Uchiha Aozora crossed his fingers and performed a textbook hand seal. A moment later, a crisp "puff" echoed through the exam room as white smoke erupted around him.
When the smoke cleared, a wooden log lay on the floor beside him.
Examiner Daishi watched his colleague, Yamanaka Seigetsu, staring intently at the handsome boy in front of them. He sighed, rubbing his temples and murmured, "Uchiha Aozora, what about the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique?"
Before Aozora could respond, Seigetsu waved her hand dismissively. "No need. He's passed."
Upon hearing this, Aozora offered her a small, polite smile, then released his technique. Smoke rose once more, then faded into the air.
He stepped calmly out of the mist, bowed his head in thanks to the two examiners, and then walked out at a measured pace.
Not until Aozora had fully left the classroom did Seigetsu retract her gaze. She then wrote a full "10" in the score box under "Ninjutsu."
Daishi quickly protested, "Lady Seigetsu, you can't be serious! Even if you're the lead examiner, this is going too far. I don't mind you passing him, given how low the standards are this year, but a perfect ten? That's excessive."
"Out of the Three Basic Techniques, Aozora only attempted the Substitution Technique—and even that was incomplete. He only managed to summon a substitution log, but never actually swapped places with it."
"By those standards, barely passing would be generous. Think about it, Hyūga Yō from earlier nailed the Transformation and Substitution Techniques and even created ten clones. You gave him a nine. And yet you're giving Aozora ten?"
Seigetsu rolled her eyes. "You think I'm scoring him based on his face?"
Daishi said nothing, but his firm nod said everything.
Seigetsu glared at him and snapped, "You're so shallow."
"During the instant that smoke rose, Aozora executed all three techniques flawlessly. He summoned a clone, swapped places with it using Substitution, and then used Transformation to turn his real body into the substitution log."
"What impressed me was his control and creativity in combining the techniques."
Of course, she had to admit, the kid was ridiculously good-looking—but that wasn't the point.
Daishi gaped, completely stunned. "You're joking, right? Please don't trick a simple guy like me."
Seigetsu sighed as if burdened by the tragedy of genius misunderstood.
Seeing that, Daishi gave up arguing and shouted, "Next!"
Meanwhile, Uchiha Aozora strolled leisurely out of the exam room, forehead protector in hand. He soon came across the second batch of examinees waiting outside.
When Inuzuka Ayaka saw the forehead protector in his hand, she gasped. "Uchiha Aozora, you passed?!"
Aozora didn't need to recognize the voice. No one else in their class was so recklessly loud without thinking.
He glanced at her unimpressive chest and found himself seriously questioning the phrase "big chest, no brain."
Ayaka instantly crossed her arms in front of her chest and shouted, "What are you looking at?!"
Aozora chuckled and teased, "You've got nothing for me to look at."
Fuming at his disdain, Ayaka puffed out her chest and shouted, "Who says I've got nothing?! You better stick around after your big win, because once I'm done with my test, I'm gonna take you to the grove behind the school and teach you a lesson!"
Sensing her anger, her little white dog bared its fangs and growled.
Aozora had no interest in playing with children. With a flick of his forehead protector, he said lazily, "Sorry, little girl. I'm not interested."
Leaving her fuming, he walked off in a cheerful mood.
Though graduating was expected, it still felt good. At the very least, he was finally independent and no longer had to listen to his brother's endless nagging.
At the academy gates, parents and children wept with joy or disappointment. Aozora slipped quietly through a gap in the crowd.
Just as he emerged, a shadow appeared in front of him.
In the next instant, the silhouette solidified into a young shinobi—one who shared his features, though his face was marred by a dumpling-like nose that ruined what might've been handsome.
Seeing the forehead protector in Aozora's hand, the young man's tired eyes lit up with joy. He grinned. "Aozora, congratulations! You're officially a shinobi!"
He reached out to ruffle Aozora's hair.
But Aozora smacked his hand away before it got halfway.
"I've graduated now. In Konoha, that means I'm an adult."
He sidestepped his brother and walked past without a second glance.
Uchiha Shisui's face briefly fell. But he quickly pulled himself together and followed his brother.
"Aozora, how was the ninjutsu exam? Was it tough?"
Instead of answering, Aozora sneered, "Well, well. Look who suddenly cares about a no-name genin like me."
Shisui smiled awkwardly. "Today was a big day for you. I should've been there, but I was called on a last-minute mission. The village is still rebuilding. Every squad is shorthanded."
"I get it. The village comes first. You're so important, Konoha would collapse without you," Aozora muttered sarcastically. "You think you're the Hokage now?"
He pointed at Shisui's vest. "Give me a break. You're just a Special Jōnin."
Shisui was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he said gently, "The village belongs to all of us. Everyone should contribute what they can."
Aozora clapped mockingly. "Wow. 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Such noble wisdom."
"If you're so powerful, why aren't you Hokage?"
"I really don't get it. You were a war hero during the Third Shinobi World War, just like Namikaze Minato. He became the Fourth Hokage. And you? Still stuck as a Special Jōnin."
"Where did all your contributions go? Did the dogs eat them?"
Shisui's face turned serious. After a pause, he said quietly, "We're different. I'm sorry."
"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"
"Different? Different how?"
"What did we do wrong? You work day and night, risking your life on missions for this village. And what do you get in return?"
"Our uncle wants nothing to do with us. Grandma doesn't care. The clan hates us. The village fears us."
"You really want to keep going like this?"
Even as he hurled these questions, Aozora stared straight into his brother's eyes, searching for something.
But he saw only the same unshakable resolve.
After a while, Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aozora, don't complain."
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn. The fire's light will shine on the village and allow new leaves to grow."
"We are part of this village. Don't ask what the village gives us. Ask what we can give the village."
"When the village prospers, we can live in peace. If the village weakens, war will return—and I know you don't want that."
Aozora turned away in frustration. His brother's speech practically glowed with holy light.
"My foolish brother," he muttered under his breath. "Did you seriously fall for that cheap metaphor? Have you never read a real book?"
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!