Chapter 2: A Different Kind of Genius

What is a genius?

In Guy's opinion, the Uchiha clan members weren't true geniuses. They were simply born into better circumstances, with superior learning environments. For a civilian to become a genius ninja was far more challenging by comparison.

That's why he admired people like Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage.

And now.

"Lord Third, although that kid can't grasp nature transformation or genjutsu, he managed to come up with a technique similar to the Rasengan on his own."

"He's a different kind of genius!"

Guy stood in the Hokage's office, excitedly reporting to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage held a report in his hand, taking a puff from his pipe before saying, "How is his taijutsu?"

"His control over his body, muscles, and strength is even greater than Lee's," Guy replied based on his observations. "I originally intended to have him join my team after graduation, but now, I feel that keeping him with me would be a waste."

The Third Hokage fell silent.

The report in front of him contained evaluations from the ninja academy.

**Yagyu Kai.**

Exceptional chakra control.

Top of the class in academic performance.

First place in taijutsu.

First place in kunai throwing.

However, he couldn't even learn the simplest ninjutsu, like the three basic techniques. He could dispel genjutsu easily but couldn't cast any himself.

Yet.

The fact that he independently thought of a technique similar to the Rasengan showed incredible creativity.

Without a doubt.

Kai was a true genius.

"Lord Third!" Guy continued, his passion undimmed.

"I'll meet with him and then decide," the Third Hokage said after a long pause. He wanted to meet this unusual genius himself.

---

"Today's kunai throwing exam saw Kai and Tenten tie for first place. The rest of you need to work harder!" the instructor announced.

"Yes," came the half-hearted response from the other students.

Tenten clenched her fists but sighed in resignation. Ever since this guy's grades had skyrocketed a year ago, she had gone from being "first in throwing" to "tied for first." By now, she was slowly getting used to it.

But.

Kai wasn't just good at kunai throwing.

Aside from ninjutsu and genjutsu, he was practically an all-rounder. Every teacher at the academy would give him a thumbs-up followed by a long sigh.

She also felt sorry for Kai, but he never seemed to care about it himself.

"Kai-kun, want to practice throwing together?" Tenten asked.

"Sure… Uh, sorry, it looks like I might need to delay that," Kai replied, noticing a teacher beckoning him from across the field. It seemed something had come up, so he excused himself and jogged over.

His teacher was Mizuki.

Say what you want about Mizuki's later actions, but his teaching in kunai throwing and basic ninjutsu was actually quite solid. His overall ability, though… well, it was average at best.

"Mizuki-sensei, did you need me for something?" Kai asked politely.

"It's not me. The Hokage himself came to visit today and specifically asked to see you. Head to the meeting room," Mizuki said.

"Yes, Sensei!"

Kai's eyes lit up.

It worked!

Thank you, Guy-sensei!

He was beyond thrilled—this had to be Guy's doing!

In a flash, Kai disappeared from view.

"How enviable," one student muttered.

"As expected of Kai-kun. Even Lord Third wants to see him."

"Sigh, that's what you call a genius."

"Genius? But he can't even learn ninjutsu."

"…"

Lee glanced around, shaking his head before getting up to go for a run.

Genius?

These people had no idea how much effort Kai had put in. All they saw was the brilliance on the surface, and then they used the word "genius" to dismiss all the sweat and hard work behind it.

---

Outside the meeting room.

Kai knocked gently on the door.

"Lord Hokage?" he called.

"Ahem, the door's not locked. Come in," came the Third's voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Kai stepped in, and the Third Hokage was there, reading through a stack of documents with great interest.

As Kai entered, the Third Hokage smiled. "I've been looking through your records. Over the past two years, aside from your training, you've been spending a lot of time in the library?"

"Yes," Kai confirmed. "I have no talent for ninjutsu, so I've been trying to create techniques that don't require nature transformation. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that developing a new jutsu requires a vast amount of knowledge."

"Indeed, no jutsu is created overnight," the Third Hokage said approvingly.

Kai's recent all-around improvement was apparent.

The Third Hokage knew that many academy students underestimated the importance of the theoretical aspects of ninja training. That made someone like Kai even more valuable. What a shame…

Such a talented child, and yet he couldn't master nature transformation.

The Third Hokage sighed inwardly before asking, "I heard from Guy that you've created a jutsu?"

"Uh, not exactly created… It seems to overlap with the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan. I had only thought of increasing its power through a vortex effect but hadn't considered multiple turbulent flows," Kai explained as he began to demonstrate the steps, just as he had done for Guy the day before.

The Third Hokage observed with a smile. "The concept and process may differ from Minato's, but you hadn't known of this technique beforehand. If that's not creation, what is? Don't be modest. Today, just consider me your teacher."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have other ideas?" the Third Hokage asked.

"I believe there's a lot of potential in chakra shape transformation and density compression. Compared to traditional ninjutsu, it has the advantage of not requiring hand signs, and combined with taijutsu, it's quite powerful," Kai said confidently.

This was his interview—whether he succeeded depended on how things went now.

The Third Hokage nodded in approval but soon smiled knowingly. "This type of ninjutsu has been explored by past predecessors, but eventually, the research was abandoned. The reason is simple—adding nature transformation makes the jutsu significantly stronger compared to using untyped chakra."

"…"

Kai fell silent.

He couldn't argue with that.

Even the Rasengan itself was an incomplete jutsu. The ultimate form, as envisioned by Minato, was meant to include nature transformation.

"For most people, techniques like ninjutsu are the most straightforward and efficient path. People like you and Lee are the exceptions," the Third Hokage said.

"That's true, but I just happen to be one of those exceptions," Kai replied honestly.

"Exactly. You happen to be different. If you weren't, you wouldn't have been driven to develop new techniques. Many jutsu are born out of necessity, from overcoming obstacles," the Third Hokage said with a chuckle. Then, narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Guy isn't very skilled in ninjutsu, so when you demonstrated the Rasengan for him, you must've had something in mind, right?"

"At the academy, I've basically learned everything they have to offer. I'd like to graduate early and study medical knowledge in the medical corps," Kai said earnestly.

"You want to learn medical ninjutsu?"

"No, not medical ninjutsu specifically. I just want to better understand human anatomy. The medical corps and hospital are the best places to do that. If possible, I'd also like to learn the Chakra Scalpel technique," Kai admitted without hiding his intentions.

There was no need to hide it. As a student at the Konoha Ninja Academy, it was reasonable for him to request it. Being secretive would only make him look suspicious.

"Early graduation has been discontinued for years. However, since you only wish to study in the medical corps, you don't need to graduate early. You can apply for special permission to study," the Third Hokage said after a moment of thought. "But how about this—if you pass a full-fledged genin exam that assesses everything except ninjutsu, I'll approve your request."

"Thank you very much!"

Kai stood up and bowed.

Even though it required an exam, he was confident in his abilities. His real fear had been that the academy would be too rigid to give him any chance at all.