Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Graduation
Time flies. In the blink of an eye, a year has gone by.
Hyuga Satoru has become a senior student in the ninja academy. There is still more than a year until graduation. The daily boring courses bore him to death. If one keeps training without experiencing the baptism of actual combat, they are like a greenhouse flower, unable to withstand any setbacks.
The shackles on him and the pressure of the Third Shinobi World War keep hounding him.
Even with a powerful cheat, it won't do him any good if he doesn't grow stronger quickly.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Rin Uchiha looked at Hyuga Satoru in front of her through the white steam rising from the ramen bowl, her eyes showing a hint of surprise.
"You want to graduate early?"
Hyuga Satoru nodded and thought for a moment.
"Yeah. Although the ninja academy provides a comfortable environment for us to train, it's really hard to grow without experiencing the baptism of battle."
"It's hard to believe such words actually came out of your mouth."
Rin Uchiha sized up Hyuga Satoru from head to toe, her expression turning suspicious.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Hyuga Satoru nervously shrank back slightly. He had planned to invite Rin Uchiha to graduate early with him. Otherwise, even if he graduated, without teammates, he couldn't take on missions, and it would be better to just muddle through in school.
"No! Hahaha."
Rin Uchiha burst into laughter.
"I've been waiting for this impatiently for a long time. I'm almost rusty from staying in this lousy school. Even if you didn't mention it, I would have brought it up."
"That's good." Hyuga Satoru let out a sigh of relief.
Rin Uchiha thought for a while and then said, "But we're still missing one person. We can't form a three - person team with just the two of us."
"Don't worry about that. I've already asked Anko. Although her actual combat skills aren't very strong, she should be able to pass the assessment."
"Anko? Since she's someone you approve of, I naturally have no objections."
It's naturally better to form a team with familiar people than with strangers.
Rin Uchiha nodded. Suddenly thinking of Kakashi Hatake, a melancholy expression crossed her face.
Since the incident of the White Fang, Kakashi Hatake graduated early and became the first genius in Konoha's history to become a Genin at the age of 5. But along with the title of genius, there were rumors from time to time that Kakashi Hatake didn't get along well with his teammates.
Since he graduated early, he didn't have classmates to team up with. He could only be constantly assigned to teams that were short of members, and his cooperation with his teammates was very poor, which made many Genin resent him.
The memories faded, and Rin Uchiha laughed.
I heard he's almost a Chunin. Seriously, he's been outperforming me for so long. I, Rin Uchiha, will finally start to make an effort.
The news that the three of them wanted to graduate early caused quite a stir, but it didn't take long for the commotion to die down.
Needless to say, Rin Uchiha had always been competing with Kakashi Hatake before his graduation. Although Hyuga Satoru always looked lazy, after all, the reputation of the Double Bloodline Limits was there. It was Anko who also chose to graduate early and was laughed at by many classmates for overestimating herself...
Assessment Ground.
As soon as Hyuga Satoru walked out of the door, he saw Rin Uchiha standing outside the door. She crossed her arms and said calmly, "In terms of the speed of passing the assessment, I'm three minutes quicker than you."
Do we really have to compare this?
Hyuga Satoru twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
He looked back at the examination field. Now only Anko was left. If she could pass, there would be no need to worry about forming a three - person team.
There's no need to worry about the Three Body Techniques and the basic theory assessment. However, graduating early adds a new segment of combat against Genin. They must hold out for a certain duration. This is naturally not a problem for him and Rin Uchiha, but it puts quite a bit of pressure on Anko.
As time passed bit by bit in this atmosphere, Hyuga Satoru couldn't help feeling anxious.
He had his own considerations for wanting to form a team with Anko. To break the Caged Bird Seal, apart from relying on his own strength, the best assistance he could obtain was from Orochimaru's research. In the original plot, Anko was Orochimaru's disciple. Becoming teammates with her might just enable him to establish a connection with Orochimaru.
Fortunately, not long after, Anko walked out of the examination area. There was a fair amount of sweat on her face as she gave Hyuga Satoru a faint smile.
「I didn't fail my mission.」
「Nice job.」Hyuga Satoru complimented and gave a thumbs up.
Since only the three of them graduated simultaneously among their peers, it was inevitable that they would be assigned to the same team. So, there was only one question left: waiting for the acting Hokage to assign a Jonin to lead their team.
Who could it be? Hyuga Satoru wondered curiously.
Arriving at a training ground at the stipulated time, the three of them began to wait for that mysterious guiding Jonin.
「Satoru, who do you think the Hokage will assign to us as our Jonin?」Anko asked uneasily.
「I'm not sure.」Hyuga Satoru shook his head. 「But their strength definitely won't be weak.」
The quality of their team was not low. Needless to say about himself, and Rin Uchiha was also a genius. In the original plot, Anko was chosen by Orochimaru to be his disciple, so her talent surely wasn't bad either.
If it wasn't an outstanding Jonin, it just wouldn't make sense.
Just then, a man wrapped in a wide robe walked towards them. He was wearing sunglasses and exuded an aura that kept people at a distance.
「Hello, I'm your guiding Jonin, Shibi Aburame.」
His voice was brief and forceful, showing no emotional fluctuations.
「It's actually this guy.」Rin Uchiha looked surprised.
「Do you know him?」Anko looked at her.
「Of course. I've already done some research on the powerful ninja in the village in advance.」Rin Uchiha's eyes lit up. 「He's a quite famous ninja in the Aburame clan. He has mastered Insect Ninjutsu to an extremely high level. Whether it's for scouting, combat, or providing support, he can handle it with great flexibility. He's known as an all-purpose Ninja.」
Bugs? Anko shuddered.
「It seems you've already learned about me. In that case, it'll save us a lot of unnecessary hassle...」Shibi Aburame nodded.
「Well, let's get to know each other first. My name is Shibi Aburame. What I like are bugs, and what I hate are people who harm bugs.」
He's covered in bugs all over. It seems he has a withdrawn personality. This guiding Jonin doesn't seem easy to get along with, Hyuga Satoru mused to himself.
After thinking for a while, he started his self-introduction.
「My name is Hyuga Satoru. I don't have anything particularly outstanding. If I have to say something, I know a bit of taijutsu and ninjutsu. I like ramen and grilled meat. I hate this turbulent ninja world. As for my dream, it's quite simple. It's world peace.」
World peace? As expected of you, Satoru.
Anko's mouth twitched slightly. I remember when you first entered the academy, you were talking about something like the grand finale.
「An interesting thought.」
Shibi Aburame nodded. Although it was a compliment, there was still a gloomy tone in his voice.
Is this Hyuga Satoru whom Hokage-sama asked me to keep an eye on?
Possessor of two bloodlines and the first bloodline user of Magnet Release. Any of these titles is no small feat. Having such ambitious dreams despite being from the branch family of Hyuga, what an interesting little brat.
「My name is Rin Uchiha. I don't particularly hate anything, nor do I have anything I especially like. If I had to say, it would be training and fighting. Only an increase in strength can give me pleasure. If you can meet this requirement, I'll grudgingly recognize you as our Jonin instructor.」
Rin Uchiha's cold voice sounded, and both Hyuga Satoru and Anko beside her looked embarrassed.
Uchiha... Such arrogant people.
The corners of Shibi Aburame's mouth, hidden under his loose robe, twitched slightly.
Forget it, just a brat.
「I'm Anko Mitarashi.」
Anko raised her hand feebly and spoke in a timid voice. Standing beside two geniuses from prestigious clans, she felt a great deal of pressure.
「I like eating sweet foods, especially dango. I hate people who hurt their comrades the most. I can use Healing Technique and Hemostasis Technique, and I'm also good at bandaging wounds. When everyone gets injured, I'll help treat you. I won't hold anyone back.」
What a kind-hearted ninja. Totally different from those two weirdos before. Shibi Aburame nodded.
「Well, the self-introduction session is over. Next is the combat test.」
With a wave of his hand, Shibi Aburame summoned countless swarms of dark bugs.