You Damn Genius!

Chapter 43: You're a Damn Genius!

Violent lightning-attribute chakra quickly swept across the entire training ground, sending hurricanes spiraling in every direction. Even the few Anbu members secretly tailing the Third Hokage were caught in the wake, forced to leap from the trees and take cover behind the trunks to avoid the sudden gale.

"What's going on? Is the Hokage under attack?" a ninja wearing a fox mask asked in a low voice.

"No, the Hokage is unharmed. This was caused by Uzumaki Kuming's jutsu. It's an accident!" Beside him, an Anbu wearing a grim reaper mask whispered, his pale eyes hidden beneath the mask.

"I see. Continue observing; I'm going to patrol elsewhere. This commotion should have attracted quite a few people to investigate."

The fox-masked Anbu spoke and immediately flickered away, leaving the other to continue the surveillance alone.

A long while later, the chakra storm enveloping the training ground gradually subsided. Hiruzen Sarutobi rushed toward the spot where Kuming had been, waiting nervously for the smoke to clear. This was Kuming's first day training under him; if something went wrong on day one, he wouldn't know how to answer to Uzumaki Mito.

Fortunately, as the smoke dissipated, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to spot Kuming's red hair, his sharp eyes catching the lightning-attribute chakra still crackling around the strands.

"Kuming, are you alright?" As Hiruzen spoke, Kushina and Minato arrived at his side. Unlike Hiruzen, there wasn't a hint of worry on Kushina's face.

Situations like this had occurred many times back when Kuming was training at the dojo. Every time, he would end up destroying a portion of the facility, yet the culprit himself would be completely unscathed.

The smoke cleared entirely, revealing Uzumaki Kuming. He stood there with chakra still swirling around his body, his red hair floating as if caught in a breeze.

"I'm fine." Hearing Hiruzen's question, Kuming shook his head slightly, and as his voice fell, the chakra surrounding his body began to dissipate.

"I never imagined you were so reckless, child. Complex ninjutsu must be practiced in stages."

"First comes the practice of the hand seals, then the practice of channeling chakra to perform the technique. If you make a mistake in guiding the chakra while forming the seals, it can lead to unpredictable consequences."

"Kuming, do you realize your mistake?"

Seeing that Kuming was unharmed, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a sigh of relief before beginning to lecture him. Kuming's approach to learning ninjutsu reminded him of when he taught Jiraiya the Summoning Jutsu; Jiraiya hadn't even waited for him to finish explaining the technique before rushing to perform it himself. It was fortunate that the world he summoned himself to was Mount Myoboku, otherwise, that boy might have been done for.

Now, Kuming's behavior was identical to the Jiraiya of the past, which gave the Third Hokage a bit of a headache.

"My apologies, Teacher Sarutobi."

"I haven't learned many ninjutsu before, and I've never attempted a technique with so many hand seals."

A look of apology appeared on Kuming's face, though in his heart, he was already fixated on the lightning-style ninjutsu he had accidentally unleashed. An indiscriminate, large-scale attack centered on himself was actually a very practical technique for him. Relying solely on raw chakra bursts could never achieve an effect like that.

The technique looked somewhat like the "Wave Explosion" of a Berserker from Dungeon & Fighter, but its power and range were in a completely different league.

"As long as you know you were wrong, then follow the steps and complete the technique one by one." The way Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kuming now was vastly different from before. He had already heard from Mito that this child was a ninjutsu genius, and his instant mastery of the C-rank Lightning Pillar had already proven his talent.

But what Hiruzen hadn't expected was that Kuming could replicate the hand seals for the B-rank Lightning Dragon—a technique he had intended to use to challenge the boy—after watching it only twice. Although there seemed to have been a flaw that caused the technique to fail, Hiruzen saw clearly that both Kuming's speed and precision in forming the seals were exceptionally high.

As long as he became familiar with the seals, mastering the technique was only a matter of time. And this was without him even teaching Kuming how to properly mobilize his chakra; Kuming had achieved that effect purely by relying on his own intuition to guide the chakra through the seals.

For the remainder of the afternoon, Uzumaki Kuming's training finally got back on track. He began to humbly ask about the problems he encountered while learning the Lightning Dragon, as well as questions regarding chakra manipulation. As a "Professor of Ninjutsu," Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed a vast reservoir of knowledge, and he had no intention of holding anything back from Kuming.

No matter what issues Kuming encountered while performing the technique, he could provide answers and demonstrations. As a teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly beyond reproach, and consequently, Kuming's progress was incredibly rapid.

Kushina, Minato, and Sarutobi Kotaro left midway through the training due to other matters, leaving the vast training ground to echo with the Third Hokage's instructions and the occasional explosions caused by Kuming's techniques.

Rolling red clouds spread across the horizon; before anyone realized it, the sun had dipped just above the edge of the earth. The sky above Kuming's training area was draped in a veil of darkness, dotted with faint, flickering stars.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon!"

Following a low roar from Uzumaki Kuming, a purple lightning dragon leaped out of thin air. It danced through the sky for a moment before diving toward the empty ground nearby. The next second, sand and stones flew, and a violent hurricane engulfed both Kuming and the Third Hokage.

"Success!" The Third Hokage used his own body to shield Kuming, preventing him from being struck by the flying debris. Standing behind the Third Hokage, Uzumaki Kuming poked his head out, looking at the center of the storm with excitement.

As the smoke cleared, the already scarred ground bore new marks, and heat steamed off the earth, with purple lightning flickering faintly within the cracks.

"It... it actually succeeded!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the scene before him. All signs indicated that Kuming had indeed successfully performed the Lightning Dragon.

From the moment he began teaching him the technique to the moment Kuming successfully performed it, less than four hours had passed. This included the time Kuming spent resting to recover his chakra and the time spent on explanations. In reality, Uzumaki Kuming had likely mastered the technique in under three hours.

Such ninjutsu talent was enough to surprise even the well-traveled Third Hokage.

"Great! Finally, a decent ninjutsu!" Kuming's young face was already filled with excitement; seeing the results of his technique, he finally cheered out loud.

Ever since he transmigrated, he had fantasized about learning a few cool, high-powered ninjutsu. Regardless of anything else, the sheer visual impact of the Lightning Dragon was incomparable to the techniques Kuming had learned before.

Although Kuming was a pragmatist, having a few flashy, stylish ninjutsu had always been his dream. Previously, he had been studying sealing techniques; while practical and powerful, they were somewhat plain and unadorned. Even the Yin Seal, while powerful and difficult to learn, just wasn't cool!

It was only at this moment that Kuming truly revealed a bit of his childish nature.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually regained his composure and turned to look at Kuming. Seeing the boy's exuberant expression, a loving smile appeared on the Third Hokage's face. At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to the days of teaching Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Watching the excitement on the child's face allowed the Third Hokage to once again experience the joy of being a mentor.

He had been truly happy back then, enjoying the peace of Konoha under the protection of the Second Hokage, with his most important task being the instruction of three exceptionally talented children. Unlike now, where he had to worry about the war on the front lines and balance the stability of the various clans within the village.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi gently rubbed his cheeks, walked over to Kuming, crouched down, and pulled him into a gentle embrace, whispering, "Kuming, you really are a genius."

"I will teach you everything I know. I will certainly raise you into an outstanding ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions caught Kuming off guard. Feeling the warmth of the Third Hokage's embrace, Kuming sensed the sincerity in his words. The warm chakra radiating from Hiruzen gave Kuming an indescribable sense of comfort. It was a type of chakra he had only ever felt from Mito, Kushina, and Tsunade.

"Thank you, Teacher Sarutobi. I will definitely study hard."

Night fell. Having finished a day of training, Kuming dragged his exhausted body home. After a quick dinner, he bid goodnight to Mito and Kushina, bathed, and returned to his room to sleep.

The moon rose into the night sky, its light filtering through the crack in Kuming's door and shining onto his bedside. By then, Kuming had already drifted into a dream, his room faintly echoing with his murmurs of "Lightning Dragon, Lightning Dragon."

As the night deepened, the Hokage Building remained brightly lit.

People came and went in the communications room on the first floor; even in the dead of night, many ninjas were returning to the village to submit the latest intelligence.

Up in the Hokage Building on the second floor, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished processing the backlog of afternoon paperwork. After stretching his back, he stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at Konoha in the dark of night, his thoughts drifting.

"Whoosh!" Without the office door even opening, a figure suddenly appeared inside, kneeling on one knee to report:

"Lord Hokage, the situation in the Land of Rain has become critical. Commander Mitokado Homura requests reinforcements."

Listening to the Anbu report behind him, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe, his brows knitting together. "Hasn't the reserve force of Genin already been sent to the Land of Rain? How could the situation still be critical?"

"How is Mitokado Homura managing as commander-in-chief? The village has no spare strength left to dispatch to the battlefield!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was cold, the blame in his tone undisguised.

"Report, for reasons unknown, the leader of the Land of Rain, Hanzo, has suddenly defected to the Land of Earth. The Rain Ninja have suddenly turned their blades against us, Konoha."

"Previously, the Genin of the Land of Rain were helping us transport supplies and participating in small-scale skirmishes on the battlefield."

"But now that the Land of Rain has turned against us, our frontline supply lines have immediately collapsed. Several key battlefields have been lost, and we have discovered a large number of Rain Ninja conducting sabotage operations within our occupied territories."

"Just before I left, Lord Mitokado Homura had already ordered a purge of our occupied zones, dispatching forces to hunt down and kill all Rain Ninja."

"Now, the manpower on the Land of Rain front is completely insufficient."

The reporting Anbu quickly relayed the information he knew. Upon hearing his subordinate's report, a dark cloud settled over Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"Let me think on this. You may leave for now." Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced back at his subordinate and waved his hand.

Once the Anbu had departed, Hiruzen slumped into his chair as if his strength had been drained away.

"Has it really come to this? Teacher, what should I do?" The Third Hokage looked up at the portrait of his predecessor hanging in the office, his expression filled with struggle.

To maintain stability on the Land of Rain front, there was only one way: to send the last of Konoha's reserve ninjas to the battlefield. But the remaining reserves in Konoha were truly just children, and this was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi was agonizing over.

However, if the Land of Rain front collapsed entirely and the flames of war reached the Land of Fire, even more innocent civilians would be caught in the crossfire and perish. Whether to harden his heart and send young ninjas to war, or to let the frontline situation fester—the Third Hokage soon reached a decision.

"Issue the order: starting tomorrow, conduct an assessment for all children in the third year of the Ninja Academy and above."

"Send all the assessment results to me. Notify Mitokado Homura on the front line that he must hold the Land of Rain front until reinforcements arrive. Tell him to contract the occupied territory and focus on defense; he is not permitted to expand the offensive until reinforcements arrive."

"Also, summon all Genin and Chunin currently on rotation in the village. I have an important announcement."

"Finally, notify the retired ninjas who are physically fit and ask them if they are still willing to contribute to Konoha. If they are willing, have them assemble as well."

Even before the Third Hokage finished saying "issue the order," a ninja had already appeared before him. Once the Third Hokage finished his commands, the Anbu ninja retreated without a sound.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, he leaned back into his chair. Although his face still held a trace of reluctance, his expression was now filled with resolve. Having issued these orders, his sleepiness vanished. He had the communications room bring him more paperwork; in this moment, it seemed only frantic work could compensate for the guilt in his heart.

Early in the morning, the sun was bright. Jiuming had woken up early and was loosening his muscles in the courtyard. Having gone to bed early last night, he had risen early this morning. He noticed that Kushina was not at home, but he didn't pay it much mind, simply stretching before planning to eat breakfast and head to school.

However, just as he finished his exercises and intended to eat, Kushina opened the front door, her body dragging with exhaustion.

"Hm? Sister, where did you go so early?"

Seeing the dark circles under Kushina's eyes, Jiuming couldn't help but ask.

"Early? I was urgently summoned by Lord Hokage last night. It wasn't just me; almost all of Konoha's Genin and Chunin were called in."

Kushina's words left Jiuming bewildered. He didn't know why Genin and Chunin would be summoned in the middle of the night, so he asked curiously:

"An emergency summons? What did they call you for?" Seeing Jiuming's curiosity, Kushina didn't hide anything; after all, she didn't need to worry about confidentiality protocols when facing Jiuming.

"We're going to the battlefield. Last night, all Genin and Chunin were ordered to be deployed. They should all be making preparations right now, waiting for the final departure orders from Lord Hokage."

Kushina's answer made Jiuming's pupils shrink sharply. He hurriedly asked, "The battlefield? What about you, sister?"

"Me? I and a few other younger girls have been assigned to Konoha Hospital."

"I've been busy all night and only just got back to rest."

"I can't talk to you anymore; I need to get some sleep. I have to report to the hospital this afternoon."

Kushina's eyes seemed truly unable to hold up her eyelids; they fluttered as she spoke. Seeing that Jiuming still wanted to ask something, she waved her hand and headed to her room.

Watching Kushina's retreating back, Jiuming's eyelids twitched, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

Has the war really escalated to this point?

Carrying this uneasy premonition, Jiuming ate a hasty breakfast and left the house, heading toward the school.

Along the way, he could feel the scent of a coming storm. The Third Hokage's mobilization from last night seemed to have leaked out, and the emotions of civilians whose children were Genin seemed quite agitated.

On the road, Jiuming passed the barbecue restaurant he usually walked by. At that moment, a woman's shout erupted from inside:

"Bastard! How could you send a 13-year-old child to the battlefield? What is the Third Hokage thinking?"

"You're just a kid who just became a Genin, you haven't even performed a few missions—what can you do if you go up there?"

"No, I must go talk to the Hokage and make him rescind this order."

The next second, a child's pleading voice came out: "Mom, please don't make trouble. Lord Hokage didn't just order me; all my peers are going too."

"Besides, my teacher is going as well. With him there, we won't be in any danger."

"If you go and make a scene, how will I be able to hold my head up in front of my peers!"

The child's voice seemed to have persuaded his mother, but the next second, Jiuming saw a teary-eyed woman rush out of the barbecue restaurant and sprint toward the Hokage Building.

"Mom! Mom!" After the woman rushed out, a boy wearing a forehead protector chased after her, his calls failing to stop her pace. The boy wasn't old, maybe eleven or twelve, and he wasn't even 1.55m tall—a proper little child.

The commotion at the barbecue restaurant seemed to have drawn in some of the neighbors, and quite a few people were gathered in front of the shop, pointing and whispering among themselves:

"How pitiful, having to head to the battlefield at such a young age. But the child is truly brave; he is worthy of being a ninja of our Konoha!"

"The child is sensible, it's just the mother who doesn't understand. If everyone were like her, how would the Hokage manage the village?"

"That brother makes a fair point. How many in your family have gone to the battlefield?"

"My family? We don't have any ninjas, so why would we go to the battlefield!"

Uzumaki Kuming merely glanced at the scene from afar, and after listening to a few of the neighbors' comments, he let out a soft sigh and walked away. However, compared to when he had just stepped out of his house, his mood felt significantly heavier.

Having come from an era of peace, he was no warmonger. Furthermore, Uzumaki Kuming had already experienced life and death; he knew just how terrifying war could be, and knowing that terror meant he did not yearn for the battlefield. Yet, there were some things Kuming could still understand: that in a country, there must be those who can step forward during such times.

It was just that he hadn't realized until today that the current Konoha was actually like Armenia in his past life, having reached the point where even children had to be sent to the battlefield.

New book, requesting monthly tickets and recommendations. If any brothers like it, please leave plenty of comments~