Chapter 2: The Genius Project!
“The future is not set in stone. Can the present determine the future?”
Under the tree, Genichi Kusashita fell into deep thought. “So, what I’m overdrawing from is the future anchored to the present, even the future of my unawakened destined wisdom?”
“Or rather, although I have now awakened this destined wisdom and gained a wealth of information about the world of the Hidden Leaf, even my thinking has changed from before the awakening,” he pondered.
“But without concrete action, no matter how many ideas I have, if I don’t put them into practice, it won’t affect the future at all.”
“Merely having ideas, relying on thought alone without turning them into reality, is useless for the present and can’t change the future.”
Gradually, Genichi Kusashita grasped a certain truth.
Whether it was exactly as he thought, he still needed to try.
However...
Genichi frowned. “Looks like this body’s aptitude is poor—at best, I’m destined to be a Chunin for life.”
“That’s troublesome…”
He considered himself smart, but physical aptitude was crucial in the world of the Hidden Leaf.
After all, this was the legendary era of eyes, the Otsutsuki ethical chronicles.
A good lineage and background were more important than anything else.
Even Orochimaru, with his brilliant mind, couldn’t compare to Naruto and the Second Hokage’s overpowered talents.
Thinking this, Genichi sighed. “I thought I could take it easy, but it turns out I have to work hard. Was this whole transmigration pointless?”
“This so-called golden finger isn’t all that great!”
He glanced at the overdraft panel; the option to “Overdraft the Next Ten Years” had turned gray.
He could only overdraft again after a year.
“That means I have a year to put my plans into practice and change the future based on that.”
“Looks like I need to make a plan.”
“Yeah, let’s call it the One-Year Plan.”
With that, he withdrew his gaze and got out of bed, focusing on himself.
His previous priority had been his ninjutsu.
This time, besides obtaining the ninjutsu mastered in the future, he also gained skills like shuriken throwing, basic taijutsu, and even more surprisingly, chakra.
No—he shouldn’t define it as chakra, but rather stamina.
In short, the current Genichi Kusashita was loaded with the data of his strongest self from ten years later.
Whether it was stamina, ninjutsu, taijutsu, combat experience, and so forth.
Except for memories, it was almost like merging with his future self.
Feeling this carefully, Genichi couldn’t help but smile joyfully.
Although still a Genin, was there any comparison between a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old body?
Although his appearance and the presence of Genji hadn’t changed, the power alone was incomparable.
“Excellent!”
“From now on, I will strive for the future!”
His knuckles cracked as he took out his piggy bank and counted the savings: just over one hundred ryo—not bad.
“I wonder if I can buy a short blade... it doesn’t have to be very good for now, just for training—maybe even a wooden sword.”
---
Putting the money into his wallet, Genichi went downstairs.
“Dad, Mom, I’m going out to train!”
He waved to his parents.
His mother looked up and reminded him, “Remember to come back for lunch, and be careful not to get hurt!”
“I know!”
With that, Genichi had already stepped out.
In the shop, his father smiled at his wife, “Genichi is training so diligently; we should work hard too!”
His mother nodded and became even more brisk in her movements.
...
Genichi visited several ninja tool shops before choosing a short blade priced at 50 ryo, much cheaper than expected.
Of course, the quality was average.
He wasn’t entirely satisfied; it felt a bit light to him.
But there was no better option unless he custom ordered.
“Well, I’ll make do.”
After paying, Genichi bought a sword bag and a belt to hold the sword.
The former was to carry the blade; the latter to secure it at his waist.
In the ninja world, swords and blades were one and the same; swordsmanship and blade techniques could be understood as the same art.
After buying the blade, Genichi also bought some balloons.
Once everything was ready, he went to a small riverbank and found a big tree as his temporary training spot.
He placed the balloons under the tree, then took the short blade from his back and hung it at his waist.
His two temporary training focuses were blade techniques and the Rasengan.
He still remembered how to train the Rasengan, so he could practice it; it didn’t have to be mastered within a year.
If not in a year, then ten years?
As for blade techniques, the overdraft of ten years hadn’t included any blade skills.
With no teacher and no proper blade techniques, training without method would be difficult, Genichi knew.
But that was fine; he didn’t have high hopes for blade skills yet.
For now, he practiced some basic slashing movements, and most importantly... the quick-draw slash!
The quick-draw slash was crucial!
He trained speed, strength, and reaction.
If not in a year, then ten years?
Maybe he still wouldn’t master it, but it was worth trying, testing his potential and talent.
“I’m only five years old now; I have many opportunities to make mistakes... The overdraft panel may not let me leap to the top in one step, but it gives me many chances to choose from.”
Genichi tightly gripped the hilt, lowered his body, and focused.
Clang!
---
With swift and powerful motion, Genichi drew his short blade.
“The movement is distorted, not stable enough... keep going!”
He sheathed the blade and continued.
If he hadn’t overdrafted ten years into the future, he would likely be struggling blindly, relying on a bit of insight from his previous life.
But having overdrafted ten years, he was at least a Genin with considerable experience; his control of power and some exertion techniques were far beyond a novice’s.
And the quick-draw slash was, in terms of technique, extremely simple.
Repeat, repeat, and repeat!
Genichi kept drawing and sheathing, constantly correcting his movements and trying to make the draw faster and more powerful.
When his arms ached and stamina was drained, he stopped to rest and fetched water from the river using the balloons.
“According to the timeline, Minato Namikaze died at age 24 during the 50th year of Konoha.”
“So now he would be 15.”
“According to Jiraiya, it took three years for Orochimaru’s sister to develop the Rasengan.”
“Later, Jiraiya himself mastered the Rasengan and didn’t take long. I remember...”
Genichi thought quietly.
He recalled an anime scene where Jiraiya boasted to Minato Namikaze that he had mastered the Rasengan, and Minato’s calm reaction embarrassed him.
At that time, Minato was already leading Kakashi on missions.
Although it was from a movie and the timeline was questionable, it could serve as a rough reference.
When Uchiha Obito graduated at age nine, Minato had officially become the team leader for Kakashi’s trio.
That was about the 45th year of Konoha, four years later.
Kakashi would graduate this very year.
Genichi vaguely remembered that after Kakashi’s graduation, there were other team leaders, and at age seven, Sakumo Hatake committed suicide, which greatly changed Kakashi’s personality, leading to repeated team conflicts and reassignments.
He calculated the timeline.
Two years later was the 43rd year of Konoha, when Sakumo Hatake died and Kakashi’s personality shifted.
Assuming Minato began leading Kakashi on missions in the 44th year, by then Minato had already mastered the Rasengan.
Going back three years...
“That means Minato might already be developing this technique now...”
After filling the four balloons with water, Genichi returned under the tree.
“Although our timings coincide, who finishes first is still uncertain.”
“Minato developed the Rasengan because of the Tailed Beast Ball, but me...”
He sat down, eyes darting as he quickly found a reason.
This reason was for others.
The reason he trained the Rasengan, besides lacking other ninjutsu resources, was to establish a personal image.
The genius image!