“Kamiki, d-did you figure this out on your own?!” Iruka’s eyes went wide.
“Yeah,” Kamiki replied with a blank, innocent look.
“And I noticed that when forming the signs for this clone technique, if you put in a lot more chakra, you can create a massive number of physical clones.” With that, Kamiki formed the seal once more.
Poof, poof, poof, poof— In an instant, the entire classroom was completely packed with clones of Kamiki!
At a rough glance, there were several hundred of them!
The whole class fell dead silent.
Iruka froze in utter disbelief.
So many clones!
This…
this…
Could this be the Hidden Leaf forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Lord?!
An A-rank jutsu with an extreme difficulty to learn and cast!
The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
A legendary forbidden technique!
Did Kamiki master it purely by experimenting on his own?!
More importantly, his personal chakra reserves were actually vast enough to support this many solid clones!
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Iruka’s forehead.
What he saw today turned all his decades of ninja teaching experience upside down.
In his years of teaching, he had seen students with sharp comprehension, but even the best ones simply followed the textbook and learned fast.
Finding someone who could teach themselves the Shadow Clone Jutsu was one in ten million.
To go beyond the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu, fuel it with an ocean of chakra, and cast the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu—he had never witnessed such a thing in his entire life!
Iruka realized it now: Kamiki was a genius.
A monstrous genius.
A future pillar of the Hidden Leaf Village, and its greatest hope!
“Sensei, is this still not good enough?” Kamiki observed Iruka’s expression carefully.
Seeing his teacher’s frozen, blank face, Kamiki assumed Iruka was still dissatisfied with his clone jutsu.
Kamiki sighed inwardly.
Being a ninja really was hard.
Even this wasn’t enough to reach the passing standard.
Kamiki tested the waters and said, “Sensei, actually, when I tried being flexible last night like you taught me, I found that using different chakra natures and different hand signs lets you make clones out of other elements…” “Wh-what?” Iruka stammered.
“How about…
I demonstrate it for you?” Iruka’s pupils flared wide, and he forced himself to calm down.
He wanted to see what else this kid had figured out.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was already out in the open, but surely an academy elementary schooler couldn’t use chakra nature transformations to create elemental clones?
Stop joking around.
How could that be pos— The very next second, Iruka’s expression froze solid.
Every student in the classroom froze in place too.
Kamiki seemed to have done something outrageous just now.
Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, terrified he was seeing things.
Kamiki had just…
apparently used a Water Clone!
Wait, then an Earth Clone appeared!
And a Lightning Clone too?!
Did the academy ever teach this stuff?!
Hey, where on earth did you secretly practice this?!
This is completely cheating!
We can’t even get a regular clone right, and you’re already pulling off multi-elemental clones!
Sasuke copied Shikamaru’s exact reaction, rubbing his eyes in total disbelief.
Sasuke Uchiha was the last remaining member of the Leaf’s Uchiha clan, blessed with the Sharingan bloodline and top-tier talent.
Since the day he entered school, he had been the one his peers envied.
Today, for the first time, he saw a genius far beyond himself.
This guy’s comprehension was completely broken!
Beside them, Iruka stood dumbfounded.
It’s real!
He really cast them!
Kamiki had formed hand signs and produced Water, Earth, and Lightning clones one by one…
This is insane!
When a kid wakes up, it’s terrifying!
This…
this can’t even be described as genius anymore!
A sage!
A true sage!
Iruka pressed a hand to his forehead, trying his best to steady his mind.
Seeing this, Kamiki assumed Iruka remained unsatisfied with his performance.
He spoke up, “Sensei, I also found that you can combine the Clone Jutsu with the Transformation Jutsu…” Iruka waved his hand, wearing a worn-out look as if beaten down by life.
“Kamiki, no need to show it.
Sensei needs some time to digest this.” “Alright then,” Kamiki replied, sounding a bit down.
So it really is no good?
Last night, when he figured out the Shadow Clone and those elemental clones, he had felt a spark of excitement.
He thought he could finally make his teacher and classmates look at him with respect.
Judging by Iruka’s grim, silent look, he probably hadn’t even cleared the passing grade.
Sigh.
Learning ninjutsu as an outsider really is hard.
In the end, class was canceled for the day.
Iruka offered no deep explanation, only saying he had urgent business to attend to.
Kamiki noticed that as Iruka walked out the door, the teacher gave him a long, heavy look.
The gaze was complicated, and seemed to hold a trace of disappointment.
Could it be that Iruka-sensei thinks I’m completely hopeless at ninjutsu, and plans to report me to the Hokage to get me expelled?!
While Kamiki’s thoughts ran wild, Naruto clapped him on the shoulder from behind.
“Kamiki, that line of clones you made just now was so cool!” Naruto said from the bottom of his heart.
“But Iruka-sensei didn’t seem satisfied at all,” Kamiki answered, his spirits low.
Kamiki’s knowledge of the Naruto world was limited to a few famous names.
He knew next to nothing about the system of ninjutsu.
Because of that, he assumed Naruto was just trying to cheer him up as a friend.
“It’s fine, Kamiki!
If Iruka-sensei isn’t satisfied, just keep working hard until he is!” Naruto comforted him like a warm little sun.
“Right!” Kamiki clenched his fists and looked at Naruto with gratitude.
“Thanks, Naruto.” Learning the clone jutsu in one night meant he had made up for lost time.
It proved he wasn’t completely beyond hope.
As long as he kept working hard, the day would come when he earned his teacher’s approval and graduated for real!
Meanwhile.
“Achoo!” Standing inside the Hokage’s office, Iruka sneezed loudly.
“Catching a cold lately, Iruka?” the Third Hokage asked casually.
Iruka waved his hands.
“No, my nose just tickled for a moment.
Lord Hokage, I have an extremely important matter to report to you!” “Is it about that Kamiki boy?” The Third Hokage flipped through the paperwork in his hands, seemingly unconcerned.
The Anbu had already delivered a full report about Kamiki figuring out the Multiple Shadow Clone and elemental clones.
“You already know?
Truly, nothing in the village escapes your eyes,” Iruka said, sighing as he finally settled down from the shock.
The Third Hokage looked up, his gaze landing on Iruka with genuine praise.
“Iruka, you are a fine teacher.
You have trained a true genius.” “It is entirely due to Kamiki’s own hard work.
I didn’t help much,” Iruka answered modestly.
Then, as if making casual conversation, the Third asked, “As his teacher, what do you think of what Kamiki did?” Iruka spoke thoughtfully, “Kamiki has been a hardworking child since the day he entered school.
Seeing him reveal such god-tier talent only leaves me shocked, and happy for the kid…” Setting his documents aside, the Third Hokage gave his own analysis.
“To be frank, I have studied ninjutsu for many years, and I have my doubts about someone suddenly waking up to genius overnight.” “Rather than saying he understood it in a single night, it is more likely he had been piecing it together over these past few years without showing it.” “And today, he simply laid it all out at once.” “Even so, mastering the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and elemental clones in just four or five years still makes him a genius among geniuses!” Iruka nodded in agreement.
“Looking at it that way, not only is the child exceptionally gifted, but he also possesses incredible patience and character to have stayed hidden for so long…” The Third Hokage rose from his desk and walked over to the office window, looking out toward the Ninja Academy.
“Indeed.
That boy truly makes one look forward to the future.” After exchanging their thoughts on Kamiki, the Third Hokage and Iruka began discussing the boy’s future training path.
“Iruka, what do you think matters most for a genius?” the Third Hokage asked with a grave expression.