Passing the Test

After the flames dissipated, only a mangled wall of earth remained standing, its surface charred black and radiating intense heat.

Jiraiya's figure emerged from behind the wall; though the Earth Style: Earth Wall was severely damaged, it had successfully fulfilled its defensive purpose.

"Truly... the younger generation is formidable!"

Looking at the heavily battered Earth Style: Earth Wall, Jiraiya sighed in admiration.

Just then, he suddenly felt a tug at his waist.

Jiraiya spun around instantly to see Namikaze Minato, half his body still submerged in the earth, holding the two bells up toward him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, we won."

Jiraiya gave Namikaze Minato a long, deep look. Although his attention had been significantly diverted by the earlier combination ninjutsu, it wasn't just anyone who could approach him from behind without a sound—even from underground.

"I lost," Jiraiya admitted with a carefree shrug.

"You must have started digging the moment the explosion went off, didn't you?"

"Yes," Namikaze Minato replied with a smile.

At this moment, Uchiha Nagi and his companion finally approached from the distance.

Uchiha Mikoto was still in a state of shock; had they really succeeded in taking the bells from the hands of the Hokage's own disciple, Jiraiya?

Moreover, she had only made a single move the entire time, which was casting a Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.

Even the fact that they were able to push Jiraiya to such an extent was primarily due to Uchiha Nagi's assistance with Wind Release...

Recalling the events of the test, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly realized that perhaps Uchiha Nagi hadn't been lying when he said he would look after her yesterday.

The two teammates before her, who were two years younger than she was, were truly stronger than she had imagined!

Especially Uchiha Nagi's shurikenjutsu; the throwing technique he displayed made her marvel, and one had to remember that as a member of the Uchiha Clan, her own throwing skills were already excellent.

But she could never reach the level Uchiha Nagi had demonstrated!

"I'll give you a heads-up: based on your performance, you all certainly passed the test, but since there are only two bells, have you decided who will accept the punishment?" Jiraiya asked with a mischievous grin.

"I'll take it. It's just a punishment, after all," Uchiha Nagi said, stretching his back.

"No, let me do it. After all, my contribution to this test was the smallest," Uchiha Mikoto quickly interjected.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I believe that if there is to be a punishment, the three of us should accept it together. We are a team; it wouldn't be right for anyone to be singled out," Namikaze Minato added.

Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Mikoto exchanged a glance after hearing this and remained silent, effectively defaulting to Namikaze Minato's suggestion.

Watching the three of them insist on sharing the punishment, Jiraiya slowly broke into a smile.

"Haha, in that case, as your instructor, the punishment I'll give you is to go out for a meal together. But let's get this straight: no barbecue today," Jiraiya laughed heartily.

"Understood, thank you, Jiraiya-sensei."

The three of them immediately beamed with smiles.

After the laughter died down, Jiraiya looked at the three of them with a serious expression.

"You all did very well. First, Uchiha Nagi, your shuriken throwing technique is something even a Jonin couldn't afford to ignore."

"Combined with your exceptional chakra control and mastery of the Three Basic Techniques, you are truly outstanding. You held back during the graduation exam, didn't you?"

Uchiha Nagi nodded.

Jiraiya wore an 'I knew it' expression; otherwise, having watched the entire process, it would have been impossible for him not to remember the boy's name.

He then turned his gaze toward Namikaze Minato.

"Namikaze Minato, you possess excellent reflexes, and your chakra control is also top-tier. Your strength should have been enough to qualify as a Genin long ago."

Finally, Jiraiya looked at the slightly nervous Uchiha Mikoto.

"Uchiha Mikoto, although the performance of these two made your own contributions seem less prominent, the Fireball Jutsu at the end proved that your chakra control is also at an excellent level. You are fully qualified to graduate."

Uchiha Mikoto let out a sigh of relief.

Jiraiya observed the three of them, most satisfied by the bond between them—especially the relationship between classmates Uchiha Nagi and Namikaze Minato.

The scene from earlier was still fresh in his mind; just how much trust did Namikaze Minato have in Uchiha Nagi's shuriken skills to use his own body to block Jiraiya's line of sight, ensuring the shuriken wouldn't be spotted?

One had to realize that if Uchiha Nagi had made even the slightest error, Namikaze Minato's life could have been in serious danger.

This level of trust left Jiraiya feeling stunned.

"Have you decided what you want to eat?" Jiraiya asked.

"I remember a dango shop that's quite good," Uchiha Nagi said after a moment of thought.

The famous place in his memory was naturally Ichiraku Ramen, but Ichiraku Ramen wouldn't open until the start of the Rōran arc involving Hatake Kakashi, which was still a long way off...

Hatake Kakashi wasn't even born for another few months!

Aside from Ichiraku Ramen, there were naturally only the Akimichi family's barbecue and Mitarashi Anko's dango.

"How do you two feel?" Jiraiya looked toward Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Mikoto.

Neither of them had any particular cravings, so they naturally wouldn't object now that someone had offered a suggestion.

"Alright then, we're heading to the dango shop!"

Jiraiya led the three of them toward the dango shop with great momentum.

After everything concluded, Uchiha Nagi and Uchiha Mikoto walked back toward the clan compound together once more.

Along the way, Uchiha Mikoto looked at Uchiha Nagi's back with some hesitation, yet she never managed to voice her question.

She wanted to know if Uchiha Nagi had awakened the Sharingan.

In her memory, there were indeed members of the clan who could train their shurikenjutsu to such a level, but without exception, they had all awakened the Sharingan.

However, thinking that this might be the other party's secret, Uchiha Mikoto naturally found it difficult to ask directly.

"Is there something you need, since you've been peeking at me this whole time?" Uchiha Nagi turned his head to look at Mikoto.

"No, it's nothing." Uchiha Mikoto was startled.

"Oh, if you have something to say, just say it. I will answer what I can, and what I cannot... naturally, I won't tell you." Uchiha Nagi was very direct.

"Mm, I understand."

Uchiha Mikoto wasn't angry; furthermore, she could tell he was a decent person, given that he was the first to step forward and accept the punishment—even though she had performed the worst in this test—so she wouldn't be bothered by such trivial matters.

"Also, Eri invited you to visit my home. Do you have time?" Uchiha Nagi suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

"Eh? Eri-nee?" Mikoto hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed.

"Then, I'll be troubling you."