"Lord Hokage, you want me to be Sōkyū Hatake's examiner?" Minamikawa Ōzora looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in some shock. After all, his abilities were outstanding even among Chunin.
"Yes. A genius calls for an approach suited to a genius. You're his homeroom teacher, so you ought to have a way to assess him." Hiruzen Sarutobi put his pipe between his lips and spoke between puffs.
"Teacher Nanchuan, I have no objections. Let's start the exam today," Sōkyū Hatake said to Minamikawa Ōzora. He had already considered this long ago.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not someone he could fool so easily. If he wanted to graduate successfully and head to the battlefield, he would have to face a more difficult exam.
"Well..." Even the scar on Minamikawa Ōzora's face seemed to express his surprise, but in the end, he agreed.
"In that case, Sōkyū Hatake's first-year graduation exam will take place at three this afternoon at Konoha's First Training Ground. We can open it to the villagers," Hiruzen Sarutobi told Sōkyū Hatake and Minamikawa Ōzora between puffs of smoke.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Seeing this, Minamikawa Ōzora agreed outright. After all, both the Hokage and Sōkyū Hatake himself had already agreed.
"Do your best too, Little Sōkū." Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Sōkyū Hatake with a hypocritical smile on his face.
"I'll do my best!" Sōkyū Hatake said, clenching his fist.
"Mm-hmm. I have other matters to attend to. Carry on as usual." With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi left the Ninja Academy.
"That Sōkyū Hatake is applying for early graduation?" In a dark room, Danzo looked coldly at the Root ninja below him.
"Yes. Sōkyū Hatake submitted his application today, and the Hokage has already approved it. His examiner will be his homeroom teacher, Chunin Minamikawa Ōzora," the Root ninja said