Graduation Exam

Early in the morning, Higashino Makoto sat quietly on a tree branch in Konoha's Training Ground, practicing the second stage of chakra control.

He was now nine years old. He had grown much taller, even towering over most children his age, and his features had become more mature. He still had short, tousled hair, but his dark brown hair looked a little darker than before.

What reassured him was that he still took after his mother, Higashino Megumi. His features were well-defined, and he was sure that one day he'd be a handsome man who made young girls part their lips in surprise and left pretty young wives unable to keep their legs together.

After a long while, Higashino Makoto opened his eyes and sighed faintly. He wasn't very satisfied with his progress.

The second stage of chakra control involved adjusting the proportions of Body Energy and Mental Energy as they fused into Chakra, pushing them toward the Yin Yang Extremes.

Over the past few years, he'd learned while helping out at the hospital that ordinary ninjas could become capable Medical Ninjas by raising the proportion of Body Energy to 60%. Conversely, with Mental Energy making up 60%, they could excel at Genjutsu or certain Yin Release Secret Jutsu.

By the time Higashino Makoto was a little over five, he'd already pushed his Yin Yang Ratio to 70%.

He didn't know how things stood for the Senju or the Uchiha, but for Regular Ninjas, this might well be the peak of a lifetime of training. Without the support of a bloodline, ordinary people simply couldn't advance any further. This wasn't something hard work alone could achieve.

Kurenai Yuhi had practiced Genjutsu for decades, yet one glare from Itachi Uchiha had taken her down.

A serious injury that an ordinary Medical Ninja couldn't heal could be cured by having the patient take a bite of Karin.

That was how unreasonable bloodline advantages were in the Shinobi World. The endpoint of a lifetime of training for one person was merely the starting point for someone with a powerful bloodline.

If Higashino Makoto hadn't had White Natural Energy constantly transforming his body, he never would have had a chance to break through the ceiling for ordinary ninjas.

But now, after four years, he'd pushed both sides of his Yin Yang Ratio to 85%, and his progress had slowed to a crawl.

Just like his Natural Energy training, he was stuck at the second stage. Worse, he had a feeling that if he pushed any further, his body wouldn't be able to take it.

Perhaps things would change once his Natural Energy training reached the third stage, Normalized Sage Mode. After all, besides his day-in, day-out effort, White Natural Energy was the greatest reason he'd made it this far.

For now, he'd finished developing his offensive and defensive techniques, and even his Medical Ninjutsu had progressed rapidly thanks to regularly helping his mother at the hospital.

Neither of his two main paths was something he could speed up at will, so it was time to graduate.

Once he'd settled on his course, Higashino Makoto leaped out of the forest. His body drifted toward home like a wisp of smoke, his way of traveling already completely unlike that of an ordinary ninja.

Higashino Makoto's movements were graceful and nimble, on a whole different level from the straightforward style of most ninjas.

Over breakfast, Higashino Megumi seemed distracted.

After Higashino Makoto finished his meal, he asked, "Mom, are you worried about me?"

"Of course I am. I don't know whether to praise you for being so perceptive or scold you for being a jinx. Damn Kirigakure really did join the war."

"Don't worry, Mom. At full strength, Kirigakure might have had a major impact on the overall situation, but that broken village is only half-functional now. It won't affect the final outcome. The strongest members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were crippled by Senior Might Duy, weren't they?"

"Duy... I never imagined he could accomplish something like that. He died in the line of duty, but he still saved his son. What a great father." Higashino Megumi sighed, then continued, "You're not wrong, but no matter how useless Kirigakure is, they've still delayed the end of the war. And you're about to graduate."

"The timing is just right. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I hope so. Do you need me to go to school with you?"

"No, you take care of your own things." Higashino Makoto waved goodbye and headed to school.

Higashino Megumi watched him go and shook her head. Her child had suddenly grown up. She was probably the least worried mother Konoha had ever seen.

Maybe having another child would let her experience the joys of raising one, but she and Higashino Jiro had gradually stopped thinking that way.

What if another war broke out in a few years? Children in ninja families were destined to become ninjas if they had the talent. She really didn't want to go through that worry all over again.

Konoha seemed even more desolate than before. There were far fewer people on the streets, and a different family seemed to be holding a funeral every few days.

What had those ninjas who died in the line of duty been thinking before they died? Had any of them wondered why, despite wielding extraordinary power, they were condemned to be consumed generation after generation by the meat grinder of war, while the Daimyo and nobles, who couldn't even defend themselves, lived in comfort, prospered for generations, held on to power, and enjoyed lives of decadent luxury?

He wondered when a ninja would finally emerge who could trample the nobility beneath his feet.

With the Shinobi World's warped education system and distorted way of thinking, that would probably be difficult.

Higashino Makoto certainly wasn't going to do it. After all, before being reborn, he'd already been an adult with a firmly established worldview. Essentially, aside from his family and a small circle of friends, he had little cultural connection to this Japanese-style world.

He'd never changed. He'd been reborn into this world to enjoy a different and exciting life, not to become a Savior.

Lost in idle thoughts and admiring the familiar scenery, Higashino Makoto soon met up with Uzuki Yugao, and they went together to the General Classroom.

Quite a few people had already arrived. All the students remaining in the fourth year were there.

They'd actually only studied for three years. They'd just entered their fourth year, and now they were being told to graduate early. Compared with the full six-year curriculum in peacetime, the length of wartime education had been cut in half.

Some in the crowd were older than them. They were seniors who hadn't managed to graduate, while some were very young, second- or third-year students who were confident in their abilities and eager to become official ninjas.

He wondered what Hashirama Senju would think if he saw this scene from the Pure Land.

"Hey, Makoto, what do you think this year's Graduation Exam will be?" Uzuki Yugao was testing her external brain again.

"How would I know? Do you think I'm a fortune-teller? Besides, what difference would it make to you? Is there any Basic Three Body Technique you don't know? I could teach it to you right here."

"Ahaha, that's true."

While the two of them chatted, the exam soon began.

After a forty-minute written test on general knowledge, they took a one-hour break. The teachers quickly marked the papers and recorded the scores, then moved on to the Ninjutsu assessment.

Surprisingly, this year's Ninjutsu assessment wasn't limited to one of the Three Body Techniques. Students could choose freely.

Those who lacked confidence could pick the technique they were best at, while those who were confident enough could demonstrate several in a row.

In front of the many teachers scoring them and the Third, the students looked like goods on display, excitedly showing off their abilities onstage.

As the most basic Ninjutsu for a Ninja, the Three Body Techniques were more useful as a test than in actual combat.

They let the teachers judge how well students understood Chakra and Ninjutsu, as well as their basic powers of observation, short-term memory, and timing when performing techniques.

Based on this, the teachers could assign them suitable Squad Leaders and plan their future paths.

It was wartime, and there weren't enough people. Their Squad Leader didn't necessarily have to be a Jonin; it could also be a Special Jonin.

As for what the students would learn from their Squad Leader Teacher, that depended entirely on how responsible the teacher was and how well the two got along.

Still, ninjas who became Squad Leaders were usually either good-natured or had some special connection with the students. The higher-ups had specifically chosen them.