On Planning

Nozawa Shu had only just landed and was still hardened when, just as he thought Muzan's attack was over, a whistling sound reached his ears—the sound of wind...

A fierce gale swept over him, and Nozawa Shu suddenly felt a violent wind pressing down on him.

His already unsteady legs buckled, forcing him to his knees. Yet things did not improve. His hardening could not block his opponent's Gale Palm. The moment Muzan closed in on Nozawa Shu, the battle was declared over.

"Sorry, but you're not hard enough."

"What?! It's too late!"

The raging wind, mixed with dust, crashed into Nozawa Shu. His feet suddenly left the ground, and when he came to his senses, he was suspended in midair. Muzan then sprang forward and kicked him hard in the abdomen.

"Bang!"

Dust billowed up, blotting out the sunlight. Everyone was focused on the arena, including Nobi Wei, who instantly rushed over and noticed the calm composure of the black-robed Muzan.

Muzan landed on the ground and, seeing Nozawa Shu had lost consciousness and was in a thoroughly sorry state, finally stopped moving.

"Looks like you'll need a trip to the hospital."

He then used chakra to treat the other boy's body. The injuries were not serious; some rest would be enough.

As for the result of the match, he looked at the astonished Nobi Wei.

"I won, Teacher Nobi Wei."

Nobi Wei was not the only one stunned. The spectator stands fell briefly silent, and even the Third Hokage, watching through his crystal ball, wore a shocked expression. What had they just seen?

From beginning to end, the battle had lasted only two minutes.

Kakashi's fight had been exciting, but ultimately, it had been a strategic victory through clever tactics—a standard battle between ninjas.

In Muzan's battle, an elite Genin had been crushed by sheer strength from the moment he stepped into the arena. Whether in taijutsu or ninjutsu, he had been completely overwhelmed. If Muzan had possessed more combat experience, the battle would have ended even faster.

"What a headache. I have no idea which ninja in the village would be suitable to teach Muzan."

While the Third Hokage was worrying over how to train Muzan, the spectators finally came back to their senses. Muzan had achieved perfect results in the graduation exam through an absolute, crushing advantage.

"He won just like that? I just watched a five- or six-year-old kid crush a Genin head-on?"

"I thought Kakashi was already terrifyingly strong. I never expected his brother to be even more terrifying!"

"As expected of someone who came out of our hospital! He'll definitely become someone like Lady Tsunade in the future!"

After learning that Muzan was graduating early, An Yunqingtian had brought a group of people over to cheer him on. Of course, they had also come prepared to console him. He had thought Muzan lacked the strength to last even ten minutes, but Muzan had given them an enormous surprise and brought honor to their hospital.

"What do you mean, someone who came out of your hospital? He's clearly from our Ninja Academy! This is a fight, not treating an illness. What does it have to do with you?"

"Bastard! He belongs to our hospital!"

After Nobi Wei dispersed the dust, he saw Nozawa Shu lying on the ground. He looked at Muzan with a complicated expression before finally announcing the result.

"Muzan has successfully graduated early. Congratulations on becoming a qualified Genin."

Only Kakashi looked dejected. His plan to show off had died before it could begin. Still, as family, Kakashi was happy that Muzan was growing stronger and stronger. There would never be any weaklings in the Hatake Household!

"Damn it, Brother! Why did you graduate early too?"

Muzan rubbed Kakashi's white hair. Facing the stubborn look on Kakashi's face, he knew he had handled this somewhat unfairly. But Konoha was no longer safe, and their father was away on a mission. Kakashi's situation was different from his; Kakashi had already shown talent in Medical Ninjutsu.

Behind Director Harano stood the medical corps led by Lady Tsunade. Just because Tsunade suffered from hemophobia now did not mean she was useless.

In Konoha, Tsunade's status was second only to the Hokage. With the identity of a medical ninja, ordinary people would not dare lay a hand on him. The title of genius medical ninja would be enough to reach Tsunade's ears, allowing him to establish ties with the Hokage Faction.

But Kakashi was different. He was a standard genius ninja. Konoha valued geniuses, but it placed even greater importance on cultivating geniuses within its own faction. Until Kakashi joined the Hokage Faction, he would always face hidden danger.

Wasn't the most classic example Shisui Uchiha? He had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and even though everyone knew he was close to the Hokage Faction, he had still died at Danzo's hands.

"Listen to yourself. Why can't I graduate early?"

Kakashi slapped Muzan's hand away and rammed his head into him. Fortunately, Obito and Rin hurried over and pulled Kakashi back. Otherwise, Muzan would definitely have taught him a lesson.

"Don't hold me back! I'm going to fight him!"

"Don't be impulsive, Kakashi. You'll get taught a lesson. Bookworm isn't Muzan's nickname anymore—everyone calls him the Konoha Hammer King now."

"Kakashi, stop making trouble."

The two of them truly were not on the same level.

After becoming a Genin, Muzan did not plan to take missions to accumulate merit. He needed to continue researching the effects of cells. As for Kakashi, after his schoolmates had left, Muzan grabbed him by the shoulder.

"What is it, Brother?"

The moment he turned around, Kakashi did not see any happiness on Muzan's face. He understood that what came next would be extremely important.

"After becoming a Genin, you'll be assigned a squad leader. Given your talent, you have two choices. The first is to find one of Father's subordinates as your teacher. The second is to choose to join the Hokage Faction."

"What do you think, Brother?"

Kakashi still did not understand how important factional choices were. They could even be tied to Sakumo Hatake's eventual death. Whenever something required thought, he habitually asked Muzan.

"Choose the Hokage Faction. And the Third Hokage will probably use this opportunity to win Father over as well."

Just as Muzan had said, the Third Hokage was worrying about finding teachers for the two of them. Regardless of Kakashi's talent, he had to join the Hokage Faction. As for his teacher, the Third Hokage already had someone in mind.

But Muzan was much more troublesome. According to Nobi Wei's report, he had made great achievements in Medical Ninjutsu, while his own strength was formidable as well. His overall ability was not weak. Only one teacher in Konoha fit the requirements, but that person's personality...

"Let Muzan meet her first. He's Sakumo's child, after all. She probably won't make things too difficult for him."

Whether she would make things difficult for him was another matter. But the instant Muzan entered Konoha Hospital, a crowd of doctors and patients swarmed over. Everyone wanted to see this genius.

Muzan's established image had always been that of a diligent, studious boy who used his knowledge to save people. Coupled with certain people deliberately pushing the idea, it was inevitable that people would link Muzan with Tsunade.