"Long time no see, Senior Hakushi."
The boy was none other than Hatake Kakashi, the son of Sakumo.
After Hakushi greeted him, he responded immediately.
"Here, Kakashi, this is a gift to congratulate you on becoming a Genin."
Hakushi placed a gift box in Kakashi's hands.
Kakashi accepted it solemnly and thanked Hakushi.
After sitting down, Hakushi said with great emotion, "Speaking of which, it's really impressive, Kakashi. Even though you're only five years old, you've already graduated from the Ninja School, becoming an official Genin. This breaks the record for the fastest graduation since the Konoha Ninja School was established."
Kakashi replied indifferently, "It's actually not that big of a deal; the main thing is that the graduation exam was not difficult at all."
This was his natural attitude, as the difficulty of the graduation exam was virtually non-existent for him.
Although many people called him a genius and thought such achievement was normal, they would always overlook the effort and sweat this genius put in every day behind the scenes.
Those people would only evaluate others based on their shallow opinions, thinking that their way was the correct one. They couldn't see others' efforts and sweat, so they dismissed it with the word 'genius.'
Hakushi knew Kakashi wasn't being modest; he was merely expressing his personal view.
Indeed, having entered the Ninja School at four and graduating at five... his grades in both theoretical and practical courses were at the top with no chance of fakery.
It's said that when Kakashi applied for graduation, even the Third Hokage was alerted.
Konoha gained another genius ninja.
The cradle of geniuses.
Many ninja villages referred to Konoha this way.
Hakushi believed there was no error in such a label.
"So, what about our gifts? Today's gathering is also to celebrate Ruri and Ayane becoming Jonin."
"I know, I've already prepared them."
Indeed, this gathering wasn't just to celebrate Kakashi's graduation from Ninja School and officially becoming a Genin, but also prepared to celebrate Ruri and Ayane's promotion to Jonin.
Hakushi handed the gift boxes to Ruri and Ayane.
Ruri and Ayane became satisfied only then.
"With Ruri and Ayane already becoming Jonin, it looks like our squad's separation isn't far off."
Sakumo sighed lightly, a note of regret in his voice.
He indeed wanted to maintain the original lineup of the Sakumo Squad, but Ruri and Ayane's identities were too special.
Their joining his squad also had the intent of training from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
Having become Jonin, their training time in the Sakumo Squad naturally had to end.
With their current strength, Sakumo was no longer capable of guiding them, and facing these two, he might even be defeated.
However, seeing the village gain two more strong forces, Sakumo's gloom was swept away.
Rejoicing for Konoha's prosperity.
Therefore, for Sakumo, this gathering was also an extremely important farewell ceremony.
Over there, Kakashi also handed the gifts prepared by himself and Sakumo to Ruri and Ayane.
Just then, Hakushi took out the last gift box from the gift bag and placed it in front of Sakumo, smiling, "That's why I prepared four gifts. Accept it, Teacher Sakumo."
Sakumo was slightly surprised, then smiled and accepted the gift.
"As attentive as ever, you'll make a good man in the future. I'll readily accept it then."
Before Hakushi could speak, Ayane had already laughed and said, "Of course, I'm the most authoritative on this."
Ruri, wearing a cold face, showed a terrifying killing intent in her eyes.
Ayane sat elegantly, unbothered by Ruri's killing intent.
"Looks like you've forgotten who truly reigns supreme."
"If you keep getting angry, your skin will age easily."
Fire instantly sparked between the two.
Kakashi watched the two women, oozing with killing intent, and playfully patted Hakushi on the shoulder.
"The world of seniors sure is colorful."
"Don't mimic the tone of adults."
Hakushi gave him an exasperated look.
"You've worked hard."
"Still not cute at all. At this rate, you won't have any friends."
Kakashi had no view on this; indeed, his social connections were average.
Apart from being familiar with members of Sakumo's squad, there weren't many he could talk to.
Even in the Ninja School, there were only a few people.
Most people kept their distance from this 'genius.'
"I don't need those things; my goal is to surpass my father."
Kakashi said earnestly.
"Swordsmanship training is very painful, especially Sakumo-sensei's sword techniques. I was trained before, but it was too hard; I couldn't keep at it."
"That's why you're still a Genin."
"..."
No rebuttal.
"I am a Medical Ninja, and I don't need immense strength. All I need is to know how to escape and use medical ninjutsu. Fighting is not something Medical Ninjas do."
Hakushi took pride in being a Medical Ninja.
Kakashi had nothing to say; a ninja's level is determined by strength.
By medical ninja techniques alone, Hakushi indeed had the qualifications of a Chunin.
However... within Konoha, there was no separate rating for Medical Ninjas to provide special treatment.
But the value of Medical Ninjas wasn't determined by Genin, Chunin, or Jonin status.
For most Medical Ninjas, the skills they had mastered were crucial, not their Genin, Chunin, or Jonin status.
Not everyone could be like Tsunade of the Sannin, who maintained immense combat abilities while achieving mastery in medical ninjutsu.
After that, everyone ended the conversation and happily enjoyed the delicious ramen.
Of course, in the end, Sakumo paid.
After paying, Sakumo felt a sense of relief as if a great weight had been lifted. After this gathering, the Sakumo Squad was nearing dissolution, finally freeing him from the clutches of the Big Eater Queen.
In these three years, he had developed a mental block against treating others to meals.
But with it came a tight sense of reluctance.
In these three years, the Sakumo Squad had a 100% mission completion rate; whether it was high-difficulty A-Class Missions or the most challenging S-Class Missions, they were completed beautifully.
No matter the kind of enemies encountered, they would silently vanish in equality.
The prominence of the name Konoha White Fang naturally rose, making various countries' ninja villages wary, with people continually attempting to gather information on him, hoping to devise a strategy to kill Sakumo.
But they also knew that even crafting a strategy to kill Sakumo was an extremely difficult task.
They were deeply troubled on how they might eliminate Sakumo.
Because of this, the two girls in the team also gained fame, showcasing the strong heritage of noble ninja clans. Konoha was gaining two more genius ninjas, stirring jealousy in other villages, inciting the urge to destroy these talents.
As for the team's Medical Ninja, Hakushi, he continued to be overlooked.
"Medical Ninjas need not be heeded."
If it were a Medical Ninja at Tsunade's level, it would be a different story, but unfortunately, Hakushi was not.