Graduation Preparations

Not long after, Orochimaru and Lihuo stepped out of the Hokage Building.

The pair, who had been a "strict master and talented student" just a second ago, instantly became like strangers.

Lihuo looked toward his future "master," just about to say something, when he saw Orochimaru open his mouth without the slightest regard for his image.

Ugh!

Accompanied by an unpleasant sound, a scroll was regurgitated from his throat into his mouth. Finally, covered in slime, it was held in his hand.

"It seems you truly have mastered a form of rapid recovery. Otherwise, the injuries from yesterday could not have healed so quickly; this is not something ordinary medical ninjutsu can compare to," Orochimaru said with keen interest.

"Master Orochimaru, that is not something you need to know," Lihuo pouted, as if dissatisfied with Orochimaru's prying attitude.

"Well, don't be so distant," Orochimaru chuckled, handing the scroll to Lihuo, his expression turning serious. "I suspect you didn't hold back at all yesterday, so I have created a rigorous training plan for you based on your true capabilities."

"Though it may sound boastful, if you strictly follow this plan, you will absolutely reap great rewards."

Lihuo suppressed the discomfort in his heart, took the scroll from Orochimaru's hand, and began to read it carefully.

The more Lihuo read, the more he marveled at Orochimaru's sharp insight and unique training methods.

He was certain that as long as he followed this training regimen, his strength would improve by leaps and bounds!

It had to be said that although Orochimaru's methods were ruthless, in terms of aptitude as a master, he was just as dedicated as Jiraiya.

In the original story, during his three years of training, he not only cultivated Sasuke into a formidable force but also laid a solid foundation for him in analyzing enemy capabilities and formulating strategies.

This was also the reason Lihuo chose Orochimaru as his teacher; at present, Lihuo truly could not gain much more improvement at the Ninja Academy.

And if he were to graduate early and be assigned to a standard three-man squad, the growth he would gain would certainly not be as great as being personally taught by one of the Sannin, Orochimaru.

Not only that, but as Orochimaru had said, last night was the only time he had not held back.

Therefore, Orochimaru was the only one capable of formulating a perfect training plan for Lihuo.

"Little Lihuo, successfully graduating early is my first test for you. Don't let me down."

"Finally, sign the contract with Ryuchi Cave as soon as possible so it will be convenient for me to contact you. When I have time, I will find you to study natural energy together."

Orochimaru smiled, his words carrying a hidden meaning, before vanishing with a Body Flicker, leaving the Ryuchi Cave contract scroll with Lihuo.

Tch, look down on who? Lihuo muttered to himself, completely unbothered.

A small matter like graduating early could never stump me.

At this current stage, I only need to show a little bit of natural energy for you to study for years.

Thinking of this, Lihuo couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind; it was Kakashi.

"Oh, it's Kakashi. What are you doing here?"

"Father received a mission from the Hokage and is leaving immediately, so I came to see him off."

"To make Sakumo-senpai take action, this mission must not be simple."

"Ah, I wouldn't know about that. But why are you here?" Kakashi asked, slightly puzzled.

Lihuo told Kakashi the sequence of events, though he omitted the part about fighting Orochimaru for three hundred rounds, saying only that he was going to take Orochimaru as his master.

"Oh? Orochimaru of the Sannin? That is a very powerful ninja."

"Indeed. Do you want to join me?"

"No, I plan to continue practicing the Hatake Sword Technique after graduation."

Kakashi's answer was within Lihuo's expectations; after all, Kakashi was currently focusing on sword techniques, and Orochimaru's style did not suit him.

"Then why don't you graduate early with me? There's nothing left to learn at the Ninja Academy anyway."

Kakashi pondered for a moment, then looked up.

"It's a deal, then."

"What about Guy?" Lihuo asked.

"Although Guy's taijutsu is very strong, his other aspects are a complete mess."

Kakashi nodded upon hearing this.

"Indeed, his strength is beyond question, but he is still far from meeting the standards for graduation in other areas."

"Then we'll just have to let him settle in a bit more."

Having said that, both of them laughed and headed toward the training ground together, ready to tell Guy the good news.

It wasn't that the two of them didn't care about leaving Guy behind.

Rather, all three of them shared a common understanding: that everyone had their own path to walk.

Paths did not have to be identical, nor was there a need to pursue rigid companionship; it was enough to know that there were friends on the road working hard together.

They were certain that with Guy's strength, he would surely become a formidable ninja capable of standing on his own in the future.

As for himself, all he had to do was keep growing stronger.

Upon receiving the news, Guy began to train even harder.

The next day, for a rare change, Kakashi and Lihuo did not use shadow clones to attend school, but instead sought out Teacher Oshima in person after class.

Looking at the two boys before him, Teacher Oshima felt a surge of deep emotion.

Ever since he transitioned from the Anbu to a teacher, he had come to realize the terrifying nature of geniuses more and more.

While their peers were still struggling to learn the basics, these true geniuses had already grown into ninjas capable of handling missions on their own.

"I have already heard about your early graduation," Teacher Oshima said with a serious expression.

"What I want to tell you is that the assessment standards for you will be even stricter than those for the regular candidates."

"After all, I do not wish for my students to lose their lives on missions due to my negligence."

Hearing Teacher Oshima's words, Lihuo and Kakashi finally began to take this exam seriously.

Following this, Teacher Oshima explained the rules of this graduation exam to the two in great detail.

Unlike the graduation exams of Naruto's generation in the original story, the current exams were exceptionally rigorous.

First was the examination of basic knowledge, which was conducted entirely according to the content graduates were expected to master. Moreover, because there were only two examinees, there were even more proctors than students, making cheating impossible.

Next was the practical combat segment, and upon reaching this point, Teacher Oshima emphasized it particularly.

"I know that both of you possess great strength; I have been able to see it during your daily training."

"Aside from Guy, the other students cannot even touch your shadow clones."

"The content of this practical exercise will be a battle against an examiner, and the assessor will grade you throughout the process."

"Therefore, whether in this exam or in future missions, you must never underestimate your opponents."

The two acknowledged this, and after Teacher Oshima gave a few more instructions regarding the details, he concluded, "The assessment date is set for half a month from now, at the same time as everyone else's final exams."

"I hope you two geniuses will prepare well. I wish you success."

After thanking their teacher, the two walked out of the school.

"After hearing Teacher Oshima's warnings, I feel this exam won't be simple," Kakashi said.

"Who's to say otherwise? Especially regarding the basic knowledge; we are still lacking in so many areas."

"It is you, not us."

Lihuo: (;￣O￣)

Kakashi: "Oh? Isn't this knowledge that should have been mastered before enrollment?"

Lihuo finally understood why Kakashi was able to become a Chunin at the age of six.

The grind—it was truly an intense grind!

"Then I'll take advantage of these next two weeks to properly brush up on my basic knowledge," Lihuo said nonchalantly. "As for the practical combat, I'm not too worried."

"They couldn't possibly find a Jonin to fight us, could they?"

With that, Lihuo bid farewell to Kakashi under the pretense of going home to study.

Back home, Lihuo took out the Ryuchi Cave Summoning Scroll that Orochimaru had given him.

As for why Lihuo wasn't worried about his basic knowledge? A joke; the "Basic Knowledge Mastery" he had obtained from patting Ebisu on the head was already enough to handle most of the exam questions.

As for the remaining difficult problems, he only needed to find a few top students in the higher grades to pat on the head tomorrow.

Lihuo: Studying is impossible; it will never be possible in this lifetime.

Opening the Summoning Scroll, Orochimaru's name was prominently listed.

Facing a Summoning Scroll from one of the three great sage regions, Ryuchi Cave, Lihuo had no reason to hesitate and decisively signed his name.

Biting his thumb, he pressed his handprint beneath his name.

Lihuo felt a faint connection form between himself and a certain place.

However, it was a pity that Lihuo did not know the Summoning Jutsu; otherwise, he would have summoned a Ninja Snake just for fun.

Afterward, Lihuo opened the training plan devised by Orochimaru and began to train strictly according to it.

Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived.

Lihuo attended school in his real body again. As soon as he entered the school, Lihuo activated his Simplified Sage Mode, removed his weights, and pushed his speed to the limit.

With lightning speed, he patted the heads of every teacher and student in the school!

As he patted them, he shouted:

"Don't scold me, I am Hatake Kakashi!"

"If you dare scold me, I, Uchiha Aotian, will never forgive you!"

"Let me show you the true power of Uchiha Obito!"

Except for a few highly skilled teachers who managed to dodge him, everyone else had been fleeced by Lihuo.

Since he wouldn't be staying here much longer, he naturally had to harvest these leeks as quickly as possible.

After a bout of diligent "harvesting," Lihuo truly understood the joy of a farmer.

Most of the rewards from these head-pats ranged from 10,000 to 50,000 ryo.

A few teachers and students, however, dropped enhancement-type rewards like "Encyclopedia of Ninja Knowledge," "Advanced Knowledge Mastery," and "Minor Physical Enhancement."

Bit by bit, the gains added up; this trip to the ninja academy for head-pats could be considered a bountiful harvest.

Accompanied by the pain that came with the distribution of rewards, Lihuo improved his strength, feeling both the agony and the joy.

"Uchiha Lihuo! What have you done!" Teacher Oshima's roar echoed from afar.

Feeling guilty as a thief, Lihuo scrambled to escape, shouting as he ran, "I'm not Uchiha Lihuo, I'm Might Guy!"

In the days that followed, Teacher Oshima was busy dealing with the pile of complaint letters on his desk, while Lihuo was busy training to consolidate his newfound strength.