"Iruka-sensei, why do you think I'm slacking off?" Kairi Shinatokawa asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"Every day during extracurricular training time, you only complete the most basic exercises and then spend the rest of the time resting. That's not going to cut it," Iruka said with visible disappointment.
"Oh, that? Actually, I'm just... resting efficiently," Kairi replied after thinking for a moment.
"That still sounds like slacking off to me," Iruka muttered under his breath.
"You'll understand in a moment, Iruka-sensei." As Kairi finished speaking, his body suddenly dispersed into a puff of white smoke.
Iruka's eyes widened. A clone? And from what he could tell, it had been capable of interacting and thinking on its own. That wasn't an ordinary clone it had to be a Shadow Clone.
But that was a B-rank ninjutsu. How did Kairi even get access to it? Even if it was passed down in his family, how could someone his age have learned it already?
Shaken by the realization, Iruka decided to wait. Since Kairi had told him to hold on, his real body was probably on the way.
Not long after, a boy drenched in sweat appeared before him.
"This is your answer, Iruka-sensei," Kairi said calmly, his condition speaking for itself.
"So what you've been doing is sending a shadow clone to class while the real you trains elsewhere... and then using extracurricular time to rest?" Iruka asked, still a bit stunned.
"Exactly. The school's training isn't just low in volume it's also low in intensity. If I followed it as prescribed, it would take way too long to reach my goals. But if I went all out with my own training methods, I'd stand out too much. I don't want to become the class spectacle," Kairi explained.
"I see. Then I misjudged you." Iruka stared at the boy in front of him, completely stunned now that he understood how much effort Kairi was truly putting in.
Such drive, at such a young age and that kind of natural talent. Just how far could he go in the future?
The thought left Iruka a little awestruck.
Suddenly, a worry came to him, and his expression darkened.
"Wait a second. I've heard Shadow Clones come with a severe side effect. That's why no one uses them for long-term training or study!"
"Ah, you must be referring to the accumulated fatigue being transferred back to the original, right? I've known about that from the start," Kairi said. "But Shadow Clones retain the physical and mental state of the user at the time they're created. So as you can see, I'm fine. It's all factored into my training plan."
"That makes sense." Iruka nodded thoughtfully. Now that he reflected on it, Kairi always seemed well-rested and alert in the mornings, quietly reading on his own. Clearly, the clone training hadn't caused any negative effects.
Could the rumors have been wrong? That seemed unlikely. If there were no side effects, more people would be using Shadow Clones this way.
Which meant Iruka realized it was probably just Kairi's freakish natural talent again. Something other students couldn't imitate.
What does hard work plus genius even add up to? Iruka could only click his tongue in amazement.
If Kairi knew what Iruka was thinking, he probably would've rolled his eyes. In another world, maybe that combination would be unbeatable. But in the Naruto world? It only gave you a head start.
In the end, the ceiling would always be defined by bloodline.
Just look at the Sage of Six Paths. Not one of those monsters was a regular person.
Kairi didn't even know if an ordinary person could survive becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki by gathering all the tailed beasts let alone awaken Six Paths Sage Mode.
"Oh, right. Iruka-sensei, do you happen to have any textbooks from the upper years? Or maybe some advanced reading material about the ninja path?" Kairi asked. It wasn't often his real body was face-to-face with Iruka, so he figured he'd settle the matter now.
"I do. But what are you planning to do with them?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... I've basically finished self-studying all of the first-year curriculum already," Kairi replied, glancing up at him.
"So that's why you barely pay attention in class you've been reading ahead the whole time?!" Iruka looked deflated.
"Not exactly. I do pay attention when you share your own experiences. But most of the other teachers just read straight from the book. In those cases, I usually don't bother listening. But your lectures are actually really good, Iruka-sensei," Kairi added sincerely.
"Am I supposed to feel happy about that?" Iruka muttered, clearly not.
After thinking it over, Iruka said, "Tell you what. I'll give you a little quiz on the material. If you pass, I'll get you a library pass so you can borrow whatever books you want."
"Huh? Really?" Kairi's eyes lit up in surprise. That was unexpected. From Iruka's tone, it sounded like this wasn't just any library it was likely the ninja-exclusive one.
"It's real. But I'm warning you the questions won't be easy. You want to take a little time to prepare first?" Iruka asked, smiling with a hint of mischief. The Third Hokage had once told him to keep an eye on this kid, so this wasn't out of line.
"No need. We can start now," Kairi replied without hesitation. For him, memorizing foundational knowledge was child's play.
"Well, you're confident, I'll give you that. Alright then let's see what you've got."
Some time later...
Iruka looked over Kairi's answers, his lips twitching. Nearly perfect. Not quite full marks, but even better than he'd expected. He had just been aiming for a passing grade when he made the test.
"Fine. Come by tomorrow to pick up your library pass," Iruka sighed, trying to take it in stride. Having a genius student was a blessing... even if it was a blow to a teacher's sense of accomplishment.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. Would it be alright if I go home now to wash up and come back afterward? I'm all sticky from training," Kairi asked.
"Of course. Just remember to train in moderation, alright? Don't overdo it," Iruka reminded him.
"I know. Isn't that why I'm the most developed in our class?" Kairi replied with a serious nod. His constant training had given him a clear physical edge over his peers.
Iruka froze. He gave Kairi a once-over and thought about it. Come to think of it... the kid really was the most physically developed in class.
So mature, Iruka thought. It made him feel completely irrelevant as a teacher.
"Go on then. But don't take too long," Iruka said, slumping back into his chair like he'd just been drained of all energy. With a student like this, he couldn't tell if he was blessed or cursed.
Kairi nodded and walked off. As for "don't take too long"?
Yeah, that wasn't happening. He hadn't finished his daily training yet. The one coming back later would just be a shadow clone again.
Kairi glanced over his shoulder at Iruka, who now looked like he'd lost the will to live. He decided not to say anything.
At least now that Iruka knew what was going on, he wouldn't have to keep sneaking shadow clones through the bathroom. That routine was getting risky. If people started talking about him having issues in there, that would be a pain.
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