While Kei finished his graduation assessment and returned home to enjoy these last moments of leisure.
In the examination grounds within Kirigakure's largest primeval forest, the graduation exam was also slowly moving from its climax toward its conclusion. Candidates with the requisite strength and reasonably good luck completed their assigned assessment tasks one after another, leaving the enormous primeval forest through its various exits.
And while some graduated successfully, others naturally failed with regret.
Those who failed either lacked sufficient strength or suffered one stroke of bad luck after another, like Minazuki Ranne. Still, as long as they kept their lives, the outcome was not all that terrible. If they failed this year, there was always next year.
The candidates who suffered crippling injuries or even died in the examination grounds were the most unfortunate of all. This happened every year in Kirigakure's graduation assessment, and this year was naturally no exception!
By dusk the following day, when the assessment came to an end, only about half the candidates had completed their graduation tasks and left that enormous primeval forest in one piece. Among the rest, the recorded death toll exceeded sixty, already amounting to one-fifth of the candidates. Almost everyone else was injured, including no shortage of those left severely wounded and disabled, forever stripped of the chance to become ninja. For these children, the oldest of whom were only twelve, the lives awaiting them would be worse than death.
Yet these figures, already quite horrific, were considered perfectly normal by Kirigakure's leadership-or rather, by the overwhelming majority of its people.
It was a belief that had long since taken deep root in Kirigakure over the past forty years.
People were supposed to die in graduation assessments!
Moreover, during the Third Mizukage's rule, one particularly horrific graduation assessment had left more than a full third of its candidates in the examination grounds forever.
Even then, neither the Third Mizukage nor Kirigakure's other leaders had shown any change in attitude. In their eyes, only assessments like these could cultivate the true backbone of a shinobi village!
Thus, this level of casualties would not affect the mindset of any member of Kirigakure's leadership in the slightest.
When Kei learned the final figures for this graduation assessment, his expression did not change at all either. This was not merely because none of his so-called friends or family had died in the assessment, but also because he currently had neither the standing nor the ability to change this state of affairs in the village. Dwelling on it would only mean needlessly troubling himself.
If he truly wanted to change anything, he would have to do what Mei Terumi had done in the original story: build up his strength little by little, then take concrete action once the day came when he could change all this. Until then, it was all empty talk.
As for changing village policy through methods like Zabuza's in the original story, setting aside the fact that Kei was not that sort of person, even if he made every concession, had Zabuza truly changed Kirigakure's graduation assessment system in the original story? That still remained a question!
Whether Zabuza had actually killed every graduating candidate in his year was itself open to debate. After all, Kei did not believe Zabuza had the ability or the nerve to kill everyone from the three great shinobi clans-the Kaguya, Minazuki, and Hozuki Clans. The era in which Zabuza graduated was still the height of those three great clans' prosperity.
Killing one or two members of the three great shinobi clans during the assessment might not have been much of a problem, but killing them all in one go?
Did anyone really think the three great shinobi clans were made of clay?
Thus, Kei strongly suspected that those Zabuza killed had most likely all been candidates from civilian backgrounds. Under Kirigakure's current political circumstances, however many civilians died, it would certainly cause some degree of upheaval and change, but that would be the extent of it.
It could not truly shake the village's rule.
After all, this was merely a Genin graduation assessment.
Of course, this was only Kei's own speculation. It might have been correct, or it might have been entirely wrong. Kei had no intention of investigating further.
Ultimately, until he truly had the ability to change these problems, focusing solely on himself was the wisest course.
Thus, the final results of this assessment merely passed through Kei's mind once before he automatically dismissed them.
If he had the spare time to let his thoughts wander, he would be better off carefully considering the upcoming team assignments after graduation. That was what mattered most to Kei!
After all, as the saying went, fear not godlike teammates, but piglike ones!
Especially at this critical juncture, with the Third Shinobi World War about to arrive, Kei placed even greater importance on this. He did not ask for the same treatment as the main characters in the original story, with a Jonin or even an Elite Jonin leading his team.
But he did at least hope that an experienced Chunin with reasonably strong abilities would be put in charge of his squad!
His teammates did not have to be particularly strong either. Being above average would suffice.
Such an allocation of personnel was the bare minimum needed to preserve his life as much as possible in the coming war, then go on to accomplish mission objectives of a certain level!
If even that could not be achieved, Kei would have to give serious thought to the path he chose going forward.
He had originally thought that, with his graduation this time and his decent day-to-day performance, he might receive an audience with some senior member of the clan, perhaps even a clan elder, who would seek to win over and bring into the fold a genius like him from outside the clan's main lineage. He could then use the opportunity to sound out how his clan's leadership was communicating with the village about team assignments for the children of their generation, giving himself some idea of what to expect beforehand.
Unfortunately, reality proved that Kei had been overthinking things.
For three whole days, there was no movement from the clan.
Only Ranne visited, once again thanking Kei for helping her in the examination grounds. Kei could only try to draw out some useful information from her through indirect questions. Unfortunately, Ranne did not know much either. Although she could be considered a member of the main lineage, and her father was a Special Jōnin in the village, her father had clearly not told her much useful information!
Kei could only give up.
Throughout those three days, he remained caught between hope and worry, until January 11 arrived, bringing the graduation ceremony.
With a measure of anticipation and unease, Kei once again set off for school.
The others who had passed the graduation assessment also returned to school at the appointed time.
It was worth mentioning that the first person to successfully complete this graduation assessment was Hozuki Shingetsu of the Hozuki Clan, who was only nine years old. He was the son of the current head of the Hozuki Clan and was hailed as the greatest genius of his generation within the clan.
He was not the one in Kei's class. That one had been rather unlucky. Apparently, he had run into Mei Terumi near the end, which directly resulted in his failure to complete his assessment task even by the time the assessment ended.
This Hozuki Shingetsu had completed his assessment task in less than four hours, taking only half as long as Kei. Although luck had played a certain part, his talent and strength were beyond question!