It Had Already Ended Before It Even Began?

The next day, at the Ninja Academy.

The graduates gathered together, sitting as one group for the last time.

"I didn't expect even Obito to graduate."

Genma Shiranui had a Senbon between his teeth. Seeing Obito and Shisui arrive last, he couldn't resist making a remark.

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

"Heh."

Shisui walked past him.

A genius?

Obito had rushed over yesterday, arrived two minutes late, and then discovered that Kyoichi was the examiner. He had probably only passed the Three Body Techniques because the teacher had gone easy on him.

What a disgrace!

He said nothing, but those two laughs had made his attitude perfectly clear.

"Hmph, just wait until I... Forget it. I can't be bothered to argue with you."

Obito had originally wanted to habitually mention the "Sharingan," but when he thought of Shisui's talent, he figured that even if Shisui awakened his eyes, he might not awaken his own. His confidence immediately drained away.

Besides.

Even if he awakened the Sharingan, that did not necessarily mean he could turn things around and become a "genius."

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

To forge iron, one first needed to be strong oneself!

Without a solid enough foundation, even if he possessed the Sharingan, he still would not be able to defeat others.

Of course.

That was speaking according to common sense.

The Uchiha sometimes activated their cheats, making them impossible to judge by common sense. Still, Kyoichi's reasoning made sense.

"You all look pretty lively!"

"Teacher?"

That familiar voice.

All the children's eyes lit up.

Teacher Kyoichi?

Why was he here?

Many of the children did not know what was going on. They thought Kanda Kyoichi had only temporarily become a teacher during the war and would resign once it ended. They did not know that he had later been promoted to Jonin and assigned as a team leader.

"You're all good kids. Obito may be embarrassing, but at least he managed to pass... But you, boy, you even dared to be late for the exam. Once you become a ninja, you have to change that, or you'll be failing to take responsibility for your teammates... This applies to everyone!"

"In short, I don't want to see any of you on the Memorial Stone."

Kyoichi's tone grew solemn as he spoke.

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

The atmosphere in the class grew heavy.

Quite a few of them were deeply moved, including Namiashi Raidō and Aoba Yamashiro.

To put it bluntly.

All the ninjutsu and techniques Kyoichi had taught them were the practical skills only Jonin knew—the things that truly saved lives on the battlefield. As civilians, they might not have had the chance to learn them even after being assigned to squads.

Kyoichi's words had come straight from the heart.

"All right. First Squad, Uchiha Shisui, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi, come with me."

"???"

Rin and Obito naturally knew that Kyoichi had taken the Jonin Exam some time ago, but most people had no idea.

"First Squad?"

Namiashi Raidō was stunned for a long while.

Only when Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai stood up and walked toward Kyoichi did they finally come to their senses.

Well, damn!

"I thought the teacher had come specifically to give us one last lesson."

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

"Damn it, the teacher just showed off in front of us."

"..."

The class erupted in an uproar.

The students all knew that Kyoichi was very strong, but he had previously only been a Chunin. They had not expected him to transform into a team-leading Jonin so soon.

Moreover.

Based on the students he had been assigned, many of them understood that the village held Kanda Kyoichi in extremely high regard. Otherwise, it would not have given talented prospects like Shisui and Asuma to him.

This was an elite squad!

Could it be...

Was the teacher at the level of an elite Jonin?

They each began to speculate.

"See you all later."

Kyoichi waved to everyone before leaving the classroom.

Shisui, Asuma, and Kurenai followed behind him. After walking for a while, Kurenai was the first to lose control and laugh.

"Hey!"

Asuma grew anxious.

Laughing at the teacher? Did she not want to live?

"It's fine. You can laugh if you want. After all... you aren't my disciples yet!"

Kyoichi looked at the three of them with a smile.

The three instantly froze. They stared blankly at Kanda Kyoichi.

Not...

Not yet?

"Don't worry too much. There'll be a small test. I asked around. Traditionally, the tests are all kinds of strange. When the Third Hokage took on disciples back then, he made them snatch bells."

Kyoichi paused at this point and swept his gaze over the three of them.

Their expressions turned solemn.

Snatch bells?

They had heard of it. It was indeed rather troublesome.

"I didn't prepare any bells, so we'll skip that. How about this? If you can injure me, you'll pass."

He wore a warm, gentle smile and looked completely harmless.

Shisui exchanged glances with Asuma and Kurenai. After a moment of hesitation, their eyes quickly hardened with resolve.

It was extremely difficult to injure a Jonin.

But.

No matter what, it could not be harder than snatching bells from a Jonin. At least, they had a sliver of hope.

"Let's go. We'll meet at the Forest of Death."

As soon as Kyoichi finished speaking, his figure vanished with a whoosh.

The Body Flicker Technique!

Shisui's eyes widened.

Asuma and Kurenai ran a short distance. When they saw that Shisui had not moved, they stopped in confusion. "Shisui, what are you doing?"

"Teacher's Body Flicker Technique has grown stronger. No, perhaps he simply never used his full strength before."

Shisui drew in a deep breath.

"Uh, has it?"

Asuma scratched his head.

Stronger?

He had not sensed anything.

"Let's go."

Shisui said no more.

His Body Flicker Technique should have been first-rate among this year's graduates, but compared with Kyoichi, it was like comparing a novice to a master. Especially this time...

There had been no fluctuation at all.

The man had vanished almost instantly, as if he had teleported.

However, Kyoichi had not traveled at full speed. Instead, he secretly observed the condition of Asuma, Kurenai, and Shisui—Shisui had stayed at the back the entire time, while Asuma had charged ahead.

At the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

First Squad gathered there.

Kyoichi sat off to the side, completely at ease. The three landed in front of him, breathing slightly heavily.

In terms of Taijutsu, all three were fairly average.

Kyoichi had a rough idea of their abilities. He glanced at the three of them and said, "Shisui, you stayed at the back the entire time, observing and maintaining the formation. That's a habit of the Guard Unit. Very good. Even if you fail the test, I'll still retain you."

"Huh?"

Asuma was stunned.

That counted too?

He had just run ahead with his head down. Who had time to worry about all that?

"So it was you, Teacher."

Kurenai sighed with relief. "I couldn't find any trace of you, so I thought it was someone else..."

"Kurenai, your perception is excellent. You also took a central supporting position while coming here. Very good. I'll allow you to pass."

Kyoichi smiled.

He was not surprised that Kurenai had discovered him. Ninja skilled in genjutsu often had good perception as well. Besides, in the original story, the Eighth Squad she led had been a reconnaissance squad.

Without sensory abilities, how could she have the nerve to lead a reconnaissance squad?

Kurenai smiled bashfully, then noticed Asuma's expression and quickly suppressed her smile.

At that moment, Asuma was completely numb.

He glanced at Shisui and Kurenai as they talked, then looked toward Kanda Kyoichi.

Damn it.

Hadn't they agreed to take the test together? Why had the two of them answered the questions in advance?

To be honest, he had the strange feeling that the exam had already ended before he even took it.

"Shisui, Kurenai, you've already passed. Do you still want to take the test? Especially you, Kurenai Yuhi. If you fail the test, I'll do everything I can to keep Shisui, but I may not necessarily keep you."