[Sandaime POV]
I heard a knock on my door.
"Come in."
Daikoku entered, looking a bit apprehensive.
Daikoku: "Hokage-sama, Ikki and his team want to graduate from the academy."
"At last," I muttered, feeling both relief and curiosity. "I want to see their progress. How strong are they?"
Daikoku shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. They stopped coming to practicals since the start of the third year."
That made me sweat. They've been training on their own for that long?
"Even I don't know how far they've progressed," I admitted.
Daikoku started sweating too.
Daikoku: "Hokage-sama... [gulp] how do you want to test them?"
"Ehhh," I stalled. "You've tested many students before. Shouldn't you handle this?"
Suddenly, Kakashi emerged from the shadows, his voice dry as ever.
Kakashi: "Are they even the same as the others?"
Both Daikoku and I nodded at that. They were far from normal academy students.
Daikoku: "Ikki and his team play pranks sometimes, but when it comes to training, they go hard on themselves. A normal exam wouldn't be enough for them. Honestly, they're geniuses, all of them. The only issue is Ikki's chakra—he's got only about 10% of a normal genin's chakra."
"Still," I added, "he's the strongest one of the three. He fights everyone in Taijutsu, even though his real specialty is Kenjutsu. The real headache is figuring out how to test them for graduation."
After a moment of thought, an idea struck me.
"Let's have Tatsumo handle it."
Kakashi nodded approvingly. "Nice idea, Hokage-sama."
"Cat," I called out, "summon the director of the Fourth Orphanage."
---
Half an hour later, Tatsumo arrived, looking as irritable as ever.
Tatsumo: [Irritated] "What do you want, Sandaime?"
"Don't be so grumpy. Ikki and his team applied for graduation."
Tatsumo raised an eyebrow. "Ikki I get, but who's his team?"
I explained how Ikki had formed his own team a year and a half ago. Tatsumo listened but remained unimpressed.
Tatsumo: "Alright, I get it. But why call me?"
"Ahh, how should we test them for graduation?"
Tatsumo grinned slightly, clearly seeing through our dilemma. "Just assign a Jonin to test them. Let the Jonin take the blame if it goes south."
Me, Daikoku, and Kakashi all exchanged glances and nodded.
"Good idea," we muttered in unison.
Tatsumo: "You're all just trying to dodge responsibility. Remember, you promised Ikki something, didn't you?"
I sighed. "Yes, I remember. You didn't want to part with her, but a promise is a promise."
Tatsumo's eyes softened as he smiled. "I still remember the sword from when we fought in the Chunin exams—my first sword, *Tsubame*."
His nostalgia was obvious.
Tatsumo: "I need to maintain her today so I can give her to Ikki. I know she won't follow him as she did me—might even break—but she was meant for battle, not to sit idly. Who's going to be their Jonin captain?"
"Gekko Hayate," I replied. "He'll only be their Jonin in name. Ikki will lead the team in practice. I doubt Hayate will last long with them, maybe a year at most. I originally thought of Shisui Uchiha, but since Jiraiya's team is still out on a mission, Gekko will have to do for now."
Kakashi chuckled. "I pity Hayate. He'd better take the exam seriously, or else those kids with swords might be the last thing he sees."
Daikoku: "I agree."
"Cat, call Gekko Hayate."
---
Fifteen minutes later, Hayate entered the office, looking a bit wary.
"Hayate," I said, "I want you to lead a Genin team for a while."
Hayate coughed lightly, as he often did, looking uncertain. "Hokage-sama, I just became a Jonin. Is it really appropriate for me to lead a team?"
"Ah, you misunderstand," I clarified. "You'll be their captain in name only. Your job is to make sure they don't do anything too reckless. You'll also be responsible for their graduation exam."
Hayate looked around the room, sensing the unease. "Why do I feel like I'm being set up?"
Tatsumo smirked. "Because you are. These kids aren't ordinary students—they're geniuses. You should see their files."
I handed over the files, and after skimming them, Hayate's expression changed.
Hayate: "They're graduating after only four and a half years? That's impressive. Alright, I'll prepare a proper test for them."
"We'll be watching the test from the sidelines," I added. "I'll introduce the team to you tomorrow, and then you can arrange the exam. Daikoku, inform Ikki, Chikako, and Hinari to come to my office at 10 a.m. tomorrow to officially register as Genin and receive their headbands. Hayate, you'll meet them at 10:30."
Daikoku | Hayate: "Understood."
Tatsumo: "Hayate, take the exam seriously. Treat it like you're fighting other Jonin. If you don't, we'll be attending your funeral the next day."
The seriousness in Tatsumo's tone made Hayate gulp, but he nodded.
Tatsumo: "I'll be here at 10:20 to give the kids their presents."
I mused aloud, "Maybe I should gift them some jutsu as well?"
Tatsumo shook his head. "Let Hayate decide what they need. For now, let me be the generous grandpa."
"Hmm, fine. I'll just gift them a nice kunai set."
Daikoku exchanged glances with Kakashi and Hayate.
Daikoku: "Let's leave before things get even weirder."
With that, they vacated the office, leaving Tatsumo and me to our thoughts. Though the decision was made, the feeling of impending chaos still lingered.