Higashino Shinichi was born in Konoha Year 36 and grew up in an orphanage from a young age.
Born an orphan, he had neither a prominent family background nor any special bloodline. However, he possessed a personal panel that had appeared in his field of vision from the moment of his birth.
After gradually figuring out how this panel functioned, he began consciously engaging in "persona management."
With the mindset of an adult, he displayed comprehension and learning abilities far beyond his age at an early stage, leading both the orphanage staff and nearby adults to praise him as intelligent.
He etched diligence into his daily life. From a very young age, he proactively took on miscellaneous chores in the orphanage. From the age at which he could run and jump, he also trained his body in a planned manner—push-ups, running, jumping—and even clenched his teeth to do more and push harder in all of it, solely to leave others with the impression that he possessed excellent physical qualities.
Even at the dining table, he openly displayed an appetite that did not match his small frame at all. Second bowl, third bowl—he ate cleanly and with focused attention.
He also built his social relationships. In the orphanage, he got along well with the other children, soothed and cared for crying infants, and helped elderly neighbors by running errands in the surrounding streets.
He had even once used the reasoning that "future ninja need strong bodies and strong willpower" to invite the children in the orphanage to strike his back and limbs with smooth wooden sticks. Though it hurt badly, he clenched his teeth and did not utter a sound. He even put on an act the next day as if nothing had happened, as though that bit of pain were utterly insignificant.
All of these details—whether deliberate or unintentional—were like scattered puzzle pieces that ultimately converged on his panel, forming one white entry after another. They were both the "reality" in the eyes of others and the foundation Shinichi constructed for himself on the path toward transcendence.
Through years of observation and experimentation, Shinichi gradually figured out certain patterns in how entries were generated. The speed and quality of their generation seemed to be closely tied to three factors: the number of people who recognized a particular trait of his, the depth of their impression of that trait, and… the strength and status of the observers themselves—or, put another way, their influence.
Because of this, today's entrance demonstration of walking while carrying a stone was nothing more than yet another carefully planned instance of persona construction.
On the first day of school, the entrance of the Ninja Academy was crowded with students, parents, and teachers, with a constant stream of people. The level of attention was far greater than on ordinary days.
It was even possible that the Third Hokage was quietly observing the scene of the new students' enrollment through some means.
As for that astonishingly large yellow-gray rock that completely obscured his entire body, it too was the result of deliberate selection.
This type of rock had relatively low density. At the same weight, its volume appeared especially large, and the visual impact at first glance was extremely strong.
That exaggerated contrast between body size and carried load was far more capable of instantly seizing attention and deepening the shocking impression of innate divine strength and inhuman physique than carrying a smaller but heavier metal block ever could.
This kind of behavior was somewhat offbeat, but looking around, there were certainly people in the village whose behavior was even more exaggerated and more unconventional.
The most critical reason was that Shinichi urgently needed to speed up the generation and upgrading of entries in order to amplify himself.
In order to ensure that, within the first school year...
He would defeat Kakashi!
Compared with the potential returns he might obtain, this bit of attention-drawing disturbance was entirely within a tolerable range.
Kakashi, next, go ahead and fully display your dazzling talent, and make everyone in Konoha acknowledge your name as a genius!
Don't let me down!
Shinichi took a deep breath, calmed the surging emotions brought on by the heavy load and by seeing Kakashi for the first time, and walked steadily toward the registration desk.
There, a male teacher wearing a green chūnin flak jacket and with a capable, seasoned look was seated behind a table, handling documents in an orderly, methodical manner.
"Name?" The teacher did not even raise his head, asking in a formulaic way.
"Higashino Shinichi." Shinichi's voice was clear and steady.
"Did you bring your acceptance notice?"
"I did, teacher."
Shinichi took out the well-preserved notice from his chest and handed it over with both hands. The Konoha Ninja Academy was open to all village children of appropriate age regardless of background, but before enrollment they still needed to pass a basic assessment.
Every year, quite a few children were not selected. Might Guy, for example, had failed to pass at first and only later managed to enroll by taking a make-up assessment on the strength of his taijutsu specialty.
The registration teacher took the notice, his gaze sweeping over the information fields and the evaluation scores. When he saw that the grades for every subject were uniformly "A," he raised his head, and a trace of surprise and approval appeared on his face. "All subjects are A? Not bad. Your fundamentals are very solid."
His tone softened somewhat. After glancing at the birth date on the notice, he casually asked, "You were the right age to enroll last year. Why are you only coming to register this year?"
A familiar expression surfaced on Shinichi's face—a gentle smile tinged with slight apology. In a calm tone, he explained, "Yes, teacher. Last year, because of some personal reasons, I needed to save up a necessary sum of money, so I delayed by one year, mainly helping out at the village blacksmith shop and restaurants."
This was naturally a lie. The primary purpose of Shinichi enrolling only this year was to ensure he would be the same age as Kakashi, and even in the same class. Only in that way would the chances of competing on the same stage in practical combat classes, assessments, and other occasions greatly increase.
Secondly, this year was also his period of exploration regarding the "Profession" field. There was no need to search for a reason—an orphaned child earning money through part-time work to support himself, and even putting aside a little extra to help subsidize the orphanage that raised him: sensible and independent, loyal and full of gratitude. What was there to criticize?
However, regrettably, he had tried many professions, and almost none of them produced any noticeable change.
Only when he apprenticed himself to a sword dojo—founded by an old warrior said to have come from the Land of Iron and settled in Konoha in its early days—to study swordsmanship did the originally empty "Profession" field slowly condense new text after a long period of time: [Swordsmanship Apprentice].
It was a profession card that could slightly enhance his physical qualities and accelerate his swordsmanship training, and it also granted him a one-time opportunity to directly draw a new white entry.
The registration teacher's gaze subconsciously flicked to the address field on the notice. The expression on his face paused slightly, and his previously formulaic attitude was instantly replaced by a trace of subtle awkwardness and understanding.
He gave a light cough, quickly composed himself, and looked at the smiling child before him. His tone unconsciously softened a little. "Alright… the materials are complete. Registration approved. Go over there to collect your enrollment materials. From now on, work hard at school."
"Yes, thank you, teacher." Shinichi accepted the forms with both hands. After bowing politely, he turned and walked toward the materials pickup area.
After completing all the enrollment procedures, he walked steadily toward the school gate. At the moment he stepped out through the gate and formally left the Ninja Academy behind him, a sudden feeling arose in his heart.
His steps paused slightly. He cast his gaze toward the empty space ahead and silently recited in his mind.
The translucent panel that only he could see quietly appeared.
...
Name: Higashino Shinichi
Profession: Ninja Academy Student (new), Swordsmanship Apprentice
Talent: …
Draws Remaining: 1 time (white)
...
His eyes locked firmly onto the newly appeared line in the Profession field.
[Ninja Academy Student: You have officially become a student of the Ninja Academy and begun to receive systematic knowledge and training related to ninja. Under this identity, your perception and control of chakra, your understanding of foundational ninja theory, your mastery of standard weapons, and the training efficiency of basic subjects such as taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu will all receive a small increase.]
[Based on the activation of the ninja profession, from this point on, others' perceptions and impressions of you related to ninja aptitude will form corresponding talent entries. Profession level determines the conversion efficiency of others' recognition of your related aptitudes. When the profession level reaches its maximum, you may designate one qualifying talent entry to be directly upgraded to the highest quality.]
[You have obtained a one-time draw opportunity: Random white entry ×1 — you may randomly select one white entry to be generated directly.]