"Hehe, my Jōnin Instructor with Seiryū has been decided!" said Kurenai.
Hearing his daughter bring it up, Shinku perked up, her voice full of pride. "It's Tsunade-sama!"
Having Tsunade, one of the Sannin, as their Jōnin Instructor was a huge deal.
Definitely something to brag about for a while.
"???"
Shinku wore a face full of confusion.
What was going on?
She already knew who the Jōnin Instructor was?
How did she find out?
Who leaked it?
Kurenai shouldn't know yet, but he hadn't forgotten Seiryū's special status.
So Shinku looked at Seiryū and asked curiously, "Seiryū, did Jiraiya-sama suggest it to Tsunade-sama? Did she agree?"
No doubt, Seiryū had pulled some strings. After all, his Sensei was Jiraiya.
And Jiraiya and Tsunade were both Sannin. He could definitely speak to her.
"It wasn't my Sensei. I proposed it, and she agreed."
Seiryū explained calmly, "No choice. She owes me money and a favor."
Shinku opened his mouth, speechless, and finally managed, "I see. Impressive as always."
Seiryū's casual words revealed something shocking.
These connections were unbelievable.
He could actually pull this off?
Bringing Seiryū back to Konoha and adopting him had been the best decision of his life.
"Hehe, this is perfect. I won't be separated from Seiryū!"
Kurenai beamed, happiness written all over her face. "I've been so worried these days!"
"As long as you're happy."
Shinku glanced at his daughter, unable to hide her joy, and sighed helplessly.
His little girl was so attached to her big brother Seiryū that he felt jealous, as if his precious daughter was slowly slipping away.
After breakfast.
Seiryū and Kurenai headed to the Ninja Academy.
In Class 3-B.
All the familiar faces had arrived. Even the usual latecomer Obito was on time.
They were all huddled together, discussing team assignments.
This was a big deal. Their futures as shinobi depended on it.
Almost every student in class was talking about it.
From his seat, Obito kept sneaking glances at Rin while asking Asuma beside him, "Asuma, did you get any word from the Hokage about teams? Who're my teammates?"
If possible, he wanted to be on the same squad as Rin.
That was his second-biggest wish. His first was to become Hokage.
"No idea. The Old Man never tells me stuff like that."
Asuma shook his head. He really didn't know. Then he added with a smirk, "The exam hasn't even started and you're already worried about teammates? Don't jinx yourself."
Obito was confident. "No way. I've perfected the Three Basic Jutsu. I'll pass for sure!"
He turned to Rin and grinned. "Rin, if we end up on the same team, I'll definitely protect you!"
"Uh, thanks."
Rin gave a gentle smile.
She didn't really care about team assignments, though if possible, she hoped to be on Seiryū's team.
She wondered if she'd get the chance.
Obito said excitedly, "I'll give it my all!"
Seiryū walked in just in time to hear Obito's declaration and snorted. "That's not something effort alone can decide."
But objectively speaking,
the plot had already changed.
Seiryū had no idea whether Kakashi, Obito, and Rin would still end up on the same squad.
A pity that ninja squads usually only held three people.
Seiryū, Kurenai, and Shizune had already been hand-picked by Tsunade. They couldn't bring Rin along.
Otherwise, he'd have kept Rin away from Obito.
Not because he was possessive, but because putting Rin and Obito together was dangerous.
In the original story, Obito's downfall was tied to Rin.
"Mind your own business!"
Obito shot Seiryū a sideways glance and muttered, "I least want to be on a team with you or Kakashi. You'd just hold me back."
The moment those words left his mouth, the others stared in stunned disbelief, expressions turning strange.
Obito was as confident as ever.
Yet hearing it from him felt odd. Who would really be holding whom back?
The exam began shortly after.
And ended just as quickly.
Of the forty-plus students in Class 3-B, a few civilian shinobi with weaker talent failed.
Geniuses rarely came from civilian families. They were regretfully eliminated.
As always, the Three Basic Jutsu were the graduation standard precisely because they weren't easy.
A prodigy could master them quickly.
But for those with poor talent, even six years might not be enough.
Now the six-year course had been compressed to three years. The difficulty had skyrocketed, so it was normal for some to fail.
They wouldn't be expelled, though. They could repeat the year until age twelve.
The abrupt shift from six years to three had come with leniency for slower students.
The policy change mainly targeted geniuses and the fairly gifted.
The shinobi world showed signs of unrest. Konoha needed new forces. The Ninja Academy was only child's play. Real shinobi had to taste blood and battle.
It was preparation for a possible future war.
Meanwhile.
In the records office.
The moment Seiryū received his ninja file and forehead protector, the system voice rang in his mind.
[ Ding - mission complete, distributing rewards ]
Immediately, all information about Hadō #63. Raikōhō flooded into his head.
Seiryū smiled inwardly. He had finally completed this mission.
This nearly three-year-long quest was finally done.
His OCD could finally rest.
Seiryū had graduated from the Ninja Academy, and from the Shin'ō Academy.
But the system notification wasn't finished. It sounded again.
[Ding - Host has graduated from the Shin'ō Academy, a vital step toward becoming the Soul King who rules the three realms. Do not slack off.]
[Graduation is only the beginning. The road ahead remains arduous.]
[Stabilize the balance of the three realms, solve problems for all life, bring prosperity, and shoulder the responsibility of the Soul King. That is your future.]
[This system will aid you step by step toward the throne of the Soul King.]
[New mission: Become a full-fledged Shinigami of the Seireitei.]
[Reward: Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō.]
(To be continued.)