Chapter 10: Thank You Konoha’s Geniuses!

Raito walked through the quiet streets of Sunagakure, his thoughts consumed by the training plan he had devised. He knew that if he wanted to accelerate his growth, he needed to leverage every advantage he could. One particular jutsu had been on his mind for some time now: the Kagebunshin no Jutsu.

This technique, invented by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, allowed the user to create shadow clones that could perform tasks independently and transfer their experiences back to the original upon dispelling. It was a secret technique of Konoha, but Raito had seen his father use it for paperwork around the house. He was certain it would revolutionize his training if he could master it.

Raito made his way to a secluded training ground he had discovered a year ago. It was a desolate area, hidden away from the main village, perfect for practicing jutsu in secrecy. He sat down, crossed his legs, and focused his chakra.

"Alright, let's do this," he murmured to himself.

He formed the necessary hand seals and concentrated on dividing his chakra evenly. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu!" A puff of smoke surrounded him, and when it cleared, four identical clones stood before him. Raito grinned.

"This is amazing," one of the clones said, echoing his thoughts.

"You guys know the drill," Raito instructed. "Two of you will focus on chakra control exercises, and the other two will work on ninjutsu and taijutsu training. Let's see how much progress we can make."

The clones nodded and dispersed, each heading to a different part of the training ground. Raito watched them for a moment before closing his eyes and focusing on his own training. He formed a Rasengan in his hand, the swirling blue chakra ball glowing brightly.

"It's taking too long," he muttered. "I need to get this down to one second."

For the next few hours, Raito and his clones worked tirelessly. The feedback from the clones was invaluable. Each time a clone dispelled, the knowledge and experience they had gained flowed back to him, accelerating his learning process. By the end of the day, Raito could feel a deep headache forming from the influx of information, but he was undeterred.

"This is just the beginning," he said to himself. "Thank you, Tobirama and Minato. You've given me the tools to change my fate."

As the sun set, Raito returned home, his mind buzzing with the day's achievements. He couldn't wait to ask his father for permission to use the Kagebunshin no Jutsu openly. His birthday was coming up in a couple of months, and he hoped to present his case then.

The next day at the Academy, Raito approached Akira, "I heard that we can skip through language, math and science classes if I could pass the year 6 exam?"

Akira raised his brow, "where did you hear that from you brat? Don't bite more than what you can chew!"

"Chiyo asked me to talk to you. I guess I am gonna tell her what you said," Raito smirked. 

'You darn brat!' Akira cursed, "of course not, I was just curious, if Lady Chiyo recommended you to take the exam, I am sure she has her wise reason."

"I'll set the examinations after class today. Each exam will take about five hour. Are you sure you are ready for this?" Akira remains in doubt.

"As ready as you can be!" Raito chirped away. 

Raito was ahead of his classmates, but he knew that to truly protect his loved ones and his village, he had to be the best, fast. The first shinobi war will take place in approximately six years, and he wants to be strong enough to survive and make some difference. He doesn't have time to sit in classes that he already mastered. 

During lunch break, he found a quiet spot to practice his taijutsu. 

"Raito!" a voice called out, breaking his concentration. He turned to see Kana and Kaito approaching.

"Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?" Kana asked, a curious look in her eyes.

"Just some extra training," Raito replied with a smile. "Want to join me?"

"Of course!" Kaito said enthusiastically. "We could all use the extra practice."

The three of them spent the rest of the lunch break sparring and working on their taijutsu exercises. Raito couldn't help but feel grateful for their companionship. As they trained together, he realized that his journey wasn't just about becoming the strongest. It was also about building bonds and ensuring that those he cared about could stand by his side.

…

At the end of the school, Akira ushered Raito into a classroom where there were two chuunin teachers waiting. 

"We have notified your parents. You have five hours to complete the language, math, and all the science examinations," Akira started, "any questions?"

"Nope, I am good," Raito responded, 'we won't even need half that time.'

He started with the language examination and ended that in 20 minutes, then he moved to math where he finished that in 15 minutes. 

'Is he just playing around with the exam?' Akira saw Raito's speed and sighed

Raito completed all of the exam in another 45 minutes. "When will I get the result?" 

'This kid just finished the exams in a little after 1 hour and he wanted to see his score?' 

"Wait 30 minutes," Akira responded coldly. 

…

"Is this real?" Akira was shocked. 

"He has a perfect score on all of the exams. We have a genius in our midst," one chunin just shook his head in amazement. 

"Lady Chiyo was right. She wouldn't have recommended someone that would fail," Akira resigned to this result. 

…

Raito didn't care much about his perfect scores. He knew that he was going to ace all of the written exams in the Academy. He would be so ashamed of himself if he failed any, having endured the medical examinations in his previous life. 

Each day, Raito sent his clones to the desolate training ground while his real self attended school. This way, he could keep his secret training hidden from prying eyes. His Rasengan training showed significant progress, and he was getting closer to his goal of forming it in under a second. Each night, he pushed himself to his limits, knowing that the real challenges were still ahead.

One evening, after an intense training session, Raito lay on his bed, exhausted but content. His body ached, and his mind was weary, but he felt a sense of accomplishment. He had managed to reduce the time it took to form a Rasengan to just three seconds. With a smile, he drifted off to sleep.