What is a genius?
In Might Guy's view, those Uchiha kids weren't truly geniuses — they simply had better bloodlines, better environments, and better resources.
For a civilian to become a "genius shinobi," the difficulty was on an entirely different level.
That was why he admired people like Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage.
And now—
"Hokage-sama, that child may be unable to perform nature transformation or genjutsu, but he independently came up with a technique similar to the Rasengan!"
"He's an unconventional genius!"
Guy stood in the Hokage's office, reporting excitedly.
The Third Hokage held a sheet of information, took a quiet puff of his pipe, and asked, "How is his taijutsu?"
"His physical control and muscular coordination are even better than Lee's."
Guy spoke honestly. "I originally planned to take both of them into my squad after they graduate, but now… it feels like I'm wasting his potential."
The Third fell silent.
The evaluation sheet from the Academy lay before him.
Yagyu Souma.
Top-tier chakra control.
First in academic performance.
First in taijutsu.
First in shurikenjutsu.
And yet he couldn't perform even the basic Three Body Techniques.
He could dispel genjutsu easily, but couldn't cast a single one.
However—
The fact that he independently conceived something akin to the Rasengan showed extraordinary creativity.
Without a doubt—
Souma was a bona fide genius.
"Hokage-sama!"
"I'll meet him myself before deciding," the Third finally said after a long consideration.
He wanted to see this unconventional genius with his own eyes.
"Today's throwing exam — Souma and Tenten tied for first. Everyone else still needs more practice!"
"Yes…"
The class responded weakly.
Tenten clenched her fists but eventually sighed.
Ever since Souma's skills skyrocketed a year ago, she had gradually changed from "first place" to "tied for first."
Now, she is almost used to it.
But the thing was—
Souma wasn't only good at weapons.
Aside from ninjutsu and genjutsu, he excelled in almost everything.
Every teacher in the Academy had praised him with a thumbs-up… followed by a helpless sigh.
She felt pity for him too — but Souma himself never seemed bothered.
"Souma-kun, want to practice throwing together?"
"Sure— ah, sorry, maybe later."
Just as Souma was about to join her, he noticed a teacher waving him over.
It seemed urgent, so he apologized to Tenten and jogged away.
The teacher was Mizuki.
Setting aside everything Mizuki would eventually do, his teaching in shurikenjutsu and basic Academy techniques was competent enough. His overall strength… Well, that was another matter.
"Mizuki-sensei, you were looking for me?"
"Not me. The Hokage is inspecting the Academy today and specifically asked to see you. Head to the conference room."
"Yes!"
Souma's eyes lit up.
It worked!
Thank you, Guy-sensei!
He couldn't hide his excitement—
This had to be Guy's influence.
In the blink of an eye, Souma disappeared down the corridor.
"Lucky…"
"As expected of Souma-kun. Even the Third Hokage wants to meet him."
"Yeah… that's a real genius."
"Genius? He still can't do ninjutsu."
"…"
Rock Lee glanced around, shook his head lightly, and went back to running laps.
Genius?
These people had no idea how much effort Souma put in.
They only saw the brilliance on the surface and erased all the sweat behind it with one simple word: genius.
Outside the conference room, Souma knocked lightly.
"Hokage-sama."
"Ahem, the door isn't locked. Come in."
"Yes, sir."
He stepped inside.
The Third Hokage was reading a stack of documents with visible interest.
When Souma entered, he smiled.
"I've reviewed your records. For the past two years, aside from physical training, have you spent a great deal of time in the library?"
"Yes. Since I lack ninjutsu talent, I wanted to create techniques that don't require natural transformation. But the more I researched, the more I realized that developing new jutsu requires substantial theoretical knowledge."
"That's right. No jutsu is created overnight."
The Third nodded approvingly.
Souma's growth these two years hadn't come from training alone.
He knew all too well that many Academy students disregarded theoretical studies — which made someone like Souma even more remarkable.
A shame…
Why couldn't such a good child use nature transformation?
The Third exhaled softly before continuing:
"I heard from Guy that you created a jutsu?"
"Well… not really created. It seems to overlap with the Fourth Hokage's technique. I only thought of enhancing it with a vortex, not multi-directional turbulence."
Souma demonstrated step-by-step, just as he had shown Guy the day before.
The Third observed carefully, then chuckled.
"Your thought process and method differ from Minato's. And since you came up with it without prior knowledge, why wouldn't it count as creation? No need to be modest. For today, consider me simply a teacher."
"Yes, sir."
"Any other ideas?"
"I believe chakra shape manipulation and density compression both have immense potential. Compared to conventional ninjutsu, they don't require hand signs and can pair well with taijutsu for massive power."
Souma spoke confidently.
This was his interview — whether he succeeded depended on this moment.
The Third nodded in agreement, but soon gave a gentle smile.
"Research in these areas has been done before. But people stopped pursuing them for a simple reason: nature transformation greatly enhances jutsu. Compared to elemental techniques, non-elemental ones appear inferior."
"…"
Souma fell silent.
He couldn't refute that.
Even the Rasengan was technically unfinished — in Minato's vision, its ultimate form required incorporating nature transformation.
"Children like you and Lee are rare. For most shinobi, ninjutsu is the simplest and most convenient path."
"True… but I happen to be unable to use it."
Souma didn't deny anything.
"Exactly. You happen to be unable — and that's precisely why you thought of these things. Many techniques were born from desperation."
The Third chuckled softly, then narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Guy isn't good with ninjutsu. For you to show the Rasengan to him, you must have had a request?"
"I've learned everything the Academy can offer. I want to graduate early and study medical knowledge at the Medical Division."
"You wish to learn medical ninjutsu?"
"No. I simply want a deeper understanding of human anatomy. The Medical Division and the hospital are the best places for that. And… if possible, I'd like to learn the Chakra Scalpel."
Souma didn't hide his intentions.
There was no need.
As a Konoha Academy student, asking openly was appropriate — hiding it would only look suspicious.
"Early graduation has been discontinued for years. But you don't need it just to enter the Medical Division. A special study authorization is enough."
The Third was briefly considered.
"In that case, I'll give you a full genin-level evaluation — excluding ninjutsu. If you pass, I'll approve it."
"Thank you very much!"
Souma bowed deeply.
Even if he had to take an exam, he was confident in his abilities.
His only fear had been the Academy's strict, rule-bound teachers refusing to give him the opportunity.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614