The instant Nozawa Itsuki landed, his body was still hardened with chakra—he thought the fight was over.
But then, he heard it.
A sharp whistling sound—the sound of wind.
The gale struck like a physical force. Within moments, a ferocious pressure slammed into Itsuki, crushing the air from his lungs.
His legs, already unstable, buckled beneath him, driving him to his knees.
The Wind Style: Gale Palm ripped through the field, scattering dust and rock.
Itsuki's earth-hardening technique couldn't withstand the onslaught.
And as Muzan closed the distance, the outcome was already decided.
"Sorry," came the boy's quiet voice, calm beneath the chaos.
"You're just not tough enough."
"What—?!"
Before Itsuki could recover, the wind burst around him once more.
He felt weightless, his body lifted clean off the ground—then a shadow appeared before him.
Muzan's leg swung upward in a smooth, merciless arc—
Boom!
A single kick to the stomach sent the genin crashing across the arena.
Dust billowed, blotting out the sunlight.
Everyone's attention snapped to the center of the field.
Even Teacher Nobibei rushed over, only to find the black-robed boy standing calmly amidst the fading storm—unruffled, breathing steady.
Muzan landed lightly, his gaze falling on the unconscious, battered Itsuki sprawled on the ground.
"Looks like you'll need another trip to the hospital."
He knelt and pressed his palm against the man's chest. A soft green glow radiated—Medical Ninjutsu.
Within seconds, the visible injuries began to close. Itsuki's condition wasn't critical; with rest, he'd recover fully.
When Muzan rose again, his crimson eyes met the stunned gaze of Nobibei.
"I've won, Teacher."
For a long moment, the man couldn't speak. Neither could anyone else.
The entire arena fell silent. Even the Third Hokage, watching through his crystal orb, stared in disbelief.
Two minutes.
From start to finish, Hatake Muzan had ended the match in two minutes.
Kakashi's test had been brilliant, yes—but that victory was born of strategy and cunning, a typical shinobi duel.
Muzan's battle was something else entirely: sheer, overwhelming domination.
A full-fledged genin—defeated without landing a single blow.
Had Muzan possessed more battle experience, it might have ended even faster.
"What a headache…" Hiruzen murmured to himself.
"Who in the village could possibly train this boy?"
---
By the time the crowd processed what they'd seen, the results were undeniable.
Hatake Muzan had passed with an absolute victory.
"That's it? It's already over? That kid can't be more than five or six!"
"I thought Kakashi was a prodigy—but his brother's even scarier!"
"No wonder! He came from our hospital's training program—Konoha's future Tsunade, mark my words!"
Within minutes, Seitei arrived at the arena with a group of medics to cheer Muzan on.
He'd come expecting to console a defeated child.
Instead, Muzan's triumph left everyone speechless—and gave the hospital a tremendous reputation boost.
"What do you mean your hospital's genius? He's from our Academy!" a teacher protested.
"This was a battle, not a surgery!"
"Shut up! He's one of our own!"
While the argument raged in the stands, Nobibei brushed away the dust and approached Muzan, his expression complex.
He glanced at Itsuki—unconscious but alive—then sighed and made the announcement.
"Hatake Muzan has passed the graduation exam. Congratulations—you are now a full-fledged genin."
Only Kakashi didn't look thrilled.
He'd wanted to brag about his own early graduation, but now his moment had been stolen before it even began.
Still—despite his sulking—he was genuinely proud of his brother.
After all, the Hatake family had never produced weaklings.
"Damn it, big brother," Kakashi grumbled. "Why'd you have to graduate early too?"
Muzan ruffled Kakashi's silver hair with a faint smile.
He knew it wasn't fair to spring this on him—but Konoha wasn't safe anymore.
With their father away on dangerous missions, Kakashi's situation was far riskier than his own.
As a medical-nin, Muzan was protected by affiliation.
The hospital reported directly to Lady Tsunade's Medical Unit.
Even though Tsunade suffered from hemophobia, her status in Konoha was second only to the Hokage's.
No one dared touch one of her protégés.
But Kakashi was different—he was a combat prodigy, a genius without political shelter.
And in Konoha, genius without allegiance could be dangerous.
Muzan remembered all too well what had happened to Uchiha Shisui years later—
a loyal shinobi with the Mangekyō Sharingan, betrayed and killed by Danzo despite his ties to the Hokage.
"Why shouldn't I graduate early too?" Muzan said sarcastically.
Kakashi slapped his brother's hand away from his hair and glared up defiantly.
If not for Obito and Rin rushing in to hold him back, he probably would've tried to start another fight right there.
"Let go of me! I'm not done with him!"
"Calm down, Kakashi!" Obito hissed. "You'll just get beaten again! Everyone's calling him the Hammer King of Konoha now—you won't win!"
"Kakashi, don't," Rin pleaded gently. "You'll only embarrass yourself."
The truth was obvious—they weren't on the same level anymore.
---
When the others had dispersed, Muzan put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"What is it, brother?" Kakashi asked, sensing the serious tone.
He turned—and found no joy in Muzan's expression, only quiet resolve.
"Once you become a genin," Muzan said, "you'll be assigned a squad and a jōnin instructor.
With your talent, you have two options:
One, choose one of Father's subordinates as your mentor.
Two, join the Hokage's faction."
"And what do you think I should do?" Kakashi asked, frowning slightly.
He didn't yet grasp how vital such choices could be—
how deeply they might shape not only his own future, but even Sakumo Hatake's fate.
Muzan's answer was firm.
"Join the Hokage's faction.
The Third will use this opportunity to win Father's loyalty—and if we're close to him, he'll have no reason to turn against our family."
And indeed, far away in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already deep in thought.
Finding suitable mentors for both brothers was proving troublesome.
Kakashi was easy—he had to be placed under the Hokage's wing.
But Muzan… was far more complicated.
According to Nobibei's report, the boy had made remarkable progress in medical ninjutsu, but he was also physically powerful and an adept fighter.
Among Konoha's ranks, there was only one jōnin capable of training someone like him—
though her temperament was… difficult.
"Let him meet her first," Hiruzen decided at last.
"He's Sakumo's son—she won't make things too hard for him."
Hard or not, that remained to be seen.
---
At the Hospital
When Muzan entered Konoha Hospital again, the reaction was immediate.
Doctors, nurses, and even patients crowded around him in excitement.
Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the young prodigy who had graduated at record speed.
For months, Muzan's image had been that of a diligent, selfless healer—
a boy who used his talents not for fame, but to save lives.
And thanks to a few whispered rumors—and deliberate encouragement from certain people—
that image was now linked to a single name:
Lady Tsunade.
The boy hailed as Konoha's youngest medical-nin was already being spoken of as Tsunade's future successor.