Yuhi Shinku: Five-Year-Old Genin

After the two finished their snacks, Uchiha Hara got up to walk Kurenai Yuhi home.

They had just reached the entrance of the Yuhi Family home when Uchiha Hara saw Yuhi Shinku standing in the courtyard.

He wore a dark ninja uniform and had a tall, imposing build. His red eyes rested on Uchiha Hara with a scrutinizing look.

"Uncle Shinku." Uchiha Hara hurriedly greeted him, secretly clenching his hand at his side with the nervousness of a son-in-law meeting his father-in-law.

However, through his Sword Heart Enlightenment talent and chakra perception, he discovered that Yuhi Shinku did not have much chakra.

But he was clearly an elite ninja.

So was Yuhi Shinku the kind of ninja with a low chakra capacity?

Yuhi Shinku gave a quiet "Mm." His gaze swept over the hands Uchiha Hara and Kurenai Yuhi were holding, then fell on Kurenai Yuhi's slightly flushed cheeks before he asked in a deep voice, "Boy from the Uchiha, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Uchiha Hara's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly let go of her hand and quickly declined, "No, Uncle Shinku. I still have things to do at home, so I'll be going back first. Kurenai, see you tomorrow."

After saying that, he practically fled. Even after walking several steps away, he could still hear Kurenai Yuhi acting coquettishly toward her father.

After returning home and thinking it over, he headed out again, stopping by a candy shop along the road to buy a beautifully packaged bag of fruit candy. Daifuku was difficult to make and did not keep well. If he wanted to feed Kurenai Blood Essence in the future, he should use something else, something more convenient, as a cover.

That was right. Uchiha Hara not only planned to have Kurenai Yuhi cultivate the Governance Divine Art and had developed a personalized breathing method for her, but he also intended to give her Blood Essence.

Blood Essence resembled red beans and was a physical object. In other words, not only could he eat it himself, he could also give it to others.

Since no one else had the Demon Refining Pot, they would not know what it was. They would only take it for a special secret medicinal pill for cultivation.

Moreover, one Blood Essence could only increase essence by 0.001. Ordinary people would not feel anything special after consuming one.

But its strength lay in the fact that there was no such thing as resistance to it. It could be eaten endlessly, and the attributes would continue to rise. As long as she ate enough of it for long enough, Kurenai Yuhi would quietly grow stronger.

It was also a subtle effect. As long as Uchiha Hara and Kurenai Yuhi kept quiet, everyone else would simply assume that Kurenai Yuhi was exceptionally gifted.

Even Kurenai Yuhi herself would not know what to say. She only knew that Uchiha Hara might have given her some secret medicine from the Uchiha clan, but she had no idea what it was called or what effects it had after being eaten.

It was like Brain Platinum or six nuclear bombs. Did it have benefits? Yes. How great were those benefits? No idea.

Everything was for laying low. Everything was for secrecy.

Inside the Yuhi home, Yuhi Shinku pulled his daughter into the living room, pressed her onto the sofa, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Shall we talk?" Yuhi Shinku's tone was calm, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Kurenai Yuhi sat up straight without the slightest hint of timidity, secretly hiding the unfinished daifuku behind her back. "Sure."

Seeing his daughter like this, Yuhi Shinku could not help sighing. "You're just like your mother, always protecting your own. I remember how your mother used to argue with me too, saying I chose missions over her. But in the end, didn't she still follow me on missions?"

He set down his teacup. "And you? You're only five, yet you've already gotten so close to that Uchiha boy and even brought him home?"

Kurenai Yuhi's cheeks instantly reddened, but she still lifted her chin and said, "Hara-kun is really nice! He teaches me how to cultivate, and he gives me snacks to eat... Besides, he's not weak at all. I saw him practicing swordsmanship last time, and he was really amazing!"

In truth, she had never seen Uchiha Hara practice swordsmanship at all. When she had been at his house earlier, Uchiha Hara had only said that he practiced taijutsu and swordsmanship at home.

But her father was doubting Hara-kun. Of course she had to exaggerate his strength a little so her father would not look down on him.

She clenched the corner of her clothes, her eyes incomparably firm. "Father, I believe in Hara-kun. He'll definitely become a powerful Uchiha in the future!"

Yuhi Shinku froze for a moment. He had not expected his daughter to have so much confidence in Uchiha Hara.

He rubbed his brow. "I never said I opposed you being friends with him. But you're both still young. You need to know your limits and not let it interfere with your cultivation, understand?"

"I understand!" Kurenai Yuhi immediately nodded, her eyes lighting up. "I definitely won't let it interfere with my cultivation!"

Seeing his daughter's delighted expression, Yuhi Shinku smiled helplessly. "All right. Since you believe in him so much, find a time to bring him over for dinner. I'd like to see what kind of person my daughter has taken a liking to."

Kurenai Yuhi instantly jumped up and hugged her father's arm, smiling so brightly that her eyes curved. "Thank you, Father! I'll tell Hara-kun tomorrow!"

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the leaves and scattered across the path.

The moment Kurenai Yuhi saw Uchiha Hara, she ran over quickly, grabbed his arm, and pulled it into her embrace. Her face carried an unconcealable smile. "Hara-kun! My father agreed to us being together! He even said he wants to invite you over for dinner tonight!"

Uchiha Hara was stunned at first, then let out a sigh of relief. He even felt a little excited. "Really? Then I'll go over early tonight. Should I bring something?"

"No need, Mom will make lots of dishes." Kurenai Yuhi waved her hand, then suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice.

"My father might ask you about your cultivation. Don't be nervous."

Uchiha Hara frowned. "Did you tell Uncle about the things I taught you?"

He had specifically told Kurenai Yuhi to keep them secret.

Kurenai Yuhi shook her head. "No, but didn't you say you practiced swordsmanship? So I told Father that your swordsmanship is very strong!"

"I see!" Uchiha Hara nodded. Swordsmanship could be revealed. After all, Uchiha swordsmanship was already famous, as long as he did not use sword qi.

Ninjas had a hierarchy of disdain when it came to ninja arts. Genjutsu users looked down on ninjutsu users, ninjutsu users looked down on nin-taijutsu users, and ninjutsu, genjutsu, and nin-taijutsu users all looked down on taijutsu users.

Swordsmanship was also at the very bottom of the ninja hierarchy of disdain, on the same level as taijutsu.

That was mainly because samurai who cultivated swordsmanship had long since been eliminated by ninjas. That was where ninjas' sense of superiority came from. Even though many ninjas also fought with swords in hand, that did not stop them from looking down on swordsmanship.

No matter how talented Uchiha Hara appeared in swordsmanship and taijutsu, it would not make outsiders wary of him.

"Don't worry, I'm not nervous." Uchiha Hara smiled and took out a fruit candy. He unwrapped it and held it to her lips. "Was yesterday's daifuku tasty? Did you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Kurenai Yuhi opened her mouth and bit down on the candy. The sweet fragrance of orange spread through her mouth. She blinked and said softly, "It was delicious! I slept especially well last night, and even brushing my hair this morning was much faster!"

She secretly glanced at Uchiha Hara and added, "It must be because Hara-kun's snacks worked!"

Seeing her sparkling eyes, Uchiha Hara could not help smiling. "Then have another one today and carefully feel the changes in your body."

He had already fed Blood Essence to mice and crows, and nothing had gone wrong. It should not cause any problems for people either, but better safe than sorry.

It seemed that Kurenai Yuhi could eat Blood Essence without any problems.

What he had given Kurenai Yuhi was Fish Blood Essence. It was widely available, abundant, and filling. Furthermore, the endurance talent attached to Fish Blood Essence was an all-purpose type of talent.

It could enhance physical strength, increase the recovery speed of mental energy, and improve combat endurance. If it rose to gold, its recovery ability might even rival a Sage Body.

"Mm!" Kurenai Yuhi nodded vigorously. As she chewed the candy, even her steps became much lighter.

The two arrived at school, and the class bell rang just as they took their seats.

Their homeroom teacher, Daisuke Nakano, entered the classroom carrying his lesson plans. He cleared his throat. "All right, let's begin class. Today, we'll be discussing..."

Before he could finish, Kakashi Hatake suddenly stood up from his seat.

He wore a black ninja uniform, his silver hair hanging over his forehead and covering one eye. His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable resolve. "Teacher, I'm applying to graduate early."

The classroom instantly fell silent. One could have heard a pin drop.

The students in the front row abruptly turned around, while someone in the back sucked in a breath and whispered, "Graduate early? I haven't even learned all the characters yet!"

"We're only five years old!"

"Is it because of Mr. White Fang..."

Kurenai Yuhi instinctively grabbed Uchiha Hara's sleeve, her fingers tightening slightly.

Uchiha Hara patted the back of her hand to signal that she should not worry. He had long known that Kakashi would graduate early, but he still felt somewhat emotional about it.

Daisuke Nakano pushed up his glasses, clearly stunned as well. "Kakashi, this... Early graduation requires an assessment, and you're still very young. Let's discuss it after class, all right?"

But Kakashi shook his head. "I'm ready. I want to take the assessment now."

Daisuke Nakano had no choice but to sigh. "Then come to my office with me after class."

Class continued, but everyone could tell that no one had any mind left for the lesson.

After class, Kakashi followed Daisuke Nakano away.

The classroom immediately erupted afterward. Some said Kakashi had gone crazy, while others said he wanted to prove himself on behalf of White Fang.

Kurenai Yuhi leaned close to Uchiha Hara's ear and asked softly, "Hara-kun, can Kakashi pass the assessment?"

"He probably can. He looks pretty confident." Of course Uchiha Hara knew Kakashi could pass, but he could not sound too certain. Otherwise, people would ask how he knew and why he had so much faith in Kakashi.

Never think such details are nothing. The devil hid in the details. Who knew what reason might expose a person?

During the second class, Kakashi returned.

He still had that same calm expression as he silently packed up his books and stationery, stuffing them into a black backpack.

When he passed Rin Nohara's desk, he paused. His gaze swept over Rin Nohara, then quickly shifted away. Then he walked out of the classroom without looking back and never returned.

The next day, the news spread throughout the Ninja Academy: Kakashi Hatake had passed the exceptionally strict early graduation assessment and officially become a Genin at the age of five. He had set a record for Konoha Ninja Academy, for the entire Hidden Leaf Village, and even for the Ninja World.

When Kurenai Yuhi heard the news, she was having lunch with Uchiha Hara. Her chopsticks paused, and she said softly, "That's amazing... But he doesn't look happy at all."

Uchiha Hara saw the worry on her face and placed a piece of grilled meat into her bowl. "He has his own path to walk. We should focus on ourselves and cultivate properly. Only then will we be able to protect the people we want to protect in the future."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded and took a bite of grilled meat. Then she suddenly looked up at Uchiha Hara, her amber eyes filled with sincerity. "Hara-kun, let's grow stronger together in the future, okay?"

Uchiha Hara looked into her eyes, warmth rising in his heart. He nodded solemnly. "Okay, we'll grow stronger together."