"Shinju, y-you figured this out on your own?!"
Iruka's eyes went wide.
"Yeah."
Shinju looked a little puzzled.
"And I noticed that if I channel more chakra into the hand seals for the Clone Technique, I can create a huge number of physical clones."
As he spoke, Shinju formed the seals again.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—
In an instant, the entire classroom was packed with Shinju's clones!
A rough count…
There were hundreds!!
The whole class: dead silent!!
Iruka: (°Д°≡°Д°)!!
So many clones!
This—this—this…
Isn't this the Konoha forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage himself?!
An A-rank ninjutsu, notoriously difficult to learn and master!
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
The legendary forbidden technique!
And Shinju… learned it just by figuring it out on his own?!
Even more shocking—his own chakra reserves could actually support creating this many clones!!
Sweat trickled down Iruka's forehead.
What he saw today completely overturned everything he'd learned in decades of teaching ninjutsu!
Sure, he'd seen students with high aptitude before.
But even the most gifted only learned quickly by following instructions.
Someone who could self-teach the Shadow Clone Technique? One in a million!
And someone who could build on it to perform the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique thanks to an enormous chakra supply? In his life, never before!
Right now, Iruka fully realized—Shinju was a genius!
A monstrous genius!
A future pillar of Konohagakure!
A beacon of hope!
"Sensei, is this still not good enough?"
Shinju carefully watched Iruka's expression.
From the dazed look on his teacher's face, it seemed like his Shadow Clone Technique still hadn't met expectations.
Shinju sighed.
So being a ninja really was hard.
Even this wasn't enough to pass.
Cautiously, he said, "Sensei, actually… last night, after following your advice to adapt a bit, I discovered that by using different chakra natures and different hand seals, I can create clones through other mediums…"
"W-what…?"
Iruka stammered.
"How about… you show me?"
Iruka's pupils shrank sharply, then he forced himself to calm down.
He wanted to see just what else Shinju had come up with.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was already on the table.
Could a little Academy student really use chakra nature transformations to create corresponding elemental clones?
Don't be ridiculous.
No way—
The next moment…
Iruka's expression froze completely!
And so did every single student in the room!
Shinju had just done something… outrageous!
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, worried he was seeing things.
Shinju had just… created a Water Release clone!
Wait—now an Earth Release clone!
And lightning—Lightning Release, too?!
┏(゜ロ゜;)┛
Did the Academy ever teach this?!
Where the hell had this guy been secretly training?!
This had to be against the rules!
We can't even handle a normal Shadow Clone yet—
And you're already making multi-element clones?!
Sasuke reacted exactly like Shikamaru, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
∑(O_O;)
Uchiha Sasuke—the last of the Uchiha in Konoha, wielder of the Sharingan, a prodigy with unmatched learning speed.
Since entering the Academy, he'd always been the one others envied.
And today, for the first time, he'd met someone even more of a genius than himself!
This guy's talent was completely unfair!
Next to him, Iruka: (º Д º*)
It was real!
He'd actually done it!
Just now, Shinju had performed Water Release, Earth Release, and Lightning Release clones…
Good grief!
When a kid has a breakthrough, this is terrifying!
This—this—this…
Calling him a genius didn't even cover it anymore!
A sage!
A true sage!
Iruka pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to calm himself.
Seeing this, Shinju assumed Iruka still wasn't satisfied with his performance.
"Sensei, I also figured out you can combine the Clone Technique with the Transformation Technique…"
Iruka waved a hand, wearing the weary, beaten-down look of someone defeated by life: (:D)∠)
"Shinju… no need to show me. Your teacher needs time to process all this."
"Alright," Shinju replied, a little dejected.
Still not good enough?
Last night, when he'd grasped the Shadow Clone Technique and these multi-element clones, he'd felt a spark of excitement—
He thought his classmates and teacher would finally look at him differently.
But judging by Iruka's face now, it looked like he hadn't even reached the passing line…
Sigh~
Sure enough, for an outsider trying to learn ninjutsu, it was tough.
In the end, the rest of the class was abruptly canceled.
Iruka didn't give much explanation, only said he had something to take care of.
Shinju noticed…
When Iruka left, he'd given him a deep, complicated look.
It seemed… tinged with disappointment.
Could it be that Iruka thought he wasn't cut out to be a ninja, and was planning to report to the Hokage to have him expelled?!
While Shinju was still overthinking, Naruto clapped him on the shoulder.
"Shinju, those clones you just made were amazing."
Naruto spoke sincerely.
"But it seemed like Iruka-sensei wasn't impressed."
Shinju answered without much enthusiasm.
His understanding of the Hokage was limited to knowing a few famous names.
As for how ninjutsu worked, he knew next to nothing.
So he figured Naruto was just trying to cheer him up as a friend.
"It's okay, Shinju. If Iruka-sensei's not satisfied, then just keep working at it until he is."
Naruto's smile was like a little sun, warming him.
"Alright!"
Shinju clenched his fist and gave Naruto a grateful look.
"Thanks, Naruto."
Learning the Clone Technique in a single night made up for the years he'd fallen behind.
That meant he wasn't hopeless yet.
If he kept working hard, someday he'd earn his teacher's recognition and graduate successfully!
...
At that moment—
"Achoo!"
Standing in the Hokage's office, Iruka sneezed.
"Iruka, have you caught a cold lately?"
The Third Hokage asked casually.
Iruka waved it off. "I'm fine, my nose just itched. Hokage-sama, I have something very important to report!"
"Is it about that boy, Shinju?"
The Third Hokage barely looked up from the papers in his hand.
The ANBU had just reported Shinju's mastery of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and multi-element clones.
"You already knew… as expected, nothing escapes your eyes, Hokage-sama."
Iruka had mostly recovered from his shock and spoke with some emotion.
The Third Hokage looked up, his gaze warm with praise.
"Iruka, you're a fine teacher—you've nurtured a genius."
"It's all Shinju's own effort. I didn't help much."
Iruka replied modestly.
Then the Third Hokage asked, as if casually, "As his teacher, what's your view on Shinju's actions?"
Iruka spoke earnestly.
"Since the day he enrolled, Shinju's been a hardworking kid. This time, showing such god-tier talent… I'm only shocked—and happy for him."
The Third put down his papers, offering his own assessment.
"To be honest, after studying ninjutsu for so many years, I remain skeptical of so-called overnight breakthroughs.
"I think it's less that he figured it out in one night, and more that Shinju has been learning and refining for years without showing it.
"And today, he simply revealed it all at once.
"Of course, to master the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and multi-element clones in just four or five years… he's still a genius among geniuses."
Iruka nodded. "If that's the case, then Shinju's not only incredibly gifted, but also has a good temperament—keeping this hidden for so many years…"
The Third Hokage rose from his seat, moving to the office window to gaze toward the Academy.
"Yes… this boy truly gives me hope."
After sharing their thoughts about Shinju, the Third Hokage and Iruka began discussing his future training.
"Iruka, what do you think is the most important thing for a genius?"
The Third asked seriously.