The Youngest Genin! Fame Spreads Overnight!

The speed of Uchiha Lihuo's hand seals shocked everyone present, especially Minato Namikaze.

The others had either seen Lihuo perform ninjutsu before or had clashed with him head-on; they all knew his hand seal speed was comparable to that of a Kage-level ninja.

Only Minato Namikaze was caught off guard by the lack of intelligence.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

As the words left his lips, Lihuo's hands, which had been moving so fast they left afterimages, stopped on the final seal.

Suddenly, bubbling spring water gushed out from the previously dry ground beneath Lihuo's feet.

The water surged rapidly, forming a pool at his feet in an instant.

"Take this!" Lihuo roared.

In a flash, the water from the pool rose into the air, forming a ring behind Lihuo.

BOOM!

The roar of the water was deafening!

Then, a massive volume of water erupted from the ring like a cascading waterfall!

Watching the scene before him, Minato's pupils constricted, and a look of slight surprise appeared on his face.

"When it comes to Water Style, the Second Hokage is second to none; he could perform powerful Water Style ninjutsu even in places without a water source."

"For Uchiha Lihuo to achieve this at such a young age, 'genius' is no longer enough to describe him."

The Third Hokage sighed.

As the person present with the most authority to speak on the Second Hokage, his assessment was nothing if not fair.

Standing to the side, Oshima knew that when a person's Water Style could be compared to the Second Hokage's, their mastery was undoubtedly profound.

As the one facing the technique, Minato Namikaze was not as nervous as he appeared.

He knew that the purpose of Lihuo's technique was not to attack, but to concentrate and displace the Flying Thunder God Technique kunai stuck in the ground!

With Minato's combat intelligence, he thought of a way to break the situation and secure victory in an instant.

However, he did not move; he knew this was just a Ninja Academy graduation exam, not a life-or-death battle between shinobi.

Being too harsh would only dampen the confidence of the two children.

Thinking of this, he made a prompt decision, quickly forming hand seals. Watching the rushing water, he slammed his hands together.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A thick, wide wall of earth rose instantly, completely shielding Minato.

To everyone's surprise, this wall was not a flat plane, but a right angle!

The sharp corner was pointed directly at the roaring torrent.

Everyone present knew that Minato was holding back; they did not know what strategy he had conceived in that moment to break the deadlock.

They simply trusted Minato Namikaze, the man who had created miracles time and again, to never be at a loss in such a situation.

BANG!

The water, possessing the force of a thousand tons, slammed into the earth wall, only to be easily split into two streams and neutralized!

"Tch, only defending and not attacking—I'm being looked down upon," Lihuo muttered, curling his lip in frustration.

However, looking at the Flying Thunder God kunai scattered by the Great Waterfall Technique, Lihuo knew his goal had been achieved!

He exchanged a glance with Kakashi.

"While he has no vision, go!"

Two figures dashed toward Minato like ghosts.

Minato, guarding behind the wall, sensed their movements and reacted instantly. He stomped his foot and leaped backward, appearing as though he were about to clear the wall.

But Lihuo and Kakashi were already upon him!

Kakashi immediately engaged Minato in close-quarters combat.

Just then, Lihuo quickly formed hand seals and let out a loud shout.

"Temple of Nirvana Technique!"

That was right; ever since he had obtained this genjutsu from Lu Miao's house, Lihuo had spent his half-month of preparation time learning it.

With the help of "Genjutsu Talent Amplification," it had only taken Lihuo a bit of effort to master this A-rank genjutsu.

"Haha, the ninjutsu I gifted."

The Third Hokage looked at Orochimaru and Oshima beside him and smiled, as if showing off something.

But Minato, caught in a pincer attack, clearly had no mind to care about who had gifted the technique.

He only saw a feather drift down onto Kakashi, followed by a wave of intense drowsiness.

"Break!" Minato whispered, and the boundless sleepiness vanished in an instant.

This was entirely within Lihuo's expectations; after all, the strength of the Temple of Nirvana Technique lay in its wide range of control, not its sheer intensity.

For a ninja like Minato, breaking out of a genjutsu with such ease was entirely within expectations.

But he still paused for a split second!

It was that very moment that Uchiha Lihuo seized; he instantly gathered all his strength and, swift as lightning, reached out toward the bell!

Yet, just as Lihuo was a hair's breadth away from touching the bell, a flash of golden light flickered, and the bell, which had been within his grasp, vanished instantly.

At that very moment, Lihuo's brain raced at top speed.

Tactical deliberation phase.

"Lihuo, why didn't you engage Minato-senpai in the plan?" Hatake Kakashi asked, puzzled.

A user of the Flying Raijin Jutsu can place a Flying Raijin mark on someone without them ever noticing, so someone must be left behind to provide support, Lihuo thought.

The other Flying Raijin Kunai have been swept far away, so on this battlefield, the only place he can teleport to is!

That living Flying Raijin mark!

In that instant, Lihuo's reaction reached its peak!

He spread his hand, and a pale blue Rasengan rapidly materialized.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and aimed it at Kakashi, his movements fluid and executed in one seamless motion.

Jingle!

Following the melodic sound of the bell, Minato Namikaze's voice rang out beside Kakashi.

"I concede. You two are truly impressive!"

Clap, clap, clap. The three examiners present also broke into spontaneous, heartfelt applause.

"What a truly exhilarating duel," the Third Hokage said first.

"Indeed, it was a real eye-opener," Orochimaru said, looking at Lihuo with keen interest.

Teacher Oshima also revealed a sincere smile, unable to hide the pride on his face.

It's not like you taught me anything, what are you so proud of? Lihuo muttered under his breath.

Then, Teacher Oshima straightened his expression.

"Congratulations to you both. Uchiha Lihuo, Hatake Kakashi, you have passed the early graduation exam and are now official ninjas of Konoha Village!"

"The Third Hokage, Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen, will now personally bestow your headbands upon you!"

The Third Hokage, wearing a kindly expression, walked forward with a chuckle and presented the headbands, the symbols of a Konoha ninja, to Lihuo and his companion.

As the cold touch of the headband pressed against him, Lihuo felt a sense of unreality. Have I really become a ninja of Konoha Village just like that?

"Lihuo, you certainly didn't disappoint me. From now on, you are my disciple. You must follow my training plan strictly."

"And, if there is anything I need from you... I will use a Ninja Snake to notify you," Orochimaru said with a pointed tone, before departing via Body Flicker, citing heavy official duties.

The Third Hokage also left after delivering a lecture on the Will of Fire.

Only Teacher Oshima remained.

Seeing Teacher Oshima's hesitant expression, Lihuo said with a resigned sigh, "Teacher, just say what's on your mind. We have time to spare for you."

But unexpectedly, the usually stern Oshima walked straight over and hugged both Lihuo and Kakashi.

"I am proud of you... Once you become ninjas... take care of yourselves!"

Teacher Oshima left only those words behind before vanishing with a Body Flicker.

In that moment, Lihuo understood Teacher Oshima even better.

Afterward, Lihuo and Kakashi returned together to share this momentous news with their brothers and friends.

Obito: "What? You really became a ninja? I told you that you could do it! Even that stuck-up Kakashi became one too, but I'll surpass him sooner or later!"

Guy: "That's amazing! Youth is about infinite struggle and infinite progress! I must work twice as hard! I'll start by doing 10,000 push-ups! If I can't do it..."

Lu Miao: "I never expected it, Uchiha Lihuo, you're actually this strong."

Just as Lihuo was sharing his joy with his friends, the Third Hokage returned to the Hokage Office.

"Pass down the order: the personal abilities and growth records of Uchiha Lihuo and Hatake Kakashi are now classified as top-secret files!"

"No one is permitted to access them without my authorization!"

"Also, release the news and promote them heavily. Say that..."

One week later, Sunagakure, the residence of the elders.

"The youngest genin in Konoha?"

"The Uchiha genius and the successor to the Konoha White Fang?"

"It is absolutely infuriating! White Fang killed my son and daughter-in-law, yet he gets to live carefree!"

"Pass on my orders!" Chiyo roared.

"Sister, please calm down. Now is not the time for us to start a major conflict."

"Ebizo! Then tell me what we should do! Uchiha Lihuo and Hatake Kakashi must not be allowed to live!"

Ebizo pondered for a moment before pulling his sister aside.

"Sister, we could do this..."

What they did not know was that Sasori of the Red Sand, the Sunagakure genius puppeteer only two years older than Lihuo, had heard their entire conversation clearly.

And what Sasori did not know was that from that day on, a special detachment targeting Konoha had been established within the Sunagakure intelligence department!