Chapter 113: Graduation Day at the Ninja Academy
"Are you ready?" Shinku Kurenai asked, sitting at the dining table.
"I've been ready for a while. The graduation exam will be no problem for us at all!" Kurenai snorted proudly. "You don't need to worry. Just wait for our good news."
"That's true." Shinku sighed. "Time really flies."
"What do you mean, 'flies'?" Kurenai looked at Hoshikawa , the corner of her lips curving up. "I think time is moving too slowly!"
Shinku was momentarily speechless. He sighed to himself. His sweet, soft-hearted daughter was gone for good.
"Let's eat," Shinku said, picking up a pair of chopsticks and handing them to Kurenai.
"Thanks, Dad." Kurenai took the chopsticks, then immediately passed them to Hoshikawa .
The corner of Shinku's mouth twitched. Should I just leave right now? He felt more and more like an extra in his own home, with no place left for him.
"Hoshikawa ," Kurenai said, picking up a piece of natto with her chopsticks. "When we get our teams, will I really be on the same one as you?"
"Of course you will," Hoshikawa smiled. "My sensei is Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin."
The kid is using his connections, huh? Shinku thought to himself, but he had to admit, it was a good thing to have a backer. He didn't have such a luxury when he graduated. The teammates and sensei he was assigned to weren't particularly strong. Of all of them, he was the only one who survived.
"Yeah!" Kurenai's face lit up with a huge smile. "I'll protect you from now on!"
"He doesn't need your protection," Shinku couldn't help but interject. "He's strong. You just need to take care of yourself."
"No way!" Kurenai immediately rejected his suggestion, explaining, "It's because Hoshikawa is a medical-ninja."
Shinku felt a mouthful of old blood well up in his throat. Have you ever seen a medical-ninja with such terrifying combat power? He was about to try and persuade Kurenai again when he received a look from Hoshikawa . Shinku paused and said nothing else. There was no need to say more. Hoshikawa would definitely protect Kurenai.
As he thought this, a sense of melancholy washed over him. His daughter had finally grown up and no longer needed her father's protection.
"Uncle Shinku, are you coming to watch?" Hoshikawa raised his chopsticks, blocking Kurenai's attempt to feed him, since he didn't like natto.
"No way!" Shinku blurted out at the sight of the scene.
Hoshikawa flinched. He doesn't have to get so worked up about it.
After breakfast, Hoshikawa and Kurenai walked to the Ninja Academy. On the way, they saw Asuma Sarutobi standing on a wall. But the two of them, in a moment of shared understanding, didn't bother to talk to him, ignoring him completely.
"Hey!" Asuma quickly jumped down and ran after them, spreading his arms wide. "Did you two not see me? I'm right here!"
"Didn't see you," Hoshikawa and Kurenai said in unison.
They looked at each other and both started laughing. Kurenai especially, was beaming.
Asuma's face was a picture of misery. He was regretting ever seeking them out, knowing he was just asking for trouble.
"Do you know who you're on a team with?" Asuma suddenly got a mischievous look.
"What? Do you know?" Hoshikawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't," Asuma said with a grin. "But I told that man to put me on the same team as you." That man, of course, was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"I have a feeling your wish might not come true," Hoshikawa said with a shrug.
"What do you mean?" Asuma's expression changed.
"You'll see later," Hoshikawa said. "But with who you are, your teammates won't be bad."
"Hmph!" Asuma said, a bit annoyed. "I get my team based on my skill, not my background!"
"Then why did you just ask the Hokage to cheat for you?" Kurenai mercilessly exposed him.
"What do you mean, 'cheat'? I was making a suggestion!" Asuma shot her a look. "Why are you starting to sound more and more like Hoshikawa ?"
"Because I want to!" Kurenai said, hugging Hoshikawa 's arm and giving Asuma a smug smile.
"..." Asuma once again felt a pang of regret. Damn it! I shouldn't have come! But the sad thing was, he couldn't beat Hoshikawa , and he couldn't even beat Kurenai.
"Once we get our teams, mine will definitely be the one that does the most missions!" Asuma's eyes lit up as he thought of a new way to compete. The reputation and strength of a ninja team were often measured by the number of missions and their completion rate.
"That's impossible!" Kurenai said without thinking. "The three of you combined couldn't beat Hoshikawa !"
"You!" Asuma's body trembled with anger. But he had to admit, what Kurenai said might actually come true. He felt a sense of dejection. Was he destined to never beat Hoshikawa ?
Just then, Kurenai let out a snicker.
"Hoshikawa !" Rin Nohara's voice called out. Behind her were Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake.
"Good morning," Hoshikawa said with a smile. He felt Kurenai's grip on his arm tighten.
"Good morning," Rin said, her gaze lingering on his arm for a second.
"Asuma, do you have any news about the teams?" Obito asked impatiently. The team assignments were always decided by the Hokage, and since Asuma was the Hokage's son, he might know some inside information.
Kakashi also looked at him. Although he was typically cool-headed, he was very interested in the team assignments. The quality of one's teammates directly affected their future.
"No," Asuma said honestly. "The graduation exam hasn't even started yet, so there's no list."
"Okay," Obito said, a little disappointed. He instinctively looked at Rin, and when she smiled back, he immediately cheered up. With their bond, they were definitely going to be on the same team!
"Kakashi, how's your research on your Lightning Release jutsu going?" Hoshikawa asked as they walked.
"It's not going so well," Kakashi said, shaking his head. The Chidori he was creating had two main features: speed and lethality. But he had quickly discovered a serious problem: his eyes couldn't keep up, which meant the jutsu's accuracy was terrible. This made him incredibly envious of Obito. If he had a Sharingan, the problem would be perfectly solved.
"Don't rush it. Take your time," Hoshikawa said comfortingly.
"Okay," Kakashi nodded.
They arrived at the Ninja Academy. Since it was the graduation exam today, all the other classes, except for the sixth-graders and early applicants, were given the day off. Hoshikawa walked through the school, feeling a strange sense of emptiness.
"Hoshikawa -senpai," a familiar voice called from a short distance away.
"Shisui?" Hoshikawa asked, a little surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I also applied for early graduation," Shisui Uchiha said with an embarrassed smile. He hadn't told Hoshikawa and the others ahead of time, not because he wanted to keep it a secret, but because he was forced to. Originally, he had planned to graduate in two years, but not long ago, Fugaku Uchiha had come to him. The gist of the conversation was that war was approaching, and as a genius of the Uchiha clan, he shouldn't be lingering in a safe school but should be out in the battlefield. In addition, Fugaku also hoped that he would try to get closer to the top echelons of Konoha.
"With your strength, you definitely can graduate early," Hoshikawa said. He didn't know when Shisui graduated in the original story, but it was highly unlikely to be with Asuma and the others. It seemed like this was the result of his butterfly effect. He wondered how Hiruzen would arrange Shisui's team.
"I'm going to find my sensei now. See you later," Shisui said. He wasn't a student in fifth-year Class A, so he wouldn't be taking the exam with them.
"Do you think Shisui will be on our team?" Asuma asked, stroking his chin.
"It's possible," Hoshikawa nodded slightly. "Since we're all graduating at the same time, we're considered ninjas of the same class."
"That's great!" Asuma hit his palm with his fist. "I hope I get paired with Shisui." Having trained together for so long, they were all aware of Shisui's strength. It was no exaggeration to say that, besides Hoshikawa , none of them were certain they could beat him.
The group walked into the classroom, where Ron'ichirō was already waiting. Seeing them, he smiled warmly. "The exam starts in fifteen minutes. You can get ready."
There wasn't much to prepare for the Three-Body Jutsu. Hoshikawa sat down at his desk and opened his title system. Six months had passed since he obtained the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and his B-rank title, "Genjutsu Special Jōnin," was finally complete.
[B-rank Talent Title: Genjutsu Special Jōnin.]
[Trigger Condition: Master nine genjutsu titles to Proficiency.]
[Effect: All genjutsu effects are increased by 100%.]
[Note: Learning and mastering more genjutsu can evolve this into the A-rank title Genjutsu Jōnin.]
Both the effect and the evolution path were similar to the B-rank title, "Medical Special Jōnin."
While the students waited, the Hokage's office was also a bustling place.
"Come in," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, putting down the documents in his hand after hearing the knock. He knew who it was: Hoshikawa Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Every year at this time, they would discuss the team assignments.
"Hiruzen," Hoshikawa and Koharu said as they walked in. In the official databook, The Book of Confrontation, the Hokage's advisors were said to have a status no less than the Hokage himself, and they were involved in all of Konoha's affairs. In addition, they had served as guards for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, alongside Hiruzen, so their relationship was very close. Even in the Boruto series, Hoshikawa and Koharu were still serving as the Hokage's advisors.
"Here are this year's graduates and their team leaders," Hiruzen said, handing over two sets of documents.
"Excellent," Hoshikawa said with a slight nod. "This is the most talented class we've had in a decade."
"Is Minato on the list as well?" Koharu asked, looking at the list of team leaders and smiling. "It seems you already have a favorite in mind."
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