You Can Graduate Now

Koki's heart suddenly tightened as she realized she had spoken out of turn— Minato's glorious reputation actually began to shine brightly during the Third Shinobi World War.

In that turbulent era, he encountered the legendary duo of Kumogakure —A, the future successor to the Raikage and son of the Third Raikage, and his sworn brother, Killer B, the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails.

Minato engaged in a thrilling battle with both of them. During the fierce fight, he highly praised Killer B's immense power and saw through the "priceless treasure" he possessed, attempting to use it to enlighten A.

However, Ai failed to grasp the deeper meaning behind Minato's words, and the two ultimately fought to a draw.

As Konoha Minato Namikaze, a Jonin at the time, along with Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Obito Uchiha, shouldered the heavy responsibility of destroying the enemy's lifeline—blowing up the Kannabi Bridge.

That day, Kakashi was promoted to Jonin, Minato gifted him a specially made Kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God Mark.

Kakashi led a team consisting of Rin and Obito, and encountered enemies during a mission. Facing powerful enemies, Kakashi fearlessly charged forward, but due to the weakness of not having fully mastered the "Chidori" technique, he gradually fell into a desperate situation.

At the critical moment, Minato appeared like Hayate, swiftly killing the enemy Jonin with the Flying Thunder God Technique and rescuing Kakashi, before throwing himself into the main battlefield.

Not long after, Kakashi faced another life-or-death crisis, Minato arrived just in time using the Flying Thunder God Mark on his Kunai, saving him from the brink of death.

However, at this time they received the news of Obito's sacrifice, which was heartbreaking.

Ultimately, Minato, Kakashi, and Rin worked together to successfully destroy the Kannabi Bridge, thus ending the Third Shinobi World War.

After this battle, Minato became famous and was hailed as a hero.

The cold wind blew fiercely across the training ground, bringing a biting chill. Koki stood quietly in place, her heart surging with emotion.

No matter what glorious chapters Minato may write in the Shinobi World in the future, those are legends after the Third Shinobi World War.

At this moment, Minato was merely a Jonin who was valued by the Third Hokage, and his fame had not yet spread to this extent.

Koki's mind raced, her thoughts leaping at an astonishing speed, and in a mere instant, she came up with a perfect excuse to conceal her identity.

He smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth turned up, and a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.

"Kakashi and Obito often talk about their teacher in front of me, so I recognized you immediately."

Koki spoke in a relaxed and natural tone, as if this were truly what he thought.

In reality, he had asked Kakashi and Obito about Minato Namikaze many times, but they seemed unwilling to talk about it.

"Oh? I see."

Minato nodded gently, his clear blue eyes filled with sincerity, completely believing the boy's words.

He then introduced himself with a natural and confident air, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Minato Namikaze, and I'm the mentor of Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara."

"I am Uchiha Kōki. "Koki politely returned the greeting.

After introducing themselves, their eyes met, and for a moment they couldn't find a topic to talk about, and silence enveloped them.

After a moment, Koki broke the silence, asking with a hint of nervousness, "You... you're here to test me? Are we going to have a match now?"

It's understandable that Koki was flustered, since he wasn't confident enough to defeat Minato Namikaze at that moment.

The Flying Thunder God Technique is as fast as lightning; even the Sharingan struggles to discern its trajectory, let alone catch up with it.

If he loses, he will have to go back to the Ninja Academy to continue his studies.

With the assessment nearing its end, failing at the last minute would be truly heartbreaking, leaving one unsure how to cope with such an outcome.

Minato's gaze was fixed on Koki from the very beginning.

At this moment, he appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, his slightly trembling eyelashes and the faint unease deep in his eyes could not escape Minato's keen, hawk-like insight.

The sound of the Minato carries a reassuring power, as if it can quietly soothe the restlessness and unease in one's heart.

"It's okay, don't be nervous. An assessment isn't necessarily a battle."

Despite the Third Lord Hokage's solemn instruction to him to use all his strength to test Uchiha Kōki's true power.

But at this moment, a strong sense of resistance welled up deep within Minato's heart.

He didn't want to fight the boy in front of him. A nameless worry spread through his heart. He was afraid that he might accidentally hurt Koki.

This feeling puzzled him, because it wasn't his usual style.

"Phew... that's great." Koki breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although the tension eased slightly, it did not completely dissipate.

After all, standing before him was the future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, whose fame would one day be renowned.

But facing such a formidable enemy, it was too difficult to completely relax. He gripped the Kunai tightly in his hand, and his palms began to sweat.

Minato felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart, like seeing a tiny flower swaying in the wind and rain, making him want to protect it. He spoke gently again, "Don't worry, it will be very simple."

Upon hearing this, Koki's eyes widened in surprise; he never expected Minato to say such a thing.

Minato himself was also startled. He was always an exceptionally calm person, and he always maintained a just-right distance and politeness towards people he didn't know well.

However, at this moment, he found that his attention to Koki seemed to be beyond the norm.

Even though they had never met before, for some reason, seeing Koki's nervousness, he felt a strong urge to protect her!

This is absolutely abnormal!

Minato's heart skipped a beat, and even his usually calm eyes, as still as a lake, were stirred by a slight ripple.

"Ahem, what I meant was that I'd like to learn about your abilities and strengths first. Could you demonstrate your Ninjutsu or combat skills?"

"Sure."

A mysterious light flickered in her red eyes. Using the Sharingan's perception, Koki accurately captured the subtle changes in her surroundings.

Next, he demonstrated his Taijutsu skills and several Ninjutsu techniques, his agile movements were a sight to behold.

"Very good, your ability is outstanding."

"Suppose you encounter an unexpected situation while performing a task, what would you do?"

"I will remain calm and composed, analyze the situation carefully, and make the most appropriate decision based on the actual circumstances," Koki replied clearly and calmly.

He's an expert on theory? What a joke! Did he waste all those years of exam-oriented education?

Minato nodded, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "Very good, you can graduate now!"