Under Nonō's guidance, Namikawa Yū's skill in Medical Ninjutsu improved rapidly.
Of course, that was only how it appeared.
In reality, his skill in Medical Ninjutsu had not improved; he was merely revealing it little by little.
But because he maintained just the right level, he gave the impression of making rapid progress.
As for genuine progress, naturally, there was some of that too.
Although Medical Ninjutsu had developed rapidly in the Land of Ancestors, it had only been developing for a few decades, after all.
The development of ninja in the Ninja World, meanwhile, spanned at least several thousand years.
After such a long period of development, the Ninja World's ninjutsu surpassed that of the Land of Ancestors in many respects. That much was certain.
Thus, Namikawa Yū truly did learn a great deal from Nonō.
That day, Namikawa Yū came to the Orphanage as usual and began treating the injured children.
There were quite a few children in the Orphanage, and their squabbles left many of them with minor injuries.
No one had paid much attention to these minor injuries before, but now they provided Namikawa Yū with the perfect opportunity to practice.
"All better now."
After healing a child's injuries, Namikawa Yū smiled. "Remember to be more careful next time. Don't get hurt again."
"Thank you."
The child before him looked grateful for Namikawa Yū's concern and soon cheered up again.
Namikawa Yū stood alone, gazing thoughtfully at the director's office in the distance.
The director has left again...
Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Has she been sent out on another mission?
As the director of the Orphanage, Nonō often left to take care of things elsewhere.
On the surface, these were all official business, but in reality, she was going out on missions.
As for exactly what those missions were, Namikawa Yū had never asked.
Recently, however, Nonō had been leaving more and more frequently.
The situation in the Ninja World also seemed to be growing increasingly tense.
Recalling the various rumors he had gathered and heard lately, Namikawa Yū could not help sighing inwardly.
It looks like it's time to leave the Ninja Academy.
The thought flashed through his mind.
Judging by the current circumstances, the situation in the Ninja World was becoming increasingly dangerous.
If he wanted to ensure his safety, he would be better off leaving the Ninja Academy as soon as possible.
The next day, he returned to school.
In front of the surrounding students, he approached his teacher and made his request.
"Yū, have you thought this through?"
The middle-aged man before him wore a vest and had a serious expression as he looked at Namikawa Yū. "At your age, applying to graduate now is still a little too much of a stretch."
"Staying at school for a few more years might suit you better."
"Teacher Akiya, I've already made up my mind."
Namikawa Yū smiled. "I can't learn anything more by staying at school. It's time I left and made a greater contribution to the village."
"That's what I think. I hope you can agree, Teacher Akiya."
"Since you're so insistent."
Kōi Akiya sighed. "Come with me, then."
With a respectful expression, Namikawa Yū followed Kōi Akiya.
Only then did everyone around them react.
"That guy's applying to graduate early?"
"Isn't he only a second-year?"
His classmates looked astonished, exchanging glances, unsure what to say.
A short while later, Namikawa Yū arrived at a training ground.
Graduating from the Ninja Academy was not actually very difficult. One only needed to meet the standards for a few basic techniques.
Ultimately, even after graduating, Ninja Academy students were only Genin.
And Genin were essentially at that level: mastering a few basic techniques and meeting a reasonable standard in Taijutsu was more or less enough to qualify.
The requirements could not be too high.
However, since Namikawa Yū had applied to graduate early, an additional practical combat test had been included in his examination.
He had to defeat his assigned opponent to pass the examination and officially graduate from the Ninja Academy.
As expected, Namikawa Yū quickly passed the earlier tests.
The final combat test, however, surprised him a little.
What surprised him was not the test itself, but the person testing him.
It was a boy who looked a little over ten, with the Uchiha Clan Crest on his clothes identifying him as a member of the Uchiha Clan.
He wore a pair of goggles on his head, and his trademark goofy grin made his identity obvious at a glance.
Obito Uchiha...
Looking at the boy before him, Namikawa Yū could not help feeling surprised. He's the one testing me?
Obito Uchiha, one of the Ninja World's future bosses, was currently also a student at the Ninja Academy.
Going by his age, he should now have been a sixth-year, on the verge of graduating.
In terms of both strength and age, someone like him was a fairly suitable choice to give Namikawa Yū a practical combat test.
As far as age went, Namikawa Yū was currently only seven, and he was a ninja orphan.
Given his age and background, assigning him a Chunin-level opponent would clearly have been somewhat inappropriate.
Someone at Obito Uchiha's level was just right.
He was twelve now, and barring any surprises, he would graduate that year.
In terms of strength, although he was currently a disgrace to the Uchiha and the dead last in his year, he still possessed the strength of a standard Genin.
Having him test Namikawa Yū was suitable in every respect.
"So you're my opponent for the combat test?"
Watching Namikawa Yū approach, Obito Uchiha laughed. "I'm in a good mood, so hurry up and surrender!"
"You must be Obito, my senior?"
Namikawa Yū paid no mind to Obito's words and merely smiled. "I didn't expect to meet you here."
"You know me?"
Obito Uchiha looked surprised. "How come I don't remember you?"
He did not have many friends. If he had met someone before, they should have left a fairly strong impression on him.
But no matter how hard he searched his memory, he could not recall Namikawa Yū at all.
"It was a chance encounter."
Namikawa Yū spoke casually. "Once, while I was out for a walk, I saw you helping an old lady cross the road. It left quite an impression on me."
"You seem like a very kind person."
"Ah... r-really?"
Hearing Namikawa Yū's words, Obito Uchiha instantly grew a little embarrassed.
He looked at Namikawa Yū, suddenly finding him especially likable. "You think I'm pretty great too, right?"
"Since I like you so much, I'll go easy on you in a bit. I guarantee you won't get hurt!"
"Hahahaha!"
As he spoke, something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly burst out laughing on the spot.