Chapter 2: An Unconventional Genius

Chapter 2: An Unconventional Genius

What is a genius?

In Guy's opinion, those from the Uchiha clan weren't geniuses; they merely had better backgrounds and learning environments. In comparison, it was much harder for commoners to become talented ninjas.

Thus, he greatly admired Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage.

And now...

"Third Hokage, although that child couldn't learn nature transformation and genjutsu, he came up with a ninjutsu similar to Rasengan on his own."

"He's an unconventional genius!"

Excitedly, Guy reported to the Third Hokage in his office.

The Third Hokage held an information sheet in his hand, took a sip of his pipe, and then said, "How is his taijutsu?"

"His control over body muscles and strength is stronger than Rock Lee's."

Guy explained what he had observed, "I originally planned to wait for them to graduate and join my team, but now I feel that not training him is a waste."

The Third Hokage fell into silence.

The information sheet contained the evaluations from the ninja school.

Yoshino Chiba.

Outstanding chakra control.

Top academic performance.

Top taijutsu performance.

Top shuriken throwing performance.

Only ninjutsu is lacking; can't even learn the Body Flicker Technique, but dispelling genjutsu is effortless, though he also can't learn any genjutsu.

But.

Being able to think of Rasengan on his own shows his strong creativity.

Without a doubt, Chiba is a complete genius.

"Third Hokage!"

"I'll see him and then decide."

The Third Hokage pondered for a long time before finally making a decision.

He wanted to meet this unconventional genius.

...

"In today's shuriken throwing test, Chiba is tied with Tenten for first place. The rest of you need to work harder!"

"Yes."

The others replied weakly.

Tenten clenched her fists, but still sighed helplessly.

Ever since this guy's grades skyrocketed a year ago, she gradually changed from "first place in shuriken throwing" to "tied for first place," and now she was getting used to it.

However.

Chiba wasn't just good at shuriken throwing.

In addition to ninjutsu and genjutsu, he was an all-rounder. All the teachers at the ninja school praised him and shook their heads in admiration.

Tenten also felt sorry for Chiba, but he seemed not to care at all.

"Chiba-kun, shall we practice shuriken throwing together?"

"Sure, um, sorry, I might have to wait a bit."

Chiba was about to practice with Tenten when he saw a teacher waving at him from afar, as if he had something to discuss. He had no choice but to bid Tenten farewell and jog over.

His teacher was called Mizuki.

Leaving aside what happened next, Mizuki's teaching in the fields of shuriken throwing and basic ninjutsu was still quite good. As for his overall strength, it was indeed just average.

"Mizuki-sensei, did you need something?"

"It's not me. The Hokage wants to see you today. You should go to the conference room now."

"Understood!"

Chiba's eyes lit up.

He made it!

Teacher Guy must have played a role.

In the blink of an eye, Chiba disappeared from the spot.

"Envious."

"No wonder even the Third Hokage wants to see him."

"Sigh, that's a genius for you."

"Genius? He can't even learn ninjutsu."

"..."

Rock Lee glanced at them, shook his head gently, and got up to go for a run.

Genius?

These people didn't understand how much effort Chiba had put in. They only saw the surface brilliance and used the word "genius" to overshadow all his sweat.

Outside the conference room.

Chiba lightly knocked on the door.

"Hokage-sama."

"Cough, the door isn't locked. Come in."

"Understood!"

He walked in, and the Third Hokage held a stack of documents, looking very interested.

After Chiba came in, he smiled and said, "I looked at the records. In these two years, besides training, you often go to the library to read?"

"Yes, since I lack talent in ninjutsu, I wanted to create a jutsu that doesn't require nature transformation. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that developing ninjutsu requires extensive knowledge."

"That's right. No jutsu is developed overnight."

The Third Hokage nodded in approval.

Chiba's comprehensive strength had improved significantly during this time.

He knew.

Many students at the ninja school didn't prioritize their academic studies. Therefore, students like Chiba were even more rare and precious. Unfortunately...

Such a good kid, why couldn't he learn nature transformation?

The Third Hokage shook his head, sighed lightly, and then asked, "I heard from Guy that you created a jutsu yourself?"

"Um, it's not really my own creation. It seems to overlap with the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan, and I only thought of the basic spiral movement. I didn't come up with the multiple vortexes."

Chiba demonstrated step by step, just like he did yesterday when he showed it to Might Guy.

The Third Hokage observed from the side, smiling as he said, "The thought process and method are different from Minato's, and you didn't know about this jutsu beforehand. If it's not self-created, what else can it be? Don't be modest; today, just treat me as your teacher."

"Yes."

"Any other ideas?"

"I think there's a lot of potential in chakra shape transformation and density compression. Compared to ninjutsu, it has the advantage of not requiring hand seals, and when combined with taijutsu, its power is not weak."

Chiba talked confidently.

This interview was like an entrance examination; whether he could succeed or not depended on now.

The Third Hokage nodded in approval, but then he smiled and said, "The ancestors have also developed such ninjutsu, but later on, no one researched them anymore. The reason is simple—compared to unaffiliated ninjutsu, adding nature transformation is evidently stronger."

"..."

Chiba fell silent.

He couldn't refute that.

Including Rasengan, it was originally an incomplete ninjutsu. In Minato's vision, the ultimate effect should incorporate nature transformation.

"People like you and Lee are actually few. For most people, ninjutsu is the most convenient and straightforward."

"That's true, but I just happen not to be able to learn it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought about these things. Many jutsu are born out of adversity."

The Third Hokage smiled a few times and then squinted, "Guy isn't good at ninjutsu. Do you have any requests for showing Rasengan to him?"

"I can't learn much more at the ninja school. I want to graduate early and then study medical ninjutsu at the Medical Department."

"You want to learn medical ninjutsu?"

"No, I just want to understand human anatomy better. The Medical Department and hospitals are the best places for that. Of course, if possible, I also want to learn chakra scalpel surgery."

Chiba said seriously.

There was no need to hide his intentions. As a student of Konoha's Ninja Academy, he could directly request it. Being secretive would only make him suspicious.

"Early graduation has been canceled for many years. But if you graduate and go to the Medical Department for study, you don't need to graduate early. You can just apply for special learning."

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment and then said, "How about this: I will arrange a comprehensive assessment of your skills as a genin, excluding ninjutsu. If you pass, I will approve your request."

"Thank you very much!"

Chiba stood up and bowed.

Although there would be an exam, he believed in his abilities. He was afraid that the school's teachers were as rigid and unwilling to give any chances as before.