Shimura Kizaru

It was once again the season for new admissions, and the Ninja Academy, located beneath the Hokage Rock, had reached its most bustling time of year.

As the "Darkness of the Shinobi," Shimura Danzō did not care for such lively scenes, and he had never attended one in the past.

But this year was different; the greatest genius—or perhaps, monster—to emerge since the founding of the Shimura Clan was enrolling today, and as the clan head, Danzō naturally had to be present to accompany him.

In truth, according to Danzō's wishes, a genius born into the clan should not be wasting time at a playhouse like the Ninja Academy. Instead, he should be entering Root to receive the most rigorous and elite training, becoming his sharpest weapon to help him ascend to the position of Hokage in the future, or to be groomed by him to take the seat.

If not for those stubborn old fools in the clan, Danzō would never have agreed to send such a genius to the Ninja Academy.

"Shimura Kizaru!"

"Uchiha Inabi!"

As the ninja instructor called out from the practice field, Danzō pulled back his thoughts and focused his gaze on the field below.

A "child" standing 1.7 meters tall, dressed in a maverick yellow suit and wearing tinted sunglasses, walked out from among the crowd of children.

The school teachers, parents accompanying their children, and the village high-ups, despite having already witnessed this 1.7-meter-tall, slender six-year-old during the physical assessment, still let out gasps of amazement and murmurs of discussion.

The hell, he's six?

This was not just one person's thought, but the sentiment shared by the vast majority of those present.

Standing beside Danzō, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep drag of his pipe and looked at his old companion.

Having already guessed what this fellow Hiruzen wanted to say, Danzō spoke coldly, cutting him off: "Six years old, bloodline verified, he's of the Shimura Clan—my younger brother's child."

"Cough, cough!" With two awkward, light coughs, acrid smoke spewed from Hiruzen's nose and mouth, making intimate contact with Danzō.

Frowning slightly, Danzō moved his feet silently, increasing the distance between himself and this old chain-smoker, Hiruzen.

Danzō's small movements did not escape Hiruzen's eyes. Looking back with a slightly embarrassed expression as if nothing had happened, the Third Hokage turned his gaze toward the playground.

On the practice field, the Chunin instructor in charge of proctoring stood to the side, while Shimura Kizaru and Uchiha Inabi stood to his left and right—both geniuses of their respective clans.

"Shimura Kizaru, I've heard your name. I will prove that in front of an Uchiha, any genius is a joke." As a true-blooded Uchiha, Uchiha Inabi kept his face stiff, putting on a cold expression and looking down at Kizaru through his nostrils.

Taking his right hand out of his pocket to scratch his head, Shimura Kizaru looked at the tsundere brat from the Uchiha Clan in front of him and broke into a smile.

As a transmigrator, and one with a cheat code at that, Shimura Kizaru felt no pressure whatsoever from a mere six-year-old Uchiha extra.

Shimura Kizaru, whose previous life's name was Li Yuan, had been in the Naruto world for six years. From the day he was born, he had awakened his cheat: the Kizaru Admiral Character Template Card from One Piece.

However, this character template card did not directly grant him the strength of Kizaru at his peak; instead, it had a synchronization rate.

The higher the synchronization rate, the more power he could obtain from Admiral Kizaru.

There were two ways to increase the synchronization rate: one was through constant training, and the other was by imitating Admiral Kizaru's style of conduct to gain corresponding fame.

Come to think of it, Li Yuan's personality in his previous life was already somewhat similar to Admiral Kizaru's; his greatest ideal was to land a secure government job with good benefits, living an ordinary life of nine-to-five, two-hour lunch breaks, and weekends off.

This was the plan he had set for himself since elementary school, and he had been striving for it ever since.

Li Yuan spent 20 years working toward that goal, only to transmigrate on the very day he landed that secure job—transmigrating into the "happy" world of Naruto, where one could graduate and head to the battlefield as early as age 12.

Twelve years old and already able to work, with a guaranteed placement—what a "happy" place indeed!

Thinking of this, the smile on Shimura Kizaru's face grew a bit more melancholic.

What a sin!

"Uchiha, huh! How terrifying!"

Pulling back his wandering thoughts, Kizaru maintained the smile on his face and said with a look of sincerity.

"Damn you!"

Hearing Kizaru's response, coupled with that snide tone, Uchiha Inabi, being only a six-year-old child, felt his face flush bright red.

It wasn't just Uchiha Inabi; everyone present felt the heavy sense of mockery coming from Kizaru.

"Bastard, I'll make you see the true power of the Uchiha!"

Screaming, Uchiha Inabi charged straight at Kizaru.

Having only received basic clan education, Uchiha Inabi's attack lacked variety. He rushed forward, raised his right hand, and put all his strength into a strike aimed at Kizaru's upper body.

Lowering his hand from his head and sliding it back into his pocket, Kizaru didn't move his feet in the face of Uchiha Inabi's attack; he simply tilted his body to the side, easily dodging the strike.

"That was close!"

Another sincere exclamation made Uchiha Inabi even more annoyed.

Stabilizing his stance and adjusting his posture, Uchiha Inabi threw a side kick, the wind whistling as he aimed for Kizaru's waist.

Still not moving his feet, Kizaru simply twisted his waist to the left, dodging the attack once again.

"How terrifying! Uchiha!"

After dodging the attack, Kizaru exclaimed once more.

"You bastard!"

With a shout, Uchiha Inabi didn't care about holding back. As soon as his feet were steady, he bent his knees, pushed off the ground, and leaped into the air, launching a suicidal attack as he lunged at Kizaru.

This time, Kizaru finally moved. He shifted his right foot half a step, turned his body to the side, and dodged the attack with ease.

"How horrifying!"

Kizaru dodged the attack, but instead of seizing the opportunity to strike while Uchiha Inabi was still airborne and unable to adjust his posture, he simply offered a faint smile and spoke.

As Uchiha Inabi landed, he heard Kizaru's words and his expression turned wary. The moment his feet touched the ground, he leaped backward, desperate to put some distance between himself and Kizaru.

Maintaining his pose with his hands in his pockets, Kizaru waited until Uchiha Inabi had retreated several meters before making his move.

With a powerful push from his long legs, Kizaru left a blur in his wake, appearing before Uchiha Inabi as if he had teleported.

"Do you know? Speed is power!"

Kizaru's speed was so overwhelming that Uchiha Inabi couldn't react at all. He stood frozen in place, listening to Kizaru's question with a heart full of shock and dread.

Before his brain could even send the signal to his body, Uchiha Inabi felt a massive force slam into him. He was kicked into the air, sent flying several meters, and crashed onto the ground.

Bang!

A cloud of dust rose in the training ground, and the surroundings fell silent.

Everyone present was stunned by the speed and power Kizaru had displayed, which rivaled that of a Jonin.

On the high platform, Danzo, who had kept a cold face the entire time, couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

Beside him, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, turned his head to look at Danzo.

"Shimura Kizaru, just my good-for-nothing nephew," Danzo said with a look of feigned dissatisfaction, humble-bragging.

Quietly withdrawing his gaze, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for the days when he used to bring his three students before Danzo to complain.