After Iruka finished speaking, Fujimoto Tōma didn't waste time.
Right there, in front of him, Tōma began extracting chakra.
This time, there was no restraint.
He drew it all out in one go, releasing it freely. Blue chakra surged outward, clinging to his body like a thin, flickering cloak.
Iruka's eyes widened.
All of it? At once?
If this was a single extraction, then Tōma's total chakra reserves were far higher than they appeared at first glance.
Then the two of them locked eyes.
Tōma stared.
Iruka hesitated.
"…Tōma," Iruka said carefully, "you should keep extracting. To compare chakra reserves properly, you need to release everything."
"I already did," Tōma replied, frowning slightly. "Iruka-sensei… is my chakra amount very low?"
If it was, that would be a serious problem. Many techniques had hard minimum thresholds.
"Low?" Iruka shook his head quickly. "No, not at all. I was just surprised you could extract all of it in one attempt."
So it wasn't small.
Good.
"Then where does my chakra level stand right now?" Tōma asked. "Compared to newly graduated genin."
Iruka thought for a moment.
"Strictly speaking," he said slowly, "your total chakra amount is about half of the minimum genin level, and roughly one-third of an average new genin."
"…That much difference?" Tōma frowned again.
"No, no," Iruka said quickly. "You're still growing. During childhood, natural physical growth contributes more to chakra increases than training does. As your body matures, your reserves will rise rapidly."
Iruka sensed the lingering chakra around Tōma once more, then nodded to himself.
"At your current pace, by graduation, your chakra reserves should far exceed the average."
Tōma finally relaxed.
So his effort hadn't been wasted.
Then another thought surfaced.
Naruto exists.
With the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, Uzumaki heritage, and factors best described as unnatural, Naruto wasn't a fair comparison. Including him would drag the "average" into absurd territory.
Comparing yourself to a walking anomaly never ended well.
Tōma smiled faintly.
Iruka noticed and exhaled in relief. He'd almost worried he'd discouraged the boy. Crushing a student like this, especially one so talented, was every teacher's nightmare.
Yes.
Talented.
In Iruka's eyes, Tōma already counted as a genius.
Learning chakra extraction in days. Clean execution. High extraction control. Chakra reserves already approaching third-year averages at the very start of the term.
That wasn't normal.
"And there's one more thing," Iruka added, smiling now.
"Hm?" Tōma looked up.
"Your single-extraction amount is higher than most genin. Some chūnin, too. That level of control is impressive."
"Oh." Tōma nodded calmly.
That part didn't surprise him. Single extraction depended heavily on mental strength, and in that area, he was confident.
"Iruka-sensei," Tōma continued, "may I learn the Three Basic Techniques early?"
The question landed cleanly.
"Normally, those are taught in the second year," Iruka said after some thought. "But given your current level… yes. You're qualified."
It wasn't like they were forbidden. Just delayed for most students.
And Tōma clearly wasn't "most students."
"Thank you," Tōma said sincerely.
He'd approached Iruka precisely because he knew his character. With Mizuki, he wouldn't have tried.
But gratitude wasn't an act. No one owed him this.
Iruka laughed, scratching the back of his head. "You earned it yourself."
He handed over three scrolls.
"These are the Three Techniques: Transformation, Substitution, and Clone. I added my teaching notes. Read them first, practice on your own, and if you get stuck, come find me. And yes, you'll need to return the scrolls."
Tōma accepted them.
They were covered with annotations. Some notes even explained how to explain the techniques to others.
If he couldn't learn from this, he might as well run into a wall.
"Anything else?" Iruka asked.
"…I'd like to treat you to a meal," Tōma said.
"Haha, that's not necessary. Helping students is my job, and I still have—"
"Ichiraku Ramen."
Iruka froze.
He did like Ichiraku.
He hesitated, then glanced at Tōma's serious expression. One bowl of ramen wouldn't burden the boy's household. Turning that down might feel worse.
"…Alright," Iruka said at last. "Just this once."
"Then I'll be heading home," Tōma said smoothly. "Six o'clock. In front of Ichiraku."
With that, he left before Iruka could reconsider.
Iruka watched him go, momentarily stunned.
That didn't feel like a six-year-old.
Thinking of Tōma's family situation, he sighed softly.
Kids from hard homes grew up fast.
Still…
He remembered what I liked to eat, Iruka thought, smiling.
That alone made today a good day.