What is a genius?
In kid's eyes, the Uchiha clan's so-called geniuses didn't really count. They just had better lineage and better learning environments. Compared to them, it was infinitely harder for an ordinary civilian to be called a "genius ninja."
That was why he deeply admired Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage.
And now—
"Third Hokage, Kankurō may not be able to use chakra nature transformations or genjutsu, but he managed to come up with something very close to the Rasengan entirely on his own!"
"He's an unconventional genius!"
In the Hokage's office, kid stood before the Third Hokage, excitedly reporting.
The Third held an information sheet in one hand, took a slow puff from his pipe, and asked, "What about his taijutsu?"
"His control over his body and muscle strength is even greater than Lee's," kid replied. "Originally, I wanted to have both of them join my team after graduation, but now it feels like keeping him under me would be a waste of potential."
The Third fell silent.
The report in his hands was the Ninja Academy's evaluation.
Name: Yagyū Chiba
Chakra Control: Top-tier.
Academic Grades: First place.
Taijutsu Performance: First place.
Kunai Throwing: First place.
Ninjutsu: Fails even the basic Three Basic Techniques.
Genjutsu: Can dispel them easily, but cannot perform any.
And yet—
To independently conceive of a technique resembling the Rasengan showed extraordinary creativity.
There was no doubt about it.
Chiba was a true genius—
Just one of a different kind.
"Third Hokage!"
"I'll meet him myself first," the Third finally said after a long pause. He hadn't made a decision yet. He wanted to see this unconventional genius with his own eyes.
"Today's throwing exam results are out! Chiba and Tenten tied for first place. Everyone else—keep working harder!"
"Yes…"
The rest of the class responded half-heartedly.
Tenten clenched her fists, then sighed in resignation.
Ever since a year ago, when Chiba's progress skyrocketed, she had slowly gone from "the throwing champion" to "tied for first," and by now she was almost used to it.
But still—
Her opponent wasn't just good at throwing weapons.
Aside from ninjutsu and genjutsu, he was practically perfect at everything else. Every teacher at the Academy gave him a thumbs-up—followed by a long sigh of regret.
Tenten felt sorry for him too, but Chiba himself never seemed to mind.
"Chiba-kun, want to practice throwing together?"
"Sure—ah, sorry, maybe later."
He was just about to join her when he saw a teacher waving him over from a distance. Judging from the gesture, it looked important. Chiba quickly excused himself and jogged over.
The teacher's name was Mizuki.
(Leaving aside his future misdeeds, he actually had decent skill in teaching basic ninjutsu and kunai throwing. His overall ability, though… not so impressive.)
"Mizuki-sensei, you wanted to see me?"
"Not me," Mizuki said with a forced smile. "The Hokage himself is here for an inspection—and he specifically asked to meet you. Head to the conference room immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Chiba's eyes lit up.
It worked!
Thank you so much, kid!
He could barely contain his excitement—it had to be kid's recommendation that made this happen.
In the blink of an eye, Chiba vanished from sight.
"Wow, lucky."
"No surprise—it's Chiba-kun. Even Third Hokage wants to meet him."
"Ahh, that's what it means to be a genius."
"Genius? He can't even use ninjutsu."
"…"
Lee glanced over at them, shook his head silently, and went back to running laps.
Genius?
They had no idea how much effort Chiba put in every day. They only saw the results—and with one careless word, "genius," they erased all the sweat behind them.
Outside the conference room, Chiba took a deep breath and knocked gently.
"Lord Hokage."
"Cough—come in, the door's open."
"Yes!"
He stepped inside. The Third Hokage sat there, a small stack of documents in hand, reading with obvious interest.
When Chiba entered, the old man looked up with a warm smile.
"I've read your records. It seems that, besides physical training, you also spend a lot of time studying in the library?"
"Yes. Since I lack ninjutsu talent, I've been trying to develop techniques that don't rely on nature transformation. But the more I research, the more I realize that creating new ninjutsu requires a deep knowledge foundation."
"You're absolutely right," the Third said approvingly, nodding.
Chiba's recent surge in progress made perfect sense now.
The Hokage knew that many students at the Academy treated theoretical courses as unimportant. That was exactly why someone like Chiba—who valued study—was so remarkable.
Such a good child…
If only he had talent for chakra nature transformation.
The Third sighed softly before asking, "I heard from kid that you created a new technique?"
"Uh, not really. It seems to overlap with the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan. I'd only thought of it spin like a vortex—I never considered adding multi-directional rotation."
As he spoke, Chiba performed a demonstration, just as he had done yesterday for kid.
The Third observed quietly, then smiled.
"The method and reasoning are different from Minato's. And since you came up with it without prior knowledge of the Rasengan, that is a self-created technique. Don't be so modest. For today, let's just treat me as a teacher, all right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"I believe there's still great potential in chakra shape manipulation and density compression," Chiba said confidently. "Compared to ninjutsu, these methods have the advantage of not needing hand seals. When combined with taijutsu, the power shouldn't be underestimated."
He spoke steadily, clearly—it was like an interview, and his future depended on this moment.
The Third nodded in approval. But after a brief pause, he chuckled. "You know, others before you have tried developing similar techniques. But eventually, most gave up—for a simple reason. Ninjutsu that incorporate nature transformations are simply stronger."
"…"
Chiba fell silent.
He couldn't refute that.
Even the Rasengan itself was an unfinished technique—Minato's ultimate goal was to combine it with chakra nature transformation.
"The truth is, students like you and Lee are rare exceptions. For most people, conventional ninjutsu is the easiest and most practical path."
"That's true," Chiba admitted calmly. "But I happen to be one of those exceptions."
"Exactly," the Third smiled. "And if you weren't, you wouldn't have come up with all this. Many great techniques are born only when people are forced into a corner."
He laughed softly, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "kid isn't skilled in ninjutsu—yet you showed him your Rasengan. You must have had something in mind?"
"I did. I've learned everything I can from the Academy. I'd like to apply for early graduation and study medical knowledge at the Medical Department."
"You want to learn medical ninjutsu?"
"No. I just want to understand human anatomy more thoroughly. The Medical Department and the hospital are the best places for that. If possible, I'd also like to learn the Chakra Scalpel technique."
Chiba didn't hide his intentions—there was no need to. As a Konoha student, openly stating his goals was perfectly fine. Trying to hide them would only look suspicious.
"Early graduation has been discontinued for years," the Third mused. "But… if you're simply transferring to the Medical Department for special study, that's possible. However—"
He paused, tapping his pipe st the table.
"—you'll need to pass a comprehensive genin-level evaluation—everything except ninjutsu. If you can do that, I'll approve it."
"Thank you very much, Lord Hokage!"
Chiba bowed deeply.
A test didn't scare him.
What scared him were the rigid Academy instructors who refused to give someone like him any chance at all.
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