Effort-Born Genius

Nobi Wei spared no effort in teaching Muzan everything he knew about chakra control. Having once been a member of Sakumo Hatake's squad, he considered it a way to repay Lord Sakumo's kindness.

During training, Muzan discovered that he possessed an enormous amount of chakra. Neither spiritual energy nor physical energy posed any problem for him.

The powerful physical vitality granted by being a Man-Eating Demon, along with the spiritual strength he had gained after being reborn, made him several times stronger than an ordinary person in that regard.

"What an enviable talent."

Nobi Wei spent the entire afternoon guiding Muzan in chakra control. Even when using tiny amounts of chakra to manipulate leaves, Muzan could continue producing chakra for such a long time that Nobi Wei could not help but sigh in admiration.

"People really can't be compared to one another!"

By the time he came back to himself, classes were over, and Nobi Wei's pleasant retirement life could finally begin.

"Today's training ends here!"

For ninja students learning hidden weapon throwing techniques, the afternoon was mostly playtime. Very few could truly manage it.

Nobi Wei had just led Kakashi and Muzan out of the school gates when they saw a man in green clothes pleading with someone.

"Mr. Matsushita, I'm a ninja too! My son really can produce chakra."

To get his son admitted, Might Duy had already thrown away his pride. He did not want Guy to become a useless person like himself. Becoming a ninja was Guy's only chance.

"How many times do I have to say it? Your son can't become a ninja! He doesn't have chakra!"

Thoroughly annoyed by the disturbance, Matsushita shook off Duy's hand. If they had not been standing at the entrance of the Ninja Academy, and if he had not been concerned about the school's reputation, he would not have bothered with him at all.

Seeing Might Duy still pleading, Muzan immediately recognized the two of them and stepped forward. Both were true powerhouses from the Hokage world.

I didn't expect to run into them here.

"You know this eternal Genin?"

Nobi Wei was surprised. Given Muzan's status, he should have only interacted with prodigies. Seeing Might Duy still pleading and noticing Muzan's interest, he immediately stopped Matsushita.

"What are you doing here?"

Matsushita, who had been halfway through pulling away, inwardly cried out in alarm. Turning to see Nobi Wei approaching, he knew there would be no raise for him this time. Pointing at Might Duy beside him, he scolded him.

"Mr. Nobi Wei! His son isn't suited to become a ninja. At best, he might summon a turtle in the future. What help could a turtle possibly be in battle? How could he enter the Ninja Academy?"

Might Duy did not get angry at being pointed at and scolded. But when someone denied Guy, Dai retorted for the first time, explaining,

"My son is truly hardworking. I believe he will definitely become a great ninja!"

Even Kakashi, standing nearby, watched Guy. Those unable to refine chakra, or able to extract only a tiny amount, were not worth cultivating for Konoha.

After all, during the Second Shinobi World War, Genin were little more than cannon fodder. To reduce needless losses, Konoha's Ninja Academy had stopped accepting inferior students.

Clearly, Guy was an inferior student.

"This is troublesome."

Nobi Wei had encountered this situation before. Some parents, wanting their children to make something of themselves, sent them to the Ninja Academy, but the price was often tragic.

Either they spent their lives as Genin, running around the village, or they obeyed orders from above and perhaps died during some mission.

Muzan narrowed his eyes at Guy, who was gritting his teeth. His talent truly was awful, but there was one thing Muzan admired about him. He pulled him over and said,

"Why not make the most of your own strengths? Ninjas don't rely solely on chakra."

The others were drawn in by Muzan's words. Guy especially threw his arms around Muzan and tearfully thanked him.

"Thank you. I'll prove that my taijutsu is strong."

"Teacher Nobi Wei, you said during this afternoon's lesson that once chakra is exhausted on the battlefield,

the only thing left to rely on is kunai. Then could you give him a chance?" Seeing the crimson blood-red eyes beneath the black robe, Nobi Wei hesitated for a moment before lightly nodding, allowing Guy to demonstrate his taijutsu.

Bang! Bang!

Two dull thuds rang out, kicking up dust from the ground. Both Nobi Wei and Kakashi wore looks of surprise.

"We underestimated him."

"What an extraordinary young man. This is what an effort-born genius looks like."

"Are you kidding me? Even ordinary adults would struggle to endure those weights!"

After removing his weights, Guy's movements suddenly became much faster. Whether punching or dodging, even a graduated student might not necessarily be able to defeat him.

After watching his performance, Nobi Wei suppressed his surprise. He had not expected to find such promising material right outside the school gates. His taijutsu was impeccable, and he might one day attain the strength of a Special Jōnin.

"With skills like that, you can join the Ninja Academy. Starting today, you are a student here."

The moment he finished speaking, the father and son embraced each other, making everyone around them shudder.

"This is burning youth!"

"My youth will continue burning brightly!"

Muzan paid no attention to Might Duy's antics. Instead, he noticed a fluctuation in Kakashi's dead-fish eyes for the first time. So far, among the new batch of students, no one openly capable of surpassing Kakashi had appeared.

Yet what he had witnessed today left Kakashi somewhat shaken. If it were him, could he train while wearing weights that weighed dozens of pounds?

"Don't overthink it, Kakashi. You're both geniuses; your strengths simply lie in different areas."

Muzan encouragingly patted Kakashi on the shoulder and noticed the fighting spirit in his eyes. He resolved that he could not let Kakashi become the Copy Ninja.

The man known as Hatake Fifty-Fifty was indeed very strong, but his performance against top-tier opponents was terribly lacking.

Kakashi did not have little chakra. Becoming a Jōnin in his youth was enough to prove his talent. But what happened afterward?

He inherited Obito's Sharingan. Faced with an eye that constantly consumed chakra, even his five chakra natures could not be used to their full advantage.

He would be better off properly practicing the Hatake Sword Technique and inheriting his father's White Fang title in the future, or studying Konoha's many ninjutsu. Kakashi would become the Fourth Hokage's disciple and thus a direct member of the Hokage's faction. He could read the Third Hokage's notes, and becoming a ninjutsu professor was entirely possible.

"Hmph. A worthless loser without chakra can train all he wants, but he still won't catch up to me."

Kakashi composed himself and spoke stubbornly, making his stance clear. A ninja who only knew taijutsu could never surpass him, someone with five chakra natures.

"Not necessarily, Kakashi. Hahaha."

He pulled over Guy, who was still crying and hugging his father, pointed at the younger brother before him, and gave Guy a task.

"From today onward, challenge Kakashi often. Let him know that effort-born geniuses can be strong too!"

The Blue Beast of Konoha was no empty boast. Muzan even suspected that Guy already had the strength to open the Eight Gates.

"Damn it, big brother!"