The three of them stood at the back of the crowd, inching forward slowly in the long line.
It seemed quick before they knew it—soon, it was their turn.
Kushina took the lead, stepping to the front and dashing in with excitement.
Before entering, she waved at the two behind her.
"Just you two wait for my good news. I'm going to become Konoha's first female Hokage—I'm totally passing!"
With those words, she confidently sprinted into the classroom.
After a long while, Kushina still hadn't come out, and Minato began to worry.
"Could something have happened to Kushina? Why hasn't she come out yet?"
A trace of anxiety flickered across his face as he kept glancing into the classroom, trying to catch sight of what was happening.
But ninja exams took place in sealed rooms protected by jutsu barriers—there was no peeking in.
Satori Hyūga waved him off calmly. "Don't overthink it. Maybe she just ran into something she didn't know."
After all, Kushina was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. She'd be perfectly safe under normal circumstances.
Besides, it was the Konoha Ninja Academy graduation exam—Hiruzen Sarutobi probably had his eye on everything already.
As far as Kushina's safety went, Satori had zero concerns.
Still, the secret that she was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki was one Konoha kept tightly guarded—a secret Minato didn't know.
Minato wouldn't ask, and Satori certainly wouldn't go spreading it.
In Satori's opinion, if Kushina was taking so long, it likely meant Konoha wasn't ready to let her graduate yet.
And there were many ways to hold someone back—for example, testing them in areas they struggled with.
Kushina excelled at Sealing Techniques and Taijutsu, but when it came to other subjects, she was practically clueless.
Take Genjutsu or written exams, for instance.
Hand her a test paper, and she'd guarantee a big fat zero—just like her future self, Naruto Uzumaki.
After a while longer, the classroom door opened, and Kushina burst out.
She held a Forehead Protector in her hand, proudly waving it at the two of them. "Look! I've become a great ninja!"
Satori clicked his tongue teasingly. "Took you long enough. I thought you actually failed."
Kushina turned her head away with a haughty pout. "Impossible! I'm Kushina Uzumaki—Konoha's first ever female Hokage!"
Inside, though, she was shaking with relief. They gave her an open-book test—it nearly drove her nuts.
If she hadn't begged the proctor to switch up the questions, she probably would've been held back.
And that would have been completely humiliating.
"The next one," called a proctor, opening the door.
Minato waved eagerly at the others before heading in. "I'm going in now!"
Kushina gave him a thumbs-up cheerfully. "Good luck, Water Door!"
Satori nodded too, then moved to stand near the doorway, waiting for his turn next.
Seeing this, Kushina tilted her head in confusion. "Why're you already waiting here?"
"You despicable creep, how dare you underestimate me!" Kushina flared up in rage, her red hair flying wildly.
"Fact speaks louder than words. Minato is an extraordinary ninja who's practically flawless. This exam won't be a problem for him."
True to his word, not long after, Minato Namikaze pushed the door open and walked out holding a shiny new forehead protector.
"Congratulations, Minato!" Satori Hyūga smiled.
"If the ninja exam's that easy, I should breeze through it too, don't you think?"
Saying so, he strode confidently into the classroom.
The classroom was spacious—about half the size of a basketball court. Not far from the entrance sat a table, on which lay several shiny new forehead protectors.
There were still plenty of forehead protectors left, which meant only a few had passed so far.
But this was normal; becoming a ninja required hard work and considerable ability. It wasn't something just anyone could pull off. Allowing unqualified individuals to pass would only lead them to their deaths.
Next to the square table stood three familiar instructors—the examiner, the inspector, and the supervisor.
In the center sat the examiner—the one he recognized most—and also his instructor: Yamada Takeshi.
Yamada Takeshi sat at the table, eyes glinting with mischief as he looked at Satori.
"Satori Hyūga," he said with a smirk, "your test is to last one full minute against me."
Looking at Satori, he silently chuckled. You used to skip class every single day? Now you're under my hand! Just wait until I give you a taste of terror during this exam.
Unbothered by Yamada's sinister thoughts, Satori calmly approached the designated combat area.
Fighting his own teacher didn't faze him in the least.
Watching Yamada, who now looked eager to attack, Satori quickly reviewed what he knew about his sensei.
This teacher wasn't from a prominent clan—he was a commoner ninja whose parents had died during the Second Great Shinobi War.
His exact strength remained unknown, but teaching at the academy meant he had at least chunin-level skill.
As a regular ninja, there was no need to worry about exotic jutsu or bloodline limits.
"Satori Hyūga, here I come," Yamada warned, pushing off the ground and rushing forward swiftly.
He moved fast, his gaze sharp like a drawn blade.
While running forward, his hands formed seals rapidly, splitting himself into three in an instant.
[Clone Technique], one of the [Three Body Techniques], and among the most practical of basic ninjutsu.
Most students would probably freeze in shock at such a sudden transformation.
But Satori wasn't an ordinary ninja. He had both the skill and confidence to stay calm under pressure.
Standing calmly in place, Byakugan active, he observed Yamada's movements clearly.
From the moment the fight began, he'd already turned on his Byakugan.
The Byakugan's observational power was immense, projecting the entire classroom into Satori's mind like a crystal-clear map.
With this unfair advantage, Satori easily predicted Yamada's next move.
And under those all-seeing white eyes, there wasn't a single opening to do anything else.
Satori Hyūga could foresee the attack and retaliate instantly.
Faced with Yamada Takeshi's three-pronged assault, Satori easily pinpointed Takeshi's real body.
"Professor," Satori muttered with a complaint while throwing a punch, "after all, I'm from the Hyūga Clan. Please don't use cheap tricks like the [Three Body Techniques] against me."
He was only using thirty percent of his power, yet already surpassed most ninja students.
With one punch, a dense burst of chakra erupted like an exploding firecracker and smashed straight into Yamada Takeshi.
With a loud *puff*, Takeshi vanished, leaving behind a brown wooden dummy on the ground—one of the Three Body Techniques, the [Substitution Jutsu].
"Professor," Satori said, rolling his eyes slightly, "I've already told you—in this Byakugan's sight, techniques like the [Three Body Techniques] won't work."
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