Kimoto Tōichi's cold tone sent a chill through the air.
Itsuki and Tanako both jumped, standing stiff as boards.
Arata sighed softly. "Sensei, don't scare them like that."
Tōichi turned his head, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Oh? Then why don't you give it a try?"
He was genuinely curious — he wanted to see how far this quiet boy could go.
Itsuki and Tanako both looked at Arata expectantly.
They'd long realized he was stronger than either of them.
Now they wanted to see just how much stronger.
Arata hesitated for only a moment.
Truthfully, he'd already understood everything the moment Tōichi explained it.
The principles, the chakra ratios, the balancing act — all of it.
His mind had simulated hundreds of variations instantly.
But there was still a difference between theory and reality.
Even Arata wasn't sure if his body could keep up with what his brain had already mastered.
"Try it," Tōichi said simply.
Arata nodded.
He stepped to the edge of the lake, inhaled, and let his chakra flow through his body.
The energy raced through his network of meridians like living lightning.
His gaze sharpened.
He lifted one foot and placed it on the surface.
Splash—
The water dented under his weight, forming a small crater.
Itsuki gasped — Tanako clutched her hands together.
But before either could shout, the water rippled back upward —
as if something invisible had caught Arata's foot and lifted him back up.
The ripples settled.
Arata stood on the water. Perfectly balanced. Perfectly still.
"W–what the— Arata! You've done this before, right?!" Itsuki's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Tanako's eyes sparkled with disbelief and admiration. "That's… impossible…"
Even Tōichi blinked, stunned into silence.
"You… already mastered it?"
Arata looked down at his feet, mildly surprised.
He hadn't expected it to work perfectly on the first try.
Then he smiled faintly, the realization dawning —
so this was the true power of the "Exceptional Learning Ability" granted by his system.
Even Uchiha Sasuke — a genius in his own right — had needed an entire day and countless bruises to master tree climbing.
And Arata had just learned something harder… in one attempt.
He stepped lightly on the water again, ripples forming beneath his sandals.
"I don't really know how," he said innocently, "I just… did what Sensei said."
Three faces twitched at once.
That tone, that expression — so guileless it almost made them want to drown him.
But Arata wasn't pretending.
The moment Tōichi explained the mechanics, his brain had automatically calculated everything: the surface tension, the chakra flow ratio, the necessary balance point for his body weight.
His chakra responded precisely to those calculations, almost subconsciously.
Perfect synchronization of mind, body, and chakra.
That was the terrifying power of his system-enhanced mind.
Tōichi finally managed to speak, his voice slightly unsteady.
"You… really never practiced this before?"
Arata shook his head. "I only learned the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone Techniques at the Academy. That's all."
Tōichi exhaled slowly.
"Then I can say this for certain — the Academy held you back."
He wasn't joking. He meant every word.
"Six years of basic training couldn't even measure your potential," Tōichi said quietly.
"If you'd shown your talent earlier, you might've outshone every student in your class."
Itsuki and Tanako nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! You were way too low-key at school," Itsuki groaned.
"If you'd shown this before, Sasuke would've lost his title as the number one genius!"
Arata waved it off. "Why bother? Didn't you see how much attention Sasuke gets? I like peace and quiet."
Tōichi blinked. "So… that's why you hid your talent? To avoid attention?"
Arata nodded earnestly. "Of course. Who wants trouble when you're stuck in school for six years?"
The teacher chuckled softly — he believed it completely.
His instincts as an interrogator told him Arata wasn't lying.
If only he knew… the truth was simpler and stranger.
Arata hadn't hidden anything — he simply hadn't been talented before.
But now, with his system, his learning speed had transcended logic itself.
Even he didn't fully understand it yet.
Tōichi shook his head in disbelief.
"Still… that's some self-control for a kid your age."
Itsuki and Tanako, on the other hand, were stunned for another reason entirely.
If they'd had Arata's talent, they'd have been showing off nonstop.
Who could resist being admired, envied — even feared — at that age?
But Arata truly didn't care.
He just wanted to live quietly.
Tōichi smiled helplessly, muttering to himself,
"I overthought it. The kid hides his strength just to avoid hassle…"
He sighed — the last traces of suspicion fading from his heart.
For the first time, he truly regarded Arata as his student.
"Alright then," Tōichi said at last. "If you can stand still, let's see if you can move — go test yourself where the current's strong."
Itsuki and Tanako watched with wide eyes as Arata walked calmly toward the waterfall's outflow.
The closer he got, the rougher the water became — waves slapping violently against the rocks.
Arata's mind, however, was already processing everything.
Velocity, turbulence, pressure — a dozen equations ran through his head in an instant.
His chakra adjusted dynamically with each microsecond.
He stepped forward.
The current surged — but his body didn't even sway.
Standing there in the flowing water, Arata looked utterly composed.
Itsuki's mouth fell open. "He's still standing?! Even with the current?!"
Tanako turned to Tōichi. "Sensei, is that harder than calm water?"
Tōichi's expression twitched.
"Harder?" he repeated. "Try ten times harder. To balance on moving water, your chakra control has to shift constantly. Even I took ten days before I could stand where he's standing."
He stared at Arata, awe creeping into his voice.
"This kid… he's not a genius. He's a monster."
Even Tōichi — a seasoned former Anbu — felt a rare shiver of humility.
At this rate, he thought grimly, it wouldn't be long before he had nothing left to teach Arata.
Because walking on water wasn't just about control — it was about mastery of self.
And in that moment, Arata had already surpassed every expectation.
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