The Assessment Finally Arrives!

"You're no different!!!"

Jiraiya shot back defiantly—why should he be the one singled out?

At that, Hikaru could only shake his head and mind his own meal.

Like Hikaru, Orochimaru didn't join such squabbles; he'd occasionally smile but rarely spoke.

Because of the alcohol issue, the whole barbecue place grew lively, leaving the owner helpless. In the end, he gave Jiraiya a bit of fruit wine—low proof, even kids could drink it—but Tsunade promptly swiped half of it.

Though the fruit wine was mild, after drinking it, both Jiraiya and Tsunade's cheeks flushed a bit of red.

While eating the grilled meat, Jiraiya asked curiously, "When we graduate, what do you guys most want to do?"

After speaking, Jiraiya looked at Hikaru. Tsunade did the same, and even Orochimaru set down his chopsticks, his gaze lingering on Hikaru.

"Why's everyone staring at me?!" Hikaru laughed in spite of himself.

"Nothing much, really. Do more missions, train hard, and make myself stronger."

"That's so boring." Jiraiya complained. To him, Hikaru's life was nothing but training, training, and more training—utterly dull.

Boring? Maybe so.

Jiraiya was the type who wouldn't know effort until he got knocked down. After graduation, he'd grow up—of course, the ones knocking him down would be his teammates, Tsunade and Orochimaru.

"Getting faster and faster!!!"

After a satisfying barbecue meal, the four parted ways at the shop and returned home. Watching the sky gradually darken, Hikaru's smile didn't fade—he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

The next day, the news that Hikaru, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had applied for early graduation was announced by their teacher. The whole class erupted into an uproar—some were shocked, others envious. Unfortunately, if they wanted to graduate, they'd still need to keep working hard.

After the shock wore off, a bunch of brats started gossiping, mostly about whether Hikaru's group could pass the exam, whether anyone would be weeded out, and occasionally letting out gleeful laughs.

Of course, most of that gossip and mockery was aimed at Jiraiya.

As for the other three, they should have it in the bag.

Over the next few days, Hikaru rested at home without stepping outside even once. He was like someone struck with a lazy disease, spending most of his time lying on a rattan chair in the yard, staring blankly at the sky—watching for an entire day until he got hungry or tired enough to stop.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for the exam.

Early in the morning, Hikaru packed what he needed, left home, and headed toward the school. Those taking the exam would be taken away by teachers at the school. Since they had applied for early graduation, Hikaru, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade needed to go to the playground and wait for their teacher to arrive.

Hikaru was also curious—what did his teacher look like, and what stage were they at?

Among the major ninja villages, anyone who reached the rank of Special Jonin was qualified to be a squad leader. Of course, for certain squads that received special attention, the teacher wouldn't be simple.

This was something students liked to guess about before actually meeting their teacher for the exam.

Hikaru was no exception.

Soon, Hikaru arrived at the school and entered the playground. He wasn't too early or too late—Orochimaru and Tsunade were already there, but Jiraiya hadn't shown up yet.

"Hikaru!!" Seeing Hikaru arrive, Tsunade smiled and walked over. Before he came, she and Orochimaru had stood on opposite sides like two wooden posts, neither speaking a word.

Tsunade couldn't stand that kind of atmosphere, even though that was just Orochimaru's personality.

So Hikaru's arrival made Tsunade happily greet him.

"Didn't expect you to get up early for once." Hikaru was surprised that Tsunade had come to school early today. Girls liked to sleep in, and Tsunade was no exception—she had a serious case of morning struggle syndrome.