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Shin, Kushina, and Mikoto left the exam area. Mikoto stared at Shin, her mouth slightly agape.
"Shin, how are you so strong?"
She was astonished. One-Punching a Chunin? Even most Jonin couldn't do that.
"It's not that I'm strong; it's that he was weak."
Shin didn't consider himself strong. Compared to powerhouses like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, he was still a fledgling.
"Kushina, aren't you surprised? Did you know Shin was this strong?"
Mikoto looked at Kushina with envy. Living with Shin, she must have known all about his abilities.
"Of course I knew. And I'm stronger than that guy, let alone Shin."
Kushina was indeed stronger than Kimura, the Chunin they had faced. She might lack combat experience, but her raw power was undeniable.
Kushina's strength was probably at elite Chunin level. Considering her knowledge of Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu, she might even be comparable to a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
But her combat experience was lacking. Her actual fighting prowess was probably at the level of an elite Chunin.
Mikoto was also quite strong. She had awakened the Sharingan, and even though it was only at the one-tomoe stage, it still gave her an edge against Chunin.
Even without Shin's help, she could probably hold her own against Kimura. She was talented.
They returned to the classroom to await their team assignments.
Soon, Minato, Akiko, and Tsume Inuzuka returned. They had been a team.
"You're back already? Did you pass?" Minato asked.
"Failing the graduation exam would be embarrassing. You defeated the Chunin, right?"
Shin asked.
They must have defeated the Chunin to be back so soon. Minato and Akiko were both strong; there was no way they would fail.
Judging from his usual performance, Minato's strength was easily Chunin level. Akiko, chosen as a Jinchūriki candidate, had been trained by Mito and was probably just as strong as Minato.
As for Tsume, she was from the Inuzuka Clan and was also comparable to a Chunin.
Even Minato alone could defeat a Chunin, let alone the three of them together.
"Yep!"
Minato was beaming. He was still young and inexperienced, so defeating a Chunin was a big deal to him.
The future Minato, at his peak, wouldn't even blink at killing a Jōnin.
A while later, Nawaki returned with the Hyūga brothers. They had also defeated their opponent.
"Shin, that Chunin was so weak! We crushed him!"
"Yeah, Chunin are pretty weak," Shin agreed.
"Shin, we're not officially Chunin yet. It's not good to say that," Hiashi said.
"I meant the average Chunin."
Shin was referring to the average Chunin. There were exceptions, of course.
The future protagonists, Naruto and Sasuke, and Might Duy, Might Guy's father, were all Genin, but they were far from average.
Soon, everyone in the class returned. As the elite class, they had all passed.
If even the elite students couldn't pass, the regular classes would have no hope.
Tanaka-sensei entered the classroom, carrying a box.
"You are all officially Shinobi now. Here are your forehead protectors. Come and get them."
The box contained their forehead protectors, a symbol of their graduation and their new status as Shinobi.
"Also, team assignments will be announced tomorrow morning, so please come back then."
Tanaka-sensei dismissed the class. Nawaki invited his friends to celebrate, including Shin and the others.
As dusk fell, Shin and Kushina said goodbye to Mikoto and headed back to the Senju compound with Nawaki.
"Hey, Nawaki, where did you get the money?" Shin asked.
Nawaki had treated them to dinner. Where did he get the money?
"Sis hasn't borrowed any money from me for the past few years. I've been saving up. And now that I'm a Shinobi, I'll be making my own money."
Shin shook his head. Did Nawaki really think making money as a Shinobi was easy? Small missions barely paid anything, and the high-paying ones were dangerous.
Back at the compound, Shin stopped Nawaki before he could go to his own residence.
"Nawaki, you dream of becoming Hokage, right? Now that you're a Shinobi, you'll be facing danger. Be careful."
Nawaki paused, then smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You and Kushina should be the ones being careful."
Nawaki left. Shin and Kushina returned to Tsunade's courtyard. To their surprise, Tsunade was home.
"Surprised to see me?" Tsunade asked, noticing their expressions.
"Yeah, you said you'd be gone for a few days on a mission. What are you doing here?"
Shin's eyes swept over Tsunade's figure. Her most noticeable change in the past four years was... well, there..
He couldn't fathom how she had gone from an 'airport' to a 'mountain range'.
"The mission was canceled. Now hurry up and make me dinner. I'm starving."
"Hmph, why should Shin cook for you? We already ate. You're on your own," Kushina stuck her tongue out at Tsunade.
"Shin, if you make me dinner, I'll give you a surprise tomorrow."
Tsunade ignored Kushina and looked at Shin expectantly.
"A surprise?" Shin looked at her thoughtfully.
"Hey, what's with that look? I hate that know-it-all expression."
"Fine, I'll make you dinner. I look forward to your surprise." Shin smiled and headed to the kitchen.
Kushina and Tsunade glared at each other.
"Why don't you make your own dinner? Why bother Shin?" Kushina grumbled.
"Duh, if I could cook, I wouldn't be starving," Tsunade rolled her eyes.
Tsunade's cooking skills were... well, let's just say they were on par with Kushina's.
"Wait, you said you already ate?" Tsunade suddenly remembered Kushina's earlier comment.
"Yeah, we had Yakiniku. Nawaki treated us. It was delicious, crispy and juicy," Kushina said, deliberately trying to make Tsunade jealous.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. That little rascal, treating everyone but his own sister!
Of course, Nawaki had no idea she was home.
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