The students at the Ninja Academy heard some shocking news… A little boy who had just attended the entrance ceremony yesterday was graduating today.
Because one of the first-grade teachers accidentally let it slip under the questioning of a certain little girl, everyone now knew.
The location of the graduation exam was the practice field near the Uchiha clan. Many students who wanted to sneak a peek were left disappointed… No wonder that kid has no friends!
At the practice field, Fugaku felt his ears were being tortured.
"Hey, old man, I didn't come back to the village to babysit your students... Hurry up and tell me about Orochimaru."
"Jiraiya... I'm getting old..."
"That kid Kakashi is really good!"
"We still need to pass down the Will of Fire. The new generation in the village just isn't ready yet..." Hiruzen rubbed his aching back: "Itachi is a true genius..."
"If Jiraiya-senpai doesn't even have the drive to mentor a genin, then let's just end this farce now!" Uchiha Fugaku's face darkened, and with those tear troughs of his, he looked extra intimidating.
"Don't be like that, Fugaku..." The white-haired man slung an arm lazily around the police captain's shoulders with a nostalgic look. "I remember back when you and Mikoto and Nawaki used to hang out—"
"Don't say that name in front of me!"
"Whoa, whoa, someone's touchy again... Haha! That's exactly how it was back then! Every time I cracked a joke, you little Uchihas would pout like this..."
Jiraiya really was the type to never grow up. Even when he mentioned Nawaki, his expression didn't waver—though they were clearly close back then.
…
Something about this whole scene just felt off.
The fact that Jiraiya showed up meant he hadn't rejected Hiruzen's offer outright. Besides searching for the Child of Prophecy, he really did seem willing to train Konoha's next generation... The problem was the student chosen by the old man—
Uchiha Itachi. Six years old.
Was he supposed to be this kid's babysitter? Jiraiya didn't even know if this brat still wet the bed… Plus, he was from the Uchiha clan—probably hard to manage.
Time ticked by. Bit by bit, second by second. Jiraiya's awful personality quickly came to light. He showed zero restraint around Uchiha Itachi.
The boy stood quietly beside his father, occasionally whispering to the crow beside him.
Jiraiya turned to face him and said with a grin, "Hey, kid. Let's get started. Come at me with everything you've got!"
"Yes, sir."
The moment he responded, Itachi launched into a high kick!
Bang!
The kid sent one of the Legendary Sannin flying with a single kick. Jiraiya got up, laughing, "You don't hit like a six-year-old at all!"
Such a free spirit…
Itachi didn't waste time. He followed up with a shuriken aimed at Jiraiya's head. He had no plans to underestimate his opponent. Just yesterday, his father had given him a quick rundown of Jiraiya—
Strength: Extremely high.
Personality: Terrible. Extremely terrible.
A ninja worthy of respect, sure. Whether he earned that respect in daily life depended on the mood.
One thing Itachi would not forget: he was powerful.
Another shuriken flew!
Clang!
It collided with the first midair, altering its flight path—now two shuriken were flanking Jiraiya from both sides!
"Hah, Uchiha shuriken tactics... Too green."
Jiraiya casually caught one in each hand and tossed them to the ground. The kid's aim was clever, but against him? Not enough.
Itachi closed the distance again!
The two—one large, one small—engaged in close-quarters combat. After sparring with Shisui so often, the boy had developed good instincts for timing ninjutsu. His seal speed had increased noticeably.
But Jiraiya's hand signs would still be faster. He had to keep up the pressure and create an opening.
"Sharingan: Binding Illusion!"
With the fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan, Itachi could both detect openings faster and cast illusions with greater potency.
Caught in the genjutsu, Jiraiya blinked at the heavy bronze clamps now chaining him down... But his chakra control wasn't a joke—he disrupted the flow and broke free in seconds.
Only to be greeted by a flaming red shuriken to the face!
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
This one Shisui had taught him—it required no hand signs. A shuriken infused with fire chakra, thrown from point-blank range. Jiraiya had no time to dodge!
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
The old man grinned and flashed through signs, raising a wall of water that doused the fire-chakra-infused shuriken. His sealing speed was ridiculous.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Itachi suddenly formed a clone. To the observers, it seemed unnecessary—a waste of chakra, especially since Jiraiya could just punch it into dust.
And that's exactly what he did.
Just before the punch landed, he paused and smirked. "The clone's infused with fire chakra, huh? Nice try, kid. But I'm not that gullible—"
"Exploding Clone Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Boom!
A huge explosion tore through the field!
The earth wall Jiraiya raised in time blocked the worst of it, giving him time to retreat... From afar, Hiruzen watched with admiration. If the user could fully control the timing of the explosion, this technique could be devastating…
Itachi had adapted it from Beiyuan's signature move—since Beiyuan always sent his clones to blow up gloriously, Itachi refined it by replacing the core with fire-chakra-infused internals.
"Not bad... cough, cough... not bad at all."
Jiraiya waved off the next attack. Between taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, this kid had far exceeded his expectations—and came with a three-tomoe Sharingan, no less...
Which meant only one final question remained.
"You pass," Jiraiya said, his expression growing sharp. "But becoming my disciple isn't that easy. One last test..."
"And that is..."
"You're a cute kid. Do you know any hot big sisters?"
At that moment, his face could no longer be shown to children. Uchiha Fugaku, watching from the sidelines, had cold sweat on his back. He suddenly remembered all of Jiraiya's legendary misdeeds...
He had hoped Jiraiya might ask something meaningful about village politics or the clan's future...
Bang!
Someone dashed forward and socked Jiraiya in the face! The figure snorted and flipped their golden hair.
"Shameless."