The joint practical combat class had been a complete disaster. With the training grounds turned into a swamp, school was dismissed early.
The "A-Class Seven," led by Tetsumaru, decided to rent a private training field in the village for extra practice. It wasn't until dusk that they finally sat down to rest, passing around water bottles and chatting.
"I'm graduating early," Uchiha Fueka said casually, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.
...
"Why is everyone being so quiet?" Fueka demanded, his attempt at a "cool guy" reveal falling flat as he glared at the six friends lying on the grass beside him.
Hyuga Tokuma let out a dry huff. He had already awakened his Byakugan and didn't bother hiding his disdain. "I'm going with you."
"We're going next year," Takeshi replied, with Mao, Daidou, and Ame nodding in agreement.
"..."
"I plan to stay for another two years and graduate on schedule," Tetsumaru added nonchalantly.
"Huh? Tetsumaru, if you—the top of the class—don't apply, Tokuma and I are going to feel pretty awkward graduating without you," Fueka blurted out.
Tokuma scowled at Fueka's outburst but didn't dispute the sentiment. The group found it strange; it was practically a tradition that the undisputed number one of any year graduated early. If Tetsumaru stayed behind, their early graduation would feel like they were just rushing to leave his shadow.
Tetsumaru rolled over and sat cross-legged, resting his chin on his folded hands as he addressed his friends seriously.
"My situation is different from yours."
"This year, Senju Nawaki-senpai graduated and was taken on as a disciple by Lord Orochimaru. As the other two Great Clans, the Uchiha and Hyuga have to make a statement to maintain their prestige. Since you can't beat Nawaki in terms of 'quality'—considering his lineage and master—your clans are going for 'quantity.' That's why you two are being pushed to graduate two years early."
Fueka and Tokuma's eyes widened. It had never occurred to them that their early graduation was a political counter-move to a senior student two years their elder.
Tetsumaru then turned to Takeshi, Ame, Mao, and Daidou. "As for you four, I expect you'll graduate next year because of the war."
"The war ended years ago," Takeshi argued. "Konoha's ninja population is higher than it was during the Second Hokage's time, and it's still growing. Our class alone is going to add five hundred Genin."
"Exactly. And I bet the other four Great Villages are seeing the same massive influx of Genin," Tetsumaru countered. "That many ninjas? That's not for mission quotas. That's a build-up for war."
"Think about the prices over the last two years. Remember the hyperinflation before the last war? These price hikes are caused by the hidden villages stockpiling supplies and grain. The shadow of a Second Great War is looming. The more supplies they stockpile, the higher the costs of storage and maintenance become. By the end of next year, the cost of maintaining the stockpile will exceed the cost of buying more."
"Therefore, I predict war will break out in the second half of next year."
His friends listened—half of them looking thoughtful, the other half looking like they were listening to a lecture in a foreign language. Only Nara Mao looked truly shell-shocked. He understood the logic perfectly, and it terrified him.
The Nara clan often served as advisors to the Hokage and held strategic positions across various departments. By pooling their internal information, they could piece together almost any secret in Konoha. Mao knew war was coming based on military intelligence, but he had never thought to deduce the timeline from the price of grain.
Tetsumaru's reasoning was even more persuasive. As a military organization built on a mercenary structure, money was the deciding factor. To a certain extent, the budget had more authority than the Hokage. If preparing for war led to a deficit that only starting the war could solve, the Great Villages would demand conflict. No single person could stop that momentum.
Mao calmed his breathing and nodded. "That makes sense. If we graduate next spring, we'll have time to adapt to real combat and build chemistry in our squads before the front lines open."
"Most of my cousins, aside from Shibi, are applying for early graduation next year," Tetsumaru noted. "What about your clans?"
The others nodded. Tokuma added, "The Hyuga branch families from the third year and up will all graduate early next year."
After a moment of silence, Mao asked the question on everyone's mind: "Tetsumaru, why are you waiting another two years?"
"Because I haven't found my path yet."
"Your path? You mean your Nindo?" Takeshi asked bluntly.
Tetsumaru shook his head. "No. I mean the path to becoming truly strong."
"You all know my current strength is mostly based on Taijutsu. My talent doesn't match my clan's secret arts; I have no future in traditional insect-mastery. For an Aburame ninja to rely on physical brawling and a handful of makeshift ninjutsu... it's a joke. No ninja reaches the peak through Taijutsu alone—even the Gentle Fist requires the Byakugan to be elite."
Tokuma nodded. Since awakening his Byakugan, the power of his Gentle Fist had skyrocketed, significantly closing the gap between him and Tetsumaru. He understood the importance of a "multiplier."
Tetsumaru knew there was a Taijutsu path that led to the peak, but the Eight Inner Gates—a path of decades of labor for a single moment of brilliance—wasn't for him.
"I need time," he concluded. "I need to find a way that fits me."
The conversation turned heavy as they contemplated life and war. For a long while, they just sat there, listening to the wind.
Finally, Tetsumaru broke the silence. "Anyway, I found some really interesting bugs lately. Want to see a show?"
Tetsumaru stood up, brushed the grass off his clothes, and pulled a beetle out of his shirt, letting it perch on his right thumb. He flicked his wrist as if snapping his fingers.
Whish!
A blade of wind shot out, slamming into a tree ten meters away and sending wood chips flying.
"Wind Style: Wind Arrow!"
A mere D-rank jutsu? No—it was a seal-less casting!
All six friends scrambled to their feet. A seal-less jutsu at their age was unheard of.
"How did you do that?!"
Mao stared intently at the beetle on Tetsumaru's thumb. The beetle's shell had popped open, and it was emitting a faint wisp of white smoke. It was dead. The seal-less jutsu had definitely come from the insect.
Tetsumaru adopted a scholarly tone. "Last year, I heard an elder tell stories about the Second Hokage. He mentioned that the Second could use the Water Dragon Bullet with only three hand seals, whereas the standard version requires forty-four. It made me wonder: are hand seals actually necessary to perform ninjutsu?"
"No, obviously not," Mao replied instantly, gesturing to the splintered tree.
"Right. They aren't." "A lot of Jonin use fewer seals than the textbooks say," the others added.
They began to pool their own observations. Revolutionary discoveries often leave many clues, but people rarely string them together until the conclusion is presented to them.
"Tetsumaru, you're a genius."
Tetsumaru smirked. Seal-less casting, eye-casting, one-handed seals, foot seals—the top ninjas of the future all had tricks to bypass the standard "Rat-Ox-Tiger" routine. No top-tier ninja stood there and weaved every seal by the book... except for Kisame Hoshigaki, the "Honest Man" of the Akatsuki.
In the real world, many ninjas likely had techniques to reduce seals, but they hid them as trump cards.
"I spent the last year researching the relationship between seals and chakra," Tetsumaru continued. "And finally..."
"You figured it out?!" they shouted in unison.
"Of course..." Tetsumaru's eyebrows arched. "I didn't."
His expression went deadpan—the classic "dead fish eyes" that not even his sunglasses could hide.
"..." (°ー°〃) x6
His six friends immediately swarmed him, delivering a coordinated thrashing.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" "I knew it! He's always like this!"
Ame kicked him twice before sensing something was off. She sighed, pulled a training hammer from her back, and slammed it toward Tetsumaru's head.
Poof!
Tetsumaru turned into a wooden log.
"Tch. His Substitution Jutsu is getting too good." "When did he swap?" "I didn't notice at all."
Tetsumaru stood a few meters away, grinning. "I didn't figure out the seals, but I found some special bugs while looking for the answer."
"I found that after being flushed with massive amounts of chakra, most insects die. But a few survive. I selected the ones with the most distinct appearances and bred them. After ten generations of selective breeding, I got these: Jutsu Insects. They possess a natural ability to trigger a specific ninjutsu."
"The problem is, breeding hundreds of them might only result in one successful mutation. And you never know what jutsu they'll cast until they do it. Plus, the insect dies the moment the jutsu triggers. It's not very practical."
Ame raised a hand. "Wait. You don't know what jutsu will come out?"
"Nope."
"Then that Wind Arrow just now..."
"Oh, that was just good luck. It happened to be a normal offensive spell."
(°ー°〃) x6
The group's expressions turned pale. There are a lot of low-level jutsus out there, many of which are... bizarre. The beetle could have easily triggered a "Confusion," "Rage," "Excessive Sweating," or "Incontinence" effect.
"It's not that bad," Tetsumaru explained as he pulled out six more beetles. "I've found some patterns. The smoother and more lustrous the shell, the higher the jutsu's rank. The patterns and colors usually match the elemental nature. Anyway, they're just for research. You guys can have these—play around with them."
The six friends lunged for the beetles, cussing him out while they divided the spoils.
"You're just using us as guinea pigs again! And you only give us one each?" "Exactly! Last time you gave us those 'Alarm Crickets' for free, then started charging for them once we were hooked! You made a fortune!" "This is just a marketing stunt! Give us a few hundred each or we're using these on you right now!"
Tetsumaru sighed. His friends really were the elite seeds of their clans; he'd let one detail slip, and they'd instantly reverse-engineered his entire sales strategy.
"Pah! Hundreds? In your dreams. I told you, I have to breed hundreds just to get one mutation!"
What? Shibi has a pouch full of them? And Shige has even more?I don't know anything about that.I didn't give them those.Keep asking and I'm taking these back.
The "Tactical Three-Step Warning" silenced them.
Satisfied, the friends tucked their beetles away and headed home. As they walked, they couldn't help but take the bugs out to admire them. They were truly beautiful—perfectly symmetrical, with lustrous shells and large, adorable black eyes.
As Tetsumaru always said: Aesthetics are a part of combat effectiveness. Whether the function was practical or not, his products always looked top-tier. Many were already being used as pets or accessories in the village.
The Jutsu Insects were a major discovery—one entirely outside his original plan.
Through Insight, he could see that these insects possessed unique chakra pathways. When chakra flowed through these specific "circuits," it triggered the jutsu without the need for hand seals.
Is this path-structure the fundamental logic of Ninjutsu? What is its relationship with hand seals?
Tetsumaru's curiosity was reaching a breaking point. He felt he had finally caught a glimpse of the "tail" of chakra's true nature. This could be the breakthrough he needed for his Swarm.
Why would I graduate now just to do boring D-rank missions?
He didn't need the money, and he certainly didn't need to "prove" himself to anyone. He didn't tell his friends about the pathways because he couldn't explain how he saw them; the darkness in Konoha was nothing to mess with. The water in this world was deep.
He would maintain his reputation, his "genius" pace, and his steady growth while quietly building a mountain of trump cards.
Two days later, Fueka and Tokuma took the early graduation exam and passed with flying colors. They were immediately assigned to shinobi squads and whisked away on missions. The group's gatherings would only become rarer from now on.
With his friends gone, Tetsumaru's behavior at school became even more egregious. He moved from "sleeping in class" to "openly playing truant."
Domoto Oomono was furious, but the Academy leadership had already been won over by Tetsumaru's academic records. A mere Chunin teacher had no power over a "troublemaker" who held the #1 spot in the entire grade.