Graduation Exam

Compared to Chōji Dōtō and Kiba Inuzuka, who were mere cannon fodder mentioned only by name in the original story, Shikaku Nara was the renowned strategist of Konoha.

Shikaku Nara and Shikamaru Nara really are father and son; their troublesome personalities are exactly the same, Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Ino Yamanaka stood with his arms crossed, face taut, watching his students grumble. Unlike before, he didn't seem to have any intention of stopping them, instead watching the complaints with the detached attitude of a spectator.

Hearing his classmates' grievances, Minato Namikaze wanted to stand up and comfort everyone. Just as he was about to rise, he heard a boy in the back row speak up first. Turning around, he saw it was Uchiha Matsuri, who hadn't said a single word in class for the past month.

"Actually..." Uchiha Matsuri stood with his arms crossed, looking at Ino Yamanaka on the podium, "The Third Hokage and Teacher Ino's decision is quite reasonable."

Hearing Uchiha Matsuri offer an opinion for once, the whole class immediately fell silent.

"Due to the Ninja War, students in the past generally graduated after less than two years at the Ninja Academy. While this naturally replenished the strained manpower on the front lines, it also resulted in poor foundations for the graduates, inevitably leading to the tragic fate of becoming cannon fodder once they reached the battlefield," Uchiha Matsuri analyzed. "Extending the study period to three years is actually more beneficial for us to master the basics."

"Matsuri is right. Just like the significance of extending the study time, the final exam is also meant to let us better practice our foundations," Minato Namikaze added with a smile, his face still wearing that gentle expression.

What is this? These two are the top scorers in the exams, so they aren't afraid of testing at all! Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but complain in her heart.

After secretly despising these two "straight-A students," the others stopped complaining.

Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three years, many major changes occurred in the ninja world, such as the Sannin battling Hanzo of the Salamander, who was known as a "demigod." With Hanzo of the Salamander surrendering on behalf of the Land of Rain, the Second Ninja War effectively came to an end.

When news of the war's end reached Konoha, the entire village celebrated for three days and three nights. However, as all the Konoha ninjas returned in triumph, Uchiha Matsuri noticed that Jiraiya was not among the returning army.

Having long been accustomed to living alone, Uchiha Matsuri felt neither surprise nor discomfort. Thinking back, Jiraiya must have gone to mentor the three orphans of the Land of Rain: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

June, Year 33 of Konoha. Uchiha Matsuri was 9 years old.

Uchiha Matsuri and his classmates welcomed the Ninja Academy graduation exam.

It was midsummer, and the school was filled with the sound of cicadas.

On the playground.

Ino Yamanaka stood in the center of the field, facing the remaining 33 students in the class.

Scanning the students before him, Ino Yamanaka said loudly, "Today is the day of the graduation exam, so I won't waste time with sentimental nonsense. Let me explain the exam procedure first. The graduation exam consists of two rounds, and only those who pass both can graduate."

As he spoke, Ino Yamanaka held up one finger: "The first round tests each of your Clone Jutsu."

Then, Ino Yamanaka held up two fingers, looking at the students: "The second round involves pairing up to spar. You will use various ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu to try and defeat your opponent. I will evaluate whether your level meets the graduation standard and give you a score and ranking. Only those who meet the standard will graduate..."

While Ino Yamanaka was speaking, Uchiha Matsuri secretly glanced at Minato Namikaze, who was looking back at him. After their eyes met, both of them smiled awkwardly.

If we are paired up, and the gap in strength between the two sides is too large, they definitely won't be able to show their full potential. Therefore, the opponents must be matched with similar strength, Uchiha Matsuri thought. In that case, the opponent assigned to me will likely be that guy, Minato Namikaze.

The first round of the exam passed quickly. As expected, except for a very small number of dead-last students, the vast majority of the class passed the Clone Jutsu test.

"Very good, only 3 people were eliminated in the first round. Now, on to the second round," Ino Yamanaka said with satisfaction. "First match, Minato Namikaze versus Kushina Uzumaki..."

"Teacher Ino, let me spar with Minato instead," Uchiha Matsuri suddenly interrupted.

Over the past three years, Uchiha Matsuri and Minato Namikaze had secretly taken each other as their target for challenge. Furthermore, since both had previously assumed Ino Yamanaka would pair them together, they had been itching for a fight to defeat the other. Ino Yamanaka's grouping just now not only shocked Uchiha Matsuri but even caused the usually gentle Minato Namikaze to frown.

Although Uchiha Matsuri and Minato Namikaze's grades were neck and neck, Ino Yamanaka believed that if the two fought, Minato Namikaze would undoubtedly win. The reason was that Ino Yamanaka had witnessed Minato Namikaze's hard work.

To improve his strength, Minato Namikaze had constantly asked Ino Yamanaka for advice on ninjutsu after class. At first, Ino Yamanaka was a bit resistant, but later he began to guide Minato Namikaze without reservation. Therefore, Ino Yamanaka always believed that although Uchiha Matsuri had better foundations and talent, he had not yet awakened his Sharingan despite being from the Uchiha clan, making it difficult for him to gain the upper hand against Minato Namikaze.

However, Ino Yamanaka could never have imagined that Uchiha Matsuri, having witnessed his "parents" being killed, had long ago awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan. Because Uchiha Matsuri hid it very well, basically no one knew about it.

"This..." Ino Yamanaka turned to look at Minato Namikaze, seemingly seeking his opinion.

Hearing Uchiha Matsuri propose to spar with Minato Namikaze, the surrounding students began to jeer.

"Since Uchiha Matsuri wants to spar with me, I have no problem with that," Minato Namikaze said with a smile.

"Since Minato agrees, the first match will be Minato Namikaze versus Uchiha Matsuri," Ino Yamanaka announced loudly.

"Matsuri, please go easy on me."

"Minato, please go easy on me."

The two bowed to each other simultaneously.

In the three years that had passed, everyone's strength had improved astonishingly. As the two who had alternated as the top student in tests, Uchiha Matsuri and Minato Namikaze had both been working hard to improve their strength.

After becoming proficient in refining and controlling chakra, Uchiha Matsuri had relied on the advantage of his Sharingan to secretly copy various ninjutsu by the training ground during his spare time.