Watching the Battle

On the Ninja Academy training ground, where the entire school had gathered, the most conspicuous figure was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in a white robe and red tunic, wearing a bamboo hat emblazoned with the character "Fire."

"Lord Hokage, it's time."

The school teacher standing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, noticing the scheduled time was nearly upon them, spoke to him with a hint of nervousness.

"Then let's begin the assessment!"

After saying this, he added a remark of reflection.

"Sakumo's child has even greater talent than Sakumo himself!"

"What a pity—if Sakumo weren't away from the village on a mission, I'm sure he'd be here to watch today's assessment."

Among the crowd below, Veigar was seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi for only the second time; the first had been at the Ninja Academy's opening ceremony.

At that moment, Veigar silently grumbled to himself as he watched Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Needless to say, the reason Hiruzen Sarutobi had come today wasn't just to watch Kakashi Hatake's Early Graduation.

More likely, it was to spread—no, to preach the Will of Fire to all the staff and students.

In the original story, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could be considered a permanent fixture in the Hokage's seat.

Having taken the position twice, his influence on the next generation was indeed profound.

Whether it was the future Kakashi Hatake, the yet-unborn protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, or Naruto's teacher at the Ninja Academy, Umino Iruka, it seemed that in nearly everyone's memories, his figure appeared.

"Now, both parties, please take the field."

At Hiruzen Sarutobi's signal, the Chief Examiner overseeing the exam stood at the center of the Training Ground and spoke calmly.

Kakashi Hatake and his opponent for the day, the village's ordinary chūnin Eiji Momoshiro, quickly took their places at the center of the field.

"Now, Kakashi Hatake's graduation assessment is about to begin. His opponent is chūnin Eiji Momoshiro."

"The rules are as follows: the battle ends when one side loses combat capability or surrenders, or when I determine that one side can no longer fight and stop the combat."

"Alternatively, if Kakashi Hatake can hold out for three minutes under Eiji Momoshiro's attacks, the battle also ends."

"Does either party have any objections?"

Having stated the rules, the Chief Examiner asked Kakashi Hatake and Eiji Momoshiro.

Both shook their heads simultaneously, and Kakashi Hatake kept his eyes fixed, watching the chūnin Eiji Momoshiro across from him with sharp vigilance.

"Then, please form the Opposing Seal."

Kakashi Hatake and Eiji Momoshiro complied with the Chief Examiner's request and formed the Opposing Seal.

In that instant, the Chief Examiner announced, "Then, begin!"

The moment the Chief Examiner's voice fell, Kakashi Hatake struck first, pulling three shuriken from his Ninja Tool Bag and hurling them at Eiji Momoshiro, aimed at his head, heart, and left thigh respectively.

At the same time, Kakashi Hatake quickly retreated, choosing to test Eiji Momoshiro with the three shuriken as an opening move.

As a chūnin, Eiji Momoshiro naturally wouldn't be so easily hit by Kakashi Hatake's thrown shuriken.

He reached into his Ninja Tool Bag, pulled out a kunai, and effortlessly knocked the three shuriken aside, then threw the kunai back at Kakashi Hatake's position in counterattack.

Kakashi Hatake reacted swiftly to dodge, the kunai flying past so close it nearly grazed his cheek.

"Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique."

The instant Kakashi Hatake evaded the kunai, Eiji Momoshiro had already completed his Hand Seals and unleashed his most proficient Earth Style Ninjutsu, Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique.

Moreover, by now Eiji Momoshiro had closed in on Kakashi Hatake, raising his rock-covered fist and driving a punch straight at Kakashi Hatake's head.

"I win."

"A genius or not, you're still just a brat who hasn't graduated yet."

Seeing that Kakashi Hatake could no longer dodge, a smile spread across Eiji Momoshiro's face.

"Ahhh..."

"Kakashi..."

Among the many students watching from the sidelines, most felt in their hearts that Kakashi Hatake was about to lose, and couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

They were already imagining the miserable scene of Kakashi Hatake getting hit.

Among the students, the most intense reaction came from Might Guy, who shouted Kakashi Hatake's name in deep concern.

"Bam."

Facts wouldn't change due to any external factors, just as Kakashi Hatake couldn't avoid Eiji Momoshiro's punch now.

Kakashi Hatake's small head twisted severely under the force of Eiji Momoshiro's blow, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Just as Eiji Momoshiro thought the battle was over, he suddenly heard Kakashi Hatake's voice.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Tiger Kill."

Abruptly, Kakashi Hatake appeared behind Eiji Momoshiro, unleashing a Lightning Style Ninjutsu to attack him.

In that split second, Eiji Momoshiro's eyes widened in terror, and only then did he realize that the Kakashi Hatake he had just knocked down was merely a Shadow Clone.

However, as a chūnin with rich combat experience, Eiji Momoshiro wouldn't be taken down so easily. The moment his Shadow Clone of Kakashi Hatake vanished from the ground, he snapped back to his senses, rapidly forming Hand Seals while spinning around, and slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall."

The earthen wall rising from the ground cut him off from Kakashi Hatake, while also blocking the Lightning Style: Lightning Tiger Kill Technique.

Watching the lightning flicker across the Earth Flow Wall, Eiji Momoshiro immediately steadied himself, grateful that he had recently learned the B-Rank ninjutsu Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall. If he had used his other defensive Earth Style technique—Earth Style: Earth Land Return—he would likely have already fallen to Kakashi Hatake.

However, what Eiji Momoshiro never expected was that, as he crouched half-kneeling on the ground, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck. A sharp, cold short blade was pressed against his throat.

"You lose."

At the same time, Kakashi Hatake's cold, proud, youthful voice reached his ears.

"Battle over. Winner: Kakashi Hatake."

Seeing Eiji Momoshiro subdued by Kakashi Hatake, the Chief Examiner on the Training Ground announced Kakashi's victory.

Kakashi Hatake slid the short blade back into the sheath on his back. As Eiji Momoshiro stood up, his mind still couldn't accept that he had lost to a brat who hadn't even graduated yet.

Nor could he figure out how Kakashi Hatake had appeared behind him.

But the Chief Examiner watching the battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the surrounding Ninja Academy teachers, and the Anbu ninja hidden in the shadows—none of them were anything less than stunned by Kakashi Hatake.