"Half your chakra is already this much?"
Kakashi found it hard to comprehend.
Just kidding. It's actually a third.
Yuzuru never said that aloud.
Actually, Kakashi had quite a lot of chakra himself, at least on the level of Minato without a tailed beast, perhaps even more.
It was only later, because he couldn't deactivate his Sharingan, that he constantly ran short of chakra and became a unit of chakra measurement.
After all, that was a Mangekyō Sharingan.
No matter how gifted Kakashi was, he couldn't overcome the chakra advantage a kekkei genkai provided. That was a genetic gap.
Especially with a Mangekyō on top of that, a bloodline ability that could already be considered developed to its limit.
Setting aside the stringent conditions for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan, under normal circumstances, the Mangekyō was already the Uchiha Clan's ceiling.
"All right, no need to be jealous. This is the power of a kekkei genkai, but the price is steep too: I can't use ninjutsu of other chakra natures. That's just how the genes work. In other words, it's easier to counter me effectively."
Yuzuru patted Kakashi's shoulder and explained with a smile.
"With your talent, you'll definitely master all five chakra natures in the future."
"Of course. Still, with your strength, you should be at Chunin level by now, right?"
"Yeah, more or less."
Yuzuru didn't deny it.
Although he really didn't want to join the rat race, he had no choice. With a king of overachievers beside him, the two of them had undergone all kinds of strict training since childhood. Add his awakened Ice Release, and he was more than qualified to be a Chunin now.
"I knew it. Looks like I'll have to keep working hard."
Rather than feeling discouraged, Kakashi grew even more energized.
The sight couldn't help reminding Yuzuru of Guy.
Actually, Kakashi and Guy becoming close friends wasn't just down to their personalities. Most importantly, they were both geniuses who worked extremely hard.
Kakashi had held himself to high standards from an early age, which was how he earned the name of genius and lived up to it.
Guy was a genius too, only his field wasn't conventional ninjutsu, but taijutsu.
In that regard, even Kakashi and Yuzuru combined couldn't match Guy.
Running dozens of laps around Konoha at five years old-was that even human?
Anyone else wouldn't last two laps.
The crucial point was that Might Guy's body suffered no problems whatsoever from that terrifying training load. Tell me, was that reasonable? What five-year-old could put himself through that?
If a physique like that was ordinary, then there truly were no geniuses in the Shinobi World.
No wonder Sakumo had recognized at first glance that Guy would definitely become a formidable rival and friend to Kakashi in the future.
Those two simply hadn't met yet. If they ever encountered each other while training, Kakashi would certainly be won over by Guy's hard work, and the same would hold true for Guy.
Hmm, so I need to get these two to meet ahead of time, especially while they're training.
At that thought, Yuzuru immediately came up with a new idea.
"All right, I'm going to practice ninjutsu. Want to join me?"
"Forget it. It gets too cold around you when you train. It affects the chakra flow in my body."
Kakashi immediately shook his head and refused.
Yuzuru merely shrugged and said nothing.
This is nothing yet. It's only minus ten degrees. At most, it'll make your body stiff.
He himself was perfectly fine.
Watching Kakashi leave, Yuzuru resumed learning the secret Ice Release technique, Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
This move's potential definitely went beyond firing senbon. More importantly, the secret technique also required some aptitude for space, which was actually quite troublesome. There needed to be a space inside the ice mirrors large enough to hold him, and he also needed to be able to enter that space.
The more deeply he understood it, the more he realized how absurdly talented Yuki Haku had been in the original story.
To use Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals proficiently without anyone's guidance-there was only one word for it: genius! An absolute genius!
But if there was one thing Kirigakure excelled at, it was failing to retain geniuses.
Not until school was nearly over did the chakra inside the shadow clone run dry, and it vanished completely with a poof.
At the same time, Yuzuru, who was happily chatting with Kurenai, felt a pain in his head.
"Does your head hurt again?"
Kurenai looked at Yuzuru with concern and reached out to rub his temples.
Yuzuru naturally enjoyed Kurenai's massage.
Had Kakashi seen this, he would have immediately understood what Yuzuru was up to.
Damn it, all that headache stuff was fake! No, wait, his head really would hurt.
This kid is too shrewd. He looks like he's playing around at the ninja academy like everyone else, but he's secretly grinding behind their backs. The kicker is that he even uses his shadow clones' side effects to act like he has a headache and get little girls to fuss over him.
This play? Yuzuru is operating in the stratosphere!
Just as he felt the headache had more or less subsided, the other shadow clone in his bedroom also dispersed with a poof, followed by a solid rubber ball dropping to the floor.
Instantly, Yuzuru's headache returned.
Seeing this, Kurenai took a red candy from her pocket and handed it to Yuzuru. Ever since discovering that Yuzuru got headaches, she had specially bought these candies every time.
"Is Yuzuru's headache acting up again?"
Just then, Rin also looked at him with concern.
The sight filled Obito Uchiha, who was beside them, with displeasure.
"Rin, my head actually hurts a little too."
"Stop fooling around. Yuzuru really does get headaches."
Kato Shizune had already begun learning medical ninjutsu and could tell at a glance that Yuzuru wasn't faking his headache.
Obito pursed his lips and said nothing more. He simply didn't want to see Rin treating other boys so well.
As for Asuma Sarutobi farther away, his eyes turned red as he watched Kurenai massage Yuzuru.
The school years were a time full of passion and conflict, and also the time when it was hardest to hide anything.
"You damn jerk! Minazuki Yuzuru, I challenge you to a ninja duel!"
Yuzuru glanced at him, couldn't be bothered to respond, and looked away.
That infuriated Asuma.
He had suffered the silent treatment at such a young age. Did you know what a devastating blow that was to a six-year-old child?
"Kurenai, I'm better now. Let's go have barbecue in a bit."
Once he felt his headache had more or less subsided, Yuzuru took the initiative to invite her.
"Sure."
"What about you two? Want to come along?"
Yuzuru looked at Shizune and Rin.
"Mm, all right. We won't stand on ceremony, then."
The three girls nodded sweetly, packed their bags, and left the classroom with Yuzuru.
Watching Yuzuru completely ignore him, Asuma trembled with anger.
"You damn jerk! Just wait until the final exam. I'll show you what I can do!"
"Damn you, Yuzuru!"
At that moment, Asuma and Obito seemed to have found kindred spirits.
"So you too..."
Their boyish jealousy made them forget each other's identities.
The Sarutobi and Uchiha forming an alliance? How could I have a dream like this?
At the barbecue restaurant, the members of the Akimichi Clan were all familiar with Yuzuru.
There was no helping it. He came every few days; it was hard not to know him.
Most importantly, Yuzuru had also offered valuable suggestions, such as sesame paste, peanut butter, chili sauce, and chili powder. These things gave the barbecue restaurant new flavors and improved business, and quite a few members of the Akimichi Clan loved them immensely too.
And so Yuzuru had received a lifetime seventy-percent discount.
Over time, he had developed a very good relationship with the Akimichi Clan. After all, he was a meat lover who shared a common language with a clan of foodies.
Just as the group was thoroughly enjoying their barbecue, Yuzuru suddenly sensed a chill.
Turning to look, he saw a fellow with skin even paler than his sitting at another table, opposite a boisterous, sleazy-looking white-haired man.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya!
Seemingly sensing Yuzuru's gaze, Orochimaru also turned to look. Their eyes met, and then a somewhat subtle smile appeared at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth.