Chương 1: Chapter 1: Genius - Uzumaki Naruto!
[Shin'o Academy.]
[For registration, turn left ahead.]
A wooden sign stood in the middle of the road.
Uzumaki Naruto stared at the words, taking a deep breath.
Ahead wasn't some insurmountable challenge, just a school that trains "Shinigami" (Death Gods). Failing the exam wouldn't have any severe consequences since he could always apply again next year.
But... Naruto didn't have a good impression of "school." The last time he had anything to do with a "school" was three years ago.
Back then, he was still in another world, attending a "Ninja Academy" in a village called "Konoha." He was the notorious "dead last," someone everyone despised. No one wanted to be his friend, and none of the teachers liked him.
Of course, it wasn't just at school; his life in Konoha Village outside of school was the same. Even shops and convenience stores didn't welcome him, refusing to do business with him—except for "Ichiraku Ramen," the only place that would serve him.
So, Naruto didn't like school. But he had a reason why he had to enroll this time, a reason that left him no choice. This place was different from Konoha as it was another world called the "Soul Society," a place where souls reside after death.
Even though he hadn't experienced the "soul burial" that other souls spoke of, the fact wasn't hard for Naruto to understand: "Being here means I'm already dead."
Death is something that terrifies the living. But Naruto found it surprisingly easy to accept.
He quickly grew to like this place—there were no inexplicable scoldings directed solely at him, no malice targeting just him. The shops welcomed his money, and there were plenty of people willing to be his friends.
Most importantly...
After death, all souls eventually come to the "Soul Society," meaning he was finally in the same world as his parents.
The only bad news was that souls in the Soul Society aren't born in fixed locations.
Rukongai, the district where souls reside, has 360 different areas, so the chances of being born in the same area were only one in 360.
Naruto had been searching for his parents in his district for three years but hadn't found them.
So... he had to become a Shinigami.
He had to become someone as incredible as a "Captain," with a whole squad of people to help him search, or have his name spread across the entire Soul Society.
That way, he would surely find his parents, right?
And so, Naruto entered the school gates with the crowd and filled out the registration form.
Following the guidance of an upperclassman dressed in a blue and white school uniform, he was led into a gymnasium.
When the count reached two hundred, the gymnasium doors shut.
"Reiatsu is the foundation of a Shinigami," announced an official Shinigami dressed in a black shihakushō, with a sword at his waist, standing out starkly from the surrounding students. He addressed the group of applicants, "Only souls with the potential to wield Reiatsu are eligible to study at Shin'o Academy."
"Step forward when I call your name," he continued, "The rest of you, wait."
The test was simple.
Each person had to place their hand on a crystal orb, and based on the light it emitted, the Shinigami would announce a different "grade."
Most received a cold and indifferent "Not qualified."
Those who passed were often graded at the unimpressive "Seventeenth" or "Eighteenth" level, which did little to please the Shinigami.
Only a select few earned ratings like "Eleventh" or "Twelfth," which made Shinigami's expression soften slightly.
Clearly, the lower the number, the better.
Naruto had arrived late and was positioned at the end of the line.
Watching as one person after another was declared "Not qualified," and occasionally seeing someone barely pass, he couldn't help but clench his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his fingertips reddened.
He recognized many of the people in front of him.
Some were people he'd "dealt with" before, with mixed results. These individuals either failed the test or passed with a barely acceptable "Eighteenth" or "Nineteenth" grade.
Others were more well-known but unfamiliar to him personally.
One of them, a woman who could barely manipulate spiritual energy to alter the basic structure of reishi, managing to "turn earth into sand," was only given a "Twelfth" grade.
It was clear that the test measured talent.
But...
Naruto found it hard to believe that he had any "talent."
If he had such a thing, he wouldn't have been so despised at the Ninja Academy. Surely, he would have been loved by teachers and classmates, just like that guy, Sasuke, who, despite always wearing a scowl, was adored by everyone.
Twenty!
'I need at least a grade of twenty! I have to be able to enroll.'
Soon, the Shinigami called out his name, "Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto took heavy steps forward.
Like everyone before him, he placed his hand on the crystal orb.
The Shinigami glanced at him absentmindedly, and the upperclassman prepared to record a grade of "Eighteenth," "Nineteenth," or "Not qualified."
But then, something completely different from what had happened with everyone else occurred.
The crystal orb emitted an intense, radiant light.
It was blinding and scorching.
The upperclassman responsible for recording the results widened his eyes in shock. His brush slipped from his hand, fell to the ground, and spilled ink everywhere, though he was too stunned to notice.
The lazy Shinigami suddenly sprang to his feet, his demeanor transformed as he exclaimed, "Fifth grade!"
The gymnasium erupted in astonishment.
The souls present, who had not yet become Shinigami or even students, didn't fully grasp what "fifth grade" meant. However, the fact that over a hundred applicants had failed to surpass the "tenth grade" made it clear how extraordinary this ranking was.
The intense reaction from the usually indifferent Shinigami only highlighted the rarity and significance of this achievement.
That unremarkable blond kid... could he be so exceptional?
"Test paused," the Shinigami quickly regained his composure and instructed the nearby students, "I'm taking Uzumaki Naruto outside. Maintain order while I am gone."
The student stood at attention and responded, "Yes, sir."
The Shinigami grasped Naruto's wrist and used Shunpo (Flash Step) to transport them outside the gymnasium.
"Fifth grade... does that mean I have talent?" Naruto asked as the rush of wind and the intense centrifugal force snapped him back to full awareness.
The Shinigami chuckled, "Talent?"
"That's an understatement. Your potential is vastly different from those rough, unpolished gems who have yet to shine. Well, we're here."
They stopped in front of a room, where the Shinigami respectfully knocked on the door.
A voice from inside responded, "Come in."
The Shinigami pushed the door open and, even before fully entering, couldn't contain his excitement as he announced, "Director Bogang, a mark has appeared in the entrance test—fifth-grade spiritual pressure!"
Inside the room, a middle-aged man with a bright and kind expression stood up. "Fifth grade?"
"Uzumaki Naruto," the Shinigami said gently, pulling Naruto inside and repeating the result with emphasis, "Fifth-grade spiritual pressure. I saw it with my own eyes."
Then, he turned to Naruto with a wide grin. "This is the headmaster of Shin'o Academy, Bogang Kazuyoshi."
"You're confused about your talent, aren't you?"
Naruto nodded.
The Shinigami continued, "Fifth-grade spiritual pressure means that with just basic training at Shin'o Academy, you could easily reach Headmaster Bogang's level."
Naruto was stunned.
The headmaster's level?
The headmaster must be an incredible figure, right?
Naruto tried to think of a comparison. Who was the headmaster of the Konoha Ninja Academy? Was it the Third Hokage?
Could he really become someone as remarkable as the Third Hokage?
The Shinigami chuckled, "You need at least a spiritual pressure of twenty to barely qualify as a Shinigami."
"A spiritual pressure of ten qualifies you to become a lower-ranking officer, like me. With a spiritual pressure above eight, you can become a high-ranking officer, like Headmaster Bogang."
"Before becoming the headmaster of the academy, Headmaster Bogang had a spiritual pressure of six and held the third seat in the Ninth Division."
"And a spiritual pressure of five meets the requirements for a lieutenant."
The Shinigami paused at this point, his gaze deep and filled with satisfaction as he looked at Naruto.
"But even that doesn't fully capture the extent of your talent."
"In the past hundred years, not only has there been no one with a spiritual pressure of five upon entering the academy, but even those who graduated with a spiritual pressure above eight have been exceedingly rare."
"Even the current captains, such as Rojuro Otoribashi of the Third Division and Kensei Muguruma of the Ninth Division, only had a spiritual pressure of six when they graduated."
Naruto was mesmerized by what he was hearing, distilling the lengthy explanation into a simple question: "So, I'm like… a big shot?"
Bogang Kazuyoshi laughed heartily, "Not quite a big shot but pure bazooka who appears once in a century."
"And you're still so young."
"No wonder they brought you to me."
Naruto didn't respond, just looked at the two men celebrating his potential.
Deep inside his mind, he heard a faint "crack," like something breaking.
It was as if something within him, something called "prejudice," had shattered.
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