Yuki Seisui didn't agree to graduate early on a whim.
The Third Great Ninja War lasted four years, and Minato only became Hokage after it ended, at the age of twenty-three. He had just turned seven last month.
There were a few years between the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, and now that the war was over, following Jiraiya and growing stronger during this peaceful period was clearly the best option.
Staying in the academy was just wasting time. There was nothing else left to learn.
As for the academy's curriculum? Seisui could only shake his head.
All they taught were the basic Three Ninja Techniques. The rest of the time was spent drilling the Will of Fire and assassination tactics.
The entire place felt like a factory churning out cannon fodder.
If Jiraiya hadn't come into the picture, he would've planned to quietly ride it out until graduation.
But now, being Jiraiya's student and having the chance to graduate early and be trained directly by his teacher? That was clearly the better path.
Jiraiya wasn't just his teacher, he was a student of the Third Hokage and among the most free-spirited elite. The time Seisui would get to train under him would far exceed anything the academy could offer.
And there was the added bonus of access to a wide array of ninjutsu.
In a world as cutthroat as the ninja world, who had a better starting point than him?
A student of Jiraiya. A chosen talent recognized by the Third Hokage himself. Best friends with Minato. Close ties with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. A golden child of the Leaf.
And... grandson-in-law of the Uchiha Clan's elder.
...Uh.
Seisui's thoughts paused there. He glanced subtly at Uchiha Haru.
"Well then, I'll go talk to the old man in a bit," Jiraiya said, striking a goofy pose before proudly proclaiming, "You're students of the great Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"
"With my guidance, you'll become the backbone of the Leaf!"
"Wahahaha!"
Uchiha Haru turned away slightly with a faint look of disdain. She was already starting to question whether early graduation had been a mistake.
Jiraiya, still chuckling, seemed to remember something and pulled out two small scrolls from his cloak, handing them to Seisui and Minato.
"These are a gift from your teacher, you're welcome."
"The Flying Raijin."
"A space-time jutsu created by the Second Hokage himself."
Seisui's eyes lit up as he accepted the scroll.
This was the Flying Raijin.
The legendary teleportation jutsu.
Minato would later build an entire mythos around it.
The rule was simple: If you encounter the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, abandon the mission.
For a ninja, abandoning a mission was unforgivable. But if the opponent was Minato, even that was allowed.
That alone said everything about how terrifying the technique was.
"Unfortunately, since it's a forbidden jutsu developed by the Second, I could only exchange enough for two of you to learn it," Jiraiya said, then turned to Haru. "But I've got something for you too."
He pulled out another scroll and handed it to her.
"Fire Style: Oil Flame Bomb!"
"Haha, this one's a powerful fire-style jutsu I developed myself."
"Thank you," Haru replied politely, though she didn't seem particularly impressed. As the granddaughter of Uchiha Setsuna, she hardly lacked for ninjutsu.
She had access to almost the entire Uchiha clan's library.
And the Uchiha's fire-style techniques were famously vast.
Since most of the clan had fire-nature chakra, they'd been collecting fire-style jutsu since the Warring States period.
In the entire ninja world, even if they didn't own every fire-style jutsu, they had at least 99% of them.
"This technique is actually quite strong," Jiraiya said, arms crossed, putting on a smug expression.
"I simplified it from one of my own jutsu."
"It was originally 'Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bomb,' but since you don't have a toad, I adjusted it to use regular fire oil instead."
"All you need is a summoning scroll to store the oil."
"Even though it's simplified, the power hasn't been compromised at all."
He leaned in slightly and added mysteriously, "I once used this move to burn a rather large summoned beast to ash."
While Jiraiya was bragging, Seisui was quietly lost in thought, staring at the scroll in his hands.
There was just so much to learn right now.
Panda Sage Arts. Flying Raijin Early graduation. Sword training.
He still wanted to study genjutsu, too.
Back when he read the original Naruto manga in his past life, he'd had an idea:
If genjutsu was that powerful, why not create something like an 18-layer hell illusion?
But it seemed like that idea would have to wait.
Genjutsu could come later. For now, he had to focus on mastering Overlord Body and Flying Raijin.
Imagine it, activate Overlord Body, Rasengan in hand, charge straight through the enemy.
Whoever stood in his way? Gone.
==========
The Next Morning
In the Hokage's office.
Seisui, Minato, and Haru stood in a row, while Jiraiya stood beside them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over at them and spoke calmly.
"Jiraiya has already explained everything to me."
"I approve your request for early graduation."
He paused, tapping his pipe on the desk a few times.
"But you'll still need to pass the graduation test."
"I'll assign three genin to assess your abilities."
"If you don't meet the standard, you'll have to continue your studies at the academy."
"We're ready!" Seisui answered confidently.
Minato and Haru nodded right after, signaling their readiness as well.
Sarutobi slowly nodded. He already knew the strength of these three.
Even most Chunin couldn't handle them, let alone genin.
This so-called graduation exam was mostly for show, to reassure the village's spies and calm the populace after the war.
As for the risk of assassination by other villages?
It's not like Jiraiya was some pushover.
This whole "exam" was nothing more than a formality.
Sarutobi turned to Jiraiya. "Very well. The test will be held the day after tomorrow at the academy."
"Go make your preparations."
"Yes, sir!"
Outside the office, Jiraiya smiled and said, "Don't worry about the exam, it's just a formality."
Seisui certainly wasn't worried.
Just summoning Panda Ming would be enough to pass.
Minato and Haru seemed to share his confidence.
Jiraiya gave them a few last words of advice, then wandered off, saying he needed to go "gather material."
Seisui and Haru walked down the village streets together, while Minato went off to find Kushina Uzumaki.
"If you love her, go for it," was the bold advice given to him by his "strategist", Yamanaka Inoichi.
"Here." Seisui handed Haru one of the two skewers of dango he bought. "Honestly, I thought your grandfather wouldn't let you graduate early."
"My grandfather?" Haru tilted her head, puzzled. "He was actually really happy when I told him I'd be graduating early with Jiraiya-sama... and especially that I'd be on the same team as you."
Seisui blinked.
Happy to hear she'd be on a team with him?
That old schemer… is he up to something?
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