"He must have learned this before he became a war orphan."
"How else could he succeed on his first try? No genius like that exists."
"Even that prodigy supposedly more gifted than anyone in the Hyuga Clan's history couldn't perform a ninjutsu the first time he learned it."
The children from the major clans all looked at Zhou Cheng strangely.
Some already acknowledged him as a genius-a top-tier genius at that.
Others naturally refused to believe it. They all assumed Zhou Cheng had attended a Ninja Academy before some tragedy left him an orphan.
Now that he had arrived in Konoha, he was using that as a pretext to show off.
Even Iruka, a genin, stared at Zhou Cheng in disbelief.
He hadn't expected that the boy wasn't merely arrogant, but actually had the ability to back it up.
As a full-fledged Shinobi, he naturally knew some of Zhou Cheng's background.
Zhou Cheng was genuinely a war orphan. Although his parents had been Shinobi too, he had never attended a Ninja Academy before civil war broke out in Kirigakure.
As for whether that information was true or had been carefully fabricated...
That wasn't something a mere genin like him needed to consider.
Precisely for that reason, Iruka was even more astonished by Zhou Cheng's talent.
Zhou Cheng was probably the most gifted student he had ever taught.
If the ANBU investigation confirmed that he really wasn't a spy from another ninja village...
Then this boy was bound to achieve great things.
Just then, Neji, dressed in white with black hair falling to his waist, abruptly stood up, unwilling to concede.
"It's just the Clone Technique, an E-rank ninjutsu!"
As he spoke, he left his seat and walked toward Zhou Cheng.
He stopped two meters away, formed hand seals, and performed a ninjutsu.
"Clone Technique!"
A Neji identical to the original appeared.
Then both Nejis addressed Zhou Cheng with an air of provocation.
"For a genius, nothing could be easier!"
"Do you dare accept my challenge?"
Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Cheng really wanted to say that he accepted.
But on second thought, he knew his current strength was certainly no match for Neji's.
Even setting aside how many ninjutsu Neji knew, he had already awakened his Byakugan.
With the Byakugan aiding Neji, Zhou Cheng was absolutely no match for him right now.
So Zhou Cheng chose to play it safe.
"I don't!"
"Tch!"
A loud chorus of boos immediately filled the classroom.
"I thought he was something special. Turns out he's just a coward!"
"I thought we'd get a good show. What a disappointment!"
"That's it? That's all he's got? Looks like it takes a real genius after all!"
"Don't get stuck-up just because you can perform an E-rank ninjutsu!"
"Plenty of people are more talented than you!"
Zhou Cheng remained perfectly calm as he listened to their taunts.
Having lived two lives, he didn't have the temperament of a child in his early teens.
He thought to himself.
A wise man knows when to back down. When it's time to play it safe, that's what I'll do.
I'm only lying low for now. Once I've finished refining the Third Generation's talent, I'll show you what a real genius looks like!
Over this next month, I have to learn ninjutsu without restraint.
I also need to put the theories in my head into practice as soon as possible.
Standing out too much when I'm still weak is definitely not a good thing!
Then he stopped Haku with a look before he could lash out on his behalf.
He shrugged with a smile, bowed to Iruka as a student should to his teacher, and prepared to return to his seat.
"Trash, you're just leaving like that?"
"Got used to wandering around, did you? Just taking whatever people throw at you?"
"Hahaha!"
"Don't leave! Just accept the challenge and I'll give you ten thousand ryo!"
At that, Zhou Cheng's gaze changed!
He fiercely glared at the speakers, his eyes hostile.
"You dare glare at me?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Are you asking for a beating?"
Zhou Cheng didn't answer. Instead, he formed a hand seal as fast as he could.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof!
The white smoke cleared, revealing three Zhou Chengs standing in the classroom.
Their gazes settled on the students who had been making snide remarks.
The classroom fell deathly silent.
Everyone was so stunned by Zhou Cheng's ninjutsu that they froze.
Even Sasuke, who had remained indifferent and stared out the window, turned his head.
Neji Hyuga's gaze grew serious as well.
The girls gazed at Zhou Cheng with lovestruck expressions.
Iruka looked at Zhou Cheng as though he were a monster.
This was the Shadow Clone Technique, a B-rank ninjutsu.
It was a technique that even some genin couldn't perform.
Although its hand seals were simple, the chakra control it required was anything but.
It also demanded sufficient chakra reserves from its user.
That was because each shadow clone took half of the original's chakra.
Someone with too few Chakra Reserves couldn't perform the Shadow Clone Technique at all.
"How... is that possible? That's the Shadow Clone Technique, a B-rank ninjutsu!"
"How could he create two clones when he isn't even a genin?"
"Wait, two? Doesn't that make it the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"
"That's a forbidden technique! How does he know it?"
"Just two doesn't count as multiple shadow clones. Besides, one of them must be a Clone Technique illusion with no offensive ability!"
Just then, Ino Yamanaka remembered something and exclaimed:
"I remember! He used this ninjutsu to take first place in the Foreign Village Naturalization Talent Assessment!"
"And he knows the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique too!"
"That's an A-rank ninjutsu!"
Her words reminded all the clan children of what their elders had told them the night before.
He had successfully extracted chakra in a single night, taught himself the Shadow Clone Technique simply by memorizing another Shinobi's hand seals, and then progressed to performing the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Thinking of all this, the children from the major clans looked at Zhou Cheng as though he were a monster.
For the major clans, A-rank and B-rank ninjutsu weren't the point. What techniques didn't their clans possess?
What shocked them was that he had taught himself ninjutsu merely by memorizing the hand seals, with no one to guide him.
That was practically impossible.
Performing ninjutsu wasn't just a matter of making a hand seal. It also required chakra and control over it.
One also had to understand the direction of chakra flow, its speed, and much, much more.
Yet Zhou Cheng had successfully learned ninjutsu under those very circumstances.
Now, they all acknowledged that Zhou Cheng was a true genius.
When the children of ordinary Shinobi saw that the young clan heirs had stopped talking, they wisely shut their mouths too.
None of the children who had made it into this class were fools.
Zhou Cheng saw every expression clearly and sneered inwardly.
He turned to Neji, whose gaze burned even more intensely now, and declared:
"Right now, I really am no match for you."
"One month. In one month, I'll come challenge you!"
"I hope you won't refuse then!"
Whoa!
Exclamations filled the classroom once again.
Challenge Neji in one month?
Was there something wrong with his head?
This was Neji, who had awakened his Byakugan.
This was Neji, who possessed Rotation, a taijutsu technique offering complete, blind-spot-free, 360-degree defense.
Neji's current strength could already be said to have completely surpassed genin level!
He thought he could catch up and defeat him in just one month?
Was he too arrogant, or were they simply too ignorant?