Chapter 7 – Genius
As soon as Iruka gave the go-ahead, Natsuri sat down and began extracting his chakra. This time, he pulled out every last bit in one go and released it without hesitation. A faint blue glow surrounded his entire body.
Iruka's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. Just one attempt and this kid could extract that much chakra? That was… insane.
But then their eyes met.
Natsuri: (・_・) Staring…
Iruka: "Eh…?"
"Natsuri-kun, why did you stop? If you want me to measure your chakra, you need to extract all of it," Iruka reminded him, a little confused.
"I already did," Natsuri frowned, then gave Iruka a doubtful look. "Iruka-sensei… is my chakra too low?"
That would be bad news. A low chakra reserve could severely limit how many jutsu he'd be able to use.
"Low? No, no, not at all!" Iruka quickly waved his hands, flustered. "I just didn't expect you to extract everything in a single try. That's not something most people can do."
"In that case, Iruka-sensei, how much chakra do I actually have right now? If I were a genin, where would I stand?" Natsuri asked seriously. This was the result of years of effort. He needed to know.
"Hmm, give me a second…" Iruka observed the chakra surrounding him carefully, then said, "Right now, you've got about half the chakra of a freshly graduated genin—at the minimum threshold. Compared to the average genin, though… you're still short by about twice that much."
"Twice as much…?" Natsuri frowned again.
"No, no! You're doing great, Natsuri-kun," Iruka said quickly. "At your age, that's already a solid amount. And remember, you're still growing. Chakra increases naturally as you get older. Actually, at this stage, physical growth contributes more to chakra reserves than training."
He glanced again at the aura of chakra still faintly clinging to Natsuri and couldn't help but smile in admiration. "If you keep this up until graduation, you'll definitely surpass the average by a mile."
"I see…" Natsuri finally let out a breath of relief. So all the work he'd put in up until now hadn't been for nothing. Surpassing average sounded like a decent start.
Then something popped into his mind—something a little concerning. This class had Uzumaki Naruto in it.
Naruto's chakra reserves were ridiculous thanks to being the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki from birth. Not to mention, he was also the reincarnation of Asura and had the Uzumaki clan's insane vitality. Even without the Nine-Tails, his chakra levels would be through the roof.
If he compared himself to that, he'd probably feel like he didn't even make the cut. But still… it wouldn't be fair to compare himself to a walking chakra factory. Natsuri chuckled at the thought.
Iruka saw him smile and felt a wave of relief. He'd been worried that he might have just crushed a talented student's confidence. That would've been unforgivable.
In Iruka's eyes, Natsuri was a genius. To pick up chakra extraction on his own in just a few days was already amazing. But the way he extracted it—so smooth, so refined—and the fact that his chakra reserve already matched a third-year's? That was on a whole different level.
Actually…
"Oh right, Natsuri-kun, one more thing," Iruka added with a grin. He was genuinely happy to have such a talented student.
"Hmm?" Natsuri tilted his head.
"The amount of chakra you released in one go earlier? It's already more than most genin can handle. It's actually close to what a chūnin might use in a single technique. That's seriously impressive."
"Oh," Natsuri responded, not too surprised. For him, being able to release that much chakra was more about his mental strength—and that was one area where he had complete confidence.
"Oh yeah, Iruka-sensei, can I learn the San no Jutsu early?" he asked, finally bringing up his second goal. Truthfully, both of his goals today were connected. If he wanted to get access to the Three Basic Jutsu, he had to prove he was ready.
"Hm… by the official curriculum, they're taught in the second year. But with your current skills…" Iruka scratched his head, thinking it over. "Honestly, you're already past that level, so yeah. I'll allow it."
There weren't any strict rules against teaching it early. The only reason it wasn't usually done was because most students simply weren't ready. But Natsuri clearly wasn't most students.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." Natsuri gave him a sincere bow. He'd chosen Iruka because he knew his personality—kind, fair, and supportive. If the teacher had been Mizuki, there's no way he'd have come. Even if he'd been pretty sure Iruka would say yes, he still felt genuinely grateful. He didn't have to say yes.
"No need to thank me, really," Iruka chuckled, scratching his cheek. "You earned it through your own effort."
Then he handed him three scrolls. "These are the Three Basic Jutsu. I've added my own notes to help with learning. Take your time reading through them. If anything confuses you, just come find me. Oh—and make sure to return the scrolls later, okay?"
"Got it." Natsuri took the scrolls and peeked at the contents. Sure enough, there were plenty of handwritten notes inside. It looked like Iruka had prepped these as teaching materials—some even had extra instructions for classroom demonstrations. Honestly, with explanations this clear, if he still couldn't understand them, he might as well go bang his head against a wall.
"Anything else, Natsuri-kun?" Iruka asked.
"Well, since you've helped me out so much, I'd like to treat you to a meal," he said casually.
"Haha, that's kind of you, but helping students is part of the job. Besides, I've got something to do la—"
"Ichiraku Ramen," Natsuri said before he could finish.
Iruka froze.
He did love Ichiraku Ramen. But still… was it really okay to let a student treat him? It wasn't even expensive. He could afford it easily on a chūnin salary. But when he saw how serious Natsuri looked, and considering his family's situation, maybe letting him do this small thing wouldn't hurt.
"In that case, Iruka-sensei," Natsuri cut in again, seeing him hesitate, "I'll head home first. Let's meet in front of Ichiraku Ramen at six."
Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and left.
Iruka blinked, watching him walk away. This kid… doesn't act his age at all.
Thinking back on his situation, Iruka let out a soft sigh.
It's true what they say—kids from tough families mature faster.
But what really got him? He even remembered that he liked Ichiraku Ramen. He'd mentioned it once in class, and most kids wouldn't have paid any attention to that.
Yep. Having a student like Natsuri… was something special.
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