One week later.
Lying on his bed, Shinichi's gaze quietly fell upon the newly generated line of green text on his personal panel:
[Ninjutsu Proficiency (Green): Your speed of learning and mastering ninjutsu is increased. Your perception and application abilities regarding chakra shape transformation and nature transformation are significantly enhanced, allowing you to learn and stably execute ninjutsu of the corresponding attributes more quickly.]
The effect of the trait was undoubtedly strong and would be of immense help to his future training.
However, although Shinichi's expression remained perfectly calm, he could hardly conceal the disappointment in his heart.
It wasn't blue, merely green.
Why? Was the sensation he caused not enough?
Or was it that the time was too short, and the degree to which this perception had fermented was insufficient?
He quickly dismissed these two thoughts.
Even though the Konoha higher-ups had, out of consideration for protection and secrecy, somewhat controlled the spread of specific information from the opening ceremony that day...
But even so, the sensational effect caused by the event itself—both in intensity and breadth—was absolutely no less than the battle where he defeated Kakashi and established his reputation as a genius back then.
Then, where did the problem lie?
Shinichi's thoughts churned. As his gaze inadvertently swept over the words [Ninja Academy Student] in the class column, an almost forgotten detail suddenly flashed through his mind—it was the prompt that had surfaced on the panel when the two class traits, [Ninja Academy Student] and [Swordsmanship Apprentice], were first generated:
"Upon the activation of the Ninja (Swordsman) class, henceforth, the perceptions others form of you regarding your Ninja (Swordsman)... The class level determines the conversion efficiency of others' perception of your relevant talents; when the class level reaches the maximum..."
"The class level determines the conversion efficiency of others' perception of your relevant talents..."
Shinichi suddenly realized.
That was it. Unlike [Genius], an all-encompassing trait not restricted to any class, [Ninjutsu Proficiency] was a trait clearly categorized under ninja talents.
And what was his corresponding ninja class level right now?
It was [Ninja Academy Student]—the most foundational, lowest-tier trainee level within the ninja system.
This class level restricted the conversion efficiency of the perception of his relevant talents.
Even though the outside world had developed a strong perception that he was a ninjutsu genius, constrained by his current class level, this massive cognitive effect could not be efficiently converted into a higher-tier blue trait. Ultimately, it only condensed into a green one.
This also explained why [Taijutsu Basics (White)] had been unable to upgrade for so long; taijutsu also fell under the umbrella of ninja talents.
As for the battle with Kakashi, the outside world's focus had been on the second round's kenjutsu duel. Thus, [Swordsmanship Basics (White)], a talent belonging to the swordsman class, was similarly in its apprentice phase.
Yet, because of that head-on collision with the White Fang's kenjutsu, and by leveraging the legendary "White Fang Kenjutsu" as a stepping stone, the quality of the perception he gained was completely different. That was why it had broken through to green in one fell swoop.
"It seems I'll need to pay more attention to this in the future."
A faint trace of lament crossed Shinichi's mind.
But even if he had known about this restriction beforehand, would he have changed his choice?
No.
Shinichi's gaze returned to a tranquil stillness. To him, power that could be immediately grasped in his own hands was the best kind of power.
The substantial improvement brought by the green trait [Ninjutsu Proficiency] was immediate. This was far more valuable than an illusory blue trait that might fail to generate due to insufficient conditions.
Moreover, realistically speaking, even if he waited until graduation for [Ninja Academy Student] to upgrade to [Genin] and for the class conversion efficiency to improve, he might not ever encounter another perfect cognitive ignition point like the opening ceremony—one that gathered the gazes of all the school's teachers and students, and even the Konoha higher-ups.
When that time came, triggering a perceptual sensation of the same scale would likely be even more difficult, and the harvest wouldn't necessarily be greater than this time.
There are always gains and losses. Although this scheme had not achieved the most ideal goal, the substantial benefits obtained—along with the critical understanding of the system's rules—were already incredibly precious.
Not to mention, the fact that he had created the Rasengan at the age of nine was already an ironclad truth. This matter would be passed down continuously, providing him with a steady stream of the corresponding perception.
When the time came, his comprehensive ninjutsu trait would eventually upgrade to the blue tier.
He closed the panel and shut his eyes.
If it was green, then so be it.
For the next step, it was time to push forward the graduation process.
Three days later, Shinichi officially submitted his application for early graduation to the Ninja Academy.
Once this news spread, the reaction it provoked was rather subtle—almost no one felt surprised. Instead, a natural sense of "that's more like it" and "it's about time" permeated the air. Many even muttered in private: Why is he only applying now?
This widespread mentality was not hard to understand. In the eyes of most people, Higashino Shinichi should have graduated long ago.
"The genius who defeated Kakashi"—this title had been ringing loud for over two years now.
And now, his former defeated opponent, Kakashi Hatake, had long since been promoted to Chunin and had been active on missions for almost three years.
In contrast, Shinichi had obediently remained at the academy the entire time, which instead seemed somewhat unreasonable.
Let alone the opening ceremony a few days ago, where the Rasengan he independently developed had shocked the entire audience.
An A-rank seal-less ninjutsu, with the potential to even touch the threshold of S-rank... this level of achievement had long far exceeded the realm of what an academy student ought to possess.
In everyone's eyes, for such a monster—who created miracles one after another and whose talent and strength were beyond doubt—to continue staying in the academy and methodically learn the basics was simply a waste of time and talent.
The fact that he hadn't graduated early before and was only applying now had instead become a minor mystery.
Thus, when the application was officially submitted, everything seemed to fall into place naturally and without a fuss, as if it were merely the enactment of something that should have happened long ago.
But when this application was officially submitted and placed on the Hokage's desk, there was one person who felt somewhat troubled by it—the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had absolutely no doubts about whether Shinichi could pass the graduation exam; that didn't even require consideration.
His original plan had focused on the cultivation of long-term bonds. He had observed that Shinichi maintained a harmonious relationship with his classmates, especially his deskmate Shizune, Ishizuka Ryu, and the others.
Thus, he had planned that when their class normally graduated, he would arrange for these children to be placed in the same squad. This would allow the friendships forged in their youth to further deepen and solidify through missions, which aligned perfectly with the philosophy of "companions" he had always valued.
He never expected that Shinichi would actually take the initiative to apply for early graduation. Seeing how well-behaved he had been at the academy over the past two years, he had assumed the boy would complete his studies systematically... This sudden move completely disrupted the Third Hokage's initial plans.
"What kind of teammates should I assign him?"
The Third Hokage tapped his fingertips lightly against the desk, falling deep into thought.
Kakashi?
That name flashed across his mind but was immediately rejected.
He had other arrangements for Kakashi. Moreover, that child currently kept his heart completely closed off, acting like a mission machine almost entirely devoid of emotion.
Having him form a team with Shinichi would not only fail to establish any bonds, but it might even negatively affect or pollute this sunny-natured seedling he held in such high regard.
Any team-up between them would perhaps have to wait for the distant future, after Kakashi had undergone some changes.
After pondering for a moment, the Third Hokage made a decision: as long as Shinichi hadn't become a Jonin by the time his peers or companions of a similar age smoothly graduated, he would find a way to reintegrate them into the same squad. He would also personally appoint a reliable Jonin to serve as their instructor.
Until then, he would first find this child—who had spread his wings a bit too early—a senior ninja with steadfast political ideology, high awareness, the ability to maintain control over situations, and the capacity to guide him on the right path.
Since they couldn't rely on the bonds of his peers for the time being, they would use the guidance of a senior to make up for it.
The Third Hokage mentally browsed through a roster of names before finally settling on one.