The next day, Hinata Haruki arrived at the Academy right on time.
As soon as he stepped into the classroom, he was called into the faculty office by Ebisu's father.
Inside, Ebisu-sensei pointed sternly at a wooden puppet shaped like Haruki and demanded,"Haruki, what on earth is going on here?!"
Only then did Haruki remember—yesterday, he'd been having so much fun after class that he'd gone straight home without retrieving his substitution puppet.
When Haruki didn't answer, Ebisu began a long and earnest lecture.
"Haruki, this is the Academy. We're here to train elite shinobi! Members of the Hyūga clan have always ranked among the top students. As a Hyūga yourself, you should be working even harder. Dozing off in class is one thing, but skipping lessons? Absolutely not…"
"Haruki, to become a ninja, you must work hard. There's a shortcut right in front of you…"
"Haruki, you're destined to be elite…"
"Haruki, future elites don't skip class!"
On and on it went.
Haruki's eye twitched. Ebisu-sensei… are you secretly the reincarnation of a traveling preacher? Every other word out of your mouth is 'elite'—you sound like one of those cheesy infomercials from my previous life. What's next, 'Which academy is best for earthmover training?' Or 'Learn computer repair in just 30 days!' Maybe you run a cooking school, a cradle for future elite chefs!
"Uh… so, Ebisu-sensei… as long as I become elite, I don't actually have to attend every class, right?" Haruki interrupted, raising his hand.
"Of course! My goal is to make you all into elite shinobi. But to get there, you must pay attention in class—"
"Then, sensei… what level of strength would count as elite?"
"Hm? At least genin level," Ebisu replied without thinking.
"So, if I already have genin-level strength, does that make me elite?"
"Well… yes, I suppose so." In truth, Ebisu thought, A five-year-old with genin strength isn't just elite—that's a prodigy.
"In that case… sensei, I'd like to apply for the graduation exam."
A collective thunk sounded in the office as several jaws dropped. Teachers stopped their work and stared at him.
"Good, now you admit your mistake—wait, what did you just say?" Ebisu blinked.
"I said, I want to take the graduation exam," Haruki repeated seriously.
"Haruki, you've only been here a day. How could you possibly graduate? Even if you're strong enough, you can't just take it now. Early graduation tests are held alongside the regular exams."
"I know. I just want to take a trial exam now. When graduation time comes, I'll officially graduate then. That's fine, right?"
"But, Haruki, your strength—"
"I know my strength. If I fail, I'll drop out entirely. But if I pass, I'd like you to teach me something truly useful while I'm still here."
"This…" Ebisu hesitated, looking into Haruki's calm eyes.
"I'll need to consult the Hokage," he finally said, hurrying out toward the Hokage's office.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his forties—still in his prime, sharp-eyed, dignified, and exuding a quiet authority. Beneath his Hokage hat, he had a neatly kept goatee, and his ever-present pipe rested at the corner of his mouth as he worked through paperwork.
"Lord Hokage!" Ebisu bowed upon entering.
"Oh? What brings you here from the Academy?" Hiruzen asked, setting aside a document.
Ebisu quickly explained Haruki's request.
The Hokage's brows lifted in surprise, then a faint smile tugged at his lips. "From the Hyūga clan, is he? Interesting. Approve his request. But keep it between us—no one else needs to know."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
After Ebisu left, Hiruzen took out his crystal ball, polished it, and murmured with an amused glint in his eyes, "Perhaps the Hyūga clan has truly produced a genius this time…"
Haruki, ever sensitive to chakra due to his constant training, had already sensed a faint chakra fluctuation in the faculty office ceiling earlier. Activating his Byakugan in secret, he had traced it—chakra threads carrying the room's image and sound elsewhere. So… the old man's spying on me, huh? Without the Byakugan, I'd never have found it.
Still, Haruki smirked inwardly. Let him watch. If the Hokage's keeping an eye on me, the Hyūga main family elders will think twice before trying anything.
When Ebisu returned, he said, "Haruki, your application's been approved. Let's begin the test."
The two walked toward the training grounds, other teachers barely paying attention. He's just a five-year-old. Let him try—he'll hit a wall soon enough.
"First, we'll test your weapon throwing skills," Ebisu instructed, pointing to six targets over a hundred meters away. "Go stand fifty meters from them. Hit at least four out of six shuriken to pass."
(Ordinarily, the test distance was forty meters—Ebisu was clearly trying to make this harder.)
"No need. I'll do it from here," Haruki said, standing exactly where he was—over a hundred meters away.
"What?!" Ebisu and Hiruzen (watching remotely) both froze.
Without acknowledging their shock, Haruki casually flicked six shuriken. Each took an unnatural curve mid-flight, yet every one struck dead center in its target.
Ebisu's jaw hit the ground. Hiruzen stared, stunned.
That shuriken control… it's almost on par with the Uchiha's throwing techniques, the Hokage thought.
"Throwing test… passed," Ebisu finally managed. "Next, the Three Basic Jutsu—Transformation, Clone, and Substitution—one after another."
"Clone Technique!" Haruki's hands blurred—nine perfect clones appeared in near-silence, the smoke barely visible.
"Transformation Technique!" All ten Harukis turned into Ebisu.
"Substitution Technique!" The clones dispersed, and the remaining Haruki instantly became a wooden log—without forming seals.
No seals?! He's mastered Substitution to the point of instinctual use! Hiruzen thought, astonished.
From a tree branch above, Haruki stepped down—feet sticking to the bark as he walked vertically to the ground.
The Hokage was floored. Tree-walking… at five years old. Back in my day, it took Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade until they were eight or nine.
"Sensei, did I pass?" Haruki asked.
"…You pass. Let's try taijutsu next—spar with me," Ebisu said, still dazed.
"Alright. It's been a while since I sparred with a chūnin." Haruki grinned.
"Come at me with intent to kill," Ebisu instructed.
"Byakugan!" Haruki's eyes shifted, veins bulging as he took the Gentle Fist stance—palms open, one forward, one to the side.
"He activated it without seals…" Hiruzen noted.
"Here I come, sensei!" Haruki darted forward—faster than Ebisu expected.
He struck for Ebisu's chest, chakra flaring at his palm. Ebisu blocked, but Haruki's eyes tracked every muscle twitch. His palm shifted to two fingers, stabbing Ebisu's tenketsu in his palm. Numbness spread instantly as chakra leaked uncontrollably from the point.
A second strike hit the elbow's acupoint—half the arm went limp.
Ebisu retaliated with a sweep kick, forcing Haruki back. He's targeting my tenketsu to drain chakra… and disabling limbs? This is the Hyūga's Gentle Fist at a frightening level for his age!
"Sensei, don't lose focus," Haruki warned, sweeping low. His small size made him hard to counter.
Two quick strikes landed on Ebisu's thighs—one leg stiffened, the other spasmed.
"Not good—"
"Pa! Pa!" Two more strikes to his waist, numbing his core and making it hard to breathe.
Ebisu collapsed, unable to stand.
Haruki deactivated his Byakugan and bowed. "Thank you for the match, sensei."
Ebisu could only nod, still catching his breath. Haruki pressed a few points, releasing the blocked chakra and easing the numbness.
"Haruki… you pass. You already have genin-level skill," Ebisu admitted, smiling despite his loss. A five-year-old prodigy—and I get to be his teacher.
Hiruzen, still watching, was equally impressed. Not just genin… closer to elite genin. And I doubt he even went all-out.
Glancing at the boy's file, the Hokage mused, Hinata Haruki, branch family. Father killed two years ago in battle. Mother—an ordinary woman of the Senju clan. His Gentle Fist is unusually refined, with effects beyond even the main family's techniques… self-created, perhaps?
"Sensei, could you teach me something advanced? I've already mastered the classroom material," Haruki asked.
"What do you want to learn?"
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then I can send a clone to class while I train elsewhere—you won't lose face."
"Deal," Ebisu agreed without hesitation. Teaching a genius like this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
He explained the seals, chakra control, and hazards in detail. Under his guidance, Haruki mastered the technique in a single day.
"From now on, when I skip class, my clone will fill in. Until graduation, I'll keep training."
"Alright. That's fine by me," Ebisu said. The standard curriculum clearly couldn't keep up with this boy.
Haruki was delighted. This jutsu is ridiculously versatile—espionage, communication, combat support, accelerated training, deception… Talk about a school perk.