Test (1)

The Third Hokage handed a stack of documents to Li. Upon taking them, the first photo he saw was of Minato Namikaze. Flipping through, he saw the two brothers from the Hyuga Clan, as well as Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara—all scions of their respective clans. However, Li was taken aback when he reached the files for Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. He had not expected them to apply for early graduation, nor had Uchiha Mikoto mentioned anything about it to him previously.

"These students all wish to graduate early. This time, I want the remaining students at the academy who haven't graduated to watch this exam. And you, Li, will serve as their examiner. As the greatest genius of our Konoha, if you are the one testing them, it will surely inspire the other students!" The Third Hokage said with a chuckle, taking a puff of his pipe.

To be the examiner, plainly put, meant fighting Minato Namikaze and the others. As for whether they were qualified to graduate, that was for Li to judge. In a sense, Li held the power over whether Minato Namikaze and his peers would graduate.

Ding! Mission issued: Successfully complete the graduation test. Reward: 1,000 points!

Hearing the system's notification, Li was slightly surprised. If he remembered correctly, the system had been silent for at least three months. He hadn't expected that a task assigned by the Third Hokage would actually trigger a system mission.

"I understand, Lord Hokage!" Li nodded slightly and organized the documents in his hand. Since the system had issued a mission, he would have to complete it with his full effort.

After leaving with the files for Minato Namikaze and the others, Li headed straight for the Third Training Ground designated by the Third Hokage. In truth, all training grounds were essentially the same—a stretch of grassy clearing with some scattered trees. The distinction of the Third Training Ground was merely to ensure that different ninja squads didn't overlap.

Upon arriving at the Third Training Ground, he spotted Minato Namikaze and the others from a distance. Uchiha Fugaku was busy fawning over Uchiha Mikoto, though she was paying him no mind.

"Brother Li!" The moment she saw Li approaching, Uchiha Mikoto, who had been growing impatient with Uchiha Fugaku's pestering, saw her eyes light up. Ignoring Uchiha Fugaku entirely, she hurried over to Li with a radiant, joyful expression. "Why are you here, Brother Li? Are you here to cheer me on?"

Seeing Li arrive, Minato Namikaze and the others offered a smile and nodded at him; after all, they were former classmates. However, the expressions of the Hyuga brothers and Uchiha Fugaku were not as pleasant. The Hyuga brothers were wary because of Li's Uchiha surname, while Uchiha Fugaku was bothered by Uchiha Mikoto's reaction.

"Alright, Mikoto, I'm here to be your examiner this time!" Li felt a bit helpless as Uchiha Mikoto tugged on his hand for a long while. Even though she was growing up, this young girl was still as clingy as she had been in their childhood, as if she would never grow up.

"Examiner?"

The group was stunned, unable to process the news at first. But when they saw Li nod, the expressions on Minato Namikaze and the others turned strange. They hadn't expected their examiner to be a student from their own year. Was this some kind of irony?

"Brother Li, I never imagined you would be our examiner! You're amazing!" Once it sank in, Uchiha Mikoto became even more delighted, as if she were the one who had been appointed examiner, and she refused to let go of Li's arm.

"Alright, Mikoto, the test is about to begin. Many students will be watching this time, so you must perform well!" Li shook his head slightly and flicked his finger against Uchiha Mikoto's smooth forehead.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Stung by the flick, Uchiha Mikoto grimaced in pain. She let go of Li's arm and covered her forehead, glaring at him indignantly. Standing behind them, Uchiha Fugaku turned green with rage at seeing how intimate Li and Uchiha Mikoto were.

Uchiha Li, once I become the clan head, I will definitely purge you and the rest of the Hardline Faction! Uchiha Fugaku gritted his teeth and looked away. Ever since Li had begun frequenting the Great Elder's residence over the past three years, Uchiha Hao had started feeding Uchiha Fugaku information about the clan's internal affairs and constantly warned him to be wary of Li. Now, Uchiha Fugaku viewed Li as his greatest enemy in life; whether it concerned his feelings or the future struggle for the position of clan head, Li posed too great a threat to him.

After teasing Uchiha Mikoto for a while, a middle-aged man in a green flak jacket arrived at the training ground with a massive crowd of children in tow. This was the Third Hokage's arrangement—to have the genius Li inspire the academy students. It was for this reason that they had made an exception to allow Li to serve as the examiner and permit students to observe. The students who arrived ranged from new enrollees to those about to graduate, totaling several hundred.

"Teacher Morita!" Li nodded slightly at the lead ninja. This man was the very teacher Li had when he was at the academy.

"Good, good!" Morita Mushio was clearly very satisfied with Li. He was the most gifted student he had encountered in his teaching career, and he possessed no arrogance. That simple "Teacher Morita" made Morita Mushio beam with joy.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Morita Mushio, the students took their positions, forming a large circle. They watched Li and Minato Namikaze's group in the center with great excitement. Graduating early—those who could achieve this were geniuses, the very people they should envy.

"Are you all ready?" Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li looked at Minato Namikaze and the others and said calmly.

Hearing Li's words, the group tensed up, their expressions turning serious. Although they didn't know how much Li's strength had grown over the past three years, his calm demeanor alone made them afraid to underestimate him.

They looked at one another, none wanting to be the first to step forward. They all hoped someone else would test Li's strength first. Li's composure made everyone feel a bit insecure; after all, three years ago, Li had already killed a Chunin. If it were before, they might have had the confidence to trade a few blows with him, but now, they didn't believe Li had made zero progress in three years. If they were defeated in a single move, wouldn't that be a massive embarrassment?

"Student Uchiha Li, let me be the first to challenge you!" Minato Namikaze smiled, ignoring the strange looks from the others, and stepped forward to stand before Li.

Hmm, among these people, I'm afraid only Minato can force Li to exert even a little effort, Morita Mushio thought, nodding slightly as he watched Li and Minato Namikaze with a smile. Both of these students were ones he valued highly; both were geniuses rarely seen in decades.