Yukawa soon met Yuhi Shinku.
He sat on the living room couch, face stern and motionless, clad in a black undershirt and green jōnin vest. Everything about him radiated seriousness.
Yukawa remembered—he'd been one of the unfortunate casualties during the Nine-Tails' Attack.
"Sit."
Yuhi Shinku gave a slight nod and spoke plainly.
"Thank you, Uncle Shinku," Yukawa replied politely.
"You'll be living here from now on. I'll teach you genjutsu," Shinku added after a pause. "This comes directly from the Hokage."
The Hokage?
Yukawa raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
Could it be because of the trait [Full Soul from Birth]?
"Huh?"
A curious Kurenai, who had been eavesdropping nearby, blurted out, "Why?"
"Yukawa has a natural affinity for genjutsu."
After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's message, Yuhi Shinku had checked the boy himself—and confirmed it.
"Better than me? But you said I had a strong talent for genjutsu!" Kurenai pouted, placing her hands on her hips and puffing up her cheeks.
The expression on her delicate little face was adorably defiant.
Yukawa couldn't help but smile.
In the original story, Kurenai had a strong-willed personality. Her taste for shōchū and vodka said as much.
"Kurenai, you're already a student at the Ninja Academy. How could you compare to Yukawa right now?" Yuhi Shinku cleared his throat lightly and asked in return.
He hadn't lied—geniuses also vary in how far they can go.
"He's not a student?"
Kurenai blinked in surprise.
"Not yet," Shinku replied, recalling what Hiruzen had written in the file. "He hasn't received any ninja training."
"Oh…"
Kurenai turned to look at Yukawa.
Her first impression: he's really good-looking. Delicately refined—like a carved porcelain doll.
"Alright then!" she suddenly declared, puffing out her chest. "Starting today, I'll take care of you!"
She struck a bold, big-sister pose. But with her doll-like features, it only made her look cuter.
If Yuhi Shinku weren't standing right there, Yukawa would've wanted to pinch her cheek—it looked so soft.
But what should he call her?
Big Sis Kurenai? Kurenai-chan?
Sounds more like a retirement club than anything…
Yuhi Shinku gave a fatherly smile.
He looked from Kurenai to Yukawa. "Let's eat first. After that, I'll teach you the basics of being a shinobi."
"Yukawa's not going to school?"
Kurenai asked instinctively.
"He will," Shinku said. "The Hokage has arranged for him to join your class as a transfer student."
"Yay!"
Kurenai cheered excitedly.
In her mind, Yukawa was now officially her little follower. Bringing him around would make her look cool.
Yukawa fell into quiet thought.
Who were Kurenai's classmates again?
The timeline in the original series was pretty vague—he wasn't sure exactly who would be in her year.
---
After dinner, Yukawa followed Yuhi Shinku out to the courtyard.
Kurenai tagged along too—officially to "review the basics," but really just curious about Yukawa's talent.
"The first step to becoming a ninja is learning to refine chakra."
Shinku stood opposite Yukawa and began explaining the concept of chakra.
According to The Book of Formation, combining physical energy from the cells with mental energy forms stamina, the basis of taijutsu.
Chakra is refined from stamina, becoming neutral energy.
With hand seals, chakra can be shaped and altered—changing its nature or form—to perform ninjutsu.
"Any questions?"
Shinku looked at the focused Yukawa.
Chakra refinement would eventually be taught in the academy, but many students learned early—especially those from clans or shinobi families.
Early training gave a clear advantage.
Take Kakashi Hatake, for example.
While others were still learning the Clone Jutsu, he was already studying Earth Style.
Beyond talent, the key difference?
His father was Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha—resources were never a problem.
"None," Yukawa replied, shaking his head.
"Then give it a try," Shinku said with interest. "For most people, chakra refinement takes about a month. Geniuses? About three days."
"I did it in three days!"
Kurenai proudly raised her small hand, waving frantically to make sure Yukawa noticed.
Was she really a genius?
Well, thinking it over—Kurenai actually was one.
Her combat record wasn't stellar, but that was mostly due to poor luck—like going up against monsters.
Let's be honest—against someone like Itachi Uchiha, majority of shinobi wouldn't stand a chance.
In short: Kurenai was a normal genius.
Itachi was an abnormal genius.
---
Yukawa took a deep breath, focusing his body's 130 trillion cells to draw out physical energy, along with the mental energy granted by his trait [Full Soul from Birth].
In the original series, mental energy accumulates through training and experience.
But thanks to his trait, he had plenty of it from the get-go.
"So fast!"
Yuhi Shinku suddenly raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What's so fast?"
Kurenai hadn't caught on.
"He's already refined chakra."
Shinku's tone was filled with restrained excitement.
"What?!"
Kurenai stood frozen, completely stunned.
Three days to refine chakra was called "genius."
Three seconds?
That's just… a monster.
At that very moment, Yukawa's body trembled, excitement surging through him.
Before he could even process the joy of chakra refinement, new lines appeared in his mind:
[New trait acquired.]
[E-Rank Talent Trait: Ninja]
Condition: Successfully refined chakra.
Effect: Chakra refinement speed increased by 10%.
Note: Two synthesis paths available.
[Path 1: Combine with E-Rank Traits [Three Basic Techniques] and [Throwing Tools] → D-Rank Trait [Ordinary Genin].]
[Path 2: Combine with E-Rank Traits [Three Basic Techniques], [Throwing Tools], and [Top of the Class] → C-Rank Trait [Genius Genin].]
Yukawa began to understand the system's logic.
New traits seemed to be triggered by specific actions.
So in the future, he could test different behaviors to unlock more. And some could be evolved into higher-ranked traits.
Clearly, "Ninja" was one of those.
The system even gave two distinct synthesis routes—more freedom than he expected.
No doubt, Genius Genin would be far stronger than Ordinary Genin.
But dominating the academy would be difficult.
After all, this generation had Kakashi Hatake.
Still—not impossible.
And Yukawa had no intention of being average.
Little cheat? More like real cheat.
He was the guy with a system, after all!
Yukawa opened his eyes and came out of meditation.
He looked over at Kurenai—and paused.
The little girl now looked like a wilted eggplant. Her soft curls drooped pitifully.
So. Very. Pinchable.
"Congratulations, Yukawa," Shinku said warmly.
To him, Yukawa wasn't just a boy handed down from Sarutobi Hiruzen—he was a true prodigy. With a kid like this under his roof, the Yuhi family had a solid future.