A Genin Standing Alone

At the end of March in the 44th year of Konoha, cherry blossoms drifted down once more, and the Ninja Academy graduation season arrived right on schedule.

News had spread early that someone from Class 2-A would be graduating early; following Hatake Kakashi, another genius had emerged, serving as side evidence of the village's prosperity.

Especially since the applicant came from a civilian ninja family, under intentional promotion, even the youths preparing to enroll felt deeply inspired.

Perhaps the children simply didn't want to lose to their peers, but for many families, the fact that talent would be nurtured meant that a path for upward mobility was opening up for them.

This graduation exam was still presided over by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Regarding this, Might Duy was somewhat nervous, pacing back and forth at the main gate.

Might Guy understood his father's emotions, though in the span of two years, he had completely shed the title of "dead-last."

Even his theoretical knowledge had stabilized in the top 10 of the class; the error-notebook method from Shu Furukawa had been extremely effective.

"Don't be nervous, Guy. Everyone recognizes your hard work. Now, all that's left are the Transformation Technique and the Clone Technique."

"By the way, I'll tell you the results of your theory exam: you've passed successfully!"

Standing beside the Hokage, their homeroom teacher Ryosuke Kimura wore a look of pride on his face, while Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled gently, looking at the nervous youth and encouraging him:

"Show me the results of your training. I have heard Ryosuke praise you more than once."

"Yes, Lord Hokage, Teacher Kimura!"

For this day, Might Guy had specifically put on the brand-new green spandex suit his father had prepared for him, his hands wrapped in bandages. After shouting his response, he immediately performed the ninjutsu.

Without any surprises, after two consecutive years of constant practice, Might Guy had completely mastered the low-level ninjutsu.

After successfully transforming into his homeroom teacher, Might Guy also completed the Clone Technique perfectly.

Regarding chakra control, Guy knew the gap between himself and Shu Furukawa and Hatake Kakashi, but since the exam had gone without a hitch, he couldn't help but grin.

"Very good!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen praised him loudly. The four people nearby puffed out their chests upon seeing the Hokage's smile. Ryosuke Kimura immediately took out the prepared ninja headband and solemnly handed it to Might Guy:

"Guy, from today on, you are a ninja capable of standing on your own."

"The arduous life of a genin is about to begin. Do not slack off; continue to work hard!"

"Also, you need to take a new photo for your ninja registration form. Don't forget that. Now, go share this good news with your father."

Might Guy took the ninja headband and bowed solemnly. Then, looking at the people before him, he declared with high spirits and a loud voice:

"My youth will burn until the very end of my life! In the future, I will definitely become an outstanding ninja."

Just as Might Guy and his father were embracing passionately at the school gate, with both father and son shedding happy tears, Shu Furukawa's alternative exam was also nearing its end.

In the training ground behind the Ninja Academy, huge cracks had appeared on the ground, and the area was littered with scattered rubble and craters.

Tsunade, wearing the green jonin vest of Konoha, slowly stood up from a crater. She was not surprised by the disappearance of the shadow clone in front of her and continued calmly:

"Even in battles between jonin, ninjutsu is often not the best choice."

"You should understand what I am saying. The amount of chakra one can refine at once is very limited, and most ninjas do not have great talent in this area."

"As you grow older, your chakra reserves will eventually surpass mine, and when combined with ultimate control..."

Tsunade, who had been planning to continue painting a bright future for him, suddenly stopped. A shrill sound like a thousand birds chirping reached her ears, followed by a loud explosion.

"Boom!"

"Zzz... zzz..."

His speed increased abruptly as he dashed in a straight line. The electricity condensed on Shu Furukawa's right hand hissed wildly in the air. The visible blue chakra made Tsunade show a look of surprise for the first time.

The chirping thrust arrived before her in the blink of an eye. Sidestepping and extending her right hand, Tsunade dodged the attack while simultaneously flicking her middle finger against Shu Furukawa's forehead.

"Bang..."

Flying backward at an even faster speed, Shu Furukawa rolled twice on the grass in the woods, lying spread-eagled on the ground and breathing heavily.

"Is this what ninjutsu talent is?! I admit that you are indeed a genius in this regard!"

"Not bad, Shu. The nature transformation and shape transformation of your lightning-attribute chakra—the completion of the technique is very high."

"You generate a large amount of chakra to stimulate your cells, completing a round of physical activation, and then squeeze the activated cells to produce an even greater amount of chakra."

Tsunade, arms crossed, walked to Shu Furukawa's side. Recalling the questions she had answered for him daily, she deduced most of the principles behind this ninjutsu.

As she spoke, she felt a bit puzzled. In her estimation, Shu Furukawa's stamina should have hit rock bottom. Thinking of this, Tsunade immediately leaned over and said appreciatively:

"I am very satisfied! You've grown again in just a few months."

"I'll take back some of my previous views. If your progress in medical ninjutsu satisfies me, I will open up some of my collection, and I can even let that guy Orochimaru guide your ninjutsu!"

The rule-breaking figure before his eyes made Shu Furukawa sigh helplessly, but fortunately, she had finally agreed to let him continue studying ninjutsu.

In fact, he had taken a secret medicine before using the Shadow Clone Technique. It had wasted some time to fuse it proportionally, but the power of the ninjutsu had indeed increased by a large margin.

"Is Teacher Tsunade trying to kill me? There's no need to go so hard against a genin."

"That kind of power destroyed half the training ground. It's going to cause trouble for the village!"

Shu Furukawa, propping himself up, gave a wry smile. After experiencing it firsthand, the power that could crack the earth with a single kick felt simply absurd.

Thinking of the "Gundam" wielded by the Dance King of Uchiha in his memories, Shu Furukawa grew increasingly curious about the energy known as chakra, while the transcendent power it offered left him utterly fascinated.

"Stop your nagging!"

"Congratulations on passing my test; you are now a genin capable of standing on your own."

Tsunade pulled Shu Furukawa up and leaned in, personally tying the ninja headband around his forehead. She then stepped back to look him over, teasing him with a deliberate smirk:

"No wonder Shizune says you're so popular at the academy!"

"..."

Shu Furukawa reached up to adjust the Konoha headband on his forehead. Seeing the happy smile on Shizune's face as she jogged over, he could only mimic Might Guy and give a thumbs-up.

He was not Obito Uchiha; he only had a preference for mature women.

"Let's go. I still need to report to the Old Man. There are many excellent children in this year's class; he should be very pleased."

"Remember, don't use that technique recklessly. Even if you are a sensory ninja with decent dynamic vision and reflexes, it remains extremely dangerous."

Tsunade turned her head to offer a smiling reminder, then took Shizune by the hand. Her golden twin tails swayed as she pondered, continuing to add:

"At this age, you still need to build a solid foundation. I'll delegate some of the refinement work to you; the herbs you cultivated last year were a huge help."

"Your three-man squad's instructor hasn't been decided yet. I'll discuss it with the Old Man."

"You still need more practical combat experience. I almost forgot—what is the name of that technique? Do you need me to help you come up with a catchy name?"

Seemingly very satisfied with her student's talent, Tsunade was in high spirits. She stopped in her tracks to ask, looking at Shu Furukawa with an expectant expression.

"Chidori!"

Shu Furukawa said the name of the Lightning Release jutsu with a smile, his mind flashing back to his middle school days, when he and a bunch of other chuunibyou kids would chase each other around while mimicking the hand seals.

Unexpectedly, it was a good name. Seeming to associate it with something else, Tsunade let out a hearty laugh and quipped:

"Surprisingly fitting!"

"It seems your talent for naming things is far better than Jiraiya's student! As expected of the genius I personally trained!"

"..."