This Buzz-Cut Hunk Looks So Familiar?

"Damn... Ying Shu, why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Obito, following behind the two ANBU, spoke uneasily in a low voice.

"Isn't it just a graduation exam? They're not testing theoretical knowledge, so what are you afraid of?" Ying Shu said irritably.

In fact, from the "ninja perspective" he had developed during this month of special training, he really could spot something unusual.

The two ANBU in front of them were silent, wooden, and did not say a word.

Every movement they made seemed natural, no different from ordinary people, yet they remained tense at all times.

Without a doubt, if anything unexpected happened, the two ANBU before them would transform into elite killing machines and cut down any enemy who attacked.

That was also why Obito had been so fired up just moments ago, only to wilt in the blink of an eye.

At the root of it, Obito had never seen blood or experienced a real fight, so his body instinctively resisted.

Or perhaps he was simply suffering from a lack of education...

Ying Shu had never seen blood either, but the old man's special training for him seemed intended to prepare him for the battlefield.

As for Kakashi, there was even less need to mention him. His father was Konoha's ANBU captain, specifically in charge of the ANBU...

Yet before long, Ying Shu was no longer so composed either.

Far in the distance, he saw one figure after another. He could not name them, and had never even met them.

But that faint sense of oppression still made Ying Shu's body tense instinctively.

As they followed the two ANBU closer and closer to the examination grounds, Obito suddenly recognized someone in the crowd and let out a strange cry.

"Holy crap! Th-th-th-th-that's the clan head!?"

Obito was stunned. His graduation exam had actually drawn the attention of the clan head?

"We're done, Ying Shu. That really is our Uchiha Clan head! We're done, we're done, we're done... Do you think he came to cause trouble for us?"

Obito was starting to panic. He had not run into Uchiha Beiying for many days, and the Uchiha in their class would walk around him whenever they saw him. It had felt pretty great at the time, but thinking about it now, he suddenly felt a lingering fear.

After all, they had blown Uchiha Beiying's cousin into the hospital!

"Calm down, Obito." Ying Shu was at a loss seeing Obito make such a fuss.

Could anyone imagine a guy like this becoming the Shinobi World's third greatest demon king in the future?

"If he wanted trouble, he would have come looking for it long ago. He wouldn't wait until now... Perform well. Maybe your clan head will appreciate someone like you."

"Don't forget... you're the Uchiha Clan's number one genius!"

Ying Shu hurriedly coaxed and bluffed his way through calming him down.

"The Uchiha Clan's... number one genius!?"

Obito's eyes suddenly lit up at those words!

After calming Obito down, Ying Shu looked at Kakashi. "Are you ready, Kakashi?"

"Mm..." Kakashi answered calmly. He seemed to have adjusted his state already. "Ying Shu, quite a few people came because of our graduation exam, huh?"

"Maybe they all want to see what White Fang's son is really like... Don't let Uncle White Fang down, Kakashi. You've got this!"

"Mm."

The three of them immediately stepped into the open-air field and took their positions.

The examination venue resembled the site for the final round of the Chunin Exams: an open-air field surrounded on all four sides by tiered spectator stands.

It was simply smaller in scale. The last time Ying Shu had come here was at the start of school, when Hiruzen Sarutobi had stood below and given the children a speech about his Will of Fire.

At this moment, Ying Shu could feel one powerful gaze after another lingering on him.

If it had been before, he might have felt a little nervous.

But things were different now. Not only did he feel no discomfort at all, he even found it a little boring.

He had no idea just how much of an impact the old man's special training had left on him...

"Tsk, tsk. Their combined ages probably don't even make an adult, right? Kids these days... tsk, tsk... They're impressive."

In the spectator stands, Konoha's higher-ups chatted casually.

"Isn't that so?" Shikaku Nara looked at the field thoughtfully.

"I still favor White Fang's son." Choza Akimichi grabbed a huge handful of chips and stuffed them into his mouth, speaking unclearly. "The other two kids are too skinny. They look so frail, like they're malnourished..."

"But White Fang's child isn't fat either, Choza." Inoichi Yamanaka smiled, then looked toward Shikaku Nara.

"Say, Shikaku, what do you think of these children? Honestly... I also think the kid in the middle looks a little frail. And one is White Fang's son, while another is an Uchiha Clan member. That child already lost at the starting line."

Inoichi Yamanaka practically recited Ying Shu's ID number. Of course, that was also what most people thought.

When civilian ninja were compared with ninja from prominent clans, they would always be at a disadvantage. This was not prejudice, but fact.

Yet Shikaku Nara shook his head. "Some things cannot be judged from appearances, Inoichi."

Suddenly.

Shikaku Nara's eyes lit up as a figure flashed into the center of the field.

Golden buzz-cut hair, a handsome face bearing a sunny smile that made people feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze.

"Minato came too?"

At this moment.

The three examinees standing at the center of everyone's attention had rather complicated feelings.

Kakashi did not know what was going on, but Ying Shu and Obito both wore strange expressions.

This buzz-cut hunk... looked kind of familiar?

"Nice to see you again, everyone. I didn't expect all of you to apply for graduation. Time really flies!" Minato greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, Senior Minato..."

Ying Shu greeted him, looking at Minato's hairstyle and feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt.

So, had Minato given up on that flowing hairstyle?

Minato's hair looked very neat. He had probably gotten it trimmed, considering two months had passed since "that incident."

Only one question remained in Ying Shu's mind.

Would a buzz cut affect his future title of "Yellow Flash?"

If he became the "Buzz-Cut Flash," that would be awkward.

Unlike Ying Shu, Obito was not thinking that much. He mainly felt guilty.

After all, he still had not even completed the first step of the Rasengan, let alone mastered it.

However, what he feared was exactly what came.

As soon as Minato finished greeting them, he smiled and asked, "By the way, how is your Rasengan training going? If you've run into any problems, you can come find me later!"

"..." Ying Shu did not know how to answer. Did progressing too quickly count as a problem?

But it seemed Minato was going to be their supervising ninja.

Of course, that was assuming they passed the graduation exam.

Ying Shu secretly glanced at Obito. He was actually fairly confident in Obito's strength by now.

Ying Shu did not know what Obito had been like as a child in the original world, but the current Obito had mastered two Fire Release ninjutsu and could fiercely trade blows with Kakashi.

Although he had never won, becoming a Genin should be more than easy for him.

What Ying Shu worried about was not their strength, but the Chunin who would be responsible for testing them according to the examination standards.

What if that person had some strange bias against the Uchiha Clan, or was simply sent by Danzo? Then they would be finished.

Yet just as Ying Shu's thoughts ran wild.

He suddenly realized that Minato had no intention of leaving.

Looking at Minato's sunny smile, Ying Shu realized something and swallowed.

"Um... Senior Minato?" Ying Shu asked tentatively. "Do you... have something to do today?"

Ying Shu's sudden question left Obito confused.

But Kakashi, standing beside them, seemed to think of something. His expression changed, and he looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy!

Minato scratched his head and laughed. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you, haha!"

As he spoke, the smile on Minato's face did not fade. He extended one hand, spreading all five fingers. Then his smile narrowed. He still looked pleasant, but his expression became more serious.

"Five minutes... children, I am your examiner, Minato Namikaze. You only need to last five minutes against me to pass."

"You still have plenty of time to prepare now," Minato said with a smile.

The moment those words came out, all three boys were startled.

Not only them—even the Konoha higher-ups in the spectator stands were shocked.

The current Minato had not yet become the "Yellow Flash" renowned throughout the Shinobi World, but that was only a matter of time and reputation.

Minato's strength was obvious to all. Becoming one of Konoha's elite Jonin and mastering the Flying Thunder God were themselves symbols of strength.

In fact, Minato was highly popular and well-liked in Konoha.

Putting his strength aside, his girlfriend was the little pepper, the princess of the Uzumaki Clan, a direct descendant of the First Hokage's wife, and the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki!

Minato's teacher was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin and the Third Hokage's direct disciple. Going further up that master-disciple line led to the Second Hokage!

A Jonin with both strength and fame was serving as the examiner for three little brats.

How could people not be shocked?

Forget five minutes. Even if several Chunin were swapped in, they probably would not last!

In the spectator stands, Shikaku Nara stroked his small goatee, the interest in his eyes growing stronger.

"Looks like Lord Hokage thinks highly of these three little ones... Now this will be interesting!"