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Hokage's Office.
The Anbu who brought Shin did not enter the door but flashed and disappeared at the entrance. Shin was used to it and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered the office, he saw a Jonin organizing documents by the desk, Hiruzen sitting behind the desk, and Kakashi standing in front.
Noticing Shin's entry, Kakashi didn't even look up, just silently stared at his toes, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.
"..."
Shin glanced at Kakashi, walked to the desk, and looked at Hiruzen.
Although he now possessed the strength of a Special Jonin, and his speed might even surpass that of an average Jonin, he could still feel the pressure in front of Hiruzen.
After all, Hiruzen at this time was the Hokage in his prime!
Whether it was chakra, taijutsu, ninjutsu, or various experiences, he was at the peak of Kage-level, standing at the apex of the current ninja world.
Even a monster like the Third Raikage, who could fight against ten thousand, Hiruzen at this time also possessed various forbidden Hiden jutsus like the Reaper Death Seal to contend with him.
"Don't be nervous, I just called you here to ask you something."
Hiruzen spoke kindly to Shin, saying,
"Last night, the Hidden Mist Village scout near the village, was it you who took him down?"
"...Yes."
Since he had been found out, instead of making meaningless concealment, it was better to admit it openly. Anyway, his current strength was enough to attract Hiruzen's attention.
As long as he received enough attention, he would also gain corresponding safety. After all, the only threat to him in Hidden Leaf was Danzo, and with Hiruzen's attention, Danzo would not dare to do anything openly.
Hearing Shin admit it, even though Hiruzen had already largely confirmed this point, his expression still showed a slight shock.
That was an elite Hidden Mist Village scout, after all!
Shin, at this age, possessed the strength to kill an elite scout. His talent might even surpass Kakashi's!
A genius surpassing Kakashi!
"Tell me the specific process."
Hiruzen calmed his thoughts and spoke to Shin.
Shin simply narrated the specific process, including his training and the battle, except for concealing his time acceleration ability.
"You can surpass the Hidden Mist Village scout in speed?!"
After listening to Shin's narration, Hiruzen spoke with some admiration.
A ninja who could be a scout was either skilled in speed or skilled in perception, but even those skilled in perception would not be slow. Yet, Shin was able to surpass the opponent in speed, thereby killing them in a very short time, which was undoubtedly amazing.
One must know that Shin was only nine years old at this moment!
"Yes."
Shin nodded and said,
"My talent in ninjutsu and chakra is average, but my motor skills in taijutsu seem to be extraordinary, so I'm also very adept at the kenjutsu my father taught me."
Hiruzen's gaze shifted back and forth between Shin and Kakashi.
Now it seemed that Shin was probably more like the young White Fang than Kakashi!
After a brief moment of astonishment, Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and asked Shin,
"Since your strength has always been greater than Kakashi's, why have you remained in the Ninja Academy? You can't learn anything helpful there anymore, can you?"
"...I believe that being too dazzling is not a good thing."
Shin replied, glancing at Kakashi, and said,
"Being overly competitive is too childish. Ninjas are constantly in danger, and hiding oneself is the safest approach."
This response was basically Shin's own thoughts, with no falsehoods, merely concealing his apprehension towards Hidden Leaf's high-ranking officials like Hiruzen and Danzo.
"I see..."
Hiruzen heard Shin's answer, and a hint of approval appeared in his eyes. He said,
"Although you are only one year older than Kakashi, you are much more mature."
At this age, to be able to break free from 'competitiveness' and possess a steady and mature mindset, regardless of his strength, Shin was at least mentally superior to Kakashi.
Hiruzen thought of Sakumo Hatake and sighed inwardly.
He hadn't expected Sakumo's two children to both possess such high talent, and one was even more outstanding than the other... Sakumo on the other side must be very pleased.
"Given your situation, you can completely graduate from the academy."
Hiruzen came back to his senses and looked at Shin.
Shin mused,
"I only have half a year left until normal graduation, and I'll need to be assigned to a team after graduation, so graduating now and joining a class would be troublesome."
"Hmm, that's true."
Hiruzen also nodded slightly. If Shin were to graduate now, it would be troublesome to place him in the previous year's students because they had already been assigned. This year's class would not graduate for another half a year.
However, after learning about Shin's talent and strength, Hiruzen also wanted Shin to graduate early, become a full-fledged ninja, and participate in formal ninja training.
After hesitating for a while—
Hiruzen made a decision.
"Since you don't want to graduate early, I will respect your opinion. You can graduate normally with this class."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Shin bowed to Hiruzen and said:
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Sakumo, you have two good sons..."
Hiruzen sighed again, then smiled kindly at Shin and said,
"In that case, you can go back now."
Shin nodded, then left the Hokage's office and disappeared.
Kakashi remained in place.
After Shin left, Hiruzen picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. He looked at Kakashi and said,
"I didn't expect your elder brother, who is only one year older than you, to already be able to think like an adult, Kakashi. You should learn more from him."
If Kakashi had Shin's composure, he wouldn't have to worry about Kakashi's team assignment and would have specifically given this task to Minato Namikaze.
"Brother is sometimes too composed."
Kakashi couldn't help but complain when he heard Hiruzen's words, saying,
"...He can act as if he doesn't hear so many voices mocking him."
"That's the difference between you and him."
Hiruzen shook his head, his admiration for Shin growing. He said,
"Although he hasn't graduated yet, he already possesses the qualities of an excellent ninja. A ninja is—"
Listening to Hiruzen's 'teachings', Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly, and his eyes seemed to want to retort.
He had never heard anyone praise Shin for being calm before.
So, strength is the key, right?!
Kakashi felt that this should be the correct conclusion.
...
Regarding Shin's matter, Hiruzen ultimately ordered that it not be spread carelessly, and the news of Shin killing an elite Hidden Mist Village scout was sealed and hidden.
Kakashi's displayed genius talent was already on the enemy villages' assassination lists. If Shin were also exposed, it would similarly increase some danger.
For genius ninjas like Shin and Kakashi, who were 'pure-blooded' and 'rooted', Hiruzen naturally adopted a protective stance.
Only when Shin graduated and became a formal ninja would it be time to showcase the brilliance of Hidden Leaf's genius ninja.
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