Early Graduation

"So fast."

Karot charged at Kakashi at incredible speed.

Kakashi's eyes filled with shock. In an instant, Karot appeared before him and threw a punch. Kakashi only had time to defend himself, raising both arms before his chest.

Bang.

Kakashi was sent flying by the powerful force.

Karot's attacks came one after another. The next second, he leaped into the air and kicked at the airborne Kakashi.

Kakashi quickly formed hand seals. With a bang, the Kakashi before him turned into a log that Karot kicked to pieces. Kakashi had used the Substitution Technique to evade the attack.

"Are you trying to kill me, you bastard?"

Kakashi gritted his teeth.

"How could I? My little brother is Konoha's genius. He can definitely avoid attacks of this level."

Karot spoke as though it were only natural.

Kakashi looked at the shattered pieces of wood, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Want to go again, Kakashi?"

"Of course. I haven't lost."

With that, Kakashi gripped a Kunai in each hand and charged at Karot with winding, serpentine footwork. The two Kunai stabbed, hooked, and slashed in an ever-changing stream of attacks, but every time they were about to hit Karot, he narrowly dodged them.

"Come on, Kakashi. Your attacks are almost hitting me."

"Hmph. That mouth of yours is really annoying."

Kakashi said with some disgust. Ever since they were young, Karot had displayed extraordinary talent. Their father had always demanded that Kakashi learn from Karot, which made him jealous. If I'd been born first, would Karot's talent have been mine instead?

Kakashi was jealous of Karot.

"I won't give up."

After saying that, Kakashi's attacks grew faster and faster, so fast that even Karot nearly struggled to keep up.

"As expected of my little brother, Kakashi. It would be pretty embarrassing if big brother got surpassed by his little brother."

With that, Karot vanished from before Kakashi in an instant. The Body Flicker Technique? No, Brother doesn't have Chakra. The thought flashed through Kakashi's mind before he dismissed it himself.

Before he could react, Karot punched him in the stomach. Kakashi clutched his abdomen and dropped to his knees as Karot stood beside him.

"You lost, Kakashi."

Kakashi dry-heaved while holding his stomach. He had lost to his brother once again, and every time, he lost in the same way. It made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

After resting for a while, Kakashi recovered his composure.

"Next time, I'll definitely beat you."

"Alright, I'll be waiting."

Karot smiled. Kakashi only grew braver with every battle.

"How did you disappear instantly just now?"

Kakashi voiced the doubt in his heart.

"Oh, that was simple. I just accelerated my body."

Kakashi was speechless as he looked at Karot, who had said something so effortlessly arrogant.

Time passed quickly, and half a year went by in the blink of an eye. Karot had taken a full year of leave, yet today, his appearance at the Ninja Academy drew the attention of the entire class.

"Big Brother Karot, you're finally better! You can come to class now."

Might Guy was incredibly excited to see Karot at school. Since Karot had been the first person to acknowledge him, Might Guy held an extraordinary amount of respect for him.

The other students were far less enthusiastic. They were all children and had barely spent any time together. If the teacher did not call attendance every time, they might have forgotten there was even someone named Karot in their class.

So why had Karot come to the Ninja Academy today? It was entirely because Kakashi's application for early graduation had been approved. Today was Kakashi's graduation assessment, and as Kakashi's guardian, Karot had come to the Ninja Academy to witness him become the fastest ninja to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

At this moment, a crowd had already gathered on the Ninja Academy grounds. After all, Kakashi was the only one taking the graduation examination after just half a year of school.

The Ninja Academy had never seen such a thing before. Kakashi had set a precedent, becoming the first.

"Is today Kakashi's graduation assessment?"

Inside the Hokage's office building, the Third Hokage was using his Crystal Ball to observe the scene at the Ninja Academy.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"And how has Hatake Sakumo's eldest son been doing?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued asking.

"Well..."

Seeing his Anbu hesitate, Hiruzen Sarutobi became interested.

"The eldest son, Karot, took a year of sick leave."

"That shouldn't be the case. If his son were sick, Sakumo's mission workload should have decreased. Instead, it increased after his son fell ill."

Seeing that the Hokage seemed to have misunderstood the "illness" he meant, the Anbu hurriedly explained.

"Colds, fevers, stomachaches, sprained ankles when going out, diarrhea from drinking water. Over all 365 days of the year, Karot never repeated an excuse, whether it was usable or not."

Upon hearing the Anbu's answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze for a moment, not even noticing the ash falling onto his Wind-Repelling Robe.

"You may leave."

"Yes."

After answering from one knee, the Anbu vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

"Karot, sick?"

With that question in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Crystal Ball to observe Karot, who had already arrived at the training ground.

At the Ninja Academy, Karot seemed to sense someone spying on him and raised his head to glance upward.

That single glance startled Hiruzen Sarutobi. What sharp perception.

"What secrets are you hiding, Karot?"

"Was that the Third Hokage?"

Karot's expression grew somewhat grave. At this stage, he had no desire to reveal his strength. Being watched would be troublesome.

Kakashi's test began, drawing Karot's attention away.

"Next is Hatake Kakashi's graduation examination. Before it begins, let me confirm this once more. Hatake Kakashi, are you certain that you want to take the graduation examination early? Since you are graduating early, the difficulty will be increased."

Homeroom teacher Asakawa asked with a serious expression.

"Yes, I'm certain."

Kakashi answered solemnly.

"Kakashi, you're so cool!"

Cheers and shouts rang out incessantly. As a gifted young genius with both talent and looks, Kakashi had plenty of fangirl admirers at the Ninja Academy.

"Kakashi, you have to succeed!"

Rin clasped her hands together and prayed for Kakashi.

Seeing Rin's actions, Obito—the king of jealousy—felt intensely envious of Kakashi.

"Kakashi, if you fail, I'll never forgive you."

Because of Rin, Obito and Kakashi shared a slight bond.

"Good luck, Kakashi! As my lifelong rival, I'm the only one allowed to defeat you."

Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up and cheered him on.

The entire class cheered for Kakashi. After all, if he succeeded, it would reflect well on them too.

Then, Asakawa directly announced Kakashi's examination.

"Alright, since you are ready, your test will be to withstand ten moves from a Chunin. If you succeed, you will graduate and become a Genin. Do you understand?"

As soon as Asakawa finished speaking, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Discussions broke out below. Wasn't this too difficult?

There was a huge gap in strength between a Genin and a Chunin.

"I understand."

Kakashi answered without being moved.

Upon hearing Kakashi's response, Asuma began to feel some admiration for him. Faced with a battle against a Chunin, Asuma could not remain as calm as Kakashi.

Then Asuma noticed Karot's smiling expression and could not help asking.

"Karot, aren't you worried about Kakashi at all?"

"Why should I be worried? He only has to withstand ten moves. Kakashi will manage it."

Hearing that, Asuma could sense Karot's confidence in Kakashi.