Konoha, Year 42. Late March
Spring had arrived in full force. The air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and fresh buds, while the morning sun—warm but not yet scorching—filtered through the dense canopy above. It cast a shimmering, dappled mosaic of light across the village roads.
It was enrollment season once again.
"Kakashi, don't look down at him. At the pace that boy is training he will surpass you in the future."
Standing before the grand gates of the Konoha Ninja Academy, Sakumo Hatake bent down. He ruffled his son's silver hair, his eyes following the retreating figures of Might Duy and his son, Guy, with a look of earnest respect.
Kakashi remained unimpressed.
Though he had dutifully asked for Might Guy's name at his father's insistence, Kakashi didn't take the boy seriously. Nor did he believe his father truly held the pair in such high regard. To him, they were merely convenient examples his father was using to lecture him against arrogance and complacency.
"Let him pass the entrance exam first," Kakashi replied coolly. "Then we can talk about him surpassing anyone. Now, come on, Dad. Let's get the paperwork over with."
Sakumo offered a helpless smile, shaking his head slightly. The father and son turned, ready to step through the Academy gates.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
A rhythmic series of heavy, muffled impacts echoed from the street corner directly opposite the school entrance. Sakumo let out a soft sound of surprise, halting in his tracks to identify the source of the disturbance.
Seeing his father stop, Kakashi's expression flickered with impatience, but he dutifully followed Sakumo's gaze.
The footsteps drew closer, the heavy vibrations resonating through the soles of their feet.
From around the corner, a massive, swaying shadow rolled into view first. Then, a colossal rock materialized in the line of sight of the Hatake duo.
A moving boulder?
Impossible.
It was only upon closer inspection that the truth revealed itself. Beneath the base of the massive stone, a pair of small legs churned with mechanical precision.
The stone was moving, but it was being carried.
To be precise, a thin, unremarkable-looking child was hauling it. The rock was easily three times the size of the boy's torso. From a distance, without seeing the legs, it looked as if the earth itself had come alive.
Rough hemp ropes bit deeply into the boy's slender shoulders. He moved slowly, strictly maintaining his pace, but every step was planted with absolute firmness, leaving shallow depressions and wet footprints on the dirt road. His black hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, stinging his eyes and obscuring his vision, but he seemed oblivious to the discomfort. He stared straight ahead, lips pressed into a thin, white line, his breathing ragged yet rhythmic.
*Who is that kid?*
"Is... is that rock real?"
"He's carrying that? That's incredibly reckless!"
The moment the figure hauling the boulder emerged onto the main street, he became the instant focal point for everyone at the Academy entrance. Whispers erupted like wildfire among the parents waiting to register their children.
"Showoff" Kakashi muttered.
He absorbed the exclamations and curious chatter surrounding them and let out a soft scoff. He could lift that weight. He could probably run faster with it, too.
Judging by the boy's height and build, he looked to be a third or fourth-year student. If that were the case, he should know better. The village weapon shops were stocked with scientifically designed weighted gear that distributed mass evenly.
Instead, this boy had chosen a cumbersome boulder. specifically, yellow limestone—a rock with relatively low density but massive volume.
Furthermore, he had deliberately chosen to perform this stunt during peak registration hours. In Kakashi's analytical view, this was nothing more than a crude performance art piece designed to garner cheap attention.
"Kakashi."
Sakumo spoke calmly, his gaze locked on the slowly advancing figure. There was a shift in the White Fang's eyes—a sharpness that hadn't been there a moment ago.
"Look closer," Sakumo said, his voice soft but commanding. "That child... he isn't using a shred of chakra."
Kakashi's pupils contracted. He immediately sharpened his focus, analyzing the boy again.
The flow of chakra and the activation of jutsu always produced energy fluctuations. Whether strong or weak, concealed or overt, there was always a trace. Experienced shinobi could use this to detect transformation techniques or gauge the potency of an opponent's attack.
Kakashi observed the boy intently.
*As expected!*
There was no telltale hum of energy. There was no chakra flowing through the boy's meridians to reinforce his muscles. The crushing burden of that stone was being supported entirely by raw biological strength and skeletal structure.
Even for yellow limestone, a rock of that volume possessed significant mass.
*If he's doing that without chakra...* Kakashi paused, re-evaluating. Then, he spoke in a tone of forced indifference.
"I'm still stronger."
Sakumo didn't reply to the boast. He merely glanced skyward for a brief second before looking away, silently.
"Wait, isn't that child... Shinichi?"
"It really is him."
Several parents in the crowd began to recognize the boy beneath the rock.
"That kid always claimed he was strong for his age, but I thought he was just a loudmouth...."
"I heard him say he was coming to register today..."
"What a pity. The culinary world has lost a future master chef..."
"A chef? I thought that boy was helping out at the blacksmith's forge?"
*This guy is a fresher? Just like me?*
Kakashi's eyes flashed with genuine surprise. Based on Shinichi's height and maturity, Kakashi had been certain the boy was an upperclassman. He hadn't expected a peer.
*Kakashi!*
*I finally found you!*
As Shinichi hauled the boulder toward the Academy entrance, his gaze swept quickly across the crowd. When it landed on the silver-haired boy wearing a mask, a barely perceptible glint of excitement flashed deep within his eyes. His heart hammered against his ribs—not just from the exertion, but from anticipation.
*Five years.*
*I've been waiting for this moment since the day I heard you were born, Kakashi!*
Shinichi took a deep, stabilizing breath. He subtly shifted his gaze, jogging toward the open training ground adjacent to the school gate. He lowered the boulder with a heavy thud, exchanged a few polite greetings with parents he recognized, and turned to approach the entrance.
As he passed the Hatake duo, he noticed Kakashi scrutinizing him from head to toe. Shinichi paused, offering Kakashi a smile.
It was a clean, sunny expression, sweeping away the gloom of his intense exertion. His face was ordinary, but that smile carried an inexplicable affinity, disarming onlookers and radiating a sense of warmth and reliability.
Kakashi paused, caught off guard. Unconsciously, he recalled a senior shinobi he had met at Ichiraku Ramen the previous month—a man known as a prodigy. That man had possessed the same kind of smile; sunny, clean, and instantly reassuring.
[Trait Activated: Friendly (White)]
[Effect: Your words and demeanor put others at ease, significantly increasing the likelihood of gaining favor and establishing basic trust during social interactions.]
Shinichi ignored the notification. He nodded respectfully to Sakumo and Kakashi as if they were just another ordinary father and son, then moved to walk past them.
"Hey!"
Kakashi's voice cut through the air.
Shinichi stopped and turned, tilting his head with a look of mild confusion.
"If you're serious about conditioning your body," Kakashi said, his tone carrying the straightforward bluntness of a genius and the slight arrogance of his lineage, "you should go to a shinobi outfitter and purchase professional weighted gear. Hauling irregular objects like that is inefficient. It ruins your center of gravity and increases rink of injury"
Shinichi listened attentively, his sunny smile never wavering. He nodded earnestly.
"You make a valid point. Professional equipment is certainly safer and more efficient. I actually checked the inventory at the weapon shop recently."
His tone was calm, devoid of any irritation at being lectured by a stranger.
"However... I couldn't find anything that perfectly suited my current regimen. The stone is unwieldy, yes, but once you adapt to the balance, it's manageable. Still, I appreciate the advice. I'm Shinichi Higashino. And you are?"
'How could the shop not have suitable gear?'
Kakashi frowned behind his mask. He knew the inventory of the local shops inside out; claiming nothing was "suitable" sounded like a poor excuse. But realizing he had been the one to initiate the conversation, he decided not to press the issue.
"Kakashi Hatake."
"Kakashi? I'll remember that."
Shinichi nodded once more, then turned and walked through the Academy gates.
"That poor child... he's had it so rough. Losing both parents so young..."
"I heard he donates almost every ryo he earns from his part-time jobs to the orphanage..."
"No wonder he uses a rock... He's a good kid. Loyal and kind..."
The hushed gossip of the nearby parents drifted over to where the Hatakes stood.
Kakashi's gaze lingered on Shinichi's retreating back. He remained silent for a long moment, processing the information.
"Dad," Kakashi said quietly. "Let's go finish the registration."
---
Shinichi, having put some distance between himself and the gate, was unaware of the sympathy he had garnered. His mind was replaying the interaction with the young prodigy.
Professional weighted gear?
'You're absolutely right, Kakashi.'
But...
'If I don't carry a massive, ridiculous boulder on my back, how is the world supposed to see that I possess superhuman strength? How else will I prove that I am fundamentally different from the average person?'
A faint, calculated smile touched Shinichi's lips. With a thought, a translucent blue interface—invisible to everyone else—materialized in his field of vision.
[Name: Shinichi Higashino]
[Class: Swordsman Apprentice]
[Talents:
Intelligent (White)
Diligent (White)
Friendly (White)
Robust (White)
Gourmet (White)
Resilient (White)
Agile (White)
Calm (White)]
[Available Draws: None]