During this period, Kuroda Ren trained with Yūhi Kurenai at this training ground every day after school.
Hatake Kakashi would also occasionally come here to train.
At first, they each focused on their own training.
But after Kakashi challenged Kuroda Ren and lost during the previous monthly examination, he began taking the initiative to interact with him.
For someone as proud as Hatake Kakashi, this was essentially an acknowledgment of Kuroda Ren’s strength.
The two would also spar from time to time during their training.
Unlike the restricted sparring matches at the Ninja Academy, these fights were conducted with both sides going all out.
However, Kakashi’s physical strength and chakra reserves were far inferior to Kuroda Ren’s.
Although Kakashi possessed an advantage in swordsmanship, he still lost far more often than he won.
This made Hatake Kakashi increasingly recognize Kuroda Ren as a worthy “rival.”
Their relationship gradually improved as well, and they eventually became fairly good friends.
“Tomorrow is the final examination.”
Kakashi suddenly changed the subject.
“After this exam, I’m planning to apply for early graduation.”
“You’re not even going to finish your first year?”
Kuroda Ren looked at Kakashi in surprise.
He remembered that, in the original story, Hatake Kakashi had graduated from the Ninja Academy after only one year.
He had then become a chūnin in less than a year, and a few years later, while the other students from his class hadn’t even graduated yet, he became a jōnin at a record-breaking age.
But now, after only one semester, Kakashi was already talking about graduating?
However, if one calculated things according to the calendar year, it was already January.
Calling this his “second year” after entering the Academy wasn’t technically wrong.
It could only be said that the timeline in the original story itself was rather chaotic, making it difficult to piece everything together.
“The Ninja Academy has nothing left to teach me.”
Kakashi looked toward Kuroda Ren.
“I want to graduate early and experience the real world of shinobi.”
He then asked:
“Your strength is even greater than mine.
Aren’t you planning to graduate early?”
“I actually think there’s still plenty for me to learn at the Ninja Academy.”
Kuroda Ren smiled.
“Kakashi, unlike you, I don’t have a clan that can teach me inherited techniques.
There are many things I can only learn through the Ninja Academy.”
“Take the Three Basic Techniques, for example.
If you hadn’t taught them to me, I would’ve had to wait until next year, when the Academy officially teaches them.”
As a genius of the Hatake clan, Kakashi already knew several ninjutsu.
The Three Basic Techniques naturally weren’t difficult for him.
After becoming familiar with Kakashi, Kuroda Ren had learned the Three Basic Techniques from him as well.
As for other ninjutsu, Kakashi might hesitate to teach him, and Kuroda Ren wouldn’t ask.
But the Three Basic Techniques were techniques that the Ninja Academy was already going to teach.
There was no real issue with learning them privately.
Whether he learned them earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference, and no one would bother investigating it. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Although the Three Basic Techniques were low-level and didn’t provide any fundamental increase in combat power, they were still quite valuable as distraction techniques, allowing shinobi to enrich their combat strategies.
In this era, they hadn’t yet reached the absurd late-stage version of the story where giant chakra avatars and massive constructs filled the battlefield.
Tactics still mattered greatly.
Even in battles between jōnin, a well-timed Clone Technique or Substitution Technique could completely change the situation.
As for Transformation Technique, it was also extremely valuable for infiltration and similar operations.
Of course, once the story reached the later stages, when giant chakra constructs started flying everywhere, these three techniques would become practically worthless.
Kuroda Ren absolutely, positively would never follow Uzumaki Naruto and develop some vulgar technique like the Harem Technique…
Right?
“Your strength is already greater than that of many chūnin.”
Kakashi was clearly puzzled.
“And you still intend to remain a Ninja Academy student?”
“You think I’m strong, but I think I’m still far too weak.”
Kuroda Ren smiled.
“So what if I’m stronger than a chūnin?”
“Even a jōnin can be killed or seriously injured if they accidentally step into an Explosive Tag trap.”
“The shinobi world is far too dangerous.”
“I intend to keep improving my strength.
Until I have enough confidence to protect myself, I have no intention of graduating.”
Kuroda Ren didn’t try to persuade Kakashi not to graduate early.
He simply didn’t hide his own thoughts.
“I see…”
Kakashi nodded and didn’t say anything more.
But inwardly, he began wondering whether his decision to graduate early was somewhat rash.
After thinking about it for a while, Kakashi still couldn’t reach a conclusion.
He decided that once he returned home, he would discuss the matter with his father.
…
On a high platform outside the training ground, several figures were quietly watching Kuroda Ren and Hatake Kakashi from a distance.
“Those two children are both quite outstanding.”
A blond young man smiled as he evaluated them.
Beside him, a red-haired girl looked affectionately at the blond youth and smiled.
“Compared with what you were like back then, they’re not much worse.”
The two were none other than Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
At this point, Kushina was not yet the Nine-Tails jinchūriki and therefore wasn’t restricted in her movements.
She practically stuck to Minato all day, following him wherever he went.
“That black-haired boy is actually stronger than I was in my first year.”
Minato corrected her.
“As for Kakashi, his overall strength is roughly comparable to mine at that age.”
“It’s just that the two of them specialize in completely different areas from me.”
“Minato.”
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked toward Minato.
“Me?
Take a student?”
Minato was stunned.
“Hokage-sama, I’m only fifteen!”
Even though he was an absolute genius among geniuses and had already become a jōnin, taking a student at fifteen still seemed somewhat ridiculous.
“We can decide on it first and have you take them on as students a few years from now.”
Hiruzen chuckled, clearly unconcerned.
“Then let’s talk about it in a few years.”
Minato neither agreed nor disagreed.
He didn’t mention anything about choosing a student in advance.
He had a favorable impression of both geniuses.
But taking someone as his disciple was something that couldn’t be decided carelessly.
“Gusuke.”
Hiruzen turned toward another person.
“What do you think of that child?”
The man wore simple clothing and had a slightly hunched back.
A large iron cooking pot was strapped to his back.
At first glance, he looked extremely ordinary.
But only a small number of people in Konoha knew that this elderly man, officially classified as a genin, actually possessed both the strength and standing to influence the higher levels of Konoha.
He was one of the disciples of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—
Maruboshi Kosuke.
After making a mistake that resulted in the deaths of his teammates, he had sworn to remain a genin for the rest of his life.
But his actual strength was far beyond that of an ordinary jōnin.
“This child is called Kuroda Ren, right?”
Maruboshi Kosuke nodded slightly.
“His Water Release is quite interesting.”
“The question is whether he can learn my teacher’s Water Release.”
“If you’re interested in teaching him, you can give it a try.”
Hiruzen spoke calmly.
He had long intended to find Kuroda Ren a teacher from the Hokage faction, thereby bringing him into their circle at an early age.
After considering numerous candidates, Hiruzen had concluded that Namikaze Minato and Maruboshi Kosuke were the two best choices.
The others were somewhat inferior.
If either of these two were willing to take Kuroda Ren as a disciple, that would naturally be ideal.
“Let’s find an opportunity to interact with him during this examination and see.”
Maruboshi Kosuke didn’t refuse.
“But talent isn’t everything.
Whether our personalities are compatible is also very important.”
“I want to see what kind of person this child really is.”
Hiruzen nodded slightly.
“Looks like we’ll have to prepare a special final examination this time.”
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