One week later.
Lying on his bed, Shinichi's gaze fell quietly on the newly generated line of green text on his system panel: [Proficient In Ninjutsu (Green): Increases your speed of learning and mastering Ninjutsu. Your perception and application of chakra form and nature transformations are significantly enhanced, allowing you to learn and consistently execute Ninjutsu of the corresponding element more quickly.]
The effect of this talent is undoubtedly very strong, and it will greatly benefit him in future training.
However, although Shinichi's face remained calm, he could not hide his disappointment.
It's not blue, it's just green.
Why? Wasn't the sensation it caused enough?
Or is it that the time was too short, and the cognitive fermentation was insufficient?
He quickly dismissed both ideas.
Although afterwards, the Konoha Council, for reasons of protection and confidentiality, controlled the dissemination of specific information about the opening ceremony to some extent.
Even so, the sensational effect of this event was no less than that of the battle in which he defeated Kakashi and established his reputation as a genius.
So, where does the problem lie?
Shinichi's thoughts drifted, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the words Ninja Academy Student in the occupation list.
A nearly forgotten detail suddenly flashed into his mind. It was the notification that appeared on the panel when the occupations, Ninja Academy Student and Apprentice Swordsman, were first generated: "Based on the unlocking of the Ninja (Swordsman) occupation, from this point onward, the conversion efficiency of others' perceptions of your abilities related to your Ninja (Swordsman) occupation level determines the efficiency of others' recognition of your abilities. The highest possible class level..."
"Your professional level determines how efficiently others perceive your relevant skills..."
Shinichi suddenly realized.
Yes, unlike the Genius talent, which is not limited to any particular profession and covers all fields, Proficient in Ninjutsu (Green) is clearly categorized as a ninja talent.
What is his current ninja class level?
It is the Ninja Academy Student, which is the most basic and lowest level of trainee in the ninja system.
This professional level limits the efficiency of converting perception of related skills into practical applications.
Even though the outside world strongly recognizes him as a ninja prodigy, limited by his current professional platform, this massive cognitive effect cannot be efficiently transformed into a higher-level blue talent, and ultimately only condenses into green.
This also explains why the Basic Taijutsu (White) talent has been slow to level up, because Taijutsu is also a ninja skill.
As for his battle with Kakashi, the focus of external attention had been placed on the second match, the swordsmanship duel.
So the Basic Swordsmanship (White) talent, which belongs to the Swordsman occupation, and was also in the apprenticeship stage, but having relied on the head-on clash with the White Fang's swordsmanship, the quality of his recognition from others was completely different, which allowed him to break through to the green level in one fell swoop.
"It seems I need to be more careful in the future."
A faint sense of emotion swept through Shinichi's mind.
But even if he knew about this restriction beforehand, would he change his choice?
Won't.
Shinichi's gaze returned to calm. For him, the power he could first grasp was the best.
The tangible improvement brought by the green talent, Proficient In Ninjutsu, is immediate and significant, making it far more valuable than a vague blue talent that may not be generated due to insufficient conditions.
Moreover, realistically speaking, even if he waits until graduation, his career transition efficiency improves from Ninja Academy Student to Genin; he may not encounter another such excellent cognitive trigger point as the opening ceremony, which gathers the attention of the entire school's teachers and students, as well as the Konoha Council.
At that time, it will probably be more difficult to generate the same level of public awareness, and the gains may not be as great as this time.
There are gains and losses. Although this plan did not achieve its ideal goal, the substantial benefits gained and the important understanding of the system's rules are already invaluable.
Not to mention, it's an undeniable fact that he created the Rasengan at the age of nine, and this story will continue to be passed down, constantly providing him with relevant recognition.
At a certain point, his overall Ninjutsu talent will eventually be upgraded to blue level.
He closed the panel and shut his eyes.
Green, then let it be green.
Next, it's time to move forward with the graduation process.
Three days later, Shinichi formally submitted his application to graduate early from the Ninja Academy.
The news elicited a rather subtle reaction; almost no one was surprised; instead, there was a pervasive sense that's how it should be, and it should have been done a long time ago.
Many even privately wondered: Why did he only apply now?
This common mindset is not hard to understand. In most people's eyes, Shinichi Higashino should have graduated long ago.
The genius who beat Kakashi, this title has been around for over two years.
Now, Kakashi Hatake, who was once defeated by him, has already been promoted to Chunin and has been active in missions for almost three years.
In contrast, Shinichi's habit of staying at school obediently seems somewhat illogical.
Not to mention the Rasengan he independently developed, which shocked the entire audience at the opening ceremony a few days earlier.
A-rank Ninjutsu without hand seals, and it even has the potential to touch the threshold of S-rank... This level of achievement has long exceeded what a student should be capable of.
In the eyes of everyone, it would be a waste of time and talent for such a monster who has created miracles one after another and whose talent and strength are beyond doubt to continue to stay in the Ninja Academy to learn the basics step by step.
The fact that he didn't graduate earlier and only applied now is a little questionable.
So when the application was officially submitted, everything seemed to fall into place smoothly and without any major issues, as if it were just something that should have happened a long time ago.
However, when this application was officially submitted and placed on the Hokage's desk, one person felt somewhat troubled by it: The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had no doubt that Shinichi could pass the graduation exam; there was no need to even consider it.
His original idea was to focus on Shinichi cultivating a long-term bond with his friends. He had observed that Shinichi had a harmonious relationship with his classmates, especially his deskmates Shizune and Takashi Ishizuka.
He planned to put these kids in the same team when they graduated, normally this year, so that the friendship they formed in their youth could be further deepened and solidified during the mission, which is in line with his long-held concept of companionship.
Unexpectedly, Shinichi took the initiative to apply for early graduation.
Seeing that he had been well-behaved in the Ninja Academy for the past two years, it was thought that he would complete his studies step by step... This disrupted the third Hokage's initial plan.
What kind of teammates should he assign to him?
The third Hokage tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, lost in thought.
Kakashi?
The name flashed through my mind, but was immediately rejected.
He had other plans for Kakashi, and the boy now seemed like a closed-off, almost emotionless task machine.
If he were to team up with Shinichi, not only would they fail to build a bond, but it might also negatively influence or even corrupt this promising young talent with a bright and sunny disposition.
Their team formation may have to wait until the distant future, after Kakashi has changed.
After a moment of contemplation, the third Hokage made a decision: as long as Shinichi had not yet become a Jonin by then, and his peers of similar age had successfully graduated, he would try to re-assign them to the same squad and personally appoint a reliable Jonin as their team leader.
Before that, he would find a senior figure for this child who has spread his wings too early, someone with strong political ideology, high awareness, the ability to maintain stability, and the capacity to guide the way.
Since he can't rely on the bonds of peers for the time being, he'll make up for it with guidance from seniors.
The third Hokage scanned the list in his mind and finally settled on one name.