretext to bring her back, it would be a good thing.

Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered the essay assignment on the Will of Fire he had given today. He hesitated in his heart, but ultimately decided to see how Akimichi Denji's essay turned out first.