The Graduation Exam Begins

"Aside from the palace, there is nowhere else here that you humans can easily set foot upon," the Three-Legged Golden Crow explained.

"These Cloud Islands... they're actually made of real clouds..." Yashui pinched his own cheek, felt the pain, and turned to ask the Three-Legged Golden Crow, "Master, I'm not in one of your genjutsu worlds, am I?"

"This is reality!" The Three-Legged Golden Crow set Yashui down on a smaller island. "That is why you humans are so short-sighted."

Yashui learned his lesson; having lost his footing earlier, he walked with extreme caution even within the palace.

"Walk without worry. This is the palace. You can walk on this surface even without using any chakra." The Three-Legged Golden Crow pointed its wing toward a pool in the center of the palace.

Inside the pool were lotus flowers, goldfish, and a rockery. The combination was enough to evoke a sense of elegance.

"Practice walking on the water surface there. Once you have mastered it, I have a gift for you," the Three-Legged Golden Crow teased.

Yashui nodded and gently placed one foot onto the water. At this moment, his center of gravity was still on the foot touching the ground.

Closing his eyes, Yashui carefully sensed the soles of his feet. The flow of the ripples and the swimming of the fish could be felt from beneath him.

Yashui added a bit of chakra to the soles of his feet while shifting part of his body weight onto the foot on the water.

"Used too much chakra." Yashui felt his chakra output was excessive, causing large ripples on the water's surface, so he reduced the amount.

"Splash."

Because there was too little chakra under his feet, Yashui fell into the fish pond. Without a word, he climbed out and tried again.

The second time, Yashui learned from his first attempt and managed to stabilize his body on the water surface.

"Master, I did it!" Yashui turned his head and said happily to the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow kept its eyes closed and waved its wing without even looking.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow was a massive bird; the force of its wing-flap instantly churned up all the water in the pond. Yashui, caught off guard, fell into the water once more.

"I heard you succeeded?" The Three-Legged Golden Crow opened its eyes and asked.

Yashui had been bullied by the Three-Legged Golden Crow. He didn't feel aggrieved; he understood the master's intent. The water in the pond had been too calm; walking on it was no different from walking against a rock wall.

But the water surface would not always be calm. One day, Yashui would encounter great winds and waves. Only by remaining on the water during such turbulence could one truly call it a skill.

Water-walking was a dynamic training exercise that required constant adjustment based on current speed and wave height; it was far more difficult than climbing trees.

Yashui stood on the water again and said to the Three-Legged Golden Crow, "Master, please flap your wings again."

The Three-Legged Golden Crow flapped its wings once more. This time, Yashui constantly adjusted the amount of chakra clinging to his soles. He finally managed to keep himself on the water without falling.

Although he completed the training, Yashui failed to achieve perfection. Amidst the heavy waves, he had made several errors in adjustment and nearly fell in, though he fortunately avoided any accidents.

"Go train the rest on your own... you have grasped the basics. But you must practice until you are perfect," the Three-Legged Golden Crow nodded with satisfaction. "Next, I shall bestow a ninjutsu upon you."

"Ninjutsu? Are you finally going to teach me ninjutsu?" Yashui asked happily. He had been studying with the Three-Legged Golden Crow for a full month, and the master had only ever taught him the basics. "Have I finished all my foundational courses?"

"In your dreams. We will continue your foundational training next time," the Three-Legged Golden Crow asked, "What do you think a ninja's battle is?"

"A ninja's battle?" Yashui pondered. A ninja's fight was indeed very different from a battle between others. Rather than relying on combat techniques, a ninja's battle required a bit of cunning.

"I think a ninja's battle is deception," Yashui replied.

"Hmm." The Three-Legged Golden Crow smiled. "I didn't expect you to have such an understanding of ninjas before even becoming a genin. That makes things easier. Many ninjas treat combat like a samurai's duel. They are not qualified to learn this ninjutsu."

"Listen well, Yashui. I am only telling you this because I treat you as my disciple," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said seriously, in a way Yashui had never seen before. "The Ninja Academy teaches you to sacrifice yourselves for the village. But that is not what a ninja should do."

"A ninja's mission is not sacrifice, but survival. When you encounter a powerful enemy you cannot defeat, you must not rush to the front to fight for the village; you should retreat when you must. As long as you survive, there are plenty of opportunities to turn the tide. If you die for something as ethereal as the 'village,' then your life is worthless. If you find yourself in a difficult spot, I would not look down on you even if you became a missing-nin," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said earnestly.

The words of the Three-Legged Golden Crow were quite different from the overall tone of the Naruto manga. Naruto promoted friendship, hard work, victory, and loyalty to the village.

But the Three-Legged Golden Crow's words were not necessarily wrong. There were very few people in Naruto who could truly be called "ninjas." Most preferred to fight head-on like samurai. Several members of the Akatsuki died precisely because they were too stubborn to run away.

"Your disciple has taken your words to heart, Master," Yashui nodded.

"Very well, I shall begin teaching you..."

The day of the Ninja Academy graduation exam finally arrived.

All the examinees were called into a classroom serving as a waiting room.

"Who is that guy?"

"I heard he's graduating early."

"Isn't that a genius? Our genius this year should be Sasuke Uchiha..."

As Yashui walked into the classroom, he was met with "greetings" from everyone. Yashui didn't take it to heart and found a seat to sit down.

Here, for the first time, Yashui saw the full lineup of these graduates who would change the future of Konoha.

Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame... nine of the Konoha Twelve would graduate on this day.

Yashui looked everyone over; he was in no rush to introduce himself. There would be plenty of opportunities for that later.

"Yashui? You really came for the graduation exam?" As soon as Naruto saw Yashui, he began to shout, "I thought you were just bragging the day before yesterday..."

"Naruto, do you know that guy?" Shikamaru asked listlessly.