Although Kakashi had been defeated by Toru, that didn't change the fact that he was a genius.
When it came to ninjutsu, Kakashi was nearly a whole level ahead of everyone else in the class. He could've taken the graduation exam right then and there and passed without a problem.
Kakashi stood up with a rather nonchalant air. The Clone Technique was far too basic for him. Since the teacher hadn't said they had to demonstrate the most basic clone technique, Kakashi casually showed off the strongest one he knew: the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.
Puffs of white smoke appeared, and in an instant, Kakashi's Shadow Clones filled the entire classroom. There were at least a dozen or two.
The class gasped at how impressive the technique was, but Kakashi paid no attention to their reactions. Instead, he turned to look at Toru.
Toru's blue eyes were fixed intently on one of the Shadow Clones. Kakashi assumed Toru was stunned by the technique, and couldn't help giving a smug little smile.
His Shadow Clone Technique had become considerably stronger since their fight, so Kakashi thought Toru's reaction was only natural.
But Kakashi failed to notice the faint glow in Toru's Six Eyes. It was a sign that they were at work.
Using the Chakra Six Eyes, Toru carefully examined the chakra flow in the Shadow Clones, as well as the flow inside Kakashi's body when he had formed the Hand Seals.
The Six Eyes could see Cursed Energy in exquisite detail. Once chakra was infused into them to create the Chakra Six Eyes, they could also see chakra flow in exquisite detail. Their precision rivaled that of sophisticated instruments that produced high-resolution, image-based temperature readings, allowing Toru to instantly see through the principles and methods behind Jujutsu and ninjutsu.
Kakashi withdrew his chakra, and Toru emerged from the chakra-filled world in his eyes. I've figured out how it works. A few tries at home should be enough to get it right.
Kakashi still had no idea Toru had learned his signature technique. After receiving lavish praise from the teacher, he sat down.
The teacher called Toru up right after Kakashi. But Toru didn't demonstrate the Shadow Clone Technique he'd just secretly learned. Instead, he used the most basic Clone Technique.
It wasn't because Toru doubted he could pull off the Shadow Clone Technique. He simply intended to hold back.
Toru silently put away the Shadow Clone Technique he'd just copied, with no intention of showing it off.
The Shadow Clone Technique, let alone the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, was an advanced technique. Toru had only just joined Konoha. Demonstrating it now would not only make people suspicious, but might also expose his greatest current advantage—the Six Eyes.
Toru planned to reveal that he could use the Shadow Clone Technique only after finding a reasonable explanation, such as having learned it from his clan. Or he could wait until he awakened the Sharingan. He'd heard that the Sharingan could copy ninjutsu, which would explain how he'd learned the techniques.
Toru's Clone Technique was flawless, and since he was a new student, the teacher praised him.
The students began debating which of the two was the bigger genius: Toru or Kakashi. For now, they were equally popular.
Although Toru had defeated Kakashi, people could chalk that up to an accident or carelessness. Kakashi was an established genius in the class, and his demonstrated ninjutsu skills were currently superior to Toru's. So Kakashi hadn't come off worse in this contest.
Toru's admirers, meanwhile, insisted that he was the bigger genius. With his learning ability, he'd surpass Kakashi before long.
In the end, neither side could convince the other.
Toru and Kakashi, at the center of the debate, didn't care. Winning an argument meant nothing. Toru had no interest in the childish comparisons, and even Kakashi, who had developed a competitive streak toward Toru, didn't care about them either.
Classes ended soon after, and the students gradually dispersed, still debating whether Toru or Kakashi was the bigger genius.
Seeing that it was still early, Toru decided to visit one of Konoha's Training Grounds and have a look around.
Copying the Shadow Clone Technique had paid off. Copying ninjutsu was a very effective way to improve his strength, and until Toru awakened his Cursed Technique, these ninjutsu would be what he relied on to get by.
Konoha had forty-four Training Grounds. All except Training Ground Forty-Four were open to the public year-round, so there should be plenty of people practicing ninjutsu there.
That would let Toru copy all sorts of techniques. At this stage, the more techniques he knew, the better.
But just as Toru had packed up and was about to leave, Kurenai pulled him back.
Toru turned around, confused. Kurenai smiled shyly and said, "Come over to my house for dinner tonight. Dad told me to bring you over after school."
Toru didn't refuse. After all, Yuhi Shinku had been a friend of his father's, and was one of the few connections Toru had in the village.
"Sure."
Kurenai was delighted by his answer. "Mm-hmm! Let's go together, then."
Toru nodded.
Asuma was already getting a little numb to it. Next to those two, he felt like an unwanted third wheel.
Asuma clenched his fists and ran after the teacher. "Teacher, I want to change seats!"
Poor Asuma had chosen to run away.
Kurenai watched Asuma's retreating figure in confusion. She couldn't understand why he'd reacted so strongly. Did he dislike her?
Toru interrupted her thoughts. "Which way is your house?"
Toru had already guessed why Asuma had reacted so strongly. He'd simply gotten jealous watching Toru interact with Kurenai. Kids in this world are pretty mature.
Kurenai came back to herself and led Toru to her home.
The Yuhi family home was in a very good location, near the center of the village.
Kurenai unlocked the door, and the two of them changed their shoes in the entryway before going inside. Yuhi Shinku sat at the table in his jonin vest, quietly watching Toru.
Kurenai went over to him. "Dad, I brought Toru home."
After Yuhi Shinku nodded, Kurenai went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
"Hello, Uncle." Toru bowed.
But when he raised his head, Yuhi Shinku, who had been sitting there, had vanished. In his place was a blurry, unfamiliar figure, drawing closer and closer, radiating danger. It felt as if Toru would be killed by it the very next second.
But Toru wasn't frightened. Using the Chakra Six Eyes, he precisely found the thread of chakra that had slipped into his optic nerves and expelled it from his body.
The illusion broke, and Yuhi Shinku sat in his original seat, looking astonished.
"It was only a low-level Illusion Clone Technique, but it should still have been a tricky illusion for you to break. I didn't expect you not only to stay calm, but to dispel it on your own."
Toru replied modestly, "I'm just naturally sensitive to chakra."
Yuhi Shinku sighed. "Your talent really is the real thing. You even defeated that boy from the Sakumo family. It makes sense you'd have a talent for genjutsu too. After all, your father..."
Yuhi Shinku ultimately left his words unfinished. But from his father's notes on genjutsu and what Yuhi Shinku had said, Toru could already tell that his father had been highly skilled in the field.
Perhaps the two of them had become friends through their shared research into genjutsu.
"Genjutsu really is fascinating. I thought it was no different from ninjutsu, but now I can see the difference is obvious."
Toru had used the Chakra Six Eyes to break free of the illusion, and those all-purpose eyes had also let him work out the principles behind the Illusion Clone Technique.
The technique's effect was similar to that of the Clone Technique: both created a false duplicate.
But there was a fundamental difference between them. One was ninjutsu, the other genjutsu.
The key to the Clone Technique was using chakra to form a shell that looked like the original. The Illusion Clone Technique worked in a completely different way: the user's chakra was projected into the target's optic nerves to create the image of an illusion.
The differences between them gave Toru a basic understanding of the three major categories of techniques: ninjutsu and genjutsu.
With the memories of Taijutsu he'd brought from his previous life, Toru had already begun to grasp the three techniques ordinary shinobi relied on: ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and genjutsu.
I've copied this technique too, Toru thought.
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