Number One bug: larger body, stronger bite force.Number Two bug: smaller body, faster movement.Number Three bug: larger body, faster chakra absorption.Number Four bug…
Aburame Shiki sorted through the insects again and again, hoping to select one he was truly satisfied with.
Updating his parasitic insects was extremely difficult, even with the assistance of the original Gu-bug.Shiki had to make trade-offs—prioritizing speed, concealment, and quantity in his parasitic swarm.
After all, in his system, the parasitic bugs weren't meant as the primary attackers. They were carriers, self-destructing delivery vessels carrying phosphorus bugs inside them.
Ideally, the swarm would develop in a balanced way. Strengthen speed, concealment, and numbers too much, and other areas naturally weakened.
But having the original Gu-bug to record and adjust information was far better than working blind.
The Ninja Academy was unusually lively today; students arrived earlier than ever.
News had spread quickly: Aburame Shiki and Kakashi had applied for early graduation—and the Third Hokage himself would be attending the examination.
Everyone was excited to see how the two prodigies would perform.
"Kakashi, you're up early. Feeling confident about the exam?"Shiki stretched lazily as he greeted him.
"Shiki…"Kakashi looked at him with complicated eyes. As a genius himself, Kakashi had his pride. It wasn't merely that he lost to Shiki—it was the gap in strength he felt.
He refused to accept falling too far behind.
Yoshino Taiga led the two toward the examination grounds.
"Do your best. The Third Hokage will be watching."
Shiki and Kakashi didn't respond. They didn't need to.If they dared to apply for early graduation, then they naturally had the confidence.
They stepped inside the exam arena one after another.
Shiki went first.
"Alright, everyone has waited long enough. Let's begin,"Sarutobi Hiruzen announced, dispensing with ceremony.
Shiki's examiner was a Genin.For early graduation, this was standard. Only if the academy didn't want someone to graduate early would they send a Chunin to shut them down.
After all, even if a student was qualified to graduate, they'd still be a Genin. Sending a Chunin would just be cruel.
At Hiruzen's signal, the examiner quickly threw three kunai, flying in a triangular spread toward Shiki—and immediately rushed in behind them.
The examiner had already accepted that he might lose.Anyone bold enough to attempt early graduation—especially in front of the Hokage—was unlikely to be ordinary.
Still, he had to show his best performance. If he impressed the Third Hokage, his future might change.
Maybe he could save himself thirty years of detours.
Shiki watched the examiner close in and flicked his wrist—three kunai shooting out to intercept.
Simultaneously, he commanded his parasitic insects into a defensive spread around him.
His kunai slammed into the incoming ones mid-air; all six clattered to the ground.
"Aburame Shiki has a solid foundation,"the Third Hokage commented."Even with talent, that kind of precision requires day after day of practice. A good child—hard-working and gifted."
"Secret Technique: Insect Jade."
The parasitic swarm burst forward in multiple arcs, covering Shiki's silhouette and rushing toward the examiner with ferocity.
The examiner didn't retreat; he accelerated.He knew he needed a quick, decisive engagement. Forming hand seals, he shouted:
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust blasted open a narrow path through the insect cloud, revealing Shiki's figure behind the gap.
The examiner made a snap decision and leapt through the hole, charging straight toward him.
But the moment he reached Shiki—
Shiki dissolved into a mass of insects.
A Bug Clone.
The examiner's heart dropped.
"Secret Technique: Insect Tornado."
A dense surge of insects erupted from beneath his feet, spiraling upward into a whirling vortex that engulfed him completely.
He struggled violently—but it was pointless.
When the tornado dispersed, he lay collapsed on the ground.
"Aburame Shiki has passed,"Yoshino Taiga announced, relief in his voice.
Shiki's reaction speed and tactical planning were outstanding.
"What a fine seedling. And the examiner performed well too. These are Konoha's foundations,"the Third Hokage said with satisfaction.
Next was Kakashi.
He too faced a Genin examiner.
At the start, Kakashi drew his sword and dashed forward—a flash of steel, swift and sharp like a blade freshly unsheathed.
Without Sharingan or Chidori, the sword was his sole weapon.
The examiner drew a kunai and rushed to meet him—but halfway there, he reconsidered.Clashing a simple kunai with Kakashi's refined blade would put him at a disadvantage.
So he immediately shifted to ninjutsu.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The technique took time—many hand seals—but soon a massive sphere of water surged toward Kakashi.
Kakashi dodged skillfully, but the mass of water tracked him relentlessly.
As he closed in on the examiner, the water ball closed in on him.
The examiner felt a surge of triumph—and caution. It couldn't be that easy.
A flash of silver burst through the water—a Slashing Wave, cutting through the torrent and slicing past the examiner.
The man froze in terror.
That blade of chakra—sharp, silent, deadly—made his hair stand on end.
He couldn't move.
Kakashi seized the moment, stepping in and placing the blade cleanly at the examiner's neck before he could react.
The examiner let out a bitter smile.
"I lost… As expected of the son of Hatake Sakumo."
Yoshino Taiga immediately declared Kakashi's success.
He was visibly pleased.The two prodigies of his class had both passed their early graduation exams.Taiga couldn't help feeling proud.
Hiruzen exhaled softly.
"A tiger father indeed raises strong sons. Kakashi already carries traces of Sakumo's style."
Then he stepped forward and proclaimed:
"Today, both Aburame Shiki and Kakashi have passed the examination."