The moment he saw Kirigakure's distinctive forehead protector in the young Mist ninja's hand,
Kei's eyes lit up.
This was the best proof that he had officially become a Mist ninja. He slowly reached out with both hands and accepted the forehead protector from the examiner. Even Kei felt a faint surge of excitement at that moment.
"Thank you!"
After putting the forehead protector on his forehead,
Kei hurriedly bowed to the young Mist ninja before him.
"All right, you can go home for today. Remember to come back to school in three days for the graduation ceremony!"
The young Mist ninja spoke softly with a slight smile.
Students who could successfully pass the assessment on the very first day
could generally be labeled honors students. Moreover, this Mist ninja had witnessed the entire fight between Mei Terumi and Kei. As one of the Ninja Academy's teachers, he was naturally delighted to see more and more outstanding graduates emerge!
Because it meant the village was growing stronger!
This was a major matter in which the entire ninja village shared both honor and disgrace.
"Yes!"
Kei straightened up and answered.
Then, with a slight wave from the young Mist ninja, Kei leaped away and headed back toward his clan's compound.
By the time Kei returned to the Yuki Clan compound,
the setting sun had nearly met the horizon.
The last rays of dusk shone across the earth.
When the two Yuki Clan guards stationed at the main gate saw Kei returning with Kirigakure's distinctive forehead protector on his forehead, rare smiles appeared on their faces. The slightly older guard on the left even gave Kei a small nod.
It was not that this older guard knew Kei or anything of the sort. As a clan member devoted purely to the Yuki Clan, he simply felt some comfort and satisfaction at seeing an outstanding successor among the next generation.
Kei was only eight, yet he had successfully passed the graduation assessment, and on the very first day at that. This alone was enough to prove his excellence!
In the Shinobi World, the more prestigious a ninja clan was, the more importance it placed on this!
It was foreseeable that Kei would certainly receive greater support from within the clan in his coming career as a ninja!
At the very least, he would not have to worry too much about training resources!
This was the greatest reason a prestigious ninja clan could flourish for so long.
When he saw the older guard nod at him, Kei froze briefly. Once he reacted, he hurriedly bowed in return. Although he did not quite understand what the man meant, since he was showing goodwill, Kei certainly had to respond. Kei never overlooked such basic etiquette.
Only after bowing did Kei pass through the main gate and head toward his home. The older guard watched his retreating figure, an unusual glimmer in his eyes.
And after Kei passed through the main gate and entered his clan's compound,
he drew even more attention.
Whether these clan members knew Kei or not, almost all of them smiled and congratulated him upon seeing the forehead protector on his forehead.
Although Kei was not the first in the clan to finish the assessment and return,
his classmate Kazayasu Minazuki and two other clan members had completed their tasks in just a few hours, before noon.
But what was their status?
And what was Kei's!
These ordinary clan members could see the distinction perfectly clearly!
At least in their eyes,
for Kei to deliver such a performance despite starting behind the others was already enough to prove his excellence!
"Hehe, congratulations on graduating, little fellow."
"Oh? Kei! You passed the graduation assessment?! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations, Kei!"
"Haha, starting today, you're an official Mist ninja too. Keep working hard from now on, Kei!"
"You passed the assessment on the very first day. You must be quite outstanding, Kei!"
"Congratulations, Kei!"
Faced with congratulations from these ordinary clan members, Kei had to stop again and again, bow in return, and thank them, all while keeping a smile on his face. It was a matter of etiquette. By the end of the walk, his face had nearly cramped from smiling.
Only after he rounded the last corner
and reached another area, where he no longer encountered other clan members,
did Kei breathe a sigh of relief. He rubbed his slightly stiff cheeks, took a moment to compose himself, then set off again, striding toward a house on the left. It was not his own home, but Kiko Minazuki's. In this life, she was the person he cared about most, and the one who cared most about him.
Having successfully graduated, Kei wanted to tell his Aunt Kiko as soon as possible. Although Aunt Kiko said nothing, Kei could still tell that she was very worried about his application for early graduation!
Letting Aunt Kiko hear the good news sooner would also let her stop worrying sooner.
And just as he approached Aunt Kiko's front door, it was pushed open from inside.
A tiny figure appeared.
"Huh?"
At the sight of this little one,
Kei's face filled with boundless warmth. He instinctively leaned forward slightly and greeted her with a smile. "Good evening, little Ayumi."
This little one was none other than Kiko Minazuki's younger daughter, the two-year-old Ayumi Minazuki.
The little girl was holding a small ball, presumably intending to play on the lawn outside. When she first opened the door and saw a figure before her, the naturally shy little girl initially looked alarmed.
But when she heard Kei's familiar voice,
then took a closer look and saw his familiar face,
her alarm instantly turned to delight. She quickly dropped the little ball in her hands, spread her arms, and threw herself at him.
"Big Brother Kei!"
She hugged Kei's right leg tightly and called out happily in her babyish voice.
Kei smiled and hurriedly bent down, easily scooping little Ayumi into his arms!
"Have you been good today, little Ayumi? You haven't made your mommy angry, have you?"
With a doting expression, he gently brushed a finger along the little girl's nose and asked with a smile.
"Ayumi's been the best! Mommy even praised Ayumi today. Big Brother Kei, you haven't come to see Ayumi for days! Mommy said you were busy. Is that true?"
The little girl strained to tilt her head up, her bright eyes fixed on Kei. Her chubby little hand gently touched his chin as she asked in her babyish voice, her tone seemingly very serious.