NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: The Graduation Exam
Mochizuki Hui's decision to sign up for early graduation spread quickly throughout the entire Ninja Academy.
For the girls, this made him even more charming and admirable, but they couldn’t help feeling worried for him at the same time.
The boys, however, were different—they were all eagerly waiting to see him fail.
Some older students and those in the graduating class even stated that if they ended up facing Mochizuki Hui in the exam, they’d be sure to teach him a lesson.
After all, with his good looks, Mochizuki Hui had become the enemy of all the boys at school.
Mochizuki Hui’s reason for signing up, the statement he made about helping the village, also spread across Konoha that very same day.
This caught the attention of many higher-ups in the village. However, after learning about his limited talent and potential, their interest turned into regret.
What a pity. Such a bright, self-aware child, but with such little potential as a ninja.
And so, the matter didn’t cause much of a stir. It was just a brief topic of conversation before fading from people’s minds.
That night, Mochizuki Hui once again lay on his rooftop, watching the stars.
At one point, he sensed a presence approaching.
“Mochizuki Hui, you've really done it this time. How dare you sign up for early graduation with your strength!”
A young yet familiar voice rang out from a distance. Soon after, a small figure leapt through the air, landing next to Mochizuki Hui.
It was a six-year-old girl with golden hair tied into a high ponytail. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring down at him, clearly upset.
The little girl was Tsunade. Though they had been in a cold war, after hearing from her family that Mochizuki Hui had signed up for early graduation, she couldn’t help but come to find him.
Seeing her, Mochizuki Hui grinned. Sitting up, he reached out and playfully pinched Tsunade’s cheek.
“I’m doing this to protect you, of course. I bet you signed up too, didn’t you?”
His delicate features, sincere and gentle gaze, and affectionate look in his eyes immediately melted away Tsunade’s frustration.
“Stop it! Don’t pinch my face; it’ll make me look chubby!”
She muttered in protest but sat down beside him on the rooftop, leaning against him without saying another word. Wrapping her arms around his, she rested her head on his shoulder.
Having grown up together, Tsunade knew that this was how Mochizuki Hui liked to spend time—just sitting quietly with him was more than enough for him.
As for the early graduation issue, Tsunade understood that once Mochizuki Hui made a decision, he rarely changed his mind.
She also wasn’t worried about him passing the exam, because, in her mind, he was bound to fail. She had no idea about his true strength.
After a long while, Mochizuki Hui glanced at Tsunade, who had fallen asleep leaning against him, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
He released a warm energy from within his body—like the comforting warmth of the rising sun—that flowed into Tsunade, nourishing her body.
Additionally, the energy acted like a blanket, gently covering her to keep her warm.
Under the night sky, the two small figures sat nestled together on the rooftop, while the soft light from the house below kept them company throughout the night.
Time passed, and before long, the day of the graduation exam had arrived.
Mochizuki Hui made his way to the designated exam location—a familiar place.
The training ground... a location that appeared frequently in Naruto fanfictions.
When he arrived, about a dozen other people had already gathered.
Two of them were adults, both wearing the standard ninja vests of Konoha, and both were Chunin.
There were also fourteen young students, around ten years old or so, who were supposed to graduate in one or two years but had signed up for early graduation.
Finally, there was a white-haired boy standing in the crowd, looking completely lost.
Among the group, Mochizuki Hui didn’t see Tsunade or Orochimaru. After a brief thought, he realized that their exams were probably being held separately.
After all, both Tsunade and Orochimaru were rare geniuses. Coupled with Tsunade’s special background, they had long caught the attention of the village’s higher-ups.
At that moment, Jiraiya, who had been standing clueless among the crowd, noticed Mochizuki Hui’s arrival. His eyes lit up, and he ran over with an eager grin on his face.
“Mochizuki Hui, huh? I thought you’d chickened out and wouldn’t show up for the exam!”
Though Jiraiya’s words were sharp, Mochizuki Hui could tell from his excited body language that Jiraiya was simply relieved to find someone he knew in the group.
Among their cohort, apart from Tsunade and Orochimaru—who were likely being privately tested—only he and Jiraiya had signed up for early graduation.
“Hmph! I can’t wait to teach Mochizuki Hui a lesson!” one boy grumbled.
“That jerk stole my sister’s heart. Don’t any of you stop me later—I’m going to beat him senseless!” another boy snarled.
“I’ll make sure Mochizuki Hui learns that being good-looking means nothing in the face of real strength!” someone else muttered under his breath.
Mochizuki Hui’s arrival caused a stir among the gathered students.
“Quiet!” a stern voice called out, immediately silencing the crowd.
It was one of the Chunin. After gaining everyone’s attention, he scanned the group, instantly turning the mood in the training ground more serious.
After a few moments of silence, the Chunin finally spoke, “First of all, welcome to the early graduation exam. I am your proctor, Oden Yutian.”
“By signing up for this exam, you’ve shown that you have confidence in yourselves.”
“But confidence alone isn’t enough. If you want to graduate, you need strength.”
“Your strength alone isn’t enough either. If you want to graduate, you must prove it to the village.”
His words made the already tense atmosphere even more solemn.
The gathered students listened in silence, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Satisfied with the response, Oden Yutian continued, “Now, I will explain the rules of the exam. Pay close attention—I will only explain them once.”