What others thought didn't matter to Uchiha Jiyue—right now, he was busy figuring out the real reason the Third Hokage had given him those scrolls.
First off, it wasn't out of pity…
Second, it wasn't out of some sudden burst of kindness either.
So, aside from trying to win me over, he must have some other purpose in mind.
Still, if he's so eager for me to get stronger… I'll show him just how strong I can become!
As for the outcome—well, we'll see soon enough!
Before long, under the expectant or skeptical gazes of the onlookers, the graduation exam finally began.
"Funano Daikoku, huh?"
Seeing the tall man stride into the training field, Jiyue understood at once that this would be his opponent, and he immediately focused all his attention.
"Not a bad look in your eyes," Daikoku said with a smirk.
"But your presence is nowhere near Itachi's."
Funano Daikoku had once been Itachi's instructor. Even back when Itachi kept a low profile, Daikoku had recognized his talent and treated him with special regard.
So the moment he saw Jiyue, he couldn't help comparing him to his former student—and in his eyes, Jiyue fell short in every way.
"Not as good as Itachi, huh…"
Jiyue's Sharingan snapped open, his gaze cold and unblinking on the man across from him.
"Sensei Daikoku, may we begin?"
"The Sharingan…?!"
Daikoku's eyes widened in shock. The strength of the Uchiha's pride and joy needed no explanation.
"With those eyes, you certainly can pass the exam… but only if—"
"You defeat me!"
Seeing Daikoku getting serious, Jiyue didn't dare to underestimate him. He took the initiative, drawing three shuriken from his pouch. One he hurled toward Daikoku's current position, while the other two cut off his possible escape routes.
"So fast!"
The shuriken whistled through the air—its speed was astonishing!
Daikoku quickly tried to leap back, but then realized the shuriken aimed at his face was suddenly dipping sharply downward. Cold sweat broke out across his back.
This kid… he's mastered the high-difficulty spinning throw?!
Unbelievable!
The spinning throw allowed a shuriken to curve mid-air at incredible speed, making it nearly impossible to avoid once caught off-guard.
Still… this was something Itachi had already perfected. Daikoku felt no real threat.
"Naruto, why isn't Sensei Daikoku dodging?!"
Seeing the shuriken about to strike, little Naruto in the crowd shouted nervously.
"Because he can't anymore…" Sasuke sighed beside him, explaining, "That's the spinning throw—if you fail to react immediately, you lose your chance to evade completely."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "The spinning throw? This guy's that good?!"
"But I think Sensei Daikoku has a way to—"
Before Sasuke could finish, the shuriken struck Daikoku… only for his body to turn into a chunk of wood.
"A substitution jutsu!"
Both Naruto and Sasuke exhaled in relief.
But hidden away after his substitution, Daikoku was anything but relaxed. To be forced to use a life-saving technique right at the start, and in front of so many students and teachers, he found it humiliating.
To counter the Sharingan, Daikoku hurled a smoke bomb to the ground. Thick white smoke billowed outward, quickly covering the entire field and blocking everyone's sight.
"Using smoke against the Sharingan… clever," the Third Hokage chuckled.
It reminded him of the Third Shinobi War, when he'd sent Uchiha shinobi to fight in the mist-filled battlefields of Kirigakure.
Kakashi, standing beside him, said nothing. From the very start, there had been no suspense to this fight, but what irritated him was this Daikoku fellow.
Every other sentence out of his mouth was about Itachi…
Are you still a Konoha ninja or not?
Inside the smoke, Daikoku charged toward where Jiyue had been moments ago, using his greater size and strength to press the boy in close combat.
After several exchanges, the younger boy's stamina gave out, and Daikoku knocked him to the ground with a heavy punch.
"As I thought, you're still far beneath Itachi!"
When the smoke cleared, Daikoku looked down at the fallen Jiyue, his tone dripping with scorn, as if winning here somehow proved Itachi's greatness.
"Is that so?"
The next moment, Daikoku suddenly felt a chill against his neck.
His smile froze—
And a boy's voice sounded right in his ear.
"This is all a chūnin can do?"
"A useless student will naturally have a useless teacher."
"One's morals are twisted, the other's skills are lacking."
"No wonder… heh heh."
With that, Jiyue released his genjutsu.
Daikoku stared at the kunai poised against his throat, his face dark. "Genjutsu…? When?"
"From the very start," Jiyue replied, pointing at his eyes with a smirk. "Not making direct eye contact with a Sharingan user is basic ninja knowledge. Hard to believe a teacher would make such a rookie mistake."
"With skills that poor, you'd be better off raising pigs."
"At least soon enough, you'd have some nice fat ones to show for it."
"You—! Did you just call me a pig?!"
Jiyue simply smiled and lowered his kunai, ignoring him entirely as he walked straight toward the Third Hokage at the edge of the field.
And just like that—
It was over.
The outcome left everyone stunned.
"Jiyue won!"
"Daikoku's not even weak…"
"So this is the Sharingan, huh!"
"Then Uchiha Jiyue passed?"
"What else do you think?!"
"Hokage-sama, Kakashi-senpai."
Jiyue soon stood before them.
"Well done," the Third said with a smile. He took out a Konoha forehead protector and tied it onto the boy's head.
"Congratulations, Jiyue. From today onward, you are a genin of Konoha."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Touching the cool metal on his forehead, Jiyue felt a strange sense of unreality. Just two months ago, he'd been a nameless face at the Academy—and now, he'd already left his peers far behind.
"So this is the power of the Uchiha… too strong."
"But only in the heart of the storm can I gain the right to fight the storm. I must quickly figure out the Third Hokage's true intentions in helping me…"
The exam might be over, but there was no sign of any "follow-up events" triggering. Seeing the Hokage suddenly smiling in silence, Jiyue decided to take a gamble, especially since it was clear the old man had designs on him.
"Hokage-sama, I have one more request."
"Oh?" The Third raised an eyebrow. "What request? Speak."
Stepping forward, Jiyue said, "Hokage-sama, I wish to apply for the Special Jōnin exam."
Special Jōnin?
The Hokage studied the boy thoughtfully, unsure whether Jiyue had guessed his intentions or was simply in a hurry to prove himself.
Either way, it suited him just fine—after all, he'd intended to make the boy's name known and draw Danzō's attention to him…