The final day of the Academy term always made the Hokage's office feel a little heavier.Sarutobi Hiruzen had settled into his seat early, pipe resting at his side as he flipped through the stack of term reports delivered by each homeroom teacher.
As expected, two names stood out immediately:Hyūga Neji of Class Two… and Fujimoto Tōma, the first-year phenomenon.
Even compared against upper-year students, their marks shone with an almost unfair brilliance.
"Hyūga…" Hiruzen murmured, pausing on Neji's page. Thoughts of Neji's father pulled a quiet sigh from him. The clan's tragedies had long shadows.
Then he reached Tōma's file.He had gone through this boy's background more than once—out of caution, and out of curiosity.Perfectly clean.Perfectly ordinary.
And yet the child's performance was anything but.
His late father had shown respectable potential, but at best would have become a mid-tier jōnin in time. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing that hinted he could father a prodigy whose talent rivaled the best of any generation.
But now, sitting before him in neat columns of ink, was proof:This boy's capacity—his theory scores, his chakra control, his willpower—was on par with the young shinobi who once became the Fourth Hokage.
Hiruzen exhaled a slow stream of smoke.Kakashi… even with everything he lost, he became a pillar of Konoha. If this child reaches even the same height as a non–Sharingan Kakashi, the village's investment will pay itself back many times over.
He finished the reports and finalized the graduating class placements.Then, with practiced ease, he flicked his fingers and activated the crystal orb.
The Academy's grounds shimmered into view.
As usual, he tracked Naruto first.But Naruto leaving alone wasn't unusual.Tōma staying behind was.
That child usually bolts out the door. Why send Naruto off and remain?
Suspicion—no, curiosity—nudged him.So he shifted the orb's focus.
What he saw next sent a faint ripple across his expression.
"Oh? A spar with Iruka?"
He couldn't help leaning forward slightly.
The entire bout unfolded in the crystal sphere—Tōma's precision with seals, his improvisations, the sudden bursts of speed, the controlled use of Wind Release and Lightning Release.
Even if both fighters were awkward by adult standards, context mattered.Tōma was six.
A six-year-old compressing the Substitution Technique to three seals…A six-year-old forming more than three seals per second…A six-year-old using a C-rank elemental ninjutsu with actual mastery…A six-year-old performing Lightning Release–based body enhancement…
Hiruzen set down his pipe.
This wasn't merely talent.This was unreasonable talent.
And despite the absurdity, he didn't doubt the boy's identity for even a moment.If another village had planted a spy with this level of potential inside Konoha's Academy, they'd have to be foolish beyond belief.
No sane village wastes a prodigy by throwing them away as infiltration material.
The Hokage exhaled again, firming a decision he'd been circling for months.
Yes.It was time to bring the boy into his sightline personally.
Iruka would arrive soon with his customary end-of-term report.And when he did, the Third would have a summons prepared.
Fujimoto Tōma walked toward the training grounds, replaying every exchange from his match with Iruka.
His first probes had revealed more than expected—Iruka's physical strength, seal speed, and the slight sluggishness in his reactions.Small details, sure, but invaluable.Once he had the data, the rest of the fight had become a puzzle he could solve.
Information changes everything.With intel, he could plan.Without it, he would've been crushed outright.
Still, he hadn't forgotten reality:He only won thanks to surprise… and because Iruka wasn't a combat specialist.
Give Tōma a few more months, narrow the physical gap, and a clean victory would be possible.For now, he still lacked in too many areas.
Especially throwing techniques.He could aim and he could accelerate—but his variations were nonexistent. Without proper form changes or feints, any fast-reacting shinobi would sidestep them easily.
The Uchiha excelled at deceptive throws.Iruka certainly didn't.
Tōma sighed.Well, at least he had one advantage.
If things went south, he could always run.Lightning Release on his legs, Wind Release on top—that combination could outpace most chūnin who didn't specialize in speed.
Survival was still a win.
He arrived at the training field to find Rock Lee already punishing the air with furious determination.Lee's exam results had clearly hit him hard.Zero points in ninjutsu.Weak theoretical marks.Only taijutsu keeping him afloat.
Tōma felt a faint tug in his chest—half sympathy, half motivation.He stepped up beside Lee and silently joined the day's training.
Meanwhile, Iruka stood shivering outside the Fujimoto home.
He had rushed here straight after the Hokage summoned him, heart pounding with excitement.The Third Hokage himself had told him: Bring the boy immediately.A direct summons from the Hokage was no small matter.
He arrived, knocked, waited—And the house was empty.
Iruka stared at the door, then at the winter sky.
"…He's probably still training, isn't he?"
A long breath fogged the air before him.It felt strangely fitting.After all this time being shocked by Tōma's talent, this didn't even surprise him anymore.
With nothing else to do, Iruka braced himself against the cold and chose to wait.
Tōma closed his breathing, easing into his Deep Focus State.
This semester, he had made dramatic progress—He no longer needed to reach physical exhaustion to enter the mental clarity zone.It still wasn't instantaneous, but he was close.
The first time had felt like scaling a sheer cliff.Now the cliff had become a steep slope—still challenging, but climbable.
And within that clarity, his thoughts aligned cleanly.Insights came faster.Body sensation sharpened.
He couldn't stay long yet; too complex a thought would eject him.But the benefits were undeniable.
When he opened his eyes again, he called Lee over.
"Sorry to trouble you again today."
"It's no trouble," Tōma said lightly. "A free test subject is valuable."
Lee nodded earnestly, entirely unbothered.
Tōma wasn't lying—every session with Lee let him refine his understanding of elemental shape manipulation.Lee's body could withstand the Lightning Release massages well enough, and in turn, Tōma could push his own technique further the next day.
He didn't feel guilty about it.If he offered this opportunity openly, half the Academy would probably line up to volunteer.A technique that strengthened the body with no lasting harm?Who wouldn't want that?
Lee eventually slumped into a satisfied heap, limbs loose, face blissful.Tōma's precision had improved—the massages felt better for Lee and gave more feedback for Tōma.
But there were limits.Lee lacked Lightning affinity, so the gains would taper eventually.Push too far, and it'd become harmful.
When he finished, Tōma flexed his hands and allowed himself a small smile.That was good.That was progress.
He wrapped up his own training and headed home.
That was when he spotted Iruka at the front door, nearly frozen stiff.
"Iruka-sensei? Why are you here?"A wild, tiny thought crossed his mind. …Revenge? No way.
Iruka shook himself out of his daze."You… were training again, weren't you?" he muttered, half in awe, half in resignation.
Then he focused, expression turning serious.
"Tōma. The Hokage wants to see you. Immediately."
Tōma's eyes widened—hard.Not with fear.
With exhilaration.
A direct summons.For someone with clean lineage and unusual talent, there were only benefits.No risk.
"Understood," Tōma said, forcing himself not to grin too obviously."Let me wash up first? I'm… covered in sweat."
Iruka blinked, then laughed awkwardly."Ah. Right. Yes. Go ahead."
Tōma ushered him inside, poured tea, and hurried to the bath.
Even as he scrubbed the sweat from his skin, anticipation thrummed through him like suppressed chakra.
A summons from the Hokage.
This was the beginning of something.