Graduation, and Leaving the Village!

Time flew.

Ten days passed in a flash, and the graduation exam began!

"Kambara Sogetsu, get off those swords!"

Inside the examination classroom, a vein throbbed on Iruka's forehead.

Cangyue lay on his side atop the Flame and Thunder Swords, which hovered side by side. Propping his head on one hand, he looked at Iruka calmly.

"Sir, I don't think the exam rules prohibit Flying Sword."

Iruka tightened his grip on the grade sheet.

Ten days.

Ten whole days, and he still hadn't gotten used to Cangyue lying on his swords and flying everywhere.

Fortunately, after watching him do it often enough, the others had developed some resistance.

When Cangyue first flew into the classroom on his swords, almost the entire class had contributed valor points.

Then he rode his swords during lessons, during meals, and on his way home. Everyone went from shocked to speechless, then from speechless to accustomed to it.

Over those ten days, Cangyue had earned only 591 valor points.

His cumulative total had reached 2,087 valor points.

He currently had 732 valor points available.

His next swordsmanship upgrade was still a distant prospect.

Sure enough, repeating the same display of bravado too often quickly diminished its effect.

It seemed he would have to come up with some new tricks after leaving the Ninja Academy.

"Can we start?"

Cangyue yawned.

Iruka took a deep breath.

"Clone Technique."

Poof!

White smoke dispersed.

A clone identical to Cangyue appeared in front of the lectern.

The clone stood perfectly straight.

The original remained sprawled on his swords.

Iruka looked at the clone, then at Cangyue floating in midair.

"Transformation Technique."

Another cloud of white smoke rose.

Cangyue's clone transformed into Iruka, picked up the grade sheet, and solemnly announced:

"Kambara Sogetsu, you pass."

The real Iruka fell silent.

The teacher recording the results beside him lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

At last, Iruka marked the grade sheet with a stroke of his pen.

"You pass. Now get out!"

Cangyue snapped his fingers.

The clone vanished, and the Flame and Thunder Swords turned around and flew out through the classroom window.

Only after he disappeared did Iruka rub the space between his brows.

At least the brat hadn't demolished the examination room.

That alone was a blessing.

The graduation exam proceeded in an orderly fashion.

When Naruto entered the classroom, he was noticeably more nervous than the other students.

He had already gained a basic grasp of both the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and Flying Thunder God.

But the graduation exam tested the ordinary Clone Technique.

It had once been the part he hated most.

"Clone Technique."

Iruka gave the instruction.

Naruto formed hand seals.

The chakra inside him began circulating rapidly.

The Nine-Tails had already reined in his leaking chakra.

On top of that, Cangyue had taken Naruto into the sealing space several more times over the past ten days. Naruto could now clearly distinguish his own chakra from Nine-Tails chakra.

The boy and the fox had also reached a preliminary understanding.

The Nine-Tails could lend him power when necessary.

In return, Naruto couldn't squander it recklessly, nor could he shout "Teacher Kurama!" while treating him like a chakra stockpile available whenever he pleased.

Poof!

White smoke dispersed.

Three Narutos appeared in the classroom.

They were no longer the feeble failures that used to lie sprawled on the floor.

Iruka studied them for a moment, then wrote a passing grade on the sheet.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you pass."

He picked up a Konoha forehead protector and personally handed it to him.

"Starting today, you're officially a Konoha genin."

Naruto snatched the forehead protector, his grin widening rapidly.

"I graduated!"

His cheer rang out of the classroom, startling a flock of birds outside the window into flight.

Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and the others completed their exams one after another.

Sasuke, too, had changed considerably over those ten days.

He never admitted that he was seeking Cangyue's guidance, but his actions told the truth. Every few days, he appeared outside Cangyue's home with a black cloth and a wooden sword.

Cangyue simply taught him some basic swordsmanship.

With his current mastery of the sword, Cangyue could easily have founded his own school.

Using it to teach a student who hadn't even graduated was far more than sufficient.

It was downright wasteful.

Fortunately, Sasuke truly was talented.

His swordsmanship and perception improved rapidly, and his dependence on sight noticeably decreased.

Even blindfolded, he could now rely on sound, airflow, and his instinct for danger to barely exchange a few moves with Cangyue, who was holding back enormously.

An exam at this level naturally posed no difficulty for him.

Everyone received their forehead protectors without a hitch and officially became genin.

Next came the team assignments.

The classroom buzzed with discussion.

Quite a few students quietly glanced toward the back row.

Cangyue lay on the Flame and Thunder Swords, hovering beside the window.

Rather than wearing his Konoha forehead protector on his forehead, he had tied it between the crossed sword hilts.

Sasuke sat nearby, seemingly gazing out the window the entire time.

"Hey."

He suddenly spoke.

Cangyue turned his head.

Sasuke still didn't look at him.

"Join our team."

His voice was flat, as though it were just a casual suggestion.

But he had already glanced over three times.

Naruto immediately turned around and leaned over Cangyue's desk.

"Yeah, Cangyue!"

"Let's form a team!"

"I'll handle the shadow clones, you'll handle the flying, and Sasuke will handle looking grumpy!"

Sasuke gave him an icy look.

"Do you want to die?"

"Am I wrong, though?"

Just as the two were about to start arguing again, Cangyue yawned.

Their classmates were also watching discreetly.

Everyone knew Cangyue was far stronger than an ordinary graduate.

Being assigned to his team would undoubtedly make their future missions much easier.

Ino rested her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting between Cangyue and Sasuke.

She wanted to invite Cangyue, but under the existing team assignment rules, she didn't think there was any way to squeeze in an extra person at the last minute.

Sakura, meanwhile, nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

Naruto, Sasuke, and herself made up a standard three-person squad.

If Cangyue agreed to join...

She would most likely be the one pushed out.

Cangyue surveyed their expressions and slowly sat up.

"Only the weak form teams."

The Flame and Thunder Swords lifted him a little higher.

The Konoha forehead protector swayed gently between their hilts.

"The strong always walk their own path."

The classroom fell silent in an instant.

Sasuke's expression darkened.

The corners of Naruto's mouth drooped, too.

Kiba had only been watching the fun, but those words immediately annoyed him.

"Fine, turn them down, but why insult the rest of us along with them?"

"Exactly!"

Ino glared at Cangyue.

"You make it sound like you're the only strong person in the entire class."

Cangyue sounded slightly surprised. "Aren't I?"

Shikamaru slumped over his desk and sighed.

Just as expected.

This guy never lets anyone have a moment's peace.

[Valor points +30]

Of them all, only Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

There was even a hint of gratitude in her eyes as she looked at Cangyue.

Good thing he turned them down.

Better if he keeps walking his own path forever.

Cangyue lay back down, too lazy to explain further.

Of course he couldn't agree.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were the predetermined lineup.

If he squeezed his way in, where would Sakura go?

Besides, he had other plans.

Surely no one actually thought that, after mastering Flying Sword, he would obediently stay in Konoha doing low-level missions like catching cats, pulling weeds, and picking up trash?

Iruka soon entered the classroom with the team assignment list.

"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame."

"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi."

"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno."

The remaining extras wouldn't be read out. Coming up with names was too much bother.

The results were exactly as Cangyue had expected.

After the list was read, the teams' jonin instructors arrived one after another.

Kurenai Yuhi took Team 8 away.

Asuma Sarutobi took Team 10 away.

When Ino reached the doorway, she glanced back.

"What about you?"

Cangyue rested his head on his arms.

"Waiting for someone."

"Don't end up waiting until dark."

Ino tossed out one last remark before leaving with her group.

Soon, only Cangyue, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura remained in the classroom.

After another long wait, slow footsteps finally sounded outside the door.

A masked man with silver hair sticking straight up pushed the door open and entered.

He glanced over the four of them, his gaze lingering briefly on Cangyue, who lay on the Flying Sword.

"Team 7, come with me."

"You're late!"

Naruto was the first to jump up.

Kakashi's eyes curved into a smile.

"Sorry, a black cat crossed my path, so I took the long way around."

"Damn it, what kind of excuse is that?!"

Naruto wanted to keep arguing, but Sasuke had already risen and headed for the door.

Sakura hurried after him.

Naruto could only turn back and wave to Cangyue.

"Cangyue, we're heading out!"

"Mm."

When Kakashi reached the door, he turned back and gave Cangyue another searching look.

Lately, he had heard plenty of rumors about this boy.

Training in his dreams.

Sword Intent: Rain Severance.

Traveling while lying on a sword.

Kakashi had been something of a prodigy in his youth, but he had never thought of using a sword as a bed and flying straight into a classroom.

This guy was an even bigger show-off than I was at his age.

When it came to showing off, he really was a formidable rival.

The door slowly closed.

The spacious classroom fell completely silent.

Cangyue lay on the Flame and Thunder Swords and waited a while, then suddenly turned his head toward the wall.

No one was there.

But his sword intent had long since spread through the surrounding area, and he could clearly sense someone there.

"Teach Gojō."

"Do you really like camping inside walls that much?"

A ripple spread across the wall.

Gojō Ryūsen stepped out, brushed off his sleeves, and smiled without a hint of embarrassment.

"Haha, force of habit, force of habit."

Inside, however, he was startled. This time, he had done everything he could to conceal his presence. How had Cangyue still detected him?

This was my signature ninjutsu!

"Let's go."

Cangyue raised an eyebrow.

"Where?"

"Didn't you say there was nothing left at the Ninja Academy worth staying for?"

Gojō Ryūsen took out a Mission Scroll and lightly tapped it against his palm.

"As it happens, there's a mission outside the village."

Cangyue's eyes lit up.

He had spent too long in Konoha, and repeating the same bold feats was yielding less and less.

Whether it was Flying Sword or Dream Training, once everyone grew used to seeing it, they could hardly provide large amounts of valor points anymore.

Since his audience in Konoha had already gotten used to him,

I'll just find a fresh crowd that hasn't seen the world.

Cangyue raised a finger.

The Flame and Thunder Swords turned in midair, their tips pointing straight out the window.

"Let's go."

Gojō Ryūsen was about to use the door when he saw Cangyue fly out through the window on his swords.

"Why not use the door?"

"Teach, don't be such a stickler. Take a few more shortcuts."

Gojō Ryūsen froze for a moment, then had no choice but to follow helplessly.

Konoha's towering wall rapidly grew larger ahead.

Cangyue rested his head on his hands, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.

Time to go show off outside.

Should I storm the Akatsuki and pay its leader a visit?