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Konoha Year 48, Spring.
West Outskirts, center of Forest of Death.
At the entrance to the forest, signs were posted that read: [No Entry] and [Ninja Graduation Exam in Progress].
The forest was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects and birds.
A gentle breeze rustled through the dense leaves, creating a soft rustling sound.
Through the gaps in the leaves, Nohara Rin's gaze swept towards the shadows ahead, her eyes slightly narrowed, a Kunai held close to her side without a sound.
"Rustle."
Almost at the instant that faint sound, imperceptible to ordinary people, swept past, a glint lit up in the girl's eyes. She darted out like a strong leopard, without hesitation, towards the shadowed area where the sound had originated. Her left hand, resting on her Ninja tool pouch, made a swift movement, and several dark Shurikens immediately flew through the air with a series of 'whooshing' sounds.
At the same time, the tip of the Kunai in her hand plunged down without hesitation!
"Thud!"
However, upon hearing that muffled sound, a hint of alarm immediately flashed in the girl's eyes.
The tall figure, perfectly hidden in the shadowed corner, whose abdomen had been pierced by the Kunai, instead revealed a smile of successful cunning, then exploded with a 'bang', turning into a puff of smoke.
Before the Shadow Clone in front of her could completely dissipate, Nohara Rin, regrouping, immediately scattered from her original position according to the targeted content in the textbook, rolling her body on the decaying leaves, then launching herself into the air, leaping back and forth through the dense forest, her figure like a swift bird about to disappear into the tree canopy.
However, the sound behind her was even faster than her movement.
"Water Release: Water Bullet!"
Amidst faint popping sounds, the flying water bullets, like iron stones launched from a slingshot, tore through the air with hissing sounds, so fast that ordinary people could not possibly keep up.
At the same time, Hozuki Mangetsu, who had transformed into a water lantern, suddenly flipped his Ninja blade, and without hesitation, prepared to cleave down towards Nohara Rin, who had leaped into the air.
"Die!"
Nohara Rin abruptly raised the Kunai in her hand. While her heart was in a panic, her body reacted urgently with practiced movements. The special steel wire connected to the end of the Kunai pulled out several burning talismans, which ignited with astonishing speed.
Hozuki Mangetsu's gaze first narrowed upon seeing this, instinctively wanting to retreat, but his heart subconsciously felt puzzled by the opponent's extremely decisive reaction.
As expected, after those talismans exploded, large clouds of smoke completely enveloped Nohara Rin's figure.
Immediately following, two figures, who had remained hidden in two other locations, lunged like enraged tigers towards the direction from which the Ninjutsu had been launched.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Suddenly, a fireball with a diameter of over three meters completely engulfed the location of that figure, its blazing tongues of fire spreading wildly outwards. Getting even slightly close made one feel as if their skin and hair would ignite, and their entire body was burning with Pain.
However, at such a critical moment, the figure still hidden in place remained unhurried. The hand seals changed, and the Chakra that was about to be continuously expelled from the mouth and nose was rapidly neutralized within the body.
The water vapor around her, following the change in Chakra, suddenly surged, the condensed water vapor rising from the ground in a spiral, growing from small to large into a surging current, roaring as it enveloped her entire body at its center, like a water spouts rising from flat ground.
As Water Release and Fire Release clashed, large clouds of smoke exploded.
Faintly, there was even a strong sensation of boiling and scorching.
At the same time, Mei Terumī, who was moving her position using the visual obstruction, immediately discovered the problem and loudly warned:
"It's a trap!"
The moment these words left her mouth, Suigetsu Hozuki, who was enveloped in smoke, immediately felt a surge of vigilance.
However, the lack of vision could not affect his movements.
Suigetsu Hozuki smiled, and a circle of fine Chakra ripples slowly spread from his feet, sensing every vibration in the area.
This was the key secret to the Hidden Mist's silent killing technique.
"Found them!"
After only a brief moment of sensing, a complete three-dimensional dynamic map of the surroundings appeared in his mind. Even the faintest heartbeats and breathing sounds could not escape his sensing range, which covered dozens of meters. The slender Ninja blade in his hand swept towards one side without hesitation.
"Hah!"
However, this strike met nothing.
Suigetsu Hozuki was startled at first, and in the next moment, his mind received feedback of the opposing figure bending down and placing one hand on the ground.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
According to the intel, wasn't Nohara Rin a medical type who wasn't skilled in Taijutsu?!
However, in that brief moment his thoughts flashed, the young man, who had just been in the transformation Jutsu state, suddenly drew a short sword, only as long as a dagger, from his sleeve, and with a fierce wind, thrust it towards Mangetsu's direction.
"Clang!"
Under this powerful thrust, Hozuki Mangetsu's movements immediately stiffened. Even his urgently turning Ninja blade couldn't completely block this sudden thrust, only managing to force it to change direction and graze his shoulder.
At the same time, a faint Lightning Release tingling sensation emanated from the blade's surface.
'This guy!?'
Hozuki Mangetsu immediately realized his mistake. As he rapidly retreated, he continuously used Chakra to dissipate the tingling sensation from his shoulder, his figure swiftly flipping back over ten meters, his feet adhering to the tree trunk with Chakra.
However, the rapidly approaching blade was even faster than he had imagined.
Almost the instant his feet landed and attached to the tree trunk, the tip was already against his cheek.
"Haa—!"
The moment a chill ran down Hozuki Mangetsu's neck, a sudden roar erupted from above his head.
Before Kakashi could continue to thrust his blade, a clearly heavy, broad-bladed greatsword whistled down from above, letting out a sharp shriek in mid-air.
"Clang!"
Kakashi felt a sharp, intense Pain in his wrist. The moment the short blade met the heavy sword, it felt so heavy as if it would fly out of his hand.
Only at such times would the body's instincts, honed by countless arduous trainings, play their greatest role. Upon contact, Kakashi immediately let go of the blade, and his body, following the force from the heavy sword, spun and rotated, falling to the ground in the distance.
While flipping in mid-air, his hand seals moved continuously, quickly forming several.
Next moment.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
Stone slabs erupted from the ground with a bang, like rubber bands on a slingshot, perfectly hitting the ground beneath Kakashi's feet, almost perfectly aligning with his landing spot.
His slightly shorter figure, propelled by this borrowed force, shot out from his original position with even greater speed than he had arrived, with a sudden whoosh.
As the young man caught the white blade in his hand in mid-air, his entire body seemed to be enveloped by lightning. His already extreme speed was accelerated by several points at this moment.
The blade in his hand cut a blazing white arc through the air.
"Lightning Release: White Light Blade!"
However, his target was Mei Terumī, who was looking on in astonishment from a distance.
"Ding!"
The entire blade edge sank into the girl's clothing, emitting a faint crisp sound.
The fine ring light on Mei Terumī's neck immediately turned from red to green.
"Out."
The moment that sound rang out.
Uchiha Obito, who had just been in a pouncing stance towards Mei Terumī, immediately broke into a smile.
Zabuza and Mangetsu, however, were furious, roaring as they charged towards the two.
Upon seeing this, Mei Terumī's face immediately showed a look of despair.
As expected.
Almost the moment the two charged directly in front of Obito and completed their combined blade attack, the wise young man's originally dark pupils suddenly turned crimson.
His single-tomoe eyes glared at them.
"Demonic Illusion: Sharingan!"
Even the most basic Sharingan possessed a considerable level of Genjutsu.
In an instant, Zabuza, who was charging at the front, stumbled by half a step.
Kakashi, who had completed his thrust in a short time, used this momentary opening. His figure whistled down from above, adopting a stance as if to decapitate Zabuza, while Obito simultaneously formed hand seals, with even sparks of fire faintly appearing around his mouth and nose.
Seeing this, Hozuki Mangetsu subconsciously made the most perfect counter-response.
He pulled Zabuza's charging body, swiftly retreating one step backward.
Unfortunately, it was just this one short step.
A fine silk thread suddenly adhered to his back.
Hozuki Mangetsu's heart was vigilant, and his gaze immediately turned back.
Then, he saw Nohara Rin looking down at the two of them with a smile on her face.
"Thud!"
Their figures were simultaneously caught by this large net, both entangled in the center.
Kakashi and Obito's movements immediately stopped.
"Assessment over!"
"Hatake Squad wins completely!"
Only then did a male voice slowly sound from the fine rings on their necks.
"Oh!!!"
On the Hatake Squad's side, a cheer immediately erupted.
As for Mei Terumī's squad and the others, who had just recovered from the Genjutsu and traps, they were filled with disappointment.
"Damn it!"
"It's one thing for you, you idiot, to fall into the trap yourself, but why drag me in with you?!"
"Isn't that because you're so stupid you fell for a Genjutsu."
"You're so annoying! You two are both idiots, I told you it was a trap, why didn't you run?!"
In no time at all, they started arguing among themselves.
This was too embarrassing!
The genius spy squad meticulously trained by Hidden Mist had actually been defeated by a group of Konoha Ninja who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy and were undergoing a Ninja assessment.
Although the opponents were all friends they had known for years, how could such a disparity not be frustrating?
Instead, Obito ran over with a silly grin, comforting her, "It's okay, we're already the strongest squad in the finals anyway, so at most, we'll be fourth to sixth!"
"From now on, we're Ninjas who will be fighting side by side!"
"Right, Zabuza!"
Zabuza crossed his arms, turned his face away, and grumbled, "It's precisely because I lost to an idiot like you that I can't stand it."
"Ha! Didn't your written exam also fail to pass sixty points!"
"And here I thought you were a comrade!"
"Who wants to be comrades with you, it's so annoying."
Mei Terumī's squad hadn't finished arguing yet when Obito joined in.
Kakashi and Nohara Rin, on the other hand, leaned to the side, chuckling as they watched the scene unfold before them.
It had to be said, the title of first place in the Ninja graduation assessment was quite fulfilling.
Kakashi folded his arms, secretly pleased.
Now, even his father wouldn't be able to stop him from developing Ninjutsu.
Whoever wanted to play with this crappy sword style could.
Nohara Rin stood by, secretly glancing at Kakashi with her peripheral vision, wondering if he was going to argue with Uncle Sakumo again.
After a while, seemingly noticing her peripheral glance, Kakashi subconsciously looked towards Nohara Rin.
Their gazes met for an instant, then simultaneously diverged.
If one paid close attention, they might notice a slight blush inadvertently appearing on Kakashi's pale face, which was always covered by his mask.
Only at times like this was he grateful for the foolish decision he made when he was young.
A Ninja must remain expressionless.
"Alright, alright."
Just as they were grumbling, the three Jonin teachers responsible for exam order walked out of the forest, clapping their hands and comforting them:
"The entire assessment is now over! All students, please return to the school and await the upcoming team assignments!"
"Also, I have good news for everyone."
"The chief squad of this Ninja exam will receive a special grand prize!"
"Huh?!"
Almost instantly, everyone present had their attention drawn.
However, the educational Jonin merely smiled mysteriously and went about tidying up the examination area.
By the time Kakashi and the others returned to school, most of the remaining examinees had also returned to their classrooms; the few who hadn't returned directly were mostly those who hadn't met the assessment requirements for this year's graduation, or simply students who planned to inherit family businesses after graduating and had no intention of continuing their studies.
Six years of companionship, separated in a single day.
Many people present had a lot to say to each other, and the entire classroom, even the entire sixth-grade hallway, was filled with a cacophony of chatter.
"Kakashi, you're planning to continue your studies, aren't you?"
"After all, you're so amazing; after graduating from Ninja High School, you'll directly receive a Chunin certificate, and the treatment is much better than a D-rank squad, plus you can earn more money."
Nohara Rin leaned on the desk, tilting her head towards Kakashi, carefully asking.
"Of course."
"However, to get into Ninja High School, we first need to complete a B-rank mission as a squad, and the training period in between must be at least half a year."
This world's Kakashi didn't have as many experiences as in the original timeline, nor did he graduate early, so his mindset was closer to his peers; he was both arrogant and energetic, full of confidence in himself:
"But, I heard that once you get to Ninja High School, as long as the entire squad meets the standard, you can graduate early, and squads that performed better in elementary school even get the privilege of being assigned to the same class."
He paused mid-sentence, his voice slowing, then looked straight ahead, pretending to say casually, "When the time comes, don't you guys drag me down."
His tone clearly implied that he intended for them to stay together even after graduation.
Nohara Rin caught the subtle meaning in his words and suddenly smiled at him.
"Mm!"
"I'll work hard."
Kakashi, on the contrary, was made a little uncomfortable by this straightforward answer: "You don't have to… I was mainly talking about that idiot Obito."
"Huh?!"
Obito, who was chatting with a classmate in the front row, immediately jumped up from his seat, looking displeased: "Who are you calling an idiot! My practical score is very high, alright! It's just that my written exam was a little bit worse."
The volume of the latter half of his sentence was noticeably lower.
Because of his poor written exam results, Kakashi and Nohara Rin, who could have both gotten first place in the written assessment, were directly pulled down to third, and Kakashi had given him a thorough scolding at the time.
"Alright, Obito."
"Kakashi doesn't mean to blame you, but the written exam requirements for High School are also very strict."
"Right, Kakashi?"
Nohara Rin comforted him from the side, her gaze finally resting on Kakashi's face.
Noticing this small detail, Obito inadvertently lowered his eyes, and there was quite a bit of resentment in his expression as he looked at the little white-haired boy beside him.
Damn it! This white-haired bastard!
It's one thing to have good grades and strong abilities, but how can he also be so handsome!
This insidious guy usually covers his face, only pulling it down when he's with Nohara Rin!
It's infuriating!
However, looking at the small, unintentional display of affection between the two, Obito could only let out a long sigh.
There's just no chance, is there?
Just as he was sighing inwardly, the graduation squad list had already begun to be read out from the podium.
One name after another was called out, and more and more people left the classroom, the originally spacious classroom gradually becoming empty, and Obito's thoughts shifted elsewhere.
Until the very end.
"Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin."
"Here!"
The teacher on the podium smiled gently: "Congratulations, your squad's supervising teacher is Lord Sawara Kiri."
"…"
The moment that name was called out, the three remaining people in the room couldn't help but freeze, staring blankly ahead, their faces filled with astonishment.
Even Kakashi's eyes couldn't help but reveal a brilliant divine light, his entire pupils dilated.
Sawara Kiri?!
That… living… legendary Ninja?
After several seconds of silence, a cheer suddenly erupted in the classroom.
The three could barely wait, all impulsively rushing out of the classroom and running towards the rooftop.
Seeing their reaction, the teacher on the podium couldn't help but smile.
However, their reaction was unavoidable.
After all, their supervising teacher was that Lord Sawara Kiri.
But, Lord Sawara Kiri had been in seclusion for so many years, why would he suddenly want to take on students?
Aihara also couldn't figure it out, shaking his head slightly.
He hoped they could satisfy Lord Sawara Kiri.
By the time Kakashi and the other two rushed out of the classroom and ran all the way to the rooftop.
They saw a tall man, wearing a Konoha-style vest, with his back to them, leaning against the railing at the edge of the rooftop, gazing at a floating island several thousand meters high in the sky above the edge of Konoha.
That was Konoha's artificial miracle of the past seven years, the highest creation of Ryumakyu and Chakra technology, and also the core of modern Konoha's barrier—the Human Continuity Assurance Organization: Chaldea.
According to rumors, it was the foundation of all changes in Konoha over the years, a secret island preserving countless high-end technologies.
Unfortunately, until now, no Ninja from another Village had ever set foot on it.
Not only because of the Hokage's aide, Orochimaru, who was perpetually stationed on that sky island, but also because of the confidential technology that severed space around the island.
However, the changes are truly immense.
Sawara Kiri's gaze slowly lowered, falling upon the layers of tall buildings rising from the ground within this Village.
Even the Ninja Academy building he stood on was a full thirty-five stories high, and the number of students was more than ten times that of the Third Hokage's era, so the students selected from them were naturally the best of the best, making Konoha's Ninja quality many times stronger than in previous years.
To recruit a sufficient number of students, Konoha even had professional recruitment points spread throughout the Land of Fire, and the Hokage's influence was gradually extending step by step, leading to many conflicts with the Daimyo.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Fourth Hokage of this generation was the most powerful Hokage in Konoha's history.
However, even this teaching building, which was over a hundred meters tall, was dwarfed by the towering buildings within Konoha Village that seemed to climb towards the sky.
Sawara Kiri often thought to himself, rather crudely, how many people would die if the Six Paths Pain from before unleashed a Shinra Tensei here?
However, those things would no longer happen.
In contrast, the Moon Organization and the Renegade Union, along with the other three great Villages, currently rampaging through the Ninja World, were even bigger troubles than the Akatsuki Organization; who knew how much Ōtsutsuki power still lay within them.
"Tsk."
Just as he was thinking this, his azure pupils subtly shifted, already seeing the three figures that had appeared behind him.
"Oh, hey."
Thus, Kakashi and the others saw the tall man in front of them turn around, the two blades at his waist clinking together, making a clattering sound, and he smiled gently, raising his hand towards them, greeting these new generation Konoha Ninjas as if it were their first meeting:
"Hello everyone, my name is Sawara Kiri."
"From today onwards, I will be your supervising teacher."
"Please take care of me during this period before you enter Ninja High School!"
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