The next morning, I was summoned to the Hokage's office.
I stood outside the large wooden door and looked at it for a moment.
'Well, this is happening faster than expected.'
I knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door and stepped inside.
There were four familiar faces in the room.
Hashirama sat behind his desk.
Tobirama stood beside him with his arms crossed.
Madara was leaning against the wall.
And Mito stood beside Hashirama.
I looked at the four of them.
'Okay… this is definitely more serious than I expected.'
I walked forward and dropped down onto one knee.
"Greetings, Lord Hokage, Tobirama-sama, Madara-sama, Mito-sama."
Hashirama blinked.
He had clearly been expecting something less formal.
"Good morning, Karma."
"Good morning, Lord Hokage."
Hashirama smiled awkwardly.
"You don't have to be so formal with me."
I looked at him seriously.
"I believe the Hokage deserves respect."
Tobirama's lips twitched slightly.
I noticed.
'He's trying not to laugh.'
Hashirama sighed.
"Alright, alright. You can stand."
I stood up.
Mito looked at me carefully.
"So you're Karma."
"Yes, Mito-sama."
"I've heard you've requested early graduation."
"That is correct."
Tobirama stepped forward.
"Before we decide whether to approve your request, we need to see whether you actually meet the requirements."
I nodded.
"So this is the examination?"
"Consider it an evaluation."
Tobirama gestured toward the open space in the room.
"The Academy currently teaches three basic techniques. Demonstrate them."
"Understood."
I walked toward the center of the room.
Tobirama spoke first.
"Clone Technique."
I formed the necessary hand seals.
"Clone Technique."
Poof!
A perfect clone appeared beside me.
It looked exactly like me.
Hashirama nodded.
"Good."
Tobirama studied the clone for a moment before continuing.
"Transformation Technique."
I formed the seals again.
"Transformation Technique."
Poof!
My appearance changed.
I now looked exactly like Hashirama.
I looked down at myself.
Then toward the original Hashirama.
"How handsome."
Hashirama stared at me.
Madara snorted.
"Don't flatter yourself."
I dispelled the transformation.
"Next."
Tobirama gave me a strange look before continuing.
"Substitution Technique."
I formed the necessary seals.
"Substitution."
Poof!
My body disappeared.
A wooden training dummy appeared in my place.
A moment later, I reappeared several meters away.
The room became quiet.
Tobirama nodded.
"All three techniques are stable."
Mito smiled.
"Very impressive."
Hashirama looked pleased.
"Well done, Karma."
I nodded.
"Thank you."
I waited for the next instruction.
Instead, Tobirama looked at me.
"That is sufficient."
I tilted my head.
"That's it?"
"For the basic Academy requirements, yes."
I glanced at the four of them.
Then I smiled.
"I can show you something else."
Tobirama raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"A technique I learned recently."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Which technique?"
I formed the hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Poof!
Three solid clones appeared beside me.
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Hashirama's eyes widened.
Mito looked at the clones with clear surprise.
Madara straightened away from the wall.
Tobirama stared at them.
I looked around.
'Well… that got their attention.'
Hashirama stepped closer.
"Those are Shadow Clones?"
"Yes."
Tobirama walked toward one of them.
He examined it carefully.
"Where did you learn this technique?"
"One of the instructors demonstrated it at the Academy."
Tobirama turned toward me.
"He demonstrated it once?"
"Yes."
"And you learned it from watching him?"
I nodded.
"I watched carefully."
Tobirama stared at me for several seconds.
"How long did you practice?"
I thought about it.
"A little while."
His eyebrow twitched.
"That isn't an answer."
I smiled.
"Several attempts."
Madara suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha!"
He looked toward Hashirama.
"The brat really wasn't joking."
Hashirama was still looking at the clones.
"You've been practicing this by yourself?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
I shrugged.
"I wanted to make sure I could actually do it first."
Tobirama looked at the clones again.
His expression became thoughtful.
"The chakra distribution is stable."
He paused.
"Very stable."
Mito smiled.
"He certainly has an extraordinary talent."
'Extraordinary' was probably putting it mildly.
But I wasn't going to correct her.
Tobirama turned toward Hashirama.
"The current Academy curriculum is clearly insufficient for him."
Hashirama didn't answer immediately.
He looked at me.
Then at the clones.
Then back at me.
"Karma."
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"Why do you want to graduate early?"
I already knew that question was coming.
There were plenty of answers I could have given.
I wanted stronger training.
I wanted to learn more advanced techniques.
I wanted to become stronger.
All of those were true.
But there was one answer that mattered more.
"I want to protect the village."
The room became quiet.
Hashirama's expression changed.
"Protect the village?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"I want to become a shinobi so I can protect Konoha and the people living here."
Hashirama slowly sat down.
"Karma…"
His voice was gentler now.
"You're four years old."
"I know."
"Do you understand what being a shinobi actually means?"
"Yes."
"It isn't just learning techniques."
"I know."
"You'll eventually have to go on missions."
"Yes."
"Some missions can be dangerous."
"Yes."
Hashirama's expression became troubled.
"You could get hurt."
I nodded.
"You could see people die."
I remained silent for a moment.
Then answered.
"I know."
Hashirama looked away.
I could see the conflict in his eyes.
He had created Konoha because he wanted children to have a future where they didn't have to be thrown into endless wars.
And now a four-year-old child was standing in front of him, asking to become a shinobi.
'Yeah… I can understand why he's conflicted.'
Mito placed a hand gently on Hashirama's shoulder.
"Hashirama."
He looked at her.
"You don't have to send him into dangerous situations simply because he graduates."
Hashirama frowned.
"I know."
"Then the question isn't whether he's too young to graduate."
She looked toward me.
"It is whether he is capable of doing so."
Tobirama nodded.
"He has demonstrated that he is."
Hashirama looked at him.
Tobirama continued.
"His performance already exceeds the standards we've established for the Academy."
His eyes shifted toward the Shadow Clones.
"And his ability to reproduce a technique like that after a single demonstration is something I've never seen in a child his age."
Hashirama remained silent.
"But he's still four."
"Which is why we control what happens after graduation."
Tobirama's voice remained calm.
"He doesn't need to be assigned dangerous missions. He can focus on training and low-risk assignments until he's older."
Hashirama looked thoughtful.
Madara finally spoke.
"If you're still worried, there's an obvious solution."
Hashirama looked toward him.
Madara nodded in my direction.
"Take responsibility for him."
Hashirama blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Take him as your student."
I raised an eyebrow.
'Oh?'
Madara continued.
"You're the strongest shinobi in the village. If you're worried about him getting himself killed, then keep him out of dangerous situations."
Hashirama looked at me.
Mito nodded slowly.
"That would solve most of the problem."
Tobirama considered it.
"It would also allow his training to be adjusted according to his ability."
Hashirama rubbed his chin.
"But if he becomes my student, people may expect him to participate in missions."
"Then don't allow it," Madara said simply.
He looked toward me.
"He's four years old. There's no reason to throw him into serious missions."
He paused.
"If he's truly as talented as he appears, let him spend the next few years building a proper foundation."
I smiled slightly.
'I'm beginning to like this guy.'
Hashirama noticed.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"A little."
Hashirama sighed.
Mito smiled.
Tobirama shook his head.
Madara laughed.
Hashirama eventually looked back at me.
"Karma."
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"If I approve your early graduation, things will be different from what you probably imagined."
I listened carefully.
"You will officially become a shinobi, but you won't be treated like an ordinary one."
I nodded.
"You won't be sent on dangerous missions."
"Understood."
"Your assignments will be limited."
"Understood."
"And most importantly, you'll spend a great deal of time training."
"That's fine."
Hashirama looked at me for several seconds.
There was still hesitation in his eyes.
But eventually, he smiled.
"If you're willing, I'll personally supervise your training."
I smiled.
"I would be honoured lord hokage."
Hashirama picked up the documents on his desk.
"Then I'll approve your request for early graduation."
I bowed my head.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Tobirama looked over the documents.
"We'll finalize the examination results and arrange the remaining formalities."
I nodded.
'Finally.'
I had taken the first step.
The Academy had taught me the basics.
Now I was going to move beyond them.
And apparently, I was going to have the First Hokage himself overseeing my training.
I turned toward the door.
"Karma."
I stopped.
Hashirama was looking at me.
"Don't rush yourself."
I turned around.
He smiled.
"You have plenty of time."
I thought about that for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Maybe."
Hashirama laughed.
"That's not a very convincing answer."
I shrugged.
"I still intend to become the strongest."
Madara laughed from behind me.
"I'd be disappointed if you changed your mind already."
I looked at him.
"Don't worry."
I grinned.
"I'm still coming for you."
Madara's smile widened.
"Then get stronger."
I nodded.
"I will."
I opened the door and walked out.
The moment it closed behind me, I let myself smile.
'Things are finally getting interesting.'