"Lord Third Hokage, there is an urgent report from the Ninja Academy. Please, take a look," a ninja said as he gently opened the door and handed the documents to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, who was busy with official duties. At this time, Hiruzen was not old nor beyond his prime years, but still appeared vigorous, holding a pipe in his mouth while intently reviewing a file.
He reached out, took the Ninja Academy report, but kept his gaze on the file he was initially examining.
Then, he glanced over the Ninja Academy report, and his expression suddenly changed. He put down the document he was originally reading and carefully scrutinized the Ninja Academy report.
"Three geniuses... Besides Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga, there's also... ah, Chiba Taki, that boy," Hiruzen mused. He was not surprised that Chiba could be considered among the three geniuses.
Previously, during the rescue operation involving Yukina Hyuga, the boy had stood out significantly. Through Yukina's account, Hiruzen could sense the child's exceptional nature.
For two students to defeat a Jonin, even a severely injured one, was an extraordinary feat. Typically, Ninja Academy students would freeze up merely from a Jonin's killing intent.
Facing such a shinobi, neither child was incapacitated. Instead, they counterattacked and succeeded in killing the Jonin. Yukina Hyuga's abilities were well-acknowledged, but that Chiba Taki who could also withstand a shinobi's killing intent and lead the battle was a level of aptitude Hiruzen had only seen in Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze.
'And my disciple, Orochimaru,' he added.
"Speaking of which, Minato and Kushina's missions are due to conclude soon as well," Hiruzen remarked, taking a puff of his pipe and exhaling slowly.
"Lord Third Hokage," the assistant ninja interjected, "I always feel uneasy about sending Lady Kushina, who is a Jinchuriki, on such dangerous missions."
Hiruzen shook his head with a smile, replying, "With Minato there, nothing serious will happen."
Yet, he felt a sense of helplessness: 'Not assigning Kushina to accompany Minato on this mission would probably result in her chasing me down. No, I suspect even my hair wouldn't be spared.'
With this thought, Hiruzen subconsciously touched the hairline on his forehead.
The assistant ninja seemed to want to say more, but Hiruzen changed the subject: "Gentle Fist... The Hyuga clan has a true genius. To master the Gentle Fist technique at such a young age."
Hiruzen took another puff from his pipe.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu, Hirohiko Uchiha..." He pondered a bit more but then nodded.
"High-speed taijutsu, making even a Chunin unable to catch his figure?" Hiruzen showed a look of surprise and slightly frowned. "A taijutsu genius? This child must have put in a tremendous amount of effort."
He then nodded, picked up the Hokage's seal, and stamped the word "approved" on the Ninja Academy report.
"Authorize Chiba Taki, Hirohiko Uchiha, and Yukina Hyuga to graduate early."
"Lord Third, aside from the other two, this Chiba Taki..." The assistant ninja, taking the request document from the Ninja Academy handed by Hiruzen, looked at it, frowned, and commented.
"You're concerned about the identity of this Chiba Taki," Hiruzen observed the assistant's hesitation.
"Yes," the assistant ninja hesitated but then nodded, saying, "After all, he is the son of a traitor. Allowing him to graduate early..."
"This child is innocent," the Third Hokage interrupted his words.
"But..." The assistant ninja frowned, still showing some disapproval.
"This child was raised in Konoha. Though his father was a traitor, he had passed away by the time the boy was born. He's merely an orphan who grew up here in Konoha," Hiruzen's eyes briefly flashed with sorrow as he took a puff of his pipe.
The assistant ninja opened his mouth but found himself without a retort.
He, too, was an orphan, his parents having died in the Second Shinobi World War.
Yes, he is just an orphan.
"Okay, I understand," the assistant said, glancing at the file in his hand and silently noting Chiba Taki's name.
"Now, go and deliver these documents. These three will be arranged to graduate tomorrow. As for their Jonin instructor..." The Third Hokage mused, tapping his pipe thoughtfully, "Well, let me think about it. All three of them are top-tier geniuses; they deserve a capable teacher. Speaking of which, are Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya back yet?"
The assistant ninja shook his head, replying, "The Legendary Sannin have not yet returned."
"Hmm... alright," Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You may go. I need to think on this matter."
"Yes!" The assistant ninja departed.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, pipe in hand, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Chiba was drenched in sweat, sitting on the wooden posts behind his house, engaged in his daily training regimen. Side kicks, front punches, squats, and a 10,000-meter run around his home filled his day until the sun dipped below the horizon.
Night fell.
And with it, Chiba concluded his daily training, feeling surprisingly energized.
'It seems I'm slowly getting accustomed to these burdens,' Chiba reflected, forming a seal with his hands, swiftly opening the first three of the *Eight Gates* within his body. As soon as the seal was completed, he transitioned into the *Controlled Eight Gates mode*.
"*Earth Release: Mud Dragon*!" he exclaimed.
As usual, his training sequence of hand seals, Eight Gates mode, and ninjutsu practice left him nodding in approval at the mud dragons he conjured.
'Now, the speed at which I can enter the *Eight Gates* mode is practical for combat, and my proficiency with the Mud Dragon technique is also quite high.'
Yet, Chiba persisted in this rigorous training five times in succession, stopping only when exhaustion overwhelmed him.
Repeatedly opening and closing the *Eight Gates* mode was physically taxing. However, this regimen enabled Chiba to open the first three gates more effortlessly. He could now activate them directly from a resting state.
As his training progressed, Chiba noticed an increase in his physical stamina. What was once a struggle to repeat three times was now manageable five times over.
After resting and consuming some of Konoha's extra-large steamed buns, Chiba stood once more.
'Next, I'll practice this technique. I wonder if the chakra from the *Eight Gates* mode can be utilized here.'
Taking a deep breath, Chiba activated the *Eight Gates mode*. His chakra surged to that of a near-Chunin level as he began forming hand seals.
'If I can master this technique, my abilities will truly be exceptional.'