A genius like this had to be eliminated!
Among the cheering crowds outside the school, a short, middle-aged man in plain clothes watched Kizaru on the training field with a blank expression.
He had entered Konoha as an escort for a merchant from the Land of Wind, but he had another identity: he was a spy from Sunagakure!
His mission was to gather information from within Konoha!
He had thought that, as usual, his visit to Konoha would amount to nothing more than collecting gossip that villagers were discussing and barely having anything to report back to his superiors.
But he hadn't expected to arrive just in time for Konoha's new genius to take his early graduation exam.
Honestly, when he first saw the two people on the training field, he couldn't tell which one was the student and which was the examiner.
It wasn't until he heard the people around him talking that the spy began to learn about the new genius.
Shimura Kizaru, almost seven years old, possessed a mysterious Kekkei Genkai that let him glow.
His physical abilities were outstanding, judging by appearances alone, and his talent was astonishing. People in Konoha had dubbed him "the First Hokage's Potential."
Konoha, with its fertile lands, thriving economy, and endless supply of geniuses, had already become a thorn in the side of every Shinobi Village.
Now it had produced another super-genius hailed as having "the First Hokage's Potential"!
He had to return to his village at once and report this intelligence to Lord Kazekage.
A genius like this had to be eliminated in collaboration with the other Shinobi Villages!
At any cost!
After watching the match from beginning to end and forming his assessment, the middle-aged spy turned and slipped away through the crowd.
Standing in the middle of the training field, Kizaru had already passed his graduation exam. With his hands in his pockets, he looked around.
Inside the school, countless students watched him with admiration or envy.
Outside, countless villagers cheered for him!
The birth of a new super-genius meant greater strength for the village—and a major boost to its ability to protect its peace and interests.
So most of the villagers were genuinely happy to see Kizaru defeat an Elite Jonin from the Uchiha Clan so cleanly and decisively.
That was public support!
"The people are on our side!"
Standing on the rooftop, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his student Kizaru bask in the villagers' cheers and sighed to himself.
Beside him stood the Uchiha Clan Head and several elders, all looking rather unhappy.
Their expressions grew even worse when everyone else present enthusiastically congratulated the Shimura Clan's Great Elder.
They had never imagined they would lose, much less that they would lose so badly!
After this fight, the Uchiha Clan's pride had been thoroughly trampled under Shimura Kizaru's feet.
In no mood to hide his displeasure, the Uchiha Clan Head used Uchiha Kensuke's injuries as an excuse to leave the rooftop in a hurry with several elders.
"That child went too far. How could he injure Jonin Kensuke so badly? I feel awful about it!" The Shimura Clan's Great Elder watched the Uchiha Clan leave with a beaming smile, speaking in a pained tone.
"In a practical exam, it's only natural for someone to get hurt!"
"Exactly. I've watched Kizaru grow up. I even held him when he was little. I know that child—he's kindhearted!"
Shameless!
The other clan heads present silently cursed the two Advisors for fawning over the Shimura Clan's Great Elder.
But outwardly, they too put on smiles and exchanged polite words with the Great Elder.
Unlike the Great Elder, who was all smiles as he basked in the praise, Danzo stood beside Hiruzen with a calm expression.
Having fought Kizaru himself, Danzo knew that Kizaru's victory over Uchiha Kensuke had been inevitable—and effortless.
At the moment, Danzo was more concerned with how to keep promoting Kizaru, and with what kind of ninjutsu that Chakra sphere Kizaru had used in the exam was.
As if he had guessed what his old friend was thinking, Hiruzen lit his pipe and turned to look at Danzo.
He took a deep drag, then exhaled leisurely. Smiling, Hiruzen said, "That jutsu is called the Rasengan. Kizaru developed it recently. It's an A-rank jutsu that requires no hand seals."
???
Danzo looked at Hiruzen in confusion, not understanding how the old man knew about it.
At Danzo's reaction, Hiruzen's smile grew even wider.
"When I met him last time, he showed it to me himself and asked me to offer some advice!" Hiruzen paused deliberately, smoking his pipe as he watched his friend's expression with amusement.
"That child's talent really is incredible! He developed the Rasengan so thoroughly that even I couldn't find any flaws. All I could do was give him a few small suggestions for further development!"
Old coot!
Grinding his teeth inwardly, Danzo looked at Hiruzen's smug expression and retorted, "You've certainly gone to a lot of trouble for a child of the Shimura Clan!"
Old coot!
Hiruzen tightened his grip on his pipe and replied with a smile, "It's no trouble! He's my student, after all!"
He was furious, but had no way to argue back!
Danzo could only turn his gaze to Kizaru below, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Just like Danzo, Hiruzen looked down at Kizaru as well. A pleased smile appeared on his face, and his eyes brimmed with anticipation!
Now, let your teacher help you climb even higher!
With that thought in mind, Hiruzen took action.
To the surprise of everyone around him, especially Danzo, Hiruzen leaped straight from the rooftop down onto the training field.
Standing beside Kizaru, Hiruzen looked at the cheering children and villagers around him, then turned to look up at Kizaru.
He gave Kizaru an affectionate smile and patted him on the shoulder.
"Excellent work!"
"Nothing special," Kizaru said "modestly."
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed heartily, then turned his gaze back to the cheering crowd.
"As Third Hokage, I hereby announce that Shimura Kizaru has passed his exam and will graduate early!"
As Hiruzen's words rang out, the cheering around them reached a fever pitch!
"Shimura Kizaru is exceptionally talented and remarkably strong. I have decided to take him on as my student!"
The cheering stopped abruptly at those words. Everyone present was stunned by Hiruzen's decision.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't taken on a student in more than ten years, yet today he had taken on another.
Most of the ordinary villagers and students didn't realize what it meant. After their initial surprise, they began discussing it with those around them.
They all envied Kizaru for becoming Lord Hokage's student!
But the Konoha High Command was different. Hiruzen's decision stirred up quite a commotion among them.
Looking at the Third Hokage and Kizaru below, then at Danzo and the Shimura Clan's elders, they could almost see the next Hokage.
It would be either the Fourth or the Fifth!
As long as nothing went wrong, Shimura Kizaru was a shoo-in for the future Hokage!
The first volume ends here. The next volume takes place two years later, during the Second Shinobi World War. It will mark the beginning of Kizaru's journey from the village to the wider Shinobi World.
The central focus of the first volume was the introduction of a genius and Kizaru's first chance to shine, so every plot point led up to his graduation exam.
The second volume will tell the story of Kizaru taking the grand stage of the Shinobi World and making a name for himself!
The reason I started writing this book was simple: I'd read too many novels that claimed to be about an invincible protagonist but kept holding him back.
I was sick of it, so I decided to write my own story about a super-genius on the path to invincibility.
No tormenting the protagonist, no holding him back—just an exhilarating ride all the way! That's my motto!!!
I'm also begging everyone to keep up with the latest chapters every Monday and Tuesday.
Qidian's current promotion system bases advancement on valid reads on Tuesday, ranking entries from most to fewest reads.
So Monday and Tuesday reads are extremely important for this book. I'm begging everyone to read up to the latest chapter on those days. Thank you so much!!!