Done!
Shiro didn't even need to open the door to know who was standing outside.
"If you two don't want the neighbors to throw you out, keep it down, will you?" Shiro said helplessly as he opened the door.
"Shiro!"
"Shiro!"
Sakura and Ino's faces lit up with excitement the moment they saw him.
"So, what brings you two here so late at night?" Shiro asked, rubbing his temples as he ushered them inside. He honestly wondered if their parents were truly this relaxed about letting their teenage daughters wander around at night.
Little did he know, Inoichi Yamanaka was practically praying for something to happen between them so he could fast-track his way to becoming a grandfather.
"Well, Lord Shiro... since you've missed so many classes recently, I took the liberty of compiling all the key notes for you," Sakura said softly, presenting a thick notebook.
Shiro took the notebook and flipped through a few pages. *'As expected of the top academic student,'* he thought. The pages were densely packed with meticulous handwriting and detailed diagrams. After staring at the wall of text for less than three seconds, Shiro decisively gave up. With his current cheat-like abilities, academic theory was redundant.
"And you, Ino? Don't tell me you also stayed up late copying notes?" Shiro teased, knowing Ino wasn't quite as academically obsessed as her rival.
"No... I was just worried about you, so I came to check in," Ino admitted shyly, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Sigh..." Shiro hadn't expected his flimsy excuse for taking leave would cause them genuine worry.
"Oh, right! There's something else important," Ino suddenly remembered. "The Graduation Exam is tomorrow!"
---
"The Graduation Exam?"
If Ino hadn't mentioned it, Shiro might have actually forgotten.
Then again, the Third Hokage was already well aware of his capabilities. Was there even a point to him taking a standardized test?
"Wait..."
Thinking of the Third Hokage reminded Shiro of something crucial. During their last meeting, he should have asked the old man for permission to view the Scroll of Seals. There were countless forbidden techniques recorded in it that piqued his interest, but it had slipped his mind in the moment.
Given Hiruzen's cautious nature, he probably wouldn't have agreed anyway.
*No need to worry,* Shiro thought, a faint smirk playing on his lips. *There's always Naruto.*
According to the original timeline, Naruto was destined to 'steal' the Scroll of Seals during the Graduation Exam fiasco.
You really had to hand it to the Third Hokage; his acting skills were Oscar-worthy. The idea that a dead-last prankster like Naruto could infiltrate the Hokage Tower, bypass elite Anbu guards, and steal the village's most dangerous artifact without tacit approval was laughable. When Shiro had visited the office, his sensory abilities had detected over a dozen Anbu hidden in the shadows of that room alone.
"I know. I'll be there tomorrow," Shiro assured the girls. He assumed that was their main reason for visiting, but they lingered, fidgeting slightly.
"Is there something else?" Shiro asked, easily seeing through their hesitation.
"Well... team assignments are coming up soon," Sakura began, her cheeks flushing slightly. "We were just wondering... who would you like to be teamed up with, Shiro?"
Both girls looked at him with eager anticipation.
"Most likely, I'll be placed under a Jonin named Kakashi," Shiro replied honestly.
Based on his analysis, he would definitely be placed under one of the Hokage's most trusted subordinates to monitor his Wood Style. Kakashi Hatake was the most logical candidate.
Shiro glanced at Sakura with a hint of pity. *Sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to steal your spot on Team 7.*
Truthfully, compared to dealing with the high-maintenance drama of Naruto and Sasuke, Shiro would have preferred a solo assignment. He valued peace and quiet, and any team containing those two reincarnated demigods was guaranteed to be a headache.
"In that case, I'll work extra hard to get assigned to Kakashi-sensei's team too!" Sakura vowed silently, clenching her fist.
Ino also desired to be on Shiro's team, but she was more realistic. Her grades weren't as high as Sakura's, and after learning about Shiro's monstrous strength from her father, she worried she would just be a burden.
"Anyway, thank you both for coming all this way to tell me," Shiro said warmly.
Satisfied with his gratitude, the two girls finally said their goodbyes and left into the night.
---
The next morning, Shiro woke to bright sunshine streaming through his window.
"I have a feeling today is going to be a good drop," Shiro murmured, stretching. Yesterday's sign-in had been lackluster, but his intuition was buzzing today.
"System, sign in!"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the Purple Entry: Tenfold Burst.]
"A purple entry?" Shiro's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
He immediately pulled up his status panel.
**[Name]:** Shiro
**[Status]:** Graduating Class Genin
**[Abilities]:** * One-Click Max Level (Gold)
* Heaven-Defying Comprehension (Gold)
* External Incarnation (Gold)
* Tenfold Burst (Purple)
* ... (various learned jutsu)
Shiro's panel was becoming frighteningly powerful. In less than two weeks, he had secured three Gold entries and one Purple.
"What would happen if I applied *Tenfold Burst* to *Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence*?" Shiro wondered, his curiosity piqued.
The *Tenfold Burst* entry was straightforward—it multiplied the output power of any technique by ten. Combined with his strongest wide-range Wood Style... the destruction would be catastrophic.
"I'll definitely need to find an opportunity to leave the village to test that," Shiro muttered. Using it inside Konoha would likely flatten half the residential district.
Shiro arrived at the Ninja Academy shortly after. Looking at the familiar building, he felt a strange wave of nostalgia. This chapter of his life was closing.
"Shiro!"
Just as he entered the courtyard, he ran into Sasuke.
"In today's exam, I will definitely defeat you," Sasuke declared. His tone was cold and aloof, but there was an underlying current of intense determination—classic tsundere behavior.
"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Shiro asked, amused. He suddenly understood why Itachi enjoyed teasing his little brother so much. It was incredibly easy to get a rise out of him.
"I've been training non-stop. I won't lose again," Sasuke said confidently.
After his humiliating defeat, Sasuke had focused entirely on countering Shiro's tactics, particularly the Clone Jutsu. He believed he was ready.
What Sasuke didn't know was that Shiro had long since abandoned standard clones. His new *External Incarnation* was a superior technique that created physical avatars indistinguishable from the main body, capable of fooling even the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke was preparing to fight a version of Shiro that no longer existed.
"Oh, look. It's Naruto," Shiro said, spotting the blonde boy slumped against a nearby tree.
A plan began to form in Shiro's mind. He would need Naruto's unwitting cooperation to secure the Scroll of Seals later that night.
---
"It's Shiro! And Sasuke!"
Naruto looked up, his expression unusually subdued. Normally, he would have jumped at the chance to pick a fight with Sasuke, but today he looked like a wilted flower.
"Shiro... do you think I still have a chance?" Naruto asked, his eyes pleading. He looked utterly miserable.
He had just learned that the Graduation Exam would involve a random test of the Three Basic Jutsu. For most, this was standard. For Naruto, who famously struggled with basic chakra control, it was a nightmare scenario. Specifically, the Clone Jutsu was his kryptonite.