"You two! Was it the Hokage old man who specifically had you two eliminate me in the assessment?!"
From the Senju Clan, Kushina, who somehow got wind of the news, arrived in front of Tatsuma and Minato, looking furious. Tatsuma was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of speechlessness.
Minato hurriedly explained, "Kushina, Tatsuma and I are just practical examiners. We don't have the authority to decide whether a student graduates or is eliminated. Besides, there are more examiners than just us, and you might not necessarily accept our assessment."
Upon hearing Minato's explanation, Kushina still looked suspicious and said to Minato, who was easier to bully, "You'd better not deceive me! Also..."
Suddenly, Kushina retracted her earlier aura, somewhat awkwardly saying, "If... if you assess me, can you... can you give me a good score?"
"Sorry, Kushina, we will strictly adhere to the standards; it's the village's requirement."
Minato's tone also became serious. He was gentle and had a different feeling towards Kushina, but when it came to matters concerning the village and ninjas, he wouldn't compromise.
Tatsuma rolled his eyes. This Minato really couldn't speak, huh? With Kushina's terrifying strength, even if she relied solely on Taijutsu, she could at least get an A grade rating, which would be considered a good result.
Following this point, why not say something like, "Kushina, with your strength, you'll surely get a good score"? Minato's tone made it sound like Kushina needed connections to pass the assessment.
As expected, Kushina's round face flushed red with anger, her red hair behind her head almost seeming to float. Tatsuma sighed and decided to help Minato out. He looked towards Nawaki, who was training not far away, and said:
"According to the village's standards, Nawaki will probably get the best results. If you can demonstrate the same level of skill as Nawaki, getting the best results should be no problem for you."
"Nawaki, huh?"
Kushina shifted her attention and dashed towards Nawaki, who was warming up. Soon, the Senju Clan area echoed with Nawaki's painful cries, but the tough-skinned Nawaki only felt the pain; being injured? That didn't exist for him.
Having vented her anger and received the implicit assurance from Tatsuma that she could definitely achieve the best results, Kushina's mood improved, and she happily went to find Uzumaki Mito.
Tatsuma looked at Nawaki, who was grimacing and continuously rubbing the bruises on his body, then turned to Minato and said, "You caused the trouble, so you treat Nawaki."
Nawaki, who had no idea what had happened, suddenly gave Minato a deathly glare, glaring at him fiercely. Minato was full of question marks, but still obediently started to treat Nawaki's injuries, dispersing blood stasis and promoting blood circulation.
"Clearly, we are both descendants of the Senju clan. Why does Kushina have greater power than me? Could it be that my youthfulness hasn't been thoroughly realized enough?"
Nawaki, who was receiving treatment from Minato, looked at Tatsuma with puzzlement. There had been rumors circulating in the village recently, suggesting that Tatsuma was also a descendant of the Senju clan and had awakened Enhanced Strength. Nawaki, who firmly believed in these rumors, was eager to get answers from Tatsuma.
Although these rumors had initially originated from some Samurais who had no connection to the Senju clan, the more Nawaki looked at Tatsuma, the more he felt that the rumors made sense. Even if Tatsuma denied them and explained the reasons behind them, Nawaki remained unconvinced.
After Nawaki confirmed that Tatsuma indeed possessed strength and chakra beyond the ordinary, he even dragged Tatsuma to the ancestral shrine to make Tatsuma acknowledge his lineage, but he was only silenced after being beaten by Tatsuma.
Upon hearing Nawaki's question, Tatsuma's mouth twitched slightly, but he still answered, "Girls tend to mature earlier; things will get better in the future."
"It's impossible. Even if she matured early, it couldn't be two years ahead, right? I'm two years older than Kushina," Nawaki insisted.
Nawaki's mind unexpectedly brightened for a moment, looking at Tatsuma, he said, "Also, you're three months younger than Kushina. How come you're stronger than her?"
Tatsuma patted Nawaki's shoulder and said earnestly, "Sometimes, being confused is the key to happiness. Don't think too much; sometimes, overthinking can hinder living a good life."
Seeing Nawaki still pondering, Tatsuma changed the subject, asking, "By the way, how's Brother Duy doing? What about his side job if everyone graduates? And has Sister Shoko's health recovered?"
Upon hearing Tatsuma mention Might Duy, Nawaki indeed forgot to ponder and said, "Shikaku mentioned that he has already entrusted the integration of wealth cough... learning and creativity to those younger students who couldn't participate in the early graduation assessment.
Various major ninja clans have a continuous influx of children entering the Academy, and they are very interested in pocket money cough... and specialized deepening studies. Some younger students have already been able to produce creative learning products.
Although the quantity may be a bit less and the cost a bit higher in the short term, this time, the number of people involved in the dissemination is greater. In just another half a year, when they have better mastered the manufacture of various creative learning products, Brother Duy will be able to sell more goods cough... and bring in more scholarships.
As for Sister Shoko, she has been discharged from the hospital, but she is still staying in the old house. The new house has just been renovated, and it's said to be unsuitable for living. It will take some time."
As Nawaki spoke, he recalled various cumbersome terms discussed between Tatsuma and Shikaku, occasionally correcting them. They had talked to Shikaku several times before at school.
Demanding an end to this academic delay, but Shikaku, relying on these cumbersome terms, persuaded the school sensei and convinced many complaining parents to agree to continue this plan.
Tatsuma nodded, feeling relieved. Some of his efforts had finally brought about some positive changes. Although Might Duy had reduced some training time, he had also earned more money.
The last time he came back, he heard that Might Duy's wife had health problems after giving birth. Without the money from creative learning, Might Duy might not have been able to afford the medical expenses.
But now, Might Duy's wife had recovered, and the whole family had a new marital home. What's more, recently, Might Duy had gained some good reputation among grassroots ninjas.
After all, the items he sold, like Explosive Tags, were cheaper than those in the ninja tool shops. This was crucial for grassroots ninjas because the money saved could potentially help them buy more supplies, and having more supplies could potentially save their lives.
Although Tatsuma didn't profit from this creative learning program, he felt great about helping others.
Tatsuma looked at Nawaki again and said, "Nawaki, after graduation, don't die on the battlefield."
Upon hearing this, Nawaki extended his thumb, revealing his trademark smile, and confidently declared, "I will definitely survive! I want to run for Hokage with you guys. I want to live out my youth!"
After saying that, he got up from the ground and declared, "It's decided! Let's start with 5,000 kicks! If I can't finish, then it's 10,000 punches!"
Just after being beaten by Kushina, Nawaki regained his youthful vigor and threw himself into training. Tatsuma shook his head with a smile, glanced at Minato, and said, "Minato, do you want to train a bit more?"
Minato also stood up, looked at Nawaki, who had already started training, nodded, and Tatsuma put his arm around his shoulder, saying, "You're impressive, Minato! Always ready to make progress, so diligent. Let's see who can complete the same training volume as Nawaki faster!"
"Alright!"
A few days later, the graduation assessment at Konoha Academy began. Compared to the Chunin exams, the graduation assessment was much simpler. First, there was a theoretical knowledge test. Despite studying for a full six years, Nawaki only managed to pass by the skin of his teeth.
Next was the assessment of the Three Basic Jutsus. Basically, if you could perform them, you passed. Nawaki and Kushina both passed smoothly. Finally, there was the practical assessment, where a Jonin instructor led ten Chunin to evaluate the candidates.
Tatsuma and Minato were among these ten Chunin, and the assessment took place directly on the Academy's training ground. After all, a group of students who hadn't graduated yet couldn't cause too much destruction, right?
The candidates drew their assessment numbers on the spot, with no possibility of collusion. Nawaki's sixth-grade class was the first group to undergo testing. Having trained with Minato and Tatsuma for a year and then with Duy for another year, Nawaki's combat abilities were beyond doubt.
In fact, one of the Chunin evaluating him underestimated him and got kicked by Nawaki, causing a delay before the next candidate was arranged.
The candidates Tatsuma and Minato encountered weren't as extreme. In fact, a few of them underestimated the two young examiners because of their age. However, Tatsuma unleashed a series of blows, and Minato also demonstrated his strength to a certain extent.
Most of the sixth-grade candidates received a B grade evaluation, with a small portion failing to meet the standard and receiving a C grade. There weren't many outstanding graduates who received an A grade, as many of the outstanding ones had applied for early graduation.
However, Nawaki, the only one advised by Tatsuma to stay in the Academy and not graduate early, achieved the only S grade evaluation in the sixth grade with an overwhelming advantage.
The Chunin examiners were injured by him. If it were a real fight, Nawaki would have knocked them out long ago. What else could they do but give him an S grade?
Even though the Chunin examiners underestimated him and didn't use highly destructive ninjutsu, Nawaki's combat level surpassed that of a Genin, which was beyond doubt.
After all, only a very small number of Genin can use highly destructive ninjutsu. At this stage, Taijutsu and Ninja Tool Throwing are often the key factors.
Next came the assessment of the fifth-grade students. There were fewer B grades, more C grades, and a few A grades, but no students received an S grade evaluation.
Following that, it was the assessment of the fourth-grade students, who could be described as a hidden talent pool, especially since they didn't follow the usual rules.
For example, there was Hyuga Sento. He was assigned to the examination room next to Tatsuma's. Tatsuma observed his performance—a Hyuga ninja full of passion and youth, charging at the examiners with great enthusiasm, and then...
His Gentle Fist strikes landed lightly but had a profound impact on the examiners. The stark contrast made it difficult for the examiners to adapt. Before they knew it, their chakra pathways were sealed by the Gentle Fist, and he ended up receiving an S grade evaluation.
Tatsuma and Minato also encountered two individuals whom Tatsuma vaguely remembered, but they weren't from the elite class.
"Hello, Sakamoto Senpai, I'm Yakushi Nono. Please take care of me."
Looking at the soft and gentle girl in front of him, Tatsuma was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect to be in the same grade as this wandering miko. After he regained his composure, he smiled and said, "No need to call me Senpai; we're in the same grade."
Yakushi Nono timidly nodded, then looked somewhat bewildered at Tatsuma, who had already put on his Chunin vest. She seemed to have trouble understanding why Tatsuma, who was in the same grade as her, would be her examiner.
But soon, she snapped out of it, took out a kunai, and assumed a very standard combat stance. Tatsuma nodded, ready to begin, but glanced at Minato's situation on the side.
In front of Minato was also a pineapple head, but it wasn't Shikaku; it was...
"My name is Nara Suzaku. Can we start?"
Listening to that lazy voice, Tatsuma also remembered this person, although he was a minor character, he was a Nara Clan Jonin who appeared in the Fourth Shinobi War.
Withdrawing his gaze, Tatsuma looked at Yakushi Nono in front of him and said, "Let's begin."
"Please forgive me, classmate Sakamoto."
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