Battle Against Ino-Shika-Cho!

However, the prerequisite for early graduation is that the two must work together to hold out for ten minutes against a squad of three Chunin.

"Ikkaku-sensei, the two of us? We haven't even become ninjas yet, and you want us to hold out for ten minutes against three Chunin instructors? Are you serious?" Minato Namikaze found it somewhat unbelievable.

He had applied for early graduation half a year ago, and back then, it was only a match against a Genin. Although he knew the conditions for early graduation would be harsh, this was simply too extreme.

Ikkaku-sensei shook his head at this, offering a wry smile: "You two are the most popular kids in the Leaf. Never mind the village, I suspect the entire ninja world knows of your reputations as geniuses."

"Doing this wasn't my intention either; it was the Third Hokage who ordered me to do so," Ikkaku-sensei finally revealed the truth.

"The Third Hokage?" Qingyun nodded and said, "Understood. It seems the Hokage wants to put us to a real test, then?"

"Since that is the case, we accept." Qingyun nodded, showing no signs of fear.

Minato felt a bit bitter; while his strength was high, it wasn't enough to contend with three Chunin simultaneously.

"I can hold off one Chunin, but the other two..." Minato felt a bit awkward.

"Don't worry, you just focus on holding that one off. Once I've defeated the other two, I'll come to help you."

"What!? This kid intends to defeat three Chunin!" Ikkaku heard something truly outrageous.

"You only need to hold out for ten minutes," Ikkaku repeated, thinking perhaps he hadn't expressed himself clearly enough.

To his surprise, Qingyun smiled slightly: "Since the Third Hokage wants to test us, then this time, I will properly display the strength I've been hiding! Otherwise, I feel I would be letting the Third Hokage down!"

"I must graduate early! And then become a Genin!!" Qingyun's conviction was absolute; at this moment, no one could dissuade him.

"It seems Qingyun is serious. Ikkaku-sensei, don't worry. I have sparred with Qingyun, and I can sense that he definitely hasn't used his full strength. That is exactly why I am willing to graduate alongside him," Minato said truthfully.

Ikkaku-sensei was stunned, thought for a moment, and then said: "Alright, no matter. We were going to arrange a match for you anyway. So, are you ready?"

Neither Qingyun nor Minato needed preparation; they went straight to the training ground, where the three Chunin were already waiting.

At this moment, what shocked Qingyun was that there were not only three Chunin in the vicinity, but three other people as well.

"Such powerful chakra!" Qingyun could see chakra, and he could feel that the chakra of these three individuals was more terrifying than the last.

The person standing in the middle wore the Hokage hat and cloak, had a small beard on his chin, and was smoking a pipe.

"Lord Third!" Everyone bowed to the Third Hokage.

Beside him stood two others: one with gray hair wearing a Leaf Jonin uniform, and the other with a full head of silver hair and a bump on his nose.

"This is Hatake Sakumo, and this is my student, one of the Sannin, Jiraiya," Hiruzen Sarutobi introduced them gently.

"You two, introduce yourselves," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, looking at Qingyun and Minato.

"My name is Minato Namikaze."

"My name is Qingyun."

Minato and Qingyun bowed politely to the two teachers. Qingyun knew full well that these two were legends of the Leaf!

Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of the Leaf, whose swordsmanship was said to be terrifyingly strong, and the other was the legendary mentor to Minato, Nagato, and Naruto in the original story—both were figures of legend.

"Very well. You two want to graduate early, but it won't be that easy. You will now join forces to face three Chunin. As long as you can hold out for ten minutes without admitting defeat or falling, you pass."

"After you pass, there is a massive reward waiting for you," Jiraiya said with a smile.

The current Jiraiya lacked any of his later lecherous qualities and was still a fresh-faced youth.

"Keep a level head, children. You don't need to feel so much pressure. Just pretend we aren't here and do your best," Hatake Sakumo kindly soothed their nerves.

Minato felt a bit anxious, but Qingyun felt nothing of the sort; all he felt was anticipation for the battle.

"Excellent!" Seeing Qingyun's burning fighting spirit, Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite satisfied, feeling as if he were looking at his younger self.

"Alright, since that's the case, get on the field!" the Third Hokage shouted.

The three Chunin immediately leaped onto the field.

The identities of these three ninjas were obvious: one from the Yamanaka clan, one from the Akimichi clan, and one from the Nara clan.

"Ino-Shika-Cho!" Minato felt a bit nervous now.

"These three Chunin are the Ino-Shika-Cho trio; they must have incredible synergy. Qingyun, do you have a good strategy?" Minato asked.

"Remember what we agreed on? You hold one off, and I'll take out the other two, then come to help you," Qingyun said. "Just hold off the Nara; watch out for his Shadow Possession Jutsu."

Qingyun didn't want to be immobilized during the fight, as that would surely lead to Minato's defeat against the other two.

"Are you ready? 3! 2! 1! Start!" The referee for this match was Jiraiya, who announced the start of the battle quite directly.

Immediately, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio began their seamless coordination.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" The Nara ninja opposite them used his technique immediately, attempting to bind both of them and end the match instantly.

However, things were not that easy. The moment the technique was cast, Minato had already thrown a kunai.

Helpless, the Nara ninja had to dodge.

"Teacher, your opponent is me." Minato had already calculated the Nara ninja's landing spot and had quietly thrown an explosive tag there.

"Human Bullet Tank!" Seeing that the Nara ninja was already engaged with Minato, the Akimichi ninja charged directly at Qingyun.

"Kid! Give it up! No matter how much of a genius you are, you won't be a match for the three of us!" The speaker was the Yamanaka ninja.

She was the only woman among them, and as she spoke, she moved behind Qingyun and threw a kunai at his back.

The situation was dire: a Human Bullet Tank in front and a kunai attack from behind.

At this critical moment, Qingyun made a split-second decision, leaping into the air and performing a graceful turn.

Qingyun then quickly formed hand seals, aiming at the Yamanaka ninja: "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"