Chapter Thirty-Two: A Surprise for You

As Shin, Kushina, and Mikoto passed the graduation exam and left the testing grounds, Mikoto's small mouth hung slightly agape as she stared at Shin.

"Shin, why is your strength so immense?"

Mikoto asked with a look of astonishment; knocking out a Genin with a single punch was something even an average Chunin couldn't achieve.

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

Shin didn't feel particularly powerful himself; compared to titans like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, his strength was still quite meager.

"Kushina, you aren't surprised at all. Did you already know about Shin's strength?"

Mikoto gazed at Kushina, a hint of envy in her eyes. Since Kushina and Shin lived together, she must have known everything.

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

Kushina herself was more capable than the Genin named Kimura. Perhaps she lacked combat experience, but her raw power was there; in a real fight, she would certainly outperform a Genin.

Kushina's strength was roughly at the level of an Elite Chunin, and considering the variety of ninjutsu and sealing techniques she knew, she likely wasn't inferior to a Special Jonin.

It was only her lack of combat experience that held her back; her actual combat effectiveness was currently at the Elite Chunin level.

Mikoto was actually quite impressive as well, having already awakened her One-Tomoe Sharingan. Even if it was only a One-Tomoe Sharingan, the mere possession of it meant she had nothing to fear from a Genin.

Even Mikoto herself, even if she couldn't defeat that Kimura, would have absolutely no problem holding her own; after all, her talent was not weak.

The three returned to their classroom to wait for the team assignments, wondering if they would be announced that day.

Not long after they returned, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Akiko, and Inuzuka Tsume walked in; the three of them were a team.

"Back so soon? Did you pass the exam?" Namikaze Minato asked Shin and the others.

"If we couldn't even pass the graduation exam, that would be too embarrassing. You guys defeated that Genin, right?"

Shin asked the three of them.

Returning so quickly meant they must have defeated the Genin; after all, the strength of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Akiko was not low, so it was impossible for them to fail.

Judging by his usual performance, Namikaze Minato's strength was definitely not inferior to a Chunin, and Uzumaki Akiko, having been chosen as a Jinchuriki and carefully trained by Uzumaki Mito, was no weaker than Namikaze Minato at this stage.

As for Inuzuka Tsume, she was a member of the Inuzuka Clan, and her strength was also comparable to a Genin.

Even Namikaze Minato alone would have no trouble defeating a Genin, let alone the three of them working together.

"Yeah."

Namikaze Minato was quite excited. At this point, he hadn't fully matured yet, so defeating a Genin still felt like a significant achievement.

If it were the Namikaze Minato of the future, he probably wouldn't feel any excitement even after killing a Jonin.

Shortly after, Nawaki and the Hyuga brothers returned. They had teamed up and also defeated the Genin.

"Shin, let me tell you, that Genin was just too weak. We defeated him with ease."

"Yeah, just a Genin, they are quite weak." Shin nodded.

"Shin, don't forget we haven't officially become Genin yet. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to call Genin weak here?" Hizashi Hyuga said.

"I was referring to average Genin."

Shin was only talking about ordinary Genin; there were those who were technically Genin but possessed explosive strength.

For example, future protagonists like Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, or Might Guy's father, Might Duy—though they were all Genin, could you really treat them as mere Genin?

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

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

Tanaka walked into the classroom, carrying a box in his hands.

"From now on, you are all true ninjas. Here are your Ninja Headband, come and collect them."

That's right, the box contained Ninja Headband; possessing one meant they had graduated from the Ninja Academy and become true ninjas.

"Also, team assignments will take place tomorrow morning, so everyone needs to come back tomorrow morning."

Afterward, Tanaka announced the end of the school day. Once school was out, Nawaki gathered the classmates he was closer to, which naturally included 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 did you get the money?" Shin asked Nawaki.

This time, Nawaki was treating them to a meal; where did he get the money to pay for it?

"In the last few years, my big sister hasn't borrowed money from me. This is the pocket money I've saved up. Once I become a ninja, I won't be short on money anymore."

Nawaki said to Shin.

Shin shook his head. That idiot Nawaki, did he really think making money would be easy after becoming a ninja? Ordinary low-level missions barely paid anything, and the ones that actually paid well were incredibly dangerous.

Returning to the Senju Clan Grounds, Shin called out to Nawaki just as he was heading toward his own quarters.

"Nawaki, you dream of becoming the Hokage, don't you? Now that you're a real ninja, you'll face danger at every turn, so make sure you don't get yourself killed."

Nawaki froze for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You and Kushina should be the ones being careful."

After Nawaki left, Shin pulled Kushina along and returned to Tsunade's small courtyard. Unexpectedly, Tsunade was actually home.

"Surprised to see me here?" Tsunade asked, noticing the look of surprise in Shin's eyes.

"Yeah, didn't you say you were going out on a mission that would take a few days? Why are you still at home?"

Shin's gaze swept over a certain part of Tsunade's body; that was where she had changed the most over the past four years.

He still couldn't fathom how Tsunade had gone from a flat board to such towering peaks.

"The mission was canceled. Hurry up and make me something to eat; I'm starving to death."

"Tch, can't you cook for yourself? Why should Shin have to do it for you? Besides, we're already full, so we aren't making you anything." Kushina made a face at Tsunade.

"Shin, if you cook for me, I'll give you a surprise tomorrow."

Tsunade ignored Kushina and looked directly at Shin.

"A surprise for me tomorrow?" Shin glanced at Tsunade, lost in thought.

"Hey, what kind of look is that, you little brat? I hate that look of yours, like you've seen through everything."

"Fine, I'll go prepare dinner. I'll look forward to your surprise." Shin walked into the kitchen with a smile.

Once Shin had gone into the kitchen, Kushina and Tsunade stared each other down.

"Why don't you just cook for yourself instead of bothering Shin?" Kushina said, clearly dissatisfied.

"Duh, if I knew how to cook, would I be sitting here starving?" Tsunade rolled her eyes at Kushina.

As for Tsunade's cooking skills, let's just say they were on par with Kushina's—the two of them were essentially two sides of the same coin.

"Right, you said you already ate?" Tsunade suddenly remembered that Kushina had mentioned being full earlier.

"Yeah, we had barbecue. Nawaki treated us; it was so delicious, crispy and savory." Kushina said this intentionally, just to make Tsunade's mouth water.

Tsunade gritted her teeth. That brat Nawaki actually treated them to a meal without inviting his own sister? She would definitely have to teach him a lesson next time.

However, Nawaki had no way of knowing that Tsunade was actually home.