One week later.
Lying in his bed, Shinichi's gaze rested quietly on the newly generated line of green text on his personal interface:
> [Ninjutsu Adept (Green): Your speed in learning and mastering ninjutsu is increased. Your perception and application of chakra shape and nature transformation are significantly enhanced, allowing you to learn and stably cast ninjutsu of your corresponding affinities much faster.]
The trait's effect was undoubtedly powerful and would be an immense help to his future training.
Yet, while Shinichi's face remained perfectly calm, he couldn't hide the disappointment in his heart.
It wasn't Blue. It was only Green.
Why? Was the impact he caused not massive enough?
Or was it because the timeframe was too short, and the public perception hadn't fermented enough?
He quickly dismissed both thoughts.
Although Konoha's higher-ups had, out of a desire to protect him and maintain secrecy, somewhat restricted the spread of the specific details regarding the opening ceremony...
...even so, the sheer explosive impact of the event itself—both in intensity and scale—was absolutely on par with the battle where he defeated Kakashi and cemented his title as a genius.
So, where was the problem?
Shinichi's mind raced, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over the [Academy Student] text in his class column. A nearly forgotten detail suddenly flashed through his mind—the notification that had appeared on the interface when the [Academy Student] and [Kenjutsu Apprentice] class traits were first generated:
"Based on the activation of the Shinobi (Swordsman) class, from this point forward, the perception others have regarding your Shinobi (Swordsman) talents... The class tier determines the conversion efficiency of public perception regarding your related talents. Once the class tier reaches its maximum..."
"The class tier determines the conversion efficiency of public perception regarding your related talents..."
Realization dawned on Shinichi.
That was it. Unlike [Genius], which was a comprehensive, all-encompassing trait unrestricted by class, [Ninjutsu Adept] was a trait explicitly categorized under the umbrella of shinobi talents.
And what was his current corresponding shinobi class tier?
It was [Academy Student]—the absolute most basic, entry-level trainee tier in the shinobi system.
This class tier bottlenecked the conversion efficiency for any perception related to those specific talents.
Even though the outside world had formed a massive, concrete perception of him as a ninjutsu genius, his current class platform restricted that colossal wave of cognitive feedback. It couldn't efficiently convert into a higher-tier Blue trait, ultimately condensing into a mere Green trait instead.
This also perfectly explained why his [Basic Taijutsu (White)] trait had completely stalled and failed to upgrade—Taijutsu was also a subset of shinobi talents.
As for his battle with Kakashi, the public's focus had been overwhelmingly drawn to the second phase: the clash of blades. Therefore, [Basic Kenjutsu (White)], a talent belonging to the Swordsman class, was similarly restricted by his apprentice status at the time.
However, because of that head-on collision with the White Fang's kenjutsu, he had essentially used a legendary brand as a stepping stone. The sheer, overwhelming quality of the perception generated from that specific event was entirely different, allowing it to shatter the bottleneck and break through to Green in one fell swoop.
I'll need to pay much closer attention to this in the future, Shinichi thought, a faint sigh echoing in his heart.
But even if he had known about this restriction beforehand, would he have changed his choice?
No.
Shinichi's gaze grew calm and profound once more. To him, the absolute best kind of power was the power he could firmly grasp in his own hands right now.
The tangible enhancement provided by the Green [Ninjutsu Adept] trait was immediate and undeniable. This was infinitely more valuable than some ethereal, hypothetical Blue trait that might never generate due to unfulfilled conditions.
Moreover, speaking practically, even if he waited until standard graduation and his [Academy Student] class upgraded to [Genin]—thereby boosting his conversion efficiency—there was absolutely no guarantee he would ever encounter another perfect detonation point like the opening ceremony. Gathering the eyes of the entire student body, the faculty, and the highest echelons of Konoha's leadership all at once was a rare miracle.
By that time, trying to trigger a cognitive storm of the exact same scale would likely be exponentially more difficult, and the final harvest might not even surpass what he had just achieved.
You win some, you lose some. While this specific scheme hadn't achieved its absolute ultimate goal, the tangible benefits he reaped—along with the crucial, newfound understanding of the system's underlying rules—were already invaluable.
Not to mention, the fact that he had created the Rasengan at the age of nine was now an ironclad reality. This achievement would be passed down and continuously discussed, providing him with an endless, steady stream of relevant perception.
Given enough time, his comprehensive ninjutsu trait would eventually inevitably upgrade to the Blue tier anyway.
He closed the interface and shut his eyes.
Green it is, then.
It was time to push forward with the next step: graduation.
Three days later, Shinichi officially submitted his application for early graduation to the Ninja Academy.
When the news spread, the reaction it provoked was rather subtle—almost no one was surprised. Instead, a pervasive sense of "well, obviously" and "it's about time" washed over the village. Many people even muttered privately: Why did he wait until now to apply?
This widespread mentality wasn't hard to understand. In the eyes of the vast majority, Shinichi Higashino should have graduated ages ago.
"The genius who defeated Kakashi"—that title had been ringing loudly for over two years now.
And by now, his former defeated opponent, Kakashi Hatake, had already been promoted to Chunin and had been actively taking on missions for nearly three years.
In stark contrast, Shinichi had remained quietly and compliantly inside the Academy, which frankly seemed entirely illogical.
Not to mention the opening ceremony just a few days prior, and that mind-blowing Rasengan he had independently developed.
An A-rank seal-less ninjutsu with the potential to touch the S-rank threshold... An achievement of that magnitude had long since far surpassed the bounds of what an Academy student should be capable of.
To the public, for an unquestionable monster capable of continuously creating miracles with such overwhelming talent and strength to remain in the Academy studying basic fundamentals... it was an absolute waste of time and talent.
Him applying for early graduation wasn't news; him waiting until now to do it was the real mystery.
Consequently, when the application was officially submitted, everything felt perfectly natural and entirely devoid of drama, as if they were simply checking off a box for something that should have happened years ago.
However, when that formal application landed squarely on the Hokage's desk, there was one person who felt slightly troubled by it—the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had absolutely zero doubts about whether Shinichi could pass the graduation exam; that didn't even require a second thought.
His original vision had been focused on cultivating far more long-term bonds. He had observed that Shinichi maintained incredibly harmonious relationships with his classmates, especially his desk mates, Shizune and Takashi Ishizuka.
He had planned to wait for their generation to graduate normally, then place those specific children into the exact same squad. Letting the friendships forged in their youth deepen and solidify during real missions perfectly aligned with his deeply held philosophy regarding "comrades."
He hadn't expected Shinichi to actively apply for early graduation. Seeing how peacefully and compliantly the boy had behaved in the Academy over the past two years, Hiruzen had assumed he would simply finish his schooling normally... This sudden move completely disrupted the Third's initial blueprint.
What kind of teammates should I assign him?
The Third Hokage tapped his fingers lightly against his desk, sinking into deep thought.
Kakashi?
The name flashed through his mind but was instantly rejected.
He had other arrangements for Kakashi. Besides, that child currently completely sealed his heart off, acting like a near-emotionless mission machine.
Forcing him to team up with Shinichi wouldn't just fail to build bonds; it might negatively influence or even corrupt this incredibly promising, mentally healthy sapling he had his eye on.
Grouping them together was perhaps a matter for the far future, after Kakashi had undergone some much-needed changes.
After pondering for a moment, the Third made a decision: as long as Shinichi hadn't promoted to Jonin by the time his peers or similar-aged comrades officially graduated, he would find a way to reorganize them into the same squad and personally assign an absolutely reliable Jonin to be their instructor.
But until that time came, he needed to find a senior shinobi for this early-fledging bird—someone with rock-solid political loyalty, high situational awareness, the ability to control a battlefield, and the wisdom to properly guide the boy's path.
Since he couldn't temporarily rely on the bonds of his peers, he would compensate with the guidance of a veteran.
The Third Hokage mentally scrolled through his roster of available shinobi, his thoughts eventually locking onto a single name.