Awakening
It was no wonder the Kazekage reacted that way—Shirō's performance was nothing short of extraordinary.
Although Shirō had only just begun to grasp the fringes of the Mind's Eye of Kagura, and his combat experience was still far inferior to that of Heroic Spirits, one must remember: he was being compared to legends who had carved their names into human history.
Any combat-oriented Heroic Spirit's technique could utterly outclass him. But because Shirō constantly measured himself against them, he failed to realize that his own combat experience and skill had already far surpassed those of his peers.
Don't be fooled by how his first two opponents seemed to match him blow for blow—they were two or three years older than him, and in childhood, that age gap meant a great deal.
What truly shocked the Kazekage, however, was Shirō's final technique—Crane Wing Triple Strike. With his experienced eye, the Kazekage could tell that Shirō had executed it purely through skill, without the aid of bloodline limits or special abilities.
To reach that level with nothing but technique was incredibly difficult. At least in Sunagakure, not a single shinobi could do the same.
And when the Kazekage imagined himself in the opponent's place, he had to admit—without Magnet Release, he would have been struck as well.
It was this very realization that birthed the dangerous thought: This boy must die.
But Homura Mitokado, standing beside him as Konoha's representative, was no less formidable than himself. Eliminating Shirō here would not only be difficult—it would be political suicide.
Even if the Kazekage succeeded, what then?
Konoha would never let such an insult pass. Their pride and influence demanded retribution.
And more importantly, Sunagakure's reputation would collapse overnight. These Chūnin Exams had been proposed by them; killing another village's genius in such an event would make them pariahs among the other nations. No one would ever trust them again.
Thus, Shirō and his team could not die—at least, not in the Land of Wind.
Shirō himself knew nothing of these calculations, but even if he had, it wouldn't have worried him. Konoha's strength was at its peak right now.
The Sannin's fame was unrivaled, the feared Konoha White Fang still roamed the battlefield, and even the Third Hokage's generation—Homura, Koharu, and Danzō—were still in their prime. Among the Five Great Nations, Konoha's power was unmatched.
This was the luxury of having a great village at your back—he could display his strength without restraint.
As for whether Danzō would covet him? Shirō was even less concerned. There were only two things Danzō might want.
The first was Shirō's Projection Magic. But this had been reported as a secret family technique, with a partial training method already submitted to the Hokage. Even if its power seemed unusual, no one could demand the entire method—clan traditions were fiercely guarded in the ninja world.
The second was recruiting him into Root. But the Hokage wasn't a fool. While ordinary shinobi might be allowed to join, Shirō's value was better served in the open—both as a symbol for common-born ninja and because the Hokage knew of his family's shinobi lineage. Root could settle for recruiting a branch member of the "Weimiya" family someday.
And so, Shirō stopped holding back… well, as much as someone who had only just gotten stronger could.
After a brief rest, he left the arena. His opponent—bleeding heavily from Shirō's strikes—had already been taken away by Sunagakure's medical-nin. There was no time for a Reconciliation Seal.
Returning to the stands, Shirō found everyone staring at him strangely.
"What's with you all? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, uneasy.
Nakamura finally broke the silence. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"That final combination."
"Oh, you mean the Crane Wing Triple Strike? Is that what everyone's asking about?"
"Yes—it was incredible."
"Exactly. How did you pull it off?"
"So that's what it's called?" Shikamaru cut in. "Not a great name, if you ask me. Want me to come up with one?"
"Wait, wait—don't rush," Shirō said quickly. "First, Minato-nii, I actually like the name Crane Wing Triple Strike. Absolutely no need to change it!"
"Second, it's really just about controlling your strength and calculating the angles. That's all there is to it."
"That's all? You think that's simple?" Nakamura shook his head. "The precision that move requires is extremely high."
"Exactly," Taiyi agreed. "Even with my Sharingan, I can copy the movements, but that doesn't mean I can use the technique. I can't measure the force and angles required. Shikamaru might be better at that."
"I can," Shikamaru admitted, "but it's useless without Shirō's combat sense. You're just ridiculous, Shirō."
"Uh… it's not that bad, is it? I feel like I still have a lot of shortcomings."
"Shirō," Nakamura said with a faint smile, "I'm glad you remain humble. But don't mistake humility for self-deprecation. You always say you lack talent, but your strength goes beyond that.
"You push yourself harder because of this belief, which is good—but understand this: while power matters, the heart of a strong person matters more. That's what you're still missing.
"You think you barely scraped by today, but you're not even eight years old yet—nearly four years younger than your opponents! In truth, you're already very strong. So be confident."
Nakamura's words struck home.
Shirō realized he had been measuring himself by impossible standards—against Itachi's genius at the same age, against Heroic Spirits, against chakra-rich clans. By such measures, anyone would seem lacking.
In truth, his chakra reserves were already considerable for his age. His magic… well, that really was lacking—he had only mastered the basics, with not a single advanced spell under his belt. But the rest? He was far ahead of the curve.
And maybe, just maybe, it was time he started seeing himself that way.