A Surprise for You

Shin, Kushina, and Mikoto passed the graduation exam. As they left the examination grounds, Mikoto stared at Shin with her mouth slightly open.

"Shin, why are you so strong?"

Mikoto asked in astonishment. Not even an ordinary Chunin could knock out a Genin with one punch.

"It's not that I'm too strong. That guy was just too weak."

Shin didn't think he was particularly strong, either. Compared to powerhouses like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, he was still weak.

"Kushina, you don't seem surprised at all. Did you already know how strong Shin was?"

Mikoto looked at Kushina, a hint of envy in her eyes. Since Kushina and Shin lived together, she must know him very well.

"Of course I knew. I'm stronger than that guy myself, let alone Shin."

Kushina was stronger than the Genin named Kimura. She might not have much combat experience, but her raw strength was there, so she'd definitely be stronger than a Genin in a fight.

Kushina was probably around Elite Chunin level. Considering how many ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu she knew, she probably wasn't any weaker than a Special Jonin.

She just lacked combat ability, so the strength she could actually bring to bear was only around Elite Chunin level.

Mikoto was pretty good, too. She had already awakened her Sharingan. Even though it was only a One-Tomoe Sharingan, just having the Sharingan meant she didn't need to fear a Genin.

Even if Mikoto couldn't defeat Kimura, she could definitely hold her own. After all, she had plenty of talent, too.

The three returned to their classroom and waited to hear about their team assignments. They didn't know whether the teams would be formed that day.

Not long after they got back, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Akiko, and Inuzuka Tsume returned. The three of them had been on the same team.

"You're back already. Did you pass the exam?" Namikaze Minato asked Shin and the others.

"If you can't even pass the graduation exam, that'd be embarrassing. You beat the Genin, right?"

Shin asked the three of them.

Since they'd returned so quickly, they must have defeated the Genin. After all, neither Namikaze Minato nor Uzumaki Akiko was weak. There was no way they'd failed the exam.

Judging by his usual performance, Namikaze Minato was definitely at least as strong as a Chunin. Uzumaki Akiko had been chosen as a Jinchuriki and carefully trained by Uzumaki Mito, so she was no weaker than Namikaze Minato was at the moment.

As for Inuzuka Tsume, she was a member of the Inuzuka Clan, and her strength was on par with a Genin's.

Namikaze Minato could have defeated a Genin on his own, so it was even more certain that the three of them could do it together.

"Yeah."

Namikaze Minato was a little excited. He hadn't grown into his full strength yet, so even defeating a Genin left him thrilled.

If Namikaze Minato had been at the peak of his future power, he probably wouldn't have been excited even after killing a Jonin.

A little later, Nawaki returned with the Hyuga brothers. The three of them had teamed up and defeated the Genin, too.

"Shin, that Genin was way too weak. We beat him without even breaking a sweat."

"Yeah. Genin are pretty weak," Shin said with a nod.

"Shin, don't forget that we haven't officially become Genin yet. Isn't it a little inappropriate to say Genin are weak?" Hizashi Hyuga said.

"I'm talking about ordinary Genin."

Shin was only talking about ordinary Genin. Some people might be Genin, but still ridiculously strong.

For example, the future protagonists Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke, along with Might Guy's father, Might Duy. They were all Genin, but could anyone really treat them like ordinary Genin?

Soon, all the students in Shin's class had returned. As an elite class, they had naturally all passed the exam.

If even the students in the elite class couldn't pass the graduation exam, the ordinary classes would have even less hope of passing.

Teacher Tanaka walked into the classroom, carrying a box.

"From now on, you're all real ninja. Your Ninja Headbands are in here. Come collect them."

That's right, the box was filled with Ninja Headbands. Having one meant you'd graduated from the Ninja Academy and become a real ninja.

"Also, the teams will be assigned tomorrow morning, so you'll all need to come in again then."

After that, Teacher Tanaka dismissed the class. Once school was out, Nawaki invited a few classmates he knew well to get together, including Shin and the others.

At dusk, Shin said goodbye to Kushina and Mikoto, then returned to the Senju Clan Grounds with Nawaki.

"Hey, Nawaki, where'd you get the money?" Shin asked.

Nawaki was treating everyone. Where had he gotten the money for that?

"My sister hasn't borrowed any money from me for the last few years. I saved up my allowance, and once I become a ninja, I won't be short on money anymore."

Nawaki explained.

Shin shook his head. Nawaki was an idiot to think it'd be easy to make money after becoming a ninja. Ordinary missions barely paid anything, and the missions that did pay well were extremely dangerous.

When they got back to the Senju Clan Grounds, Shin called out to Nawaki, who was about to head to his own place.

"Nawaki, you've always dreamed of becoming Hokage. Now that you're a real ninja, you'll be in danger at any moment. So make sure nothing happens to you."

Nawaki froze for a moment, then waved a hand. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You and Kushina are the ones who need to be careful."

After Nawaki left, Shin took Kushina back to Tsunade's little courtyard. To their surprise, Tsunade was home.

"Surprised to see me here?" Tsunade asked when she noticed the surprise in Shin's eyes.

"Yeah. Didn't you say you were going on a mission that would take a few days? Why are you still home?"

Shin's gaze flicked over a certain part of Tsunade's body. That was what had changed the most about her in the last four years.

He couldn't figure out how Tsunade had gone from flat as a board to having peaks and valleys.

"The mission's been temporarily canceled. Hurry up and make me some food. I'm starving."

"Tch. Can't you cook for yourself? Why make Shin do it? We've already eaten, so we're not cooking for you." Kushina made a face at Tsunade.

"Shin, if you make me dinner, I'll give you a surprise tomorrow."

Tsunade ignored Kushina and looked at Shin.

"A surprise tomorrow?" Shin looked at Tsunade thoughtfully.

"Hey, brat, what's with that look? I hate it when you look at me like you can see right through me."

"All right, I'll make you dinner. I'm looking forward to your surprise." Shin smiled and headed into the kitchen.

After Shin went into the kitchen, Kushina and Tsunade stared each other down.

"Why don't you cook for yourself? Why do you have to trouble Shin?" Kushina complained.

"Obviously, if I knew how to cook, I wouldn't be starving, would I?" Tsunade rolled her eyes at Kushina.

How good was Tsunade's cooking? About as good as Kushina's. The two of them were probably equally hopeless in the kitchen.

"By the way, you said you'd already eaten?" Tsunade suddenly remembered that Kushina had said earlier that they were full.

"Yeah, we had barbecue. Nawaki treated us, and it was so delicious—crispy and tender." Kushina said it on purpose, just to make Tsunade jealous.

Tsunade gritted her teeth. That brat Nawaki had treated everyone and hadn't even invited his own big sister. She'd have to teach him a lesson next time.

But how was Nawaki supposed to know Tsunade was home?

The heavens melted away.