Chapter 69: This Time, I'm Definitely Safe
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Hearing the knock at the door, Asuka got up and walked over.
He cracked the door open just enough to peek outside.
Standing there was Kurenai, dressed in her usual outfit.
Bang!
He immediately shut the door again.
Leaning against it, Asuka replayed today's exam in his mind, wondering if he had somehow broken another desk without noticing.
"Open the door!"
Kurenai's voice came from outside.
Asuka couldn't help muttering,
"Isn't she a little too responsible?"
I'm not even this attentive to my own disciples.
"Leaving a guest standing outside is rude."
After hearing that, Asuka transformed back into his child form before opening the door again.
Looking at Kurenai, whose black stockings framed her long legs beneath her skirt, he asked in confusion,
"Do you need something?"
"Mhm."
She nodded.
Seeing that he had absolutely no intention of inviting her inside, she simply pulled out an exam paper and waved it in front of him.
"You didn't guess a single one correctly."
"Not one."
The enormous 0 written across the page instantly wiped the smile from Asuka's face.
...
I...
A master bomber...
Just blew myself up?
He took the paper and carefully examined every answer.
After confirming the handwriting was indeed his...
He silently turned around and walked back into the house.
Over the past two days, he'd studied Jiraiya's entire collection of motivational essays.
Combining them with the knowledge from his previous life...
He'd been certain he understood the author's intentions.
So he had answered every question from what he believed was Jiraiya's... rather eccentric perspective.
And yet...
Not a single answer was correct.
"...Damn you."
"Jiraiya."
"It was all a trap."
"Every single question."
Thump.
Asuka collapsed onto the sofa, covering his face with the exam paper as he quietly questioned his life.
"You aren't even lying on the sofa properly."
Watching him stretch out with his shoes still on, Kurenai frowned.
She pulled his feet off the couch before taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the shoe prints he'd left behind.
Then she looked at him curiously.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"I do."
Lowering the paper, Asuka stared at her expressionlessly.
"You've suddenly lowered my status."
"...?"
Kurenai blinked.
"What do you mean?"
She had expected him to reflect on why he'd scored so poorly.
Instead...
He'd somehow changed the topic entirely.
Pointing first at her, then at himself, Asuka said with complete seriousness,
"The way you suddenly started lecturing me..."
"...made me feel like I'd gained an older sister."
"..."
An older sister?
Kurenai froze.
Looking at the solemn expression on the boy's face, something softened inside her.
That's right...
He lost his parents when he was very young.
He doesn't have any siblings either.
No one has ever taken care of him like family...
"..."
Seeing the unexpectedly gentle look in her eyes, Asuka's lips twitched.
She misunderstood...
Oh well.
Throwing the exam paper aside, he stared blankly at the white ceiling.
"The physical exam is worth much more."
"The written portion isn't important."
"It is important."
Kurenai picked up the crumpled paper, carefully smoothed it flat, then pointed at one of the questions.
"Look."
"This is what you wrote."
"Heh."
Asuka gave the paper a dismissive glance.
There was no way he was ever touching elementary-school textbooks again.
His way of thinking had long surpassed that of children.
He was an adult.
Seeing that he wasn't listening, Kurenai walked over and crouched beside the sofa.
Holding the paper in one hand, she patiently explained,
"At your age, it's normal not to understand the deeper meaning behind books like this."
"Don't underestimate cultural education simply because you come from a famous clan."
"The students in your class mostly memorize everything first."
"Only after those ideas settle in their minds can they truly understand them."
Although she subconsciously clenched her fist in frustration, her voice remained remarkably gentle.
"The first time you read a book, you might only think it's interesting."
"You may not understand what it's really trying to say."
"But years later..."
"When you've experienced more of life..."
"A certain sentence may suddenly appear in your mind."
"And only then..."
"...will you truly understand it."
"Oh."
Asuka nodded thoughtfully before suddenly asking,
"So..."
"You understand Jiraiya's book?"
"You understand the hidden meaning behind it?"
"Mhm."
Kurenai nodded confidently.
Asuka looked at her with obvious suspicion.
I'm eighteen mentally and I still don't understand it.
She actually does?
Is she trying to fool me?
Clearing his throat, he asked,
"They say women mature mentally about three years earlier than men."
"So..."
"Are you mentally thirty years older than me?"
"...You..."
A vein instantly bulged on Kurenai's forehead.
Smack!
"Ow!"
"Why did you hit me?"
"When students disrespect their teachers..."
"...appropriate correction is necessary."
"It improves the relationship between teacher and student while promoting moral education."
"I'm not even your student yet."
"You will be soon."
"The future hasn't happened."
"I can already foresee it."
"It definitely will."
---
The next morning...
Konoha Ninja Academy.
Scanning the crowd, Asuka immediately spotted Kurenai.
The moment their eyes met...
He calmly looked away.
The women of Konoha...
Every single one of them is a little crazy.
They never stop bullying children.
I'm definitely never dating anyone in this village.
Looking toward the large circular training ground ahead, he quietly waited for today's physical examination to begin.
"All examinees!"
"Form two lines!"
"We'll proceed one at a time!"
Watching the children quickly organize themselves, Asuka nodded with satisfaction.
This year's applicants lacked members from the major clans.
More importantly...
There certainly wasn't another jōnin disguised as a child.
This time...
I'm absolutely safe.
"Ri!"
"Good luck!"
Hearing Kurenai cheering for him from the side, Asuka's body stiffened slightly.
He nodded without looking back.
Please...
Never give me another Academy-related system mission again.
She couldn't even explain those exam questions herself, yet blamed me for being stupid.
Unbelievable.
---
Soon...
It was Asuka's turn.
"...An Uchiha?"
Several children noticed the Uchiha crest on his back.
Expressions changed immediately.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Hasn't the Uchiha Clan only produced one failure in all these years?"
"I think so."
"I wonder if this is the genius Jiraiya mentioned in his book."
"It has to be."
"The Uchiha start far ahead of the rest of us."
"Silence!"
A proctor walked over holding a stopwatch.
He raised his voice.
"Continuous side-to-side jumps!"
"Thirty seconds!"
"Ready..."
Asuka's expression instantly became serious.
Remembering yesterday's zero...
He knew he needed to display enough ability today to create an overwhelming lead.
"Go!"
The instant the command sounded—
BOOM!
The stone beneath Asuka's feet exploded.
Everyone stared as countless afterimages instantly filled the training field.
"What..."
"It looks like Shadow Clones!"
"No..."
"Those are afterimages created purely by speed!"
"I-Is this what a genius looks like?"
Gulp.
"He moves like a taijutsu-specialized chūnin..."
"..."
The examiner stared blankly as Asuka calmly stopped moving.
"...Finished?"
"Mhm."
"How many did you complete?"
Asuka blinked.
"You... didn't count?"
"..."
The proctor scratched his head awkwardly.
"I..."
"I couldn't see clearly."
"..."
Asuka sighed.
"Just write down a number."
"As long as it's much higher than second place."
"...R-Right."
After hurriedly writing something into his notebook, the examiner pointed toward the running track.
"Next event."
"1,500-meter sprint."
"Prepare—"
The surrounding children crouched into starting positions.
Only Asuka remained standing calmly.
"Begin!"
BOOM!
The stone pavement shattered once again.
Dust exploded into the air, completely covering the starting line.
Whoosh!
Before anyone could even clear the dust...
A violent gust of wind swept through the area.
The dust disappeared.
So did Asuka.
"...What was that?"
One of the supervising chūnin looked at the bewildered starter and sighed.
"He already finished."
"...Finished?"
Looking toward the finish line, the starter saw the Uchiha child calmly walking toward the next event...
...while the remaining children had barely run a hundred meters.
He swallowed hard.
At that moment...
He finally understood the meaning behind Jiraiya's book.
This...
This is what it feels like to stand before a true genius.
From a biological standpoint...
You literally can't even see their back.
---
"Next event!"
"Weight lifting!"
"Next!"
"Shot put!"
"Next!"
"Vertical jump!"
BOOM!
The moment the command was given...
Kurenai watched Asuka's head burst straight through the roof of the testing building.
He remained hanging there for several seconds.
"...Ah..."
She instinctively covered her mouth.
Her eyes widened.
He's...
Actually this strong?
She couldn't help wondering...
Had his entrance exam performance surpassed even Kakashi-senpai's?
Thinking of that, she looked toward the smashed strength-testing machines and the completely destroyed measuring equipment.
A determined light gradually filled her eyes.
I can definitely guide this child well.
Watching Asuka complete every single physical examination in only a few minutes...
The children beside him wiped cold sweat from their foreheads.
Their voices trembled.
"...I don't want to go to school anymore."
"Me neither."
"Maybe farming with my father isn't so bad."
"Lord Jiraiya lied!"
"How could ordinary people ever surpass a genius like that?"
"No."
The supervising chūnin shook his head.
Looking at the already fully dressed Asuka before turning back to the discouraged children, he spoke quietly.
"Lord Jiraiya really was a fool when he was young."
"He ranked dead last."
"His talent wasn't remarkable."
"But once he decided to become a ninja..."
"He trained harder than anyone."
"He seized every moment."
"He overcame laziness."
"He struggled forward step by step."
"And eventually..."
"...he became one of the Legendary Sannin."
"Don't look at me like that."
"I still have Lord Jiraiya's original report card."
"It even has his autograph."
"If you don't believe me..."
"You can all come to my house later and see it yourselves."
Watching hope gradually return to the children's eyes...
The chūnin smiled faintly.
Back then...
He had ranked second from the bottom.
Jiraiya had been dead last.
As a child, he'd often secretly brought Jiraiya's report card home to prove to his parents...
...that someone performed even worse than he did.
He had never imagined...
...that the boy who always finished last would someday become one of Konoha's greatest heroes.
But that didn't stop him from using Jiraiya's report card to inspire the next generation.
After all...
It was all for Konoha.
Yes.
Everything I do...
Is for Konoha.