Sharp Talent Revealed

Meanwhile—

Inside the still-lit Hokage Office in the Hokage Building, the black shadow that had just vanished appeared again. It placed a scroll on the Hokage's desk, then silently disappeared once more.

After finishing his official duties, the Third Hokage took a light puff from the pipe beside him before opening the intelligence scroll to review Naruto's recent circumstances. Anyone who had approached Naruto in particular was on the investigation list.

When he saw the ANBU's report on a family of three, he could not help but take it seriously. Chiba Lin Chuan, who had recently come into contact with Naruto, had an ordinary mother and a Chunin father who had been injured and forced into retirement during the Nine-Tails' Attack. Going back three generations, his family background was spotless—all ordinary ninja.

The most interesting information concerned Chiba Lin Chuan. According to the ANBU investigation, Lin Chuan worked very hard, and with his decent talent, he could be considered a minor prodigy among the new students at the Ninja Academy.

After seeing his father demonstrate the techniques once, he had learned the C-rank Water Release techniques Water Clone and Water Shock Wave, then practiced them to the point of casting them quickly within a month. He was quite a diligent child.

"A hardworking genius?" Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the intelligence scroll and rose to look out at the countless lights beyond the window. He smiled in satisfaction, took several more puffs from his pipe, and muttered, "Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire lives on. Teacher, do you see it? The village's new generation never stops coming..."

Meanwhile, as Sarutobi's old-man black glove, how could Shimura Danzō possibly miss intelligence that Sarutobi's old man could obtain?

An intelligence scroll with contents identical to the one on Sarutobi's desk now lay before Shimura Danzō as well. Danzo, with only one eye remaining, studied its contents with interest and could not help sighing over how the village's geniuses truly emerged without end.

First there had been Orochimaru and the other two, then the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, along with Shisui and several other Uchiha, and now Chiba Lin Chuan, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio, and others of this generation.

At the same time, he was scouting talented children from every ninja clan. He chose Konoha's ninja clans because those families possessed inherited secret techniques, giving them a higher starting point than many ordinary ninja and making it far more likely for geniuses to emerge.

"Continue observing." Danzo set down the intelligence scroll, blew out the candle, and quietly instructed the subordinate hidden in the darkness. For now, this little genius would primarily be observed. The most urgent matter was dealing with the Uchiha.

The next day, after breakfast, Lin Chuan went to school.

He timed it perfectly. Just as the class bell rang and he arrived at the classroom door to enter, someone blocked his way.

Second Pillar raised a hand to stop Lin Chuan, coolly questioning him, "Why didn't you come to yesterday's kunai-throwing test...?"

"Oh? Isn't this the young master of the Uchiha clan? I skipped class yesterday. Is that answer good enough?" Lin Chuan curled his lips into a smile, not taking Second Pillar seriously at all. The current Second Pillar could not beat him, making this the perfect time to crush a weakling.

"Damn it!" Seeing Lin Chuan smiling, Sasuke instantly snapped again. That expression seemed to be mocking him; the other boy clearly did not take him seriously.

"Class is about to start. Please let me in." Hearing footsteps, Lin Chuan stepped back twice and saw Iruka. If Sasuke refused to let him enter, Sasuke would be the one getting his parents called in.

"No. I want to compete with you in kunai throwing." Sasuke continued blocking Lin Chuan and would not let him into the classroom.

"I surrender. You win, young master of the Uchiha clan." Lin Chuan still wore a smile, but there was not the slightest sincerity in his surrender. He looked at Second Pillar as though he were a clown.

If he wanted to make a name for himself, Second Pillar was the finest stepping stone. By rising to fame through crushing the Uchiha clan's little genius, he would quickly enter the sight of important figures from every side. That was precisely his goal.

"Bastard, I'll wipe that smile off your face!" Sasuke's fists clenched tightly. The more he looked at Lin Chuan's fake smile, the angrier he became. He was obviously being mocked. Rage surged through him, and he raised his firm little fist at Lin Chuan.

"Tch, you just won't listen when spoken to nicely, huh?" Lin Chuan had already noticed Iruka. He retreated another two steps until his back hit the wall.

Then, with a flash, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, dodging Sasuke's punch. He appeared behind Sasuke, raised a hand chop, and struck Sasuke's neck, knocking Second Pillar unconscious in one blow.

At the instant he was knocked out, Sasuke had only two thoughts: So fast, and This is bad. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Lin Chuan, are you fighting again?" Seeing Lin Chuan knock Sasuke unconscious, Iruka rushed over and unleashed a lion's roar at him.

"Iruka-sensei, I wasn't fighting. As a ninja, can't you see an enemy's incoming fist?" Lin Chuan helplessly spread his hands at Iruka's roar, then continued, "Sasuke attacked first. He wanted to challenge me to kunai throwing, blocked the classroom door so I couldn't enter, and attacked me with his fist..."

"But you—" Iruka had only seen Sasuke unconscious, so he had not processed it at first. Thinking back, Sasuke had indeed rushed forward with his fist raised. He simply had not hit Lin Chuan before Lin Chuan...

He suddenly realized something absurd. How had Lin Chuan defeated Sasuke just now? It seemed he had used the Body Flicker Technique to get behind Sasuke. Even he, a Chunin instructor, had failed to notice it. Did that not mean Lin Chuan's Body Flicker Technique was at Chunin level?

No matter what, Iruka could not believe his own guess. This child was only six, wasn't he? Yet he already possessed a Chunin-level Body Flicker Technique. Who had taught him that?

"After school, call..." Seeing Sasuke climb up with a dazed expression, Iruka had just been about to tell Lin Chuan and Sasuke to call their parents after school. But Lin Chuan skipped class every afternoon, and Lin Chuan and his father always put on one face before him and another behind his back.

They promised wonderfully every time, only to commit the same offense again the next time. Students and parents like these gave him a headache. Calling their parents was useless. The words caught in his throat, and in the end, he did not say them.

He could only turn toward the still-dazed Sasuke and shout, "Sasuke Uchiha, you blocked a classmate from entering the classroom and fought at the classroom door. Call your parents after school..."

Sasuke was still dazed and had not even processed being knocked out. Looking at the helpless-looking Lin Chuan, the shock in his eyes lingered for a long time.

He realized that he might not be able to defeat Lin Chuan. That was even more shocking than having his parents called in. He was a genius of the Uchiha clan, after all. Uchiha students of every generation had been called geniuses. His older brother Itachi, for example, was a genius, so he had naturally believed himself to be one as well.

Yet today, he had not even clearly seen the other boy use the Body Flicker Technique, much less avoid being knocked unconscious by him. Clearly, the other boy was not merely skilled at kunai throwing; even his Body Flicker Technique was formidable.

Ignoring the shock in Sasuke's eyes, Lin Chuan entered the classroom, returned to his seat in the back row, and began that day's chakra control training.