Graduation Exam 2

"Both sides, form the Seal of Opposition!"

After watching the two complete the pre-match ritual, the teacher standing beside them swung his right arm to signal the start of the match, then quickly retreated, leaving the field to them.

Having decided to go all out from the very beginning, Uchiha Kaze focused his chakra. Then he closed and opened his eyes, revealing a pair of one-tomoe Sharingan!

"My God! The Sharingan! Uchiha Kaze awakened it! He's only ten!"

The other Ninja Academy teachers watching from the sidelines knew full well what this meant. While there had been precedents of students awakening the Sharingan at ten, they were few and far between. With those eyes that represented strength beyond a Genin, Uchiha Kaze had already secured his graduation qualification.

Hearing the teachers, the students beside them stared at Uchiha Kaze in shock as well.

No one had expected that, despite already being an outstanding student, he had quietly mastered the Sharingan during this period.

"He must have awakened it after losing to Hatake Kakashi and suffering that stimulus," quite a few people muttered to themselves. "Who knew a misfortune would turn into a blessing?"

"Your strength has earned the recognition of me, Uchiha Kaze, so I will defeat you with everything I have! I'll wash away the humiliation you brought upon me, Hatake Kakashi!" After activating his Sharingan, Yin-natured chakra surged into his brain. Somewhat affected by it, Uchiha Kaze's expression became vicious as he pulled several kunai from the back of his waist and hurled them rapidly at Kakashi.

Every one of them was aimed at Kakashi's vital points, making several observing teachers frown.

Kakashi casually evaded the kunai. With his current perception, Uchiha Kaze's weapons looked like leaves drifting slowly to the ground.

He saw Uchiha Kaze use the opening created by the kunai attack to close in.

Kakashi swiftly drew a shuriken and blocked Uchiha Kaze's close-range strike. Then, at a speed the other's one-tomoe Sharingan could not react to, he unleashed a quick side kick.

The fierce, powerful kick slammed hard into his opponent's lower abdomen, narrowly avoiding the vital area.

It was not that Kakashi lacked martial virtue; the difference in their height was simply there. With Kakashi standing upright, that was exactly where his kick landed.

Even faster than when he defeated him last time, Kakashi won with a single blow.

Uchiha Kaze believed he had improved greatly over the past month, but Kakashi, who had already found and embarked upon the right path he had planned for himself, was improving at a breathtaking rate.

Kakashi had infused the strike with a trace of Senjutsu energy. The kick instantly shattered Uchiha Kaze's defenses, and the intense pain robbed him of his ability to continue fighting. The only reason he had not fainted immediately was his unyielding conviction to defeat Kakashi.

The examinees and teachers who had been eagerly anticipating the match, as well as the Third Hokage and others secretly observing from the shadows, all widened their eyes.

Given the Third Hokage and the others' judgment, they naturally knew Uchiha Kaze was bound to lose. But they had not expected the battle to end in the blink of an eye.

Standing proudly in the field, his breathing not even disturbed, Kakashi had no choice but to remind the referee.

"Teacher, can you determine the winner now?"

"Ah?! Oh, the winner of this match is Hatake Kakashi!"

"Wow... amazing!"

As the referee's words fell, the surrounding examinees seemed to snap back to their senses, and a clamor erupted across the entire training ground.

"Sarutobi, we cannot hesitate about that matter any longer! Otherwise, our plan and all our years of hard work will come to nothing!" Shimura Danzō said darkly.

"With that man's abilities, he is absolutely not at his peak yet. He still has room to grow, and no one knows how far he can go. You and I, however, have already passed our prime. Sooner or later, there will come a day when we can no longer keep him in check."

Danzo's words made the Third Hokage's already dark face grow even gloomier.

"If he gains power, do you think he won't investigate that matter?! That man was his teacher. We have already been negligent once; we cannot make the same mistake again."

After saying that, Danzo looked down at Kakashi, who was shining brilliantly below.

"The youngest Ninja Academy graduate in history."

With indisputable results, Kakashi had set a record since the founding of Konoha's Ninja Academy. At the age of five, he had graduated from the Ninja Academy and taken first place among that year's examinees.

So long as they did not die prematurely, every top graduate of the Ninja Academy, without exception, became a pillar of Konoha—a Jonin-level ninja.

The next day, Kakashi arrived at the classroom and waited to be assigned a team instructor.

The tiered classroom was full of those who had passed yesterday's exam, but when Kakashi arrived, everyone's gaze gathered on him to some degree.

Since they were not classmates, Kakashi did not know any of the students present. Passing through their stares without a ripple of emotion, he made his way alone to the very back of the classroom, sat down, and silently waited for the instructor assignments.

"First of all, congratulations on successfully graduating from the Ninja Academy and becoming honored Konoha ninja!"

"Yeah! Hahaha!"

The teacher assigning the teams had taught this year's graduates, so the students below were familiar with him and did not feel reserved around him. Cheers rang out one after another.

At the teacher's gesture, the room slowly quieted down.

"I'll begin reading the list now. Those whose names are called will form groups of three. Your team instructors will come to the classroom shortly and take you away. Group One: Mori Nohara, Haruta Yu, Nisoku Sachiha. Group Two... Group Seven: Inuzuka Kawa, Aburame Haru, Hatake Kakashi. Group Eight..."

After reading through the fairly long list, the teacher let the students below whisper among themselves while he headed out first to greet the team instructors who had already arrived at the school and were waiting in the lounge.

After the names of Team Seven were called, a short-haired girl wrapped up in a high-collared jacket silently stood. She then walked toward Kakashi.

Not far behind her sat a carefree-looking boy with light brown hair and a defiant expression. Seeing Aburame Haru move, he followed her toward Kakashi.

Aburame Haru had thought that Kakashi did not know the two of them, so he certainly would not know who was in his group. That was why she had proactively come over. Inuzuka Kawa, meanwhile, had only followed because of Aburame Haru's actions.

Two teammates with completely opposite personalities.

That was Kakashi's first impression. Recalling how, in the original story, he would eventually form that fated Team 7 with Obito and Rin Nohara, it seemed these two companions had either died during missions in the coming years, or Kakashi's eccentric personality in the original story had made them refuse to team up with him.

But the first possibility was likely more probable. After all, a powerful teammate was the best guarantee of one's own safety. No one would abandon such a teammate over a mere personality issue.

Having thought of all that in an instant, Kakashi looked at the two companions who had come before him with a hint of pity in his eyes.