Kakashi shivered. He abruptly turned his head—his laughing and playing classmates, the unfamiliar faces hurrying by, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Hmm? Was it a delusion?" Kakashi subtly glanced at the distance, his suspicions growing.
On the other side.
Shinichi Higashino carried a sword, walking steadily towards the school's Training Ground.
Just as he had planned—moving out of the Orphanage and entering the Ninja Academy, the stage for him to build his Persona officially shifted from the relatively confined area around the Orphanage to this larger stage, which gathered Konoha's future new generation and could radiate through them to families throughout the Village.
It was nearing noon, and the sun was scorching.
Although it was dismissal time, the campus was not empty. Similar to many Japanese schools in reality, most students at the Konoha Ninja Academy did not go home for lunch.
They either brought lunch boxes from home or had a simple meal at the school cafeteria, then stayed in classrooms, playgrounds, or the library, enjoying their midday break and free activity time.
Therefore, even during lunchtime, the campus was still bustling with people, filled with the vitality and clamor of young boys and girls.
This was exactly the kind of audience Shinichi needed.
He arrived at the edge of the Training Ground, a very open area equipped with simple wooden stakes, targets, and flat areas for Taijutsu and Ninjutsu practice.
At this moment, many students were scattered in groups of twos and threes: some sat under the shade of trees eating lunch and chatting, some were practicing Shuriken throwing, and others were engaging in simple Taijutsu sparring in open spaces.
Shinichi's choice was conspicuous; he walked to a relatively isolated open space that could still be easily seen from passing paths and various parts of the Training Ground, and stopped.
He didn't start immediately but stood quietly for a moment, his gaze slowly sweeping around, taking in all the intentional or unintentional glances.
Very good.
He took a deep breath, his right hand gripping the sword hilt.
The next second, he moved.
There were no flashy or dazzling moves, just the most basic and solid Kendo Suburi—stepping, twisting the waist, swinging the arm, the long sword cutting through the air, creating a short, powerful sharp sound.
His movements were almost rigid in their correctness, every exertion of force clearly discernible, the transfer of power from his feet to his hips, then to his shoulders, arms, wrists, and fingers, was precise and fluid.
Then came the second sword, the third sword... His speed was not fast; in fact, he deliberately maintained a steady and clear rhythm, as if not pursuing lethality, but rather meticulously refining every detail of his movements. His sword-holding hand was extremely steady, his gaze focused and fixed, looking only at a nonexistent point in the empty space ahead, completely undistracted.
Gradually, some students who were originally doing their own things had their attention drawn.
"Look over there... Is that person practicing swordsmanship?"
"He's so serious, the movements are identical, repeated so many times, and still so standard."
"Is he a new student? I haven't seen him before."
"Tsk, not even resting at noon, so dedicated..."
Low murmurs faintly reached him, some curious, some praising, and some dismissive grumbles. Shinichi felt those gazes and discussions, and this was exactly what he wanted.
Starting from this noon, he would practice swordsmanship here every lunch break, without fail, in plain sight.
And starting tomorrow, and every day thereafter, he would also appear during the morning rush hour for school, carrying heavy stones, running on the Training Ground or roads around the school.
Day after day.
The potential ridicule, sarcasm, or even being seen as eccentric or a weirdo, didn't matter.
As long as the impressions of diligence, hard work, astonishing perseverance, solid foundation, and considerable talent in swordsmanship had a slight chance of being recognized and acknowledged by some of them.
And continuously confirmed and deepened through the eyes of these classmates, then quietly flowing into their respective families through after-school chats.
A casual mention by parents or elders at the dinner table, ordinary conversations among neighbors, would gradually bind the name "Shinichi Higashino" with these qualities.
Even in the future, when these classmates graduate, become Genin, Chunin, or pursue other professions, in their daily chats with mentors, teammates, or colleagues, they might occasionally recall: "There was a guy in school back then, every morning you'd see him running with a big rock on his back, and at noon he'd practice swordsmanship without fail, he was incredibly dedicated..."
Impressions, like drops of water, converge into streams, ultimately shaping the true him in the perceptions of others... The July weather had completely immersed Konoha in a sticky heat.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the first semester was about to end, and the Ninja Academy welcomed its three-day final exams.
"It's a good thing I have you, Shinichi!"
As soon as the morning's cultural studies written exam ended, and the invigilator had just left the classroom after collecting the papers, Ishizuka Takashi let out a long sigh of relief. He then looked at Shinichi beside him, his dark, sturdy face showing relief: "If it weren't for you, my cultural studies would have been ruined like the previous exams."
He was telling the truth; during the exam, Shinichi hadn't made any big movements, merely turning the part filled with answers precisely towards Takashi's side.
"This afternoon is the practical assessment," Ishizuka Takashi quickly recovered from his cultural exam ordeal, leaning forward, his eyes burning with the familiar eagerness for practical combat. "I heard from the upperclassmen that to evaluate more comprehensively, practical exams sometimes randomly match opponents from different classes. I really hope I can meet some strong guys from other classes and have a good fight."
"Big brute, don't get too excited. You'll cry if you're matched with that guy Kakashi," Shizune, who was tidying her stationery nearby, looked up and poured cold water on him.
"Kakashi..." The excitement on Ishizuka Takashi's face visibly froze for a moment. He then scratched his head, candidly admitting: "That guy... he's really amazing, a Genius among Geniuses."
The evaluation "Genius among Geniuses" was almost everyone's consensus regarding Kakashi Hatake in the Ninja Academy today.
Since enrollment, all monthly exams, midterms, all subjects—theory, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Shuriken—all received perfect scores.
And perfect scores were merely the starting point of his astonishing talent.
When the vast majority of first-year students were still struggling with basic training, and merely being able to use the Three Basic Ninja Techniques without error was enough to earn praise as a Genius.
Kakashi was already able to fluently perform elemental Release Ninjutsu.
And not just one, but Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water—all five elements were complete.
Innate five-element Chakra is a legendary aptitude, one in ten thousand.
Looking through the history since Konoha's founding, only three individuals were explicitly recorded as possessing such talent: the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, who founded the era; the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, who laid the foundation; and the current Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, hailed as the "Strongest Hokage."
And Kakashi was the fourth.
Therefore, when the tip of the iceberg of Kakashi's five-element Ninjutsu talent was revealed within the school.
The phrase "Hokage Qualities" also spread, though no one knew which meddlesome student first uttered it.
But it quickly spread like wildfire among teachers and students, and rapidly extended throughout all of Konoha.
Nowadays, even the most ordinary civilians in the Village have, more or less, heard after dinner that the five-year-old son of Konoha's White Fang is a Genius among Geniuses, carrying the hope of the future Hokage's name.