The bell rang, and the school exams came to an end. The students filed out of the examination rooms one after another. As with every exam, some were happy while others were miserable. Taiichi, who was about to return to the classroom, happened to run into his companions leaving the exam room and happily went up to greet them.
"How did everyone do?" Taiichi asked Shizune, who was walking at the front.
"We did pretty well, but..." Shizune covered her mouth and chuckled softly, turning to look at Obito, who was dejectedly trailing behind.
"What happened? It's not like this is the first time you did badly. Why do you look like the world is ending?" Taiichi was a little puzzled. Obito had done poorly before, but he had never left the exam room looking this devastated.
"Obito got caught cheating. The teacher said he's going for a home visit! He's scared his grandma will find out," Rin said from beside them.
"Ahhh! How could this happen?!" Obito looked as though the sky had fallen, radiating a heavy gloom.
"Obito, don't give up! How can youth surrender so easily? I'll go with you later and beg Teacher Yamada to let you off this once." Guy cheered Obito on from the side, hoping to reignite his fighting spirit.
"By the way, Taiichi, how did your assessment go? Did you pass?" Shizune asked.
"Yeah, everything went smoothly. I can come to school tomorrow for team assignments."
"Congratulations!"
While Taiichi was exchanging pleasantries with his companions, Sarutobi Matsuya was reporting on the assessment in the Hokage's Office.
"Oh? He defeated Nagashima Hikaru in one minute?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Although Chunin Nagashima did underestimate him, Taiichi Matsushita's strength has indeed far surpassed that of an ordinary Genin." Recalling Taiichi's exquisite ninjutsu and sharp swordsmanship, Sarutobi Matsuya reported truthfully.
It seems I still underestimated him. Konoha's young sprouts... grow quickly. The Ninja World doesn't look like it will remain peaceful for much longer. Hiruzen Sarutobi thought.
"All right, you may leave first."
"Yes."
After Sarutobi Matsuya left the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and walked onto the balcony. He lit his pipe, already packed full of tobacco, and puffed away with a "puff, puff" as he gazed at Konoha through the hazy smoke. Thinking of the younger generation—Hatake Kakashi and Taiichi Matsushita—the young adults like Minato Namikaze, and those in their prime like the Sannin and Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's talents were endless. Even his worries about the coming war eased considerably.
After bidding farewell to his companions, Taiichi arrived at the Orphanage. The moment he pushed open the courtyard gate, seven or eight children burst out from beneath the shade of the trees like popping popcorn. Their muddy little hands scrambled to tug at his pant legs.
"Big Brother Taiichi!" Yami, her crooked pigtails tied unevenly, was the first to pounce on him. Her syrup-stained cheeks rubbed an oily mark onto his clothes. "You said you'd teach me how to throw Shuriken last time!"
"Watch me first!" Jiangtai eagerly pulled out a wooden Kunai, only to trip over himself and stumble. The children's laughter startled the sparrows beneath the eaves into flight. Taiichi casually hoisted the smallest boy onto his shoulders, and three or four warm little bodies immediately pressed against his sweaty back.
The scent of caramel drifted from the kitchen. When Nonō emerged in a faded floral apron, she saw Taiichi pinned beneath the old locust tree by the children, piled atop him like a human pyramid. He deliberately let out an exaggerated wail, making the children giggle. Bits of grass caught in his hair glimmered in the sunlight.
"Come eat, all of you!" Nonō called out loudly.
The children crowded around Taiichi and headed into the dining room. The sound of more than twenty pairs of chopsticks tapping against bowl rims was like a flock of woodpeckers holding a meeting. When he took out the oil-paper-wrapped Three-Color Dango, Jiangtai nearly knocked over his wooden stool trying to squeeze closer. Nonō quietly watched as Taiichi sat surrounded by the children, handing out the snacks.
"This one has red bean filling!" "I want the matcha one!" Amid the children's noisy clamor, Taiichi suddenly looked up and smiled at her, the curve of his eyes still carrying childish innocence. Nonō's grip on the ladle tightened, and the steaming miso soup rippled in the bowl.
By the time the moon hung high above the treetops, the children had all been chased off to bathe. Only the sheets on the clothesline swayed gently in the evening breeze. Taiichi sat cross-legged beneath the eaves, wiping down his Ninja Tool Pouch. The clinking metal buckles startled Nonō, who was gathering herbs nearby.
"Tomorrow, you'll become a real ninja?" She shook the dirt from the roots of the herbs, her voice lighter than falling honeysuckle petals.
"Haha, you already knew?" Taiichi scratched his head awkwardly while sharpening his blade. It turned out he had never told Nonō about graduating early.
"You're only seven." Nonō suddenly interrupted him. The sun-warmed bamboo tray knocked crisply against the edge of the stone mortar. From the drying yard came the splashing sound of Jiangtai's bare feet stomping through puddles, mixed with Yami's indignant pursuit, like the noise of another world.
The whetstone rasped softly in the night. Taiichi lowered his head. "Do you still remember the day I first came to the Orphanage? A three-year-old child curled up inside a wardrobe, trembling, believing that no one in the world wanted me anymore..."
Nonō's palm suddenly settled on his head, and the fresh scent of herbs covered the smell of rust. Her fingertips were still stained with melted beeswax, warm as they seeped into the sweat-dampened hair at his temples. "That little bean who used to hide under the blankets and cry is going to become a hero for the children now?"
"Yes. You used to protect us, Sister. From now on, I'll protect you too, and everyone else."
The children's pattering footsteps drew closer. Jiangtai charged over like a cannonball with wet hair plastered to his head, splashing icy droplets onto Taiichi's neck. Nonō watched as the children tugged at his clothes and pulled him into the moonlight, his deliberately straightened back gradually overlapping with the image in her memory of the child curled up on that rainy night.
After tucking the last child into bed, Taiichi quietly pulled the door shut.
At the entrance of the Orphanage, Taiichi, ready to say goodbye, still could not help saying, "Sister Nonō, I'm a ninja now, and the Orphanage doesn't have financial problems anymore. Take fewer missions, and protect yourself."
"You little brat, lecturing your big sister now? If I hadn't asked, you wouldn't have told me about this..."
"Go on, then!"
Gazing at Nonō, Taiichi suddenly stepped forward and gave her a tight hug before resolutely turning around and walking into the darkness ahead.
The next day, Ninja Academy, graduation classroom.
Taiichi followed the instructions and came here to register. The moment he entered, he attracted everyone's attention.
"Who's that? I don't know him!"
"Did he enter the wrong classroom?"
"Don't tell me he's a graduate too? He's way too young!"
The chatter continued without end, but Taiichi ignored it and headed straight for an empty seat.
"You guys are seriously behind on the news. Don't you remember the person everyone was talking about before? The one who applied to graduate early."
"That's him? He doesn't even look eight yet."
At that moment, a Chunin teacher entered the classroom. The moment he took his place at the podium, he began speaking. "Quiet. Since you are here, it means you have passed the assessment and are about to become official ninjas. Don't keep chattering everywhere without any discipline."
"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Miyamoto Den, and I am responsible for your graduation and team assignments."
"Next, when I call your name, come up and collect your Headband and Ninja ID."
"Yusuke Inada." Someone from the back walked forward. The teacher handed him his Headband and Ninja ID, not forgetting to offer a word of encouragement. "Work hard!"
"Itsu Murayama."
"Taiichi Matsushita."
Hearing his name, Taiichi immediately stood and walked forward excitedly. Finally, I'm about to change classes. Sure enough, when he accepted the Headband and Ninja ID, prompts began appearing nonstop on his panel. The moment he returned to his seat, Taiichi focused his attention on it.
[Your Genin class has reached the maximum level of Lv10. Class advancement requirements: 1. Strength 15 points, 2. Agility 15 points, 3. Three Body Technique Lv6, 4. Learn at least one ninjutsu, 5. Spend at least two years at the Ninja Academy. All five requirements have been met. Beginning class advancement.] ... [Class advancement successful. Relevant experience converted. Class: Genin Lv1 (45/100)] [Constitution +1, Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1] [Obtained Talent: Potent] [Potent: The power of all ninjutsu you cast increases by 50%] [Attribute Points +1, Skill Points +1]
After reading the new panel prompts and feeling the sudden surge of power within him, Taiichi could not help feeling secretly delighted. Once the surging power subsided, he focused on the teacher again, only to find that all his classmates had already received their Headbands and Ninja IDs.
After Teacher Miyamoto watched the newly promoted Genin below settle their emotions, he began his speech. "First of all, congratulations, everyone. From today onward, you are real ninjas."
After saying that, he took the lead in applauding, and everyone below followed suit.
Once the applause gradually died down, Teacher Miyamoto gestured for everyone to quiet down. "I believe your teachers have already told you that you did not come here today merely to receive your Headbands and Ninja IDs. You are also here to be assigned into teams."
"Team assignment means dividing you into groups of three, each led by an experienced Jonin to carry out missions together. From now on, you will be each other's closest companions and most trusted comrades-in-arms."
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