It Hasn't Started, But It's Already Over?

The next day, at the Ninja Academy.

The graduates gathered together for one last time.

"I can't believe even you, Obito, graduated," Genma Shiranui said, a toothpick in his mouth, as he saw Obito and Shisui arrive last. He couldn't help but tease.

Obito's face immediately turned red. "Hey, toothpick-chewer, what do you mean by that? I'm a genius!"

"Heh."

Shisui walked past him.

Genius?

Obito rushed over yesterday, was two minutes late, and saw Kyoichi as the examiner. It's a miracle he even passed the Three Body Techniques; the teacher must have gone easy on him.

What a disgrace!

He didn't say anything, but his two chuckles made his attitude clear.

"Hmph, just you wait... forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you guys."

Obito habitually wanted to bring up the Sharingan, but the moment he thought of Shisui's talent, he realized Shisui would probably awaken it before he did, and his confidence evaporated.

Besides.

Even if he awakened the Sharingan, it didn't necessarily mean he could turn things around and become a "genius."

With Kyoichi's guidance and Shisui's advice, Obito finally understood a principle.

You need to be strong yourself to forge steel!

Without a sufficient foundation, even with the Sharingan, he wouldn't be a match for others.

Of course.

That was generally speaking.

The Uchiha sometimes had cheat-like abilities that defied common sense, but Kyoichi's principle was still valid.

"It looks like you're all full of energy!"

"Teacher?"

A familiar voice.

All the children's eyes lit up.

Teacher Kyoichi?

Why is he here!

Many children didn't know the situation, thinking Kanda Kyoichi had temporarily served as a teacher and resigned after the war. They were unaware he had been promoted to Jonin and would be a team leader.

"You're all doing great. Obito, although it was embarrassing, you passed... But you, kid, you dared to be late for the exam. You must change that once you become a ninja, or you'll be irresponsible to your teammates... This applies to everyone!"

"In short, I don't want to see you on the Hero's Monument."

Kyoichi's tone turned serious as he spoke.

Even though he had only taught them for a month, they were still his students.

The atmosphere in the classroom became heavy.

Several students were quite moved, like Namiashi Raidō and Aoba Yamashiro.

To put it bluntly.

The ninjutsu and techniques Kyoichi taught them were all practical skills that only Jonin possessed – things that truly saved lives on the battlefield. Even if they were from civilian families, they might not have learned such things even after being assigned to teams.

Kyoichi's words now were heartfelt.

"Alright, first squad, Shisui Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, follow me."

"???"

Rin and Obito naturally knew that Kyoichi had participated in the Jonin exams recently, but most people were unaware.

"First squad?"

Namiashi Raidō was stunned for a long time.

It wasn't until Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai stood up and walked towards Kyoichi that they snapped back to reality.

Good heavens!

"I thought the teacher was just here to give us a final lesson."

"I didn't expect the teacher to be promoted to Jonin!"

"Damn, the teacher totally showed off."

"..."

The classroom erupted in a clamor.

The students knew Kyoichi was very strong, but he had only been a Chunin before. They hadn't expected him to become a leading Jonin so quickly.

Moreover, According to the students they were leading, many understood that the village held Kanda Kyoichi in extremely high regard. Otherwise, they wouldn't have assigned promising talents like Shisui and Asuma to him.

These were elite squads!

Could it be...

That the teacher was an elite Jonin?

They each speculated.

"Alright everyone, see you later."

Kyoichi waved goodbye to everyone and left the classroom.

Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai followed behind. After walking for a while, Kurenai couldn't help but burst out laughing first.

"Hey!"

Asuma was a bit flustered.

Laughing at the teacher? Did he not want to live anymore?

"It's fine, you can laugh all you want. Anyway... you aren't my disciples yet!"

Kyoichi said with a smile, looking at the three of them.

The three were instantly stunned, looking up blankly at Kanda Kyoichi.

Still...

Not his disciples?

"Don't worry too much. There will be a small test. I've heard that according to tradition, there will be all sorts of strange tests. The Third Hokage took disciples by stealing bells back in his day."

Kyoichi paused as he said this, his gaze sweeping over the three.

They all wore serious expressions.

Stealing bells?

They had heard of it; it was indeed a bit tricky.

"I haven't prepared any bells, so we won't be stealing any. How about this: if you can injure me, you pass?"

He said this with a smile, his expression gentle and seemingly harmless.

Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai exchanged glances. After a moment of hesitation, their eyes quickly became determined.

It was hard to injure a Jonin.

But...

It couldn't possibly be harder than snatching bells from a Jonin. At least there was a glimmer of hope.

"Let's go. Meet me at the Forest of Death."

Kyoichi finished speaking and his figure vanished with a whoosh.

Body Flicker Technique!

Shisui's eyes widened.

Asuma and Kurenai ran a distance ahead. Seeing that Shisui hadn't followed, they stopped in confusion. "Shisui, what are you doing?"

"Teacher's Body Flicker Technique has gotten stronger. No, it's possible he's never used his full power before."

Shisui took a deep breath.

"Huh? Really?"

Asuma scratched his head.

Stronger?

Why couldn't he feel it?

"Let's go."

Shisui didn't say anything more.

His Body Flicker Technique was probably top-tier among the recent graduates, but compared to Kyoichi's, it was like a tiny spark next to a blazing bonfire. Especially this time...

There was no fluctuation.

The person disappeared almost instantly, like teleportation.

However, Kyoichi wasn't moving at full speed. He was secretly observing the states of Asuma, Kurenai, and Shisui—Shisui was consistently at the back, while Asuma was charging ahead.

Outside the Forest of Death.

Team 1 gathered here.

Kyoichi sat there, looking completely at ease. The three landed before him, slightly out of breath.

In terms of taijutsu, all three were quite average.

Kyoichi had a good idea of their abilities. He looked at the three of them and said, "Shisui, you've been observing from the back and maintaining formation. This is a habit of your guard unit, and it's very good. Even if you don't pass the test, I will still keep you."

"Huh?"

Asuma froze for a moment.

Does traveling count?

He had been running without thinking, not paying attention to anything else.

"So it was you, Teacher."

Kurenai Yuhi let out a sigh of relief and said, "I couldn't find any trace of you and thought it was someone else..."

"Kurenai, your perception is excellent. You also took a central support position when you arrived, very good. I permit you to pass."

Kyoichi smiled.

He wasn't surprised that Kurenai could sense him. Ninjas skilled in genjutsu often had good perception, and in the original story, the Eighth Team she led was a reconnaissance team.

If you don't have perception, how dare you lead a reconnaissance team?

Kurenai Yuhi gave an embarrassed smile, then noticed Asuma's expression and quickly suppressed her smile.

At this moment, Asuma was completely stunned.

He glanced at Shisui and Kurenai, who were conversing, then looked at Kanda Kyoichi.

Damn it.

We were supposed to test together, but you two answered the questions in advance?

Honestly, he felt like the test was over before it even began for him.

"Shisui, Kurenai, you have already passed. Do you still want to participate in the test? Especially you, Kurenai Yuhi. If you fail the test, I will definitely protect Shisui, but I may not necessarily keep you."