Successful Graduation

Qiupu and the others, who were familiar with Uchiha Isho's character, wore strange expressions. Even though they were astonished by the terrifying speed of his improvement, anyone who dared to claim he was diligent or hardworking had likely been hoodwinked by him, or had simply fallen for rumors.

If it had been any other student in the class, they would surely have felt, just like everyone else, that they weren't working hard enough.

Tiancheng Changyang remembered one time they had planned to go out, but because the destination was a bit too far, Isho had refused point-blank without a second thought. No matter how they tried to persuade him, it was useless; in the end, they had no choice but to compromise and go somewhere else.

Usually, if there was a place to sit and chat, Isho would never be seen standing. Fortunately, Isho was humorous and quick-witted; without him, the group felt that most of the fun was gone.

That was close, too close. It's all this lousy mission's fault. If I hadn't read so many toxic motivational quotes in my past life, I wouldn't have been able to improvise that speech in such a short time.

Still, hearing chicken soup for the soul once in a while is beneficial. Hearing too much of it, like my naive younger self, just makes one prone to anxiety and depression.

Lost in a moment of reflection, Isho, standing where he was, didn't feel he had done anything wrong. Even though this ninja world primarily valued talent and bloodlines—possessing either one guaranteed a future achievement of at least an elite Jonin—it was different for others.

Most civilian ninjas had a ceiling at the Chunin level, unless they possessed the immense perseverance to master the Eight Inner Gates or took a gamble by seeking out Orochimaru for body modification.

But if he could inspire his classmates to improve their strength even a little, the greatest beneficiaries would be themselves.

One had to understand that this world would never remain peaceful for long: the conflicts between various ninja villages, the powerful organizations and masterminds lurking in the shadows, and that final boss, the Otsutsuki clan.

"Being able to live a stable life is a happiness many can only envy. With great power comes great responsibility. Any ninja with a conscience and a sense of duty like Naruto will surely risk their lives to stand at the front, protecting their family and village when facing a powerful enemy."

After sighing softly to himself, Isho's determination to grow stronger intensified. He only hated that the system had too few missions; otherwise, he would have liked to pilot a Gundam and wipe out Danzo right then and there...

"Hokage-sama... is this kid really as lazy as you say? His words even made my blood boil. That expression, that tone—it didn't seem fake at all."

"Investing a little more time and energy to surpass oneself. This boy has had the same experience as I have. Burn! This is youth! Youth is about shedding sweat, constantly challenging oneself, and never admitting defeat!" Hokage-sama, please let me be this boy's lead Jonin! He is a youth who shares my experiences!"

Kakashi looked on with a puzzled expression, while Might Guy was moved to tears, empathizing with the similarities he shared with Isho. Before the Third Hokage could even answer, he couldn't wait to take Isho under his wing.

"I forgot to tell you, Uchiha Isho usually only trains for about an hour a day, sometimes only thirty minutes. He is extremely skilled at acting; even Chunin and average Jonin cannot see through his disguise. He has even successfully deceived several Chunin instructors."

"Therefore, his goal might simply have been to encourage the other students to become stronger. Although what he said about himself was a lie, the rest was indeed excellent and could greatly stimulate the students' morale and effort."

"Nani?! He is that kind of student? Then how could he say such things and possess such strong power?!"

After hearing the Third Hokage's addition, Might Guy froze for a few seconds, asking with a look of astonishment.

"Perhaps he saw it in some book or magazine. Guy, do you still want to be his lead Jonin?"

His good friend Kakashi immediately delivered a follow-up jab. However, he was also filled with curiosity about Uchiha Isho's strength.

He seemed to rely solely on physical strength for that Body Flicker just now. With such a short training time, can his Taijutsu really be that powerful?

The Third Hokage was in a dilemma, feeling that putting Isho in any class would be highly unbalanced.

Isho's strength also came as quite a surprise and delight to him. The Anbu's intelligence couldn't be wrong, and he couldn't help but speculate that it was related to the constitution that allowed Isho to miraculously survive the clan's annihilation.

However, there had been no signs of it over the years; when Isho was injured, his recovery speed was no different from an ordinary person's.

Could it be that it only erupts during life-or-death moments? Never mind, I will make arrangements after the students pass the graduation exam.

Meanwhile, the combat assessment was drawing to a close. The students returned to the classroom to wait quietly.

"We will now begin the final part of this exam. The subject this time is the Transformation Technique. Those called will proceed to the next room for assessment."

"First, Xiongtaipingqian."

Who will my lead Jonin be? I hope it doesn't mess up the original arrangement and put me in Team 7.

Isho rested his chin on his right hand, pondering. He didn't really care which team he ended up in, as long as he could be with his friends. That way, it wouldn't be boring, and he could look after them to ensure they weren't in mortal danger.

After all, once the Epic Experience Card was activated, Senju Hashirama's Super Kage-level strength would be unrivaled in the current ninja world.

"Next, Uchiha Isho."

Isho rose slowly and, led by Izumo Kamizuki, walked to the next room at a leisurely pace.

He saw the instructor for this graduation assessment sitting directly in front. It was Kotetsu Hagane, who had a bandage running across the bridge of his nose and both cheeks—the good partner of Izumo Kamizuki and the future gatekeeper of Konoha.

"Uchiha Isho, use the Transformation Technique to change into my appearance."

"Yes."

"Transform!"

Isho had reached such a level of proficiency with the Transformation Technique that in less than half a second, he had transformed into someone whose height, clothing, and appearance were indistinguishable from Kotetsu Hagane.

After observing for a few seconds, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki nodded simultaneously, allowing Isho to collect his Konoha forehead protector. They informed him to attend the graduation briefing at nine o'clock the next day.

Just as he walked out of the school building, he saw Qiupu sitting on the edge of the stairs with his head bowed. He was gently stroking his Konoha forehead protector, the joy on his face overflowing.

"Qiupu, congratulations on becoming a full-fledged ninja. I remember you haven't spent the money you saved this time, right? Shouldn't you use it to treat us to ramen to celebrate?"

"It is indeed a day worth celebrating, as it is extremely special for us. So, I've decided: we're going to eat grilled meat. Just the three of us—you, me, and Changyang. I can't afford to treat anyone else."

Hearing this, the smile on Isho's face became even brighter. He immediately kept looking toward the stairwell; only Tiancheng Changyang had yet to be assessed, but both of them were certain he would pass quickly.

The next morning, around eight o'clock in the classroom.

Isho wasn't surprised at all that he was the last to arrive. Why not sleep in a bit more? Why come so early? There was no reward for being the first to clock in.

At this moment, only about 20 people remained in the class. Clearly, even with the simplest Three Basic Techniques, a portion of the students had still failed.