Thud!
Once again, a red-hot shuriken landed blade-first in the wooden target, smoke curling up from the center red dot.
"This is a B-rank Fire Release technique, Crimson Begonia Claw?! How did you manage to use it without hand seals?!" Uchiha Fugaku had never seen such talent. Folken had unleashed a half-complete B-rank Fire Release without forming a single seal.
But why had a genius like this been unable to pass the village's Chunin exams for six whole years?
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Folken said, calmly guiding the chakra in his hand, stabilizing it along the remaining half of the shuriken. This prevented him from burning himself while simultaneously increasing the rotation power of the shuriken. He relied on sheer force.
"Another ten-ring hit… did he cheat?" The Uchiha scribe holding the scorecard shook his head. In their system, a shuriken that hit anywhere in the center red dot counted as ten rings cheating was impossible.
"With your talent, how the village let you remain a Genin for six years is beyond me." Fugaku no longer cared about winning or losing. He was captivated by the boy who could independently develop a Fire Release without hand seals.
After the fourth shuriken hit, Folken grabbed another, sweat forming on his forehead. He had to maintain full concentration to pull this off.
"I have never learned a C-rank technique. It would be laughable if a Chunin couldn't use even a single C-rank jutsu," he said.
"What?!" Fugaku could not believe it. A man of such talent, yet unable to perform even one C-rank technique? Meanwhile, Mikoto had already mastered two C-rank Fire Release techniques, several D-rank genjutsu, and basic E-rank Body Replacement at her age.
Time passed. Despite Folken's efforts to speed up, two shuriken landed at eight rings, though the other eight struck the center red dot. The Uchiha scribe swallowed nervously, unsure whether to announce the results.
"Enough. I lost. The Uchiha can afford to lose," Fugaku said, widening his three-tomoe Sharingan. He had just witnessed the precise combination of chakra and projectile manipulation that Folken had painstakingly trained over six years. With more practice, Fugaku himself could replicate it.
"What do you call this shuriken body technique?"
Controlling chakra with such precision was far more difficult than performing a B-rank jutsu. After ten shuriken, sweat dotted Folken's forehead.
"Power Shuriken," he said simply.
"Good name. Treat the Fire Release chakra as an engine, powering the shuriken as a weapon," Fugaku laughed. Even if Folken relied on his ingenuity, it wouldn't be enough to pass the Chunin exam.
Yet that ingenuity represented a skill many could never acquire in a lifetime.
"I respect you a little now. You're a year younger than me, but I remember you were at the bottom of your class when you graduated."
In Class A, even students who could only perform one Body Replacement had to retake exams to manage two techniques. Being at the bottom was rare.
"That was me," Folken admitted. He had just arrived and taken the exam immediately, which overwhelmed him. He failed a technique by memory on the first attempt, making him the class bottom despite his full potential.
Fugaku dispersed the spectators and acknowledged Folken, but that didn't mean other clan members would show the same leniency.
"A mere Genin, thinking a small innovation makes him special."
"Exactly. It takes him forever to throw a single shuriken straight. If it were me, a simple substitution jutsu would dodge it easily."
"Don't forget, our Sharingan observed his chakra flow. It's easy to learn, but ordinary people remain ordinary."
Even if Folken hadn't heard these words, he understood perfectly. His unconventional thinking and deliberate friction with teachers eventually led him to leave the team months later and train independently.
During that time, he had almost resorted to theft. After graduating from the ninja academy, there were no orphan subsidies or dormitories.
Rent was expensive. A one-bedroom apartment under thirty square meters cost 10,000 ryō a month, and it wasn't even near the commercial district.
Without skill, D-rank missions were impossible.
He trained while working as a restaurant waiter serving dishes, washing plates. He worked thirty days a month, ten hours a day. Because of his speed, he earned 10,000 ryō, while other staff made four or five thousand.
Fortunately, the restaurant provided meals, saving him money, though he ate sparingly to avoid trouble. Later, he rented a corner warehouse for 2,000 ryō per month, living there for a year.
The following year, after confirming he could complete D-rank missions independently, he resigned and began his path as a mission-obsessed ninja.
Luckily, this Chunin exam didn't require a registration fee, or he would have had to curb his spending. Two years per exam saved some money.
Thus, life as a Genin was grim. Without strength or a team, even D-rank missions were difficult. Even with a team, survival during C-rank missions without protagonist-level luck was unlikely.
A Genin like Mite Dai trained constantly and had no energy for missions or part-time work. Already married, he must have been deeply in debt.
Folken even wondered if Mite Dai's wife suffered from poor nutrition after childbirth because he couldn't afford supplements.
"Here we are."
"I can only accompany you this far. From here, it's your conversation with Elder Kenji."
Fugaku led the three to a magnificent mansion gate, gesturing respectfully. In a ninja world, walls and gates could never fully stop a determined person.
"Thank you, Jonin Fugaku," Folken said with a slight nod.
"No need for formalities. We're not at work. Just call me Fugaku," he replied, patting Folken on the shoulder. He respected talent. Folken's failure to become a Chunin or learn C-rank jutsu might have been deliberate.
A young ninja capable of developing an unsealed body technique should easily master C-rank jutsu.
Recent events were clear: the Second Ninja World War had erupted, and dangerous missions outside the village were common.
"Caution isn't always bad for a ninja," Fugaku thought. His mind drifted to former classmates, now scattered some fighting, some deceased, others no longer ninja.
He had avoided border assignments thanks to his family and had become a Jonin two years ago.
Halfway through his thoughts, he heard a voice from the courtyard.
"If you dare leave with that brat, don't come back!"
"Hmph! I've grown up. I have my own thoughts!"
Turning, he saw a black-haired girl in high-collared clan attire stepping over the wall with three accompanying ninjas, chakra under her feet.
"Uchiha… Mikoto?" Fugaku's heart skipped a beat.
Folken, seeing Fugaku had not left, nodded in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze to the scowling elder, Uchiha Kenji.
"Elder Kenji, I understand your concerns. But this is the Hokage's order. If you have objections, discuss them with the Hokage before stopping Mikoto. Blocking her outright is not the way to solve the problem."
The elderly Uchiha, with white hair, sunken cheeks, and a lined face, scowled deeply.
"I fought countless battles alongside the previous Hokage! We barely held our own against the Senju clan to establish Konoha! What attitude do you expect from me?!"
"Whose lead teacher is a Genin? Tell me! Was your lead teacher ever a Genin?!"
Folken's expression darkened. "A Genin might understand the hardships of a Genin better. I am merely following orders."
"Fall back! Gather at the Hokage's building!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"