The Root operative stood unmoving in my courtyard like a statue carved out of shadow.
"Ye. These are the latest instructions from Lord Danzo."
Ye.My Root codename.
I took the scroll without a word.Root agents were trained to avoid unnecessary conversation—especially with hidden pieces like me.Too much interaction risked being discovered by the Anbu.
As he turned to leave, I quietly triggered Appraisal.
[Name: Ping Shuise][Chakra: 7000][Potential: B][Evaluation: Capable Jōnin — stable frontline combatant]
Seven thousand chakra.Almost twice mine.Even Shisui, at age six, was already catching up to me faster than I could stand.
When the operative's chakra finally faded beyond my sensory range, I locked the door and unrolled the scroll.
Danzo's handwriting was sharp, aggressive—each stroke like a blade.
"Uchiha Shisui in your class is a genius of the Uchiha clan.Observe him. Confirm his character. Evaluate him."
I let out a slow breath.
Danzo's paranoia about the Uchiha wasn't just suspicion—it was pathology.
Shisui was only six. Barely tall enough to reach the chalkboard.But one whisper of being "a clan genius," and Danzo's gaze sharpened like a kunai pressed against a throat.
He probably wanted Shisui in Root.But that would never happen.
The Third Hokage tolerated Root.He did not tolerate Danzo acquiring weapons strong enough to threaten the village.
Uchiha genius + Danzo's control = unstable explosive tag.
The Hokage would cut that possibility instantly.
I ignited the scroll with a flick of fire chakra and let it burn to ash between my fingers.
Even without Danzo's order, I would've reported Shisui's genius.Trying to hide that kind of talent from Danzo was suicide.
I created a shadow clone and sent it to drill ninjutsu.Meanwhile, I sat cross-legged and focused on my biggest weakness:
Chakra.
Knowledge meant nothing if the energy behind it was too small.A ninja with little chakra had a low ceiling.A ninja with massive chakra… even if unskilled, could overwhelm through pressure alone.
I needed to reach the point where my chakra didn't cage my strength.
The Next Morning
No classes today—perfect.
I headed to the Ninja Academy's Archive Room, the quietest place in the building.
Test papers lined the shelves:Fourth-year written exams, last ten years.Then first-year exams for comparison.
I flipped through page after page.
Patterns.Repeating question types.Recycled structures.Some questions appeared unchanged across multiple years.
I smirked.
Obito and Guy weren't facing a puzzle—they were facing repetition.
Good.Two years' worth of papers would be enough.If they trained seriously, they would pass.
I grabbed the relevant sets and walked back to the teacher's office.
Inside, chaos was already brewing.
"I'm telling you, she listened to me the whole time yesterday! She was interested—obviously!"
"Or maybe she simply didn't want to argue with you."
"When we paid, she even offered to split the bill! Isn't that basically her showing sincerity?"
"That's her preventing you from using 'I treated you last time' as an excuse to ask for a second date."
Ueda Aya was going toe-to-toe with Iketani Isamu.Kimura Sugito was watching with the relaxed amusement of someone observing wildlife.
"Teacher Hanyū," Kimura whispered to me. "Iketani wants dating advice. Aya's trying to convince him the girl wasn't into him."
Iketani spotted me instantly.
"Teacher Hanyū! Good timing—any secret techniques for chasing a girl?"
He looked at me like I held some forbidden legendary romance scroll.
I sighed inwardly.
"Technique? No. Sincerity matters most."
Whether I knew techniques or not wasn't the point.Even if I did, telling Iketani wouldn't suit his… stats.
"Sincerity…" he repeated, looking lost.
Aya crossed her arms.
"Give up, Iketani. Whatever works for Teacher Hanyū probably won't work for you."
"How is that possible?! Sure, Mr. Hanyū is a little more handsome than me, but—"
"A little?"
Their argument sparked again.
I gave Iketani a polite nod.
"Good luck."
He brightened instantly, as if I'd blessed him with divine power.
Afternoon Class
I intentionally lowered the quality of my lecture.
If my guess was correct, System evaluations had two components:
Teaching content
Student satisfaction
My A-rank lectures had always been high in both.
But I wanted to test something:Would the system give a special reward for a first-time B?
[Lecture Completed — Settlement Processing][Rating: B][Reward Granted: Chakra +20][First-Time B-Rating Bonus: Skill Unlocked — Chakra Form Manipulation (Proficient)]
My vision pulsed—new memories flooding in.
Chakra form manipulation.Equal in importance to attribute manipulation.Essential for advanced ninjutsu control.
Rasengan flashed through my mind.
A pure form-manipulation technique.No nature chakra, no hand signs.Just raw rotational force and precision.
It's time to develop it myself.
With both nature and form manipulation under my belt, Rasengan wouldn't be difficult.
The +20 chakra was small—but every point mattered.
I added the new skill and development routine to my already overloaded schedule.
Teach during the day.Train Shisui at night.Develop jutsu afterward.Special train Obito and Guy on weekends.
A stable, fulfilling life.
If only this era allowed stability.
On the fourth day since I arrived in the Naruto world—
Bad news from the front lines reached Konoha.