After all, any shinobi worth their salt knew that the most infamous and widely utilized technique in the entire Hidden Mist Village was the *Hiding in Mist Jutsu*.
"What a pity," Shiro sighed, leaning back against his headboard. "I was really hoping I had pulled a complete immunity to genjutsu."
Still, an absolute counter to visual obstruction was nothing to scoff at.
As the quiet night faded, the morning of the official Genin assignments arrived.
The very first thing Shiro did upon waking was not to head to the Academy, but to take a detour to the Hokage Tower to speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He needed to finalize his request to operate as a one-man Genin team.
"Hiss..."
Hiruzen drew a sharp breath through his teeth, pulling the pipe from his mouth. "Shiro, my boy... are you absolutely certain you want to proceed as a solo operative?"
The Hokage naturally wanted to dissuade him. The foundation of Konoha's military structure was the three-man squad. It taught teamwork, covered individual weaknesses, and forged the Bonds of Fire.
However, Shiro's attitude remained immovably firm.
"I have already made my decision, Lord Hokage," Shiro said, his expression solemn and respectful. "With the sudden awakening of the Wood Style, my current destructive output is... difficult to restrain. If I were placed on a standard team, my peers would be in constant danger of being caught in the crossfire of my own jutsu."
Shiro paused, letting the weight of his 'concern' sink in. "For the safety of the other students, and to ensure I don't hold back out of fear of hurting them... I strongly prefer to operate as a one-man team."
Naturally, Shiro wasn't going to bluntly state the truth: *I look down on the combat capabilities of everyone in my graduating class, and I don't want them slowing me down.*
If he had said that, the Third Hokage would have almost certainly rejected his request to teach him a lesson in humility.
But Shiro knew how to play the game. As long as he wrapped his selfish desires in the warm, comforting blanket of the 'Will of Fire'—framing his isolation as a noble sacrifice for the village's youth—Hiruzen would eat it up.
After all, the Ninja World was full of master actors. You had Obito Uchiha playing the tragic, broken-hearted villain, and Itachi Uchiha playing the ruthless, clan-slaughtering traitor. Regardless of their actual morality, their ability to deceive was top-tier. Shiro figured he could muster a few tears for the greater good.
"I see..." Hiruzen murmured, deeply moved by the boy's apparent selflessness.
He truly couldn't find a valid logical or moral reason to refute the request. Shiro's current combat strength already rivaled, if not surpassed, an elite Jonin. Pairing him with fresh Academy graduates would be like hitching a dragon to a cart of blind mice; it would only end in disaster. Furthermore, it solved a logistical headache; removing Shiro from the roster made balancing the remaining teams much easier.
"Very well, Shiro. I grant your request," Hiruzen nodded decisively. "This means I will need to adjust the rosters. It seems Sakura Haruno will be joining Team 7 after all."
Shiro offered a polite bow of thanks. He didn't particularly care who took his empty seat next to the reincarnated demigods.
By the time Shiro finally arrived at the Ninja Academy, Iruka had already posted the initial notice regarding the impending team assignments on the chalkboard.
"Look! It's Shiro!"
A girl near the window squealed, and instantly, the classroom erupted into chaos as a swarm of female students abandoned their desks to surround him.
"Shiro! Shiro! Who are you planning to team up with?!"
"Please, Shiro, tell me you requested to be on my team!"
"No, team up with me! We'd be perfect together!"
"Alright, everyone, settle down! Don't put Shiro on the spot," Iruka intervened, clapping his hands loudly to disperse the mob and help his star pupil out of the suffocating crowd.
"Actually, Iruka-sensei, I won't be joining a squad," Shiro stated clearly, his voice carrying over the murmurs.
"Huh?" Iruka froze, his mind going completely blank for a second. "What did you just say? Not joining a squad?"
His proudest, most talented student was choosing to remain a lone wolf?
"Shiro, please, you must reconsider!" Iruka urged, suddenly anxious. "The bonds forged within a Genin team are crucial! They provide support, cover your blind spots, and teach you the true meaning of being a Konoha shinobi!"
"Iruka-sensei, please don't agitate yourself," Shiro replied gently, noting the strained lines around the instructor's mouth. "You're still recovering from the wound on your back from last night, aren't you? You shouldn't stress yourself."
Iruka paused, his heart warming considerably. He hadn't expected Shiro to be so observant or caring about the shuriken wound he had sustained while protecting Naruto from Mizuki.
"Hahaha! I'm here, everyone!"
Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open, and Naruto Uzumaki strutted into the room, radiating an obnoxious amount of cheerful energy.
Unlike his gloomy demeanor from the past few days, Naruto was practically glowing. As he walked down the aisle, he continuously, ostentatiously polished the shiny metal plate of the Konoha forehead protector strapped proudly to his brow, making sure absolutely everyone saw it.
"Wait, why is Naruto here?" a boy whispered loudly. "Didn't he fail the exam yesterday?"
"Yeah, I saw him fail with my own eyes!"
Naruto's sudden appearance and his brand-new headband instantly caused a wave of confused gossip.
"Hey, what's everyone whispering about?" Naruto asked loudly, leaning into a group of students.
"Uh... nothing," Shikamaru muttered, rubbing his neck. "We were just talking about how Shiro just announced he isn't going to join a Genin team."
"WHAT?!"
Hearing this, Naruto practically jumped out of his skin, his jaw hitting the floor.
---
"Shiro! Why won't you join a team?!" Naruto yelled, rushing over and looking at his friend with frantic anxiety.
After all, Shiro had just orchestrated the entire heist to help him learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu and pass the exam! Naruto had been secretly praying to the Sage of Six Paths all morning that they would be assigned to the same squad.
"It's nothing dramatic, Naruto. I just can't be bothered to participate in the standard routine," Shiro replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
It was a decision he had finalized long ago. He had absolutely zero interest in participating in the glorified babysitting and menial labor that constituted early Genin life.
While the other fresh graduates might romanticize the idea of 'missions,' Shiro knew the harsh reality of D-rank assignments. Pulling weeds, painting fences, delivering groceries, and chasing the Daimyo's infernal runaway cat, Tora.
He now possessed the maxed-out Wood Style and a plethora of overpowered system traits. He would much rather spend his days in solitary meditation, thoroughly testing and familiarizing himself with the massive arsenal of S-rank forbidden jutsu he had just stolen from the Hokage. Operating as a one-man team gave him the ultimate operational freedom and plausible deniability to train in secret.
"Besides, I don't really need teammates to watch my back... and I certainly don't need rivals to motivate me," Shiro added smoothly.
His confident, borderline arrogant declaration sent another wave of swooning sighs through the female contingent of the classroom.
"He's so cool..." Ino whispered, her eyes sparkling.
"So domineering and mysterious!" Sakura agreed, blushing furiously.
Naruto, however, grew increasingly agitated. "Shiro, come on! That's... that's just pure arrogance!" Naruto yelled, struggling to articulate his frustration.
But before Naruto could continue his rant, Sasuke scoffed loudly from his desk.
"When a weakling brags, it's called arrogance, loser," Sasuke sneered, not even looking at Naruto. "When someone with Shiro's overwhelming power states a fact, it's simply the truth. He *is* domineering."
Even Sasuke's bruised pride forced him to admit the undeniable reality. If he possessed a fraction of the monstrous strength Shiro had displayed yesterday, he would have demanded to be a solo operative as well. Why drag around dead weight?
"Shut up, stupid Sasuke! What do you know?!" Naruto fired back instantly, his attention snapping to his eternal rival.
The two boys immediately began aggressively bickering right there in the aisle, completely forgetting about Shiro's announcement.
"Alright, that is enough! Everyone, take your seats immediately!" Iruka bellowed, his patience finally snapping. He rubbed his temples, a headache already forming. Not everyone possessed Shiro's maturity.
"The Jonin squad leaders will be arriving shortly to collect their teams. Sit down and be quiet!"
As the students quickly scrambled to their assigned desks, Shiro stepped forward, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"In that case, Iruka-sensei, I will take my leave," Shiro said politely.
Since he wasn't participating in the draft, there was no reason for him to sit through the tedious introductions. It was the perfect time to head out to the training grounds and test out his new *Piercing Vision* and spatial jutsu.
"Shiro... are you absolutely sure you won't reconsider?" Iruka pleaded one last time, his voice softening. As a fundamentally average shinobi, Iruka genuinely struggled to comprehend the isolated path of a true, unrivaled genius.
"I have already discussed the matter at length with Lord Hokage, and he has officially approved my solo status," Shiro replied firmly.
Hearing that the Third Hokage himself had signed off on the decision, Iruka finally relented with a heavy sigh. "Very well, then. Dismissed."
There was nothing more to say. How could a Chunin instructor argue with the Hokage's decree regarding a boy whose power already eclipsed most of the village's elite?
Shiro nodded respectfully, turned, and exited the classroom, stepping out into the bustling hallway of the Academy.
Just as he was mentally reviewing his training schedule, feeling quite satisfied that all the tedious administrative hurdles were cleared, he suddenly collided heavily with something incredibly soft and pleasantly fragrant.
*Oof!*
Because his mind had been wandering, and the person had just turned the corner sharply, Shiro hadn't registered their approach in time. He stumbled backward slightly from the impact.
"Oh! My apologies! Are you alright, young man?"
A gentle, remarkably sultry voice washed over him, accompanied by a pair of warm, soft hands lightly gripping his shoulders to steady him.
Having spent the better part of a decade entirely surrounded by screeching, flat-chested elementary school children, Shiro was momentarily caught off guard by the sheer, undeniable maturity of the voice and the proximity of the woman.
He looked up.
A cascade of untamed, flowing black hair framed a strikingly beautiful face. But it was her eyes that immediately captured attention—a deep, mesmerizing crimson with distinct, ringed pupils.
And, perhaps more notably, her figure was exceptionally full and curvaceous, accentuated tightly by her unique kunoichi attire. She radiated a potent, mature charm that made the academy girls look like exactly what they were: children.
*'Well, now,'* Shiro thought, a purely appreciative, wicked thought crossing his mind. *'Her future children certainly won't go hungry.'*
"Are you alright? Did I bump your head?" Kurenai Yuhi asked, leaning in slightly, her crimson eyes scanning the handsome young man's face with genuine concern.
She recognized him instantly from the observation mission a few days prior. It was Shiro, the enigmatic genius. She had been rushing down the hallway, eager to reach the classroom and officially meet her newly assigned Genin team—Team 8—when she had accidentally run right into him.
"I'm perfectly fine," Shiro replied, his lips curving into a smooth, practiced smile as he easily regained his balance. "Are you a Jonin instructor, miss?"
Although Shiro had instantly recognized her identity as Kurenai Yuhi, the village's premier Genjutsu specialist, there was no harm in playing polite.
His previous, absolute indifference to the persistent, desperate advances of Ino, Sakura, and the rest of his female classmates wasn't because he was oblivious or completely uninterested in romance. It was simply because, possessing the mental maturity and memories of an adult from his past life, he viewed them as literal, annoying children.
But a confident, beautiful, mature kunoichi like Kurenai?
That was an entirely different story. That was the true path.