With a loud thud, the fist slammed into flesh, producing the unmistakable sound of impact.
Satori Hyūga turned his head and saw Yamada Takeshi, his teacher, clutching his arm in pain while staring at him in shock.
"Satori Hyūga, you actually managed to unleash such immense power! What a terrifying monster," Yamada Takeshi exclaimed in disbelief.
He felt the sharp pain in his arm and realized the bone was already fractured. Continuing the fight would only end in defeat for himself.
Satori casually waved his hand, wearing a calm expression as he said, "Teacher, does this count as passing the exam?"
He remained completely unfazed by the outcome.
Ninjas typically have high offensive power but low physical defense, with countless deadly techniques constantly emerging.
However, when it came to physical training and enhancement, they weren't particularly strong—depending entirely on chakra manipulation.
A single hit with his immense strength was enough to take down nearly any ninja.
And that was while holding back slightly. If he hadn't held back, Yamada Takeshi's entire arm could have shattered.
Yamada struggled to stand up, looking helplessly at his hands that could no longer form hand seals. "You pass."
He had planned to test the student a little, but never expected this guy to be this strong.
Even being from the Hyuga Clan, possessing such terrifying strength was unheard of—even comparable to Lady Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength jutsu.
"Here, this is your forehead protector." The examiner smiled and handed it to Satori.
"Congratulations on becoming a true ninja. I hope you'll work hard in the future and contribute to the village."
Genius kids like him appeared one or two each year in Konoha—a sign of its fertile land and talented people.
Precisely because of these constant prodigies did Konoha maintain its dominance within the ninja world.
Satori picked up the forehead protector but didn't immediately place it on his forehead. Instead, he casually shoved it into his pocket.
His forehead already bore a similar protector engraved with the Nine-Binding Seal—an instant restraint for the Eight Gates technique.
It was one of his most prized creations.
Having intricate sealing patterns engraved across his body would seem suspicious. He preferred not drawing attention with visible tattoos.
But a forehead protector looked far more natural—and raised fewer questions.
As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, Kushina approached with curiosity.
"Satori Hyūga, where's your forehead protector? You didn't fail, did you?" she asked, studying him with a puzzled expression.
"Haha, a test like this is nothing for me. I couldn't possibly fail," Satori chuckled.
"Pfft, you're such a show-off!" Kushina shot back.
When the three exited the academy building, they found the school gates crowded with people of various ages—mostly parents and family members waiting for their students.
Satori scanned the crowd, noticing many engaged in joyful conversations about scores and exam details.
To them, passing the ninja exam was a source of great pride.
To ordinary villagers, merely passing meant rising from humble beginnings to become respected ninjas, taking missions and earning money to support their families.
That mindset reflected the hopes and reality of most lower-ranking ninjas.
"We're just leaves growing from the great tree of Konoha, always ready to burn," Satori Hyūga said admiringly.
Minato Namikaze shot him a strange look, sensing there was something deeper behind his words.
"Do you think who our assigned sensei will be?" Kushina asked.
"Not sure. That should be decided by the Third," Minato Namikaze replied.
Satori Hyūga chuckled and said, "I'm definitely getting assigned to Professor Orochimaru. You two probably won't, though."
"Should I ask Professor Orochimaru to recommend you two as his apprentices?"
Upon hearing that, Kushina immediately shook her head in refusal.
"Let's skip Orochimaru. I'd much rather have Lady Tsunade as our sensei."
Minato Namikaze commented, "Actually, having Jonin Orochimaru as a sensei isn't bad. He's quite powerful, and has completed more missions than any of the Sannin."
Kushina shot back, "Hey, I'm a girl! I don't want to deal with snakes all day long."
"Oh right, you've been around Orochimaru so long—why haven't we seen you use any snake-based techniques yet?"
Satori Hyūga shrugged, "If you're not interested, maybe I'll give it a try."
"While snake-based techniques are sneaky and unpredictable, I prefer using Taijutsu and Ninjutsu for combat."
Snake-based techniques just didn't fit his fighting style. Satori Hyūga had only studied them briefly without diving deep into their practice.
Besides, while snake techniques were decent at the beginning stages, they became somewhat underwhelming later on.
Other than being grossly annoying, the only advantages were the Summoning Technique and strong survival instincts.
In his opinion, Orochimaru's greatest strengths lay in his research skills and knowledge of jutsu.
Learning snake-based techniques would be putting the cart before the horse.
Once you understand what it truly means to be a ninja and have solid scientific knowledge, you can develop or combine whatever techniques you want.
As he was walking down the road, Satori Hyūga suddenly stiffened. A flash of surprise flickered across his eyes.
Just moments ago, his Shadow Clone had returned to his original body from Orochimaru's laboratory.
And he received news that was neither clearly good nor bad.
It seemed his mentor would now be replaced by Jiraiya.
Or rather, Orochimaru recently had to run an important experiment, so he passed the teaching duties to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, following the Third's request, had accepted Kushina and Minato Namikaze as students.
Now with Satori added, they perfectly fit the Ninja Academy's "one teacher, three students" rule.
"Never expected this. Looks like I'll be working closely with Jiraiya now."
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Satori Hyūga narrowed his eyes.
"Wonder whether my presence has caused the Toad Sage to foresee something significant."
In typical fanfiction tropes, the Toad Sage would tell Jiraiya that the world's fate line had mysteriously shifted.
A radiant Morning Star had appeared, destined to reshape the ninja world—and beyond.
"Hey, what are you thinking about over there?" Kushina curiously asked.
"I already got word. We've probably been assigned to Master Jiraiya. From now on, he'll be our mentor."
"You're kidding, right? How come you know so fast?" Kushina didn't buy it and asked doubtfully.
Satori Hyūga wore an enigmatic smile and spoke mysteriously, "I have my own sources for information."
Minato Namikaze chuckled and said, "It's great that Master Jiraiya will be guiding us too. The three of us can stay together again."
He had initially assumed they'd each be assigned to different mentors.
But it seems we're staying together after all.
That's what camaraderie feels like.
Since Jiraiya was also one of the Sannin, his reputation already preceded him, and his ninjutsu techniques weren't excessively strange—Kushina felt somewhat relieved.
They didn't question Satori Hyūga's sources too deeply.
After all, Satori was Orochimaru's former apprentice. Although officially assigned to Master Jiraiya now, this arrangement alone showed that the three of them would get along well.
...
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