Over the next few days, Yūhi Shinku found himself redefining the word "genius" every single day. The three children picked up every ninjutsu almost as soon as they learned it.
"Teacher." A genin walked over to Shinku, his voice sounding a little weak. "Have they... really only been learning for one month?"
"Yes."
"One month ago, they didn't even know the Three Basic Techniques."
"Yes."
"And now..." The genin looked toward the field.
Kakashi was being attacked by three genin at once, yet still had the upper hand.
Uchiha Toru stood in place, firing six flames from his mouth with perfect precision. Each one struck a different target, all direct hits.
"Shin-chan" and "Shiro" were roughhousing, but no one could tell which one was which.
The genin's throat felt dry. "Now they're already stronger than all of us."
Yūhi Shinku said nothing. He opened his notebook.
Hatake Kakashi: excellent in all subjects.
Extremely fast at learning ninjutsu. Solid taijutsu foundation. Tactical awareness far beyond his age. The only issue is his somewhat cold personality and reluctance to cooperate with others.
Uchiha Toru: excellent in all subjects.
Outstanding observation and analytical ability. Very calm tactical execution. The only issue is a lack of personal initiative and a tendency to be led astray by Shin-chan.
Nohara Shinnosuke.
Yūhi Shinku stared at that name, the tip of his pen tapping against the paper for a long time.
Excellent in all subjects.
Tactical comprehension unclear. He basically does not follow tactics, but his opponents often end up even more chaotic than he is.
In the evaluation column, Yūhi Shinku wrote four words:
Impossible to evaluate.
He closed the notebook and looked at the three children on the training ground. Suddenly, he remembered what the Third Hokage had said that day.
"Don't treat them like ordinary students. Teach them as much as you can."
At the time, Shinku hadn't understood what that meant.
Now he did.
The Third Hokage meant that these children didn't need to be taught step by step.
They learned too fast.
Fast enough that one month of progress had surpassed genin who had trained for years.
Fast enough that Yūhi Shinku felt like what he could teach them was already running out.
Fast enough that they were already capable of carrying out real missions.
Yūhi Shinku thought about it for a long time, then stood up and headed toward the Hokage Tower.
At the Hokage Tower, Yūhi Shinku stood inside the Third Hokage's office, his tone respectful.
"Lord Third."
The Third Hokage set down his pipe. "What is it?"
"It's about those three children," Yūhi Shinku said. "They already possess the strength of genin."
The Third Hokage looked at him without speaking.
"Hatake Kakashi's ninjutsu and taijutsu have both reached genin level. Uchiha Toru's Fire Style is unmatched among his peers. As for Nohara Shinnosuke..."
Yūhi Shinku paused.
"What about him?" the Third Hokage asked.
Yūhi Shinku was silent for a moment. "He learns everything quickly. His chakra reserves are far greater than other children his age. Even though he barely trains seriously most of the time, his strength is still far above that of an ordinary genin."
"Looks like he's still the same as ever." The Third Hokage smiled and shook his head.
Yūhi Shinku took a deep breath. "I'd like to request that they take the genin promotion exam."
"Do you think they're ready?"
Yūhi Shinku opened his mouth.
He wanted to say they were ready.
But a certain image suddenly flashed through his mind.
Shin-chan transformed into Shiro, lying on the grass with his belly facing the sky, sleeping soundly.
He opened his mouth again.
Then another image flashed through his mind.
Shin-chan using Kakashi's appearance and saying he was going to flirt with pretty big sisters.
Yūhi Shinku closed his mouth.
The words "they're ready" simply would not come out.
"But?" the Third Hokage asked.
Yūhi Shinku thought about it. "Nohara Shinnosuke is someone I can't measure by normal standards."
The Third Hokage laughed softly.
"I understand what you mean."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the village.
"In that case," the Third Hokage said, "I plan to hold a public genin promotion ceremony at the ninja academy."
Yūhi Shinku froze. "Public?"
"Yes." The Third Hokage nodded. "Let the children at the ninja academy see it for themselves. Let them see that someone can go from knowing nothing to becoming a genin in just a few months."
With his hands behind his back, a meaningful smile appeared on the Third Hokage's face.
"Those children are always saying it's too hard, that they can't learn, that there isn't enough time. Let them see what genius looks like."
"Won't that damage their confidence?" Yūhi Shinku asked hesitantly.
"It won't." The Third Hokage shook his head. "Some people see a gap and give up. Others see a gap and work even harder. We need to see which children are the latter."
Yūhi Shinku nodded.
"Also," the Third Hokage added, "I'll invite some of the clan heads to attend."
Yūhi Shinku looked up at him.
"Hyūga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi..." The Third Hokage listed them one by one. "Let them come and watch too."
Yūhi Shinku understood.
The Third Hokage didn't just want to motivate the ninja academy students.
He wanted to show these three children to all of Konoha.
To let the clan heads see that Konoha's education could allow geniuses to fully display their talent.
To let everyone see that Konoha's future would not be inferior to its past.
"Go prepare," the Third Hokage said. "It will be held at the ninja academy in three days."
"Yes."
Afterward, Yūhi Shinku brought the news to the three children.
"In three days, a genin promotion ceremony will be held at the ninja academy."
"All three of you will participate," Yūhi Shinku said, looking at them. "The entire school's teachers and students will be watching. Several clan heads will also attend."
"Can I not go?" Shin-chan raised his hand and asked.
"No."
Shin-chan's face fell. "Teacher, I'm not ready yet."
"What part of you isn't ready?"
Shin-chan remembered what Hiroshi had said before. Once he became a genin, he could help pay the mortgage.
But...
He looked at his own hands.
These hands couldn't even afford chocolate sticks. How were they supposed to pay a mortgage?
"Teacher." Shin-chan looked up, his expression serious. "Do genin have to pay mortgages?"
Yūhi Shinku froze. "What?"
"Mortgages," Shin-chan said. "You know, the kind of money you have to keep paying for a really, really long time."
Yūhi Shinku was silent for three seconds.
"No."
"Really?"
"Really."
Shin-chan breathed a sigh of relief. "Teacher."
"What now?"
"Do genin have to wear those green vests?"
"Yes."
"They're ugly."
Yūhi Shinku took a deep breath. "In three days. Ninja academy. Eight in the morning. Don't be late."
"But—"
"No buts." Yūhi Shinku cut him off. "Any other questions?"
Kakashi and Uchiha Toru both shook their heads.
Shin-chan still refused to give up. "But teacher, I really am not ready."
"What part of you is not ready?"
Shin-chan thought about it. "I think I'm still little."