Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, two figures were locked in fierce combat on the Training Ground in the wooded Uchiha Clan district.
If Shisui Uchiha had been there, he would have recognized the fighters as the brothers Sasuke and Itachi.
Their Taijutsu had failed to produce a winner. Lin Feng retreated a few steps, then focused all his attention on gathering chakra in his throat. His hands swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
At Lin Feng's shout, a huge fireball burst from his mouth and hurtled toward Itachi.
"Whoosh!"
The fireball flew at high speed like a raging storm, shaking the air and sending a piercing roar of wind through the area.
Seeing the fireball bearing down on him, Itachi refused to back down. He formed Hand Seals as fast as lightning and unleashed a Great Fireball Technique of his own.
Both fireballs moved at a terrifying speed. A flash of light was all they could see before the flames collided with a savage force!
"Boom!"
The instant they struck, a thunderous crash rang out across the Training Ground. Powerful flames surged outward in a ring, leaving the ground in ruins wherever they reached.
"Sasuke, you've mastered the Great Fireball Technique very well," Itachi said with a light laugh, watching where the fireballs had collided.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
But his laughter had barely faded when dozens of Kunai suddenly shot out from the flames exploding in midair, streaking down toward Itachi like lightning.
"Oh no?!"
The sudden attack froze the smile on Itachi's face.
Only then did Itachi understand: the fireball that had seemed so fierce wasn't Lin Feng's real killing move. The real attack was the Kunai that followed!
There was no time to mount a proper defense. But Itachi had fought countless battles and possessed lightning-fast reflexes. Just as the Kunai were about to strike, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared elsewhere.
"Thud, thud!"
The Kunai missed Itachi and plunged into the ground.
"What?"
Itachi stared at the Kunai scattered across the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to search for Lin Feng, Lin Feng appeared behind him like a ghost, a Kunai in hand and pressed against his back.
"Big brother, you lost..."
Holding the Kunai, Lin Feng was a little excited.
Over the past ten days, whenever he had time, Lin Feng had sought out Itachi to spar. But the result had always been the same: a crushing defeat.
But Lin Feng only grew more determined with each loss. He learned from his failures and launched a fresh challenge each time. At last, his persistence had paid off. He had finally beaten Itachi, and he was both excited and happy.
"You used the fireball and Kunai to attack, then finished with a Taijutsu Body Flicker. Sasuke, you really have grown..."
Itachi was stunned by the outcome. A moment later, delight flooded his face.
The surprise Lin Feng had given Itachi today was almost too much to take in. Itachi had never expected Lin Feng to have mastered the Taijutsu Body Flicker, too.
"Hehe, thanks for the praise, big brother!"
Lin Feng smiled.
"But Sasuke, you must never let your guard down against any opponent..."
At Itachi's words, Lin Feng's expression suddenly changed.
"Poof!"
With a soft sound, the Itachi in front of Lin Feng vanished. It was obvious that the Itachi just now had only been a Shadow Clone.
"Big brother, why can I never beat you..."
Lin Feng watched Itachi disappear, sighed helplessly, and gave a bitter smile.
"Hehe, Sasuke, you've already done very well."
Itachi's figure warped into view beside Lin Feng, and he smiled faintly.
"Forget it, big brother. I don't need to hear words of comfort. If I keep training hard, I'll definitely beat you someday!"
With his Genin-level strength, challenging a top-tier expert like Itachi was no doubt asking for a beating. Lin Feng knew his limits, and his dejection quickly passed.
"Sasuke will definitely surpass me one day." Itachi smiled, but then seemed to remember something and continued, "I heard from Mom and Dad that you passed the graduation test yesterday."
"Haha, it wasn't just me. Naruto and Sakura from our class passed, too. But to graduate from the Ninja Academy, we still need the Third Hokage and the Council of Elders to approve it!"
Lin Feng was especially excited about that. He had been worried about Naruto and Sakura during the test yesterday, but they had gotten through it without a hitch.
So Lin Feng had dug into his saved-up allowance and treated Naruto and Sakura to a feast on Gourmet Street.
"Passing the graduation test after just three months means you've made history at the Ninja Academy."
Itachi nodded and spoke softly.
"Compared to what you've achieved, big brother, we still have a long way to go."
Lin Feng rubbed his nose and smiled happily.
"Hehe, let's go home..." Itachi said with a smile, looking at his beaming little brother.
"Big brother, carry me home!"
Before Itachi could react, Lin Feng had already climbed onto his back. After spending several months together, Lin Feng had come to think of Itachi as his real big brother.
Perhaps he was already used to Lin Feng doing this. Itachi smiled, then carried Lin Feng slowly into the woods.
In the Hokage's private office, four elderly men sat in chairs around a round table. Behind them stood several masked Anbu Ninja, while across from them was Iruka-sensei, who had just finished giving his report.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly set down a document and looked around the room. In a low voice, he said, "Sasuke, Naruto, and Haruno Sakura from the first-year class have all passed the graduation test. They want to graduate. What do you all think?"
"The first-year class has only been at the academy for about three months, and all three of them have passed the graduation test?" Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words and Iruka's report, the two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, both looked surprised.
"This is the test report on Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Take a look for yourselves."
Hiruzen Sarutobi handed them the documents in front of him. Mitokado Homura, Danzo, and Utatane Koharu read them carefully.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "They're all exceptionally talented. The only issue is their age."
"They have good talent. If we train them well, Konoha will have three more powerful ninja in the future." After reading the report, Danzo said gravely, "As for their age, we don't need to worry too much. Kakashi and Itachi both graduated from the Ninja Academy at a very young age."
"Hmm. Since they're so young, let them take on more D-Rank Missions..."
Mitokado Homura nodded slightly and spoke in a calm voice.
"Graduating from the Ninja Academy at six..." Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow and started to speak, but then fell silent. His expression shifted slightly before he finally waved his hand and said, "Iruka, let the three of them graduate. Tomorrow, I'll assign a Jonin to be their instructor."
"Understood."
Seeing that none of the other elders objected, Iruka nodded and left the room.