Kaito paused for a moment. Even Iruka himself wasn't sure how to approach Naruto initially. Iruka called him Kaito-kun instead of Kamikawagawa-kun, but when it came to Naruto, he always addressed him as Uzumaki-kun—that spoke volumes.
But it made sense. After all, Iruka's parents had died in the Nine-Tails' attack. Thinking of this, Kaito looked at Iruka seriously and said, "I think Naruto is a really good person."
'Naruto, huh? It seems Kaito and Naruto are really close.' Iruka thought to himself, hearing the familiar reference.
"Is that so? That's good then." Iruka didn't quite know what else to say and wanted to leave it at that.
"Iruka-sensei, I met Naruto before school started. Just watch without saying anything, and you'll understand," Kaito said seriously. With that, he formed a hand seal, and in the next instant, Iruka found himself staring at a very familiar figure that left him feeling unsure how to react.
Iruka's eyes widened as he watched Kaito use the Transformation Technique to turn into Naruto. 'How long has it even been? He's already learned the Transformation Technique? And it looks so polished. This Naruto could easily pass for the real one.' Although he was stunned, remembering Kaito's earlier request, he kept silent.
Soon, new customers came into Ichiraku Ramen, but upon seeing "Naruto," many of them made faces of disgust, and some even muttered a curse before turning around and leaving.
Iruka watched silently, feeling a sense of heaviness as if he had realized something important.
Kaito soon released the Transformation Technique, looking at Iruka and saying, "Naruto has always endured this kind of treatment. The fact that he's still who he is today is truly remarkable. If it were me, I wouldn't be anything like Naruto."
Iruka stayed silent for a long time, finally nodding. "You're right. Naruto has had a tough time."
"Yes, I don't think Naruto has done anything wrong. In fact, he hasn't had the chance to do anything wrong. People in the village seem to hate him because of his 'elders,' but as far as I know, Naruto has no family left. I think it's cruel to blame him for the mistakes of others." Kaito explained.
Iruka nodded, not pointing out that there was no actual "elder" of Naruto's involved—it was the Nine-Tails that the villagers resented. Kaito was right, though. Iruka had always known it deep down but could never bring himself to fully accept it. Seeing how Naruto was treated just now made him feel like, as Naruto's teacher, if he continued this way, he wouldn't deserve to hold the title.
Having come to terms with this, Iruka relaxed, finally smiling at Kaito. "Enough about that. Kaito, you've already learned the Transformation Technique so quickly and are using it so well. If I hadn't known you just received the Three Basic Techniques, I would've thought you'd been practicing for a long time."
"Yes, the Three Basic Techniques are quite fundamental and simple," Kaito replied, quickly forming a set of seals.
'What is this sealing speed?' Iruka's eyes narrowed, and then he realized something even more shocking as Kaito used the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique. Iruka was completely stunned. This level of skill, at least in terms of ninjutsu, would have been enough to qualify Kaito for graduation as a Genin during wartime.
So Kaito wasn't just talented—he was an exceptional genius.
"Kaito and Iruka, your ramen is ready." At that moment, Teuchi brought over two steaming bowls of ramen.
"Iruka-sensei, it's time to eat," Kaito said as he noticed Iruka's state.
"Oh, oh, alright." Iruka was still in shock, absentmindedly starting to eat.
Kaito had done this intentionally. If he had enough background, he would have chosen to hide some of his talent, but he didn't. As a ninja from a civilian family, he needed to showcase his talents to gain recognition and opportunities for proper training.
If he could receive training from one of the Legendary Sannin now, Kaito would immediately revise his original plan. But realistically, that wasn't likely—Orochimaru was already a rogue ninja. Even if he did appear and offered to take Kaito as an apprentice, Kaito wouldn't accept for Sinai's sake. Jiraiya was likely still roaming around due to the prophecy, collecting information and probably wouldn't return. As for Tsunade, with her hemophobia, she was even less likely to come back to the village where her painful memories lay.
After finishing the ramen, Kaito parted ways with Iruka. It was clear that Iruka hadn't fully recovered from what he had witnessed.
Seeing Iruka like that meant Kaito's purpose was fulfilled. His talent would soon be reported to the Third Hokage. After all, even if the Third Hokage's role in the Ninja Academy was largely ceremonial, he still held the position, didn't he?
As for Kaito, he headed to the training grounds. Even knowing his talent for ninjutsu was remarkable, he couldn't afford to slack on his basic physical training. After all, this was directly tied to his chakra reserves, and he needed to keep putting in the effort.
Training for the Three Basic Techniques could be put on hold for today—he had used them so much that even the chakra he had naturally recovered was almost depleted. Next time he trained with the Three Basic Techniques, it would also be time to practice Tree Climbing and, later, Water Walking.
Both techniques required precise chakra control but not a large chakra reserve. After today's experience learning the Three Basic Techniques, Kaito felt confident that he could pick up these techniques quickly.
In addition, he could start sparring with Lee soon. Now that he had learned the Three Basic Techniques, he should be able to put up a fight. Before, sparring would have only been a one-sided beating. That might still be the case, but at least now he had a way to counterattack—it was time to begin. Just learning without fighting wasn't enough. There was also the Shadow Clone Technique to learn, chakra nature transformation, and chakra form manipulation.
Thinking of all this gave Kaito a bit of a headache. It seemed like he had more and more to do, but that was a good thing. Kaito could clearly feel himself improving, and if he could maintain this progress, perhaps graduation would hold some surprises.
While Kaito continued his path of growth, Iruka went to the Hokage's office. He felt it was necessary to inform the Hokage about Kaito's talent—someone with his abilities deserved a better teacher.
"Oh, Iruka. What brings you here?" The Third Hokage looked up at Iruka, a little surprised, but still smiled warmly.
Iruka noticed the crystal ball nearby—it seemed to have been used recently—but didn't dwell on it. He proceeded to report everything about Kaito.
"Oh? Really? It seems we have a promising young seedling," the Third Hokage said, his eyes showing genuine surprise. He thought for a moment before adding, "As for changing teachers, I don't think that will be necessary. I believe you're more than capable of guiding Kaito at this stage. However, you may want to consider teaching him some ninjutsu beyond the standard curriculum."
"Understood," Iruka replied before leaving.
The Third Hokage took a deep puff from his pipe. Though Kaito was still at the beginning, it seemed like his talent was comparable to Minato's. Such talent shouldn't be wasted, but the Third Hokage was troubled—he no longer had the time or energy to personally teach a student.
Jiraiya or Tsunade would be good choices, but Tsunade was difficult to contact, and while Jiraiya had left his contact information, getting hold of him was always challenging. He would have to wait and see.
If Kaito truly had that kind of potential, then perhaps, once his chakra reserves had developed sufficiently, he could be given that jutsu early—just as Jiraiya had once taught Minato early.
If Konoha could produce another "Yellow Flash"...
"It's something to look forward to."