Konoha Genin Reporting!

When they entered the building, Shinji finally couldn't hold back her question. Tenma was taken aback. "What's wrong? You two just now..."

"I don't know either. I just feel like Mr. Shinnō and Retsuo were both acting kind of strange." It was Shinji's first time inside the Hokage Building, and she couldn't help looking around. "Why did you thank him?"

Retsuo was stumped by the question. He truly didn't know how to answer. There were far too many things to thank Shinnō for to explain them in a single sentence, and some of what had happened still seemed unbelievable to him.

Everything that had happened during those brief moments was still deeply etched in his mind. At the time, after the Yin Release Barrier had inexplicably expanded, he had needed to keep supplying Chakra to maintain it, and he had already been running out of steam.

Unexpectedly, when that black blob of jelly appeared within the barrier's range, the Chakra consumption suddenly dropped, allowing him to hold on for a little longer.

What's going on? Before he could think too deeply about it, he still felt like a spent arrow at the end of its flight. The fatigue wouldn't go away, so he simply stopped overtaxing his body to refine Chakra.

And as soon as he gave up, the Yin Release Barrier immediately began to shrink. The entire process was incredibly fast, like a cold, gloomy tide receding.

In the blink of an eye, the Yin Release Barrier returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened. But how could Retsuo possibly pretend nothing had happened? A quick search revealed that black blob of jelly! As expected, it had been "shrunk" inside along with the barrier as it contracted...

Damn it! Why does every strange thing keep coming to my house? Forget it, forget it. I'll leave it alone. It'll disappear on its own after a while anyway.

Shinnō was smiling broadly when Retsuo was just about to speak. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, because that blob of jelly had begun to wriggle...

Retsuo stared at it with his expression "changing drastically." Once it started moving, it looked a little like a slime from Western fantasy.

So here was the question: why hadn't it disappeared?

Shinnō and Shinji were still staring at each other in confusion. Seeing that Shinnō was about to take action, Retsuo finally gave up and solemnly thanked him.

He had no choice but to be solemn. It felt like this slime was Shinnō's gift, and it wasn't going to disappear anytime soon.

At that moment, Retsuo fell into self-doubt. It's really going to stay? Could it be that the housing prices at my place are cheap?

Just as Retsuo was launching into a trip down memory lane, Uchiha Shisui came down from the Hokage's Office and signaled for the three of them to follow him upstairs.

"Yo, Little Brother Shisui, this isn't ANBU work you're doing, is it? Have you been promoted to Hokage's secretary?"

"Of course not! What kind of world would let a man become a secretary?" Shisui was putting on airs like a little adult, and his face stiffened as he spoke. After Retsuo struck a nerve, he suddenly realized that what he had been doing lately was, in fact, no different from a secretary's work.

Suddenly thinking of something, he pretended to ask casually, "I remember you also wanted to join ANBU after graduating?" He pursed his lips and smiled.

What are you showing off for? "Little Brother Shisui, I don't want to join ANBU just for the sake of joining ANBU. It would be easier to change the village and change the Uchiha by becoming ANBU, allowing the Uchiha Clan to integrate better into the village."

Shisui was bewildered. "How are you planning to change the Uchiha and change the village?"

"Through my wisdom and broad perspective."

As they spoke, the group had already arrived before Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. Hiruzen was extremely busy at the moment. He had received the approval of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, but resuming his position as Hokage also required a ceremony. He needed to "announce it to the world" and regain the acknowledgment of everyone in the village.

The fact that he was still willing to set aside time to process Uchiha Retsuo's graduation application made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel that he was being quite nice.

"Uchiha Retsuo, it's been a long time." Hiruzen held his left hand behind his back and a pipe in his right. His face was covered in wrinkles, but his gaze remained resolute. He asked, "I knew about your application long ago. Now I want to ask you, why are you in such a hurry to graduate early? You could wait until next March and graduate on schedule, which would save you a lot of trouble."

The moment Retsuo opened his mouth, his voice was filled with desolation. "Third Grandpa, without classes on the Will of Fire, attending school is so dull. I might as well graduate as soon as possible."

Sarutobi Hiruzen: ...

Shisui: ...

Shinji and Tenma: ...

Namiashi Raidō, who was hiding in the shadows and constantly protecting Lord Hokage's safety, almost let out a pig's squeal of laughter! Although it was very inappropriate, no one could deny that this was a valid reason. At least in Konoha, no one could!

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his trembling hand, almost dropping his pipe. He took a deep breath and said in a reasonably steady voice, "Then I must announce that Tenma and Shinji will need to undergo a graduation test, while you, Uchiha Retsuo, will need to undergo a practical graduation test. As the one who proposed graduating early, you must take on greater responsibility. Your opponent will be a Genin."

Tenma and Shinji exchanged a glance. Though the difference was only one word, they merely needed to demonstrate their techniques, while Retsuo would need to settle things in a real battle.

The two of them quickly finished demonstrating their Genjutsu. Then it was Uchiha Retsuo's turn. He asked solemnly, "Do I need to be prepared to kill my opponent?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly. "There is absolutely no possibility of you killing your opponent."

Is he looking down on me? Considering my current level, which Genin in Konoha is so outstanding that I definitely couldn't beat them? After all, the Konoha 11 weren't even a year old yet, and Might Duy had already died from the Eight Gates Formation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly said, "The Genin Maruboshi Kosuke. He is your opponent. Kosuke, come out."

Retsuo nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. What the hell, Maruboshi Kosuke?!

Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you have no shame? Maruboshi Kosuke is even older than you!

A series of distinctive footsteps—"clack," "clack," "clack"—came from behind the screen. Shinji and Tenma stared blankly as an old man carrying an iron pot slowly approached.

"Grandpa, your leg..." Tenma asked instinctively. Maruboshi Kosuke had a prosthetic leg. He had been injured and crippled during the Third Shinobi World War.

Retsuo even knew that explosives and blades were hidden inside his prosthetic leg, making it an extremely lethal weapon.

Ninja were tools for killing. After serving as a Genin for fifty years, Maruboshi Kosuke had upgraded from a tool into a work of art. He was practically at the peak of ordinary Jōnin, and could even barely be considered an Elite Jonin.

Who in the village could reliably suppress him? Yūhi Shinku, who died during the Nine-Tails' Rampage, and the Aburame Clan's Bug King, Aburame Shibi—those were the kinds of people with comparable strength. Even Kakashi as he was now couldn't do it...

Maruboshi Kosuke gave them a gentle smile and waved his hand. "It's all right. It doesn't affect my fighting. Are you the Ninja Academy students planning to graduate early? I'm truly envious. Especially you two, Tenma and Shinji. This old man is a civilian ninja too. Seeing the village's younger generation become so capable makes me incredibly happy. Keep it up."

After saying that, he focused his attention on Retsuo. "Don't assume that just because I'm old and can barely walk, I have no fighting ability left. Don't underestimate me, all right?"

Shinji couldn't help praising him. "Grandpa, you're so gentle."