Next morning,
All four candidates arrived at the academy grounds on time for the Jonin Evaluation, as instructed by their sensei. However, the examiner was nowhere to be seen, causing a growing sense of anxiety and impatience among them.
One minute turned into two, and two turned into ten, yet there was still no sign of the examiner.
Satoru thought to himself,, " Man, I am bored of being bored because being bored is also very boring."
Satoru started to look around his surroundings, hoping to find something to pass the time. He took in the sight of the academy grounds, noticing the trees swaying in the gentle breeze and the clouds drifting lazily in the sky.
In an instant, the leaves scattered on the ground were whisked away by a gust of wind, and a figure materialized out of thin air with a swift body flicker. All four candidates' heads swiveled towards the mysterious arrival, their attention immediately captured.
"Hello, I am Hiroshi Takahashi, your Jonin Examiner for the second phase of advanced genin evaluation. Please excuse my delay," said the man as he approached the four candidates, who had been waiting anxiously for his arrival.
Hiroshi Takahashi is a tall and muscular man with a rugged, weathered face that shows the signs of years of experience as a ninja. He has sharp, piercing eyes that seem to take in everything around him and short, spiky black hair that is graying at the temples. He wears the standard Konoha jonin uniform, which includes a flak jacket over a long-sleeved blue shirt and matching pants. His forearms are wrapped in bandages, and he wears black boots that come up to his mid-calf. A small scar runs diagonally across his left cheek, and he has a stern, no-nonsense expression that suggests he is not to be trifled with.
Satoru's looked at the Jonin of Konoha, taking in every detail of his appearance. He realized that it was a rare opportunity to meet a Jonin in person, as most of the instructors in the academy were only chunin. Despite having seen numerous shinobi throughout his life, it was difficult to identify the rank of a shinobi just based on appearance.
Takahashi continued, "My apologies for the delay, I was summoned by the Hokage to discuss the details of today's examination. But let's not waste any more time, shall we?"
Satoru found himself in uncharted territory as he had never seen this phase of the exam in any anime or manga. He felt a hint of uncertainty, but his confidence in his abilities kept him composed. He knew that he had prepared well for the evaluation test, and was ready to take on whatever challenge came his way. The worst-case scenario would be a 1v1 spar with the Jonin, but Satoru remained calm and began strategizing in his mind, considering different tactics and techniques that he could use if needed.
"Alright, listen up everyone," said Takahashi, his voice firm and commanding. "For the next phase of the exam, I will be conducting individual interviews with each of you in the dojo. Please follow me and we'll begin with Hatake Kakashi.".
Satoru was lost in thought, contemplating if he was capable of defeating a Jonin yet, when he was interrupted by Takahashi's words, "Wait, an interview?" Satoru felt a bit disappointed, but he also realized that the interview might give him a better chance to pass the exam.
After what felt like hours, Satoru finally emerged from the dojo, the last candidate to finish his interview. As he stepped outside, he couldn't help but think back on the experience. It was reminiscent of the job interviews he used to have in his previous life, only this one was worse - the same set of questions was asked to each candidate without any variation.
Satoru's interview was focused on the Shinobi rules and hypothetical scenarios in missions, where he was asked how he would approach various situations. Having read numerous books on the subject, he knew the best response to those questions would be to prioritize the mission and tailor his answers accordingly to that.
Satoru was content with his own performance, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed with the examination process. As he pondered over the matter, he recollected the examiner's words about meeting with the Hokage before the exam. It occurred to him that the Jonin evaluation might have been different in the past, but now the exam must have been modified to make it easier to clear. After the Second Shinobi War, Konoha was in the process of rebuilding its military strength, which was why the Hokage wanted to graduate genins as soon as possible, given that they had at least a fundamental understanding of basic shinobi rules and techniques.
An hour had passed when the results were announced, and Satoru wasn't surprised to see that all four candidates had passed. However, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and joy upon seeing his name on the list.
Bob exclaimed, "I did it!" and tears seemed to well up in his eyes, a testament to the hard work he had put in to reach this moment. Kakashi, on the other hand, remained stoic and unreadable, giving no indication of how he felt about the results. Similarly, Raido's expression mirrored that of Bob's.
"As soon as possible, you guys need to report to the academy hall, where you'll be receiving your academy graduation certificate," the instructor informed them.
As all four of them made their way toward the academy hall to collect their certificates, a sense of anticipation and nervousness filled the air. This was the moment they had been waiting for.
Satoru stepped into the hall and found it completely empty except for one person standing on the platform - Ikkaku Umino, his Bukijutsu teacher. Satoru had a positive impression of him; not only had he taught him the wind release techniques, but he had also been the first teacher Satoru had met in the academy. Receiving his graduation certificate from him felt symbolic and special.
As their names were called one by one, each of them went up on stage to receive their graduation certificates. "Satoru Gojo," the announcer called out. Satoru walked up to the platform with a mix of nervousness and confidence. He reached his teacher Ikkaku, who handed him the certificate with a smile.
"Here is the graduation certificate for Satoru Gojo. This certifies that you have successfully graduated from the Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy," Ikkaku announced, handing Satoru the certificate along with a metal case.
Satoru bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, sensei."
He knew that the metal case held something of great value to him, even more so than the certificate of graduation. Slowly and carefully, he opened the case to reveal a metal protector with the emblem of the Hidden Leaf Village engraved on it, attached to a rectangular piece of blue cloth. It was the Konoha headband - something he had only seen on the show before. But to have the real one, which belonged to him, was something truly special.
As Satoru took out the Konoha's protector from the case, he heard Bob's voice amidst his tears and runny nose, "Don't...I look...Great?" Despite wanting to make fun of Bob, Satoru simply nodded and replied, "Yeah."
He also wore his protector on his forehead, Satoru was now officially a genin of Konoha.
Kakashi and Raido had left the hall early, leaving Bob and Satoru to continue their conversation. Finally, when they decided to leave, they walked out of the academy building and saw a crowd of silhouettes standing at the entrance gate. As they got closer, they realized that it was their classmates waiting to congratulate them.
As soon as they spotted Bob and Satoru approaching, their classmates flocked around them in excitement.
As Satoru and Bob made their way out of the academy building, they were greeted by the silhouettes of their classmates waiting by the gate.
"The Konoha protector looks really cool," remarked one of them.
"Man, I wish I could graduate this year," said another wistfully.
"Hey, Gojo looks cute," commented a girl, causing some of the others to giggle.
"But Hideki is good-looking too if you look closely," added another, eliciting some playful teasing.
Satoru and Bob were clearly the centers of attention, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as they basked in their classmates' congratulations.
A young girl approached Satoru, catching his attention. She had large, expressive eyes that were a deep shade of red, which stood out against her pale skin. It was Kurenai.
"Congratulations on becoming a genin, Satoru. By the way, in case you don't know me yet, I'm Kurenai," said Kurenai with a warm smile.
Although Satoru didn't have many conversations with Kurenai in the past, he was a bit startled when she approached him first. He remembered her as the specialist Genjutsu Jonin who tried to use Genjutsu on Itachi and failed miserably.
"Well, th--" Satoru began to say before being interrupted by Asuma. "He just became a genin, what's the big deal?" Asuma said, cutting in.
Satoru was about to refute, but Kurenai quickly interrupted him. "He just became a genin in only one year. It's a remarkable achievement, and he's our classmate. You should be happy for him too," she said firmly.
"You're right, Kurenai-san. My apologies," Asuma said, acknowledging his mistake while blushing slightly, clearly smitten with Kurenai.
Satoru couldn't help but chuckle at the banter between Asuma and Kurenai. It reminded him of bickering old couples, even though they were still 6 years old.
Asuma turned his attention to Satoru and extended his hand, "Congratulations, but don't get too full of yourself. Just because you're a genin now doesn't mean you're better than me. I'll become a Chunin before you do."
Satoru was feeling happy on his special day and didn't want any conflicts, so he simply smiled and shook Asuma's hand confidently, responding, "Sure, we'll see about that."
The day finally came to an end,
As he prepared for bed, he carefully placed Konoha's protector on the bedside table. The glimmer of the metal caught his eye. Satoru gazed at his Konoha's protector, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had always dreamed of becoming a ninja ever since he watched the anime in his previous life, and now he had finally graduated from the academy and became a genin. The feeling of satisfaction was overwhelming. Satoru took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his newfound status as a genin. Finally, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, ready to face whatever the future had in store.