"The graduation exam ends here."
Kitazawa walked to the center of the arena and said, "After a ten-minute break, I'll announce the final rankings and the squad assignments."
The reason for the ten-minute break was simple: the Konoha arena needed time to be repaired.
As soon as he finished speaking, Anbu shinobi appeared one after another across what had become the ruined arena.
"What an unimaginable graduation exam," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"Totally worth the trip," Jiraiya added, still not satisfied.
Even he felt like his horizons had been blown wide open. If he hadn't come to watch, it would've been a massive loss.
Eleven- or twelve-year-old Kage-level monsters—he wouldn't have believed it without seeing it with his own eyes.
"Without a doubt, this is the strongest class the Ninja Academy has produced since its founding," Nara Shikaku sighed.
No previous class even came close.
The most absurd part was that they were this strong the moment they graduated—already comparable to the peak strength of older generations.
Normally, a shinobi doesn't reach their prime until after twenty.
"The Advanced Class has already surpassed us the instant they graduate," Akimichi Chōza said, his face full of anticipation. "Their future is going to be incredible."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded reflexively.
The most unforgettable part of this exam was Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
Those two were basically already stepping into the Hokage's shoes with one foot.
The only regret Fugaku felt was that the ultimate winner wasn't Sasuke, but Naruto.
That meant Naruto was already slightly ahead in the race for the Hokage seat.
Still, the road ahead was long.
Sasuke still had hope.
Hyūga Hiashi, on the other hand, sighed inwardly.
Even though two of the final four were Hyūga, the gap between them and Sasuke/Naruto was simply too large.
If nothing unexpected happened, they likely wouldn't become the Seventh Hokage.
In the end, the Hyūga clan had still lost to the Uchiha.
"Making Kitazawa the Advanced Class's teacher really was the right choice," Hiruzen said proudly, stroking his beard.
"Old man, that's Kitazawa being amazing. It has nothing to do with you," Tsunade shot back bluntly.
"Even so, I still deserve some credit," Hiruzen replied, chuckling as if he didn't mind her attitude at all.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is it still possible for me to be a squad leader for the Advanced Class?"
"Jiraiya-sama has his eye on a particular student?" Aburame Shibi asked, his mind turning.
If parents got to choose a squad leader for their kids, Kitazawa would be the first choice without question.
But Kitazawa was too popular.
With only three slots, there was no way Aburame Shino would get picked.
If Jiraiya took a student, he'd become the second-best choice after Kitazawa.
After all, he was one of the Legendary Sannin, Hiruzen's student, and Minato's teacher.
Becoming his student meant joining the Hokage line—and gaining the right to compete for the Hokage position.
Even if you never became Hokage, you'd still have a good shot at ending up in Konoha's upper ranks.
Hiashi glanced at Jiraiya instinctively.
He was thinking the same thing as Shibi.
Kitazawa would only take three students. Even Neji and Hinata might not make it.
Because the highest odds were Naruto and Sasuke—but none of those four were medical-nin.
By the traditional squad setup, they'd still need a medic.
"Naruto and Sasuke," Jiraiya said with a grin, not bothering to hide it.
He believed Naruto and Sasuke might be the Child of Prophecy.
Their strength was just too outrageous—several tiers above their peers.
If they were truly that legendary figure, it would explain a lot.
After all, the Child of Prophecy is said to have the power to change the ninja world.
And to change the world, you need both ambition and strength—neither alone is enough.
"You're too late. All squad leaders have already been decided," Tsunade said, then added, "Besides, you're away from the village year-round. You're not suited to being a squad leader."
Jiraiya hesitated, but couldn't refute it.
Until he confirmed who the Child of Prophecy was, he really wouldn't stay in Konoha full-time.
After thinking it over, he chose to let it go.
And even if he wasn't Naruto and Sasuke's official squad leader, he could still teach them.
Like Sage Mode—he could count as half a teacher, at least.
Ten minutes passed quickly.
With Anbu's work, the Konoha arena was more or less restored.
It had to be said—ninjutsu was unbelievably convenient for construction.
"After I announce the final rankings and squad assignments, don't leave yet," Kitazawa returned to the center and reminded everyone. "The Hokage will be making a speech."
No one found that surprising.
Tsunade had been watching as a spectator for this long—of course she'd do the final summary.
And this graduation exam was so special it could honestly be called unprecedented.
"First place: Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa announced.
Naruto raised a hand and waved with a huge grin.
Other than Sasuke, none of the students felt jealousy or envy.
The gap was so enormous it crushed hope—there was simply no catching up.
"Second place: Uchiha Sasuke," Kitazawa continued.
Sasuke unconsciously clenched his fist.
This crushing defeat left him dazed.
He had activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and still lost to Naruto.
Could the Eternal Mangekyō evolve even further?
Even with the massive gap, Sasuke didn't give up.
He was still young—maybe someday he'd have a chance to defeat Naruto.
"Third place: Hyūga Neji. Fourth place: Hyūga Hinata," Kitazawa read out. "Fifth: Kurama Yakumo. Sixth: Rock Lee. Seventh: Akimichi Chōji. Eighth: Yamanaka Ino."
The top eight were the students who made it to the third round.
"Ninth: Kaguya Kimimaro. Tenth: Aburame Shino. Eleventh: Tenten. Twelfth: Inuzuka Kiba," Kitazawa continued. "Thirteenth: Haruno Sakura. Fourteenth: Nara Shikamaru. Fifteenth: Tayuya."
The top fifteen were those who made it to the second round.
"Sixteenth: Jūgo. Seventeenth: Karin. Eighteenth: Haku," Kitazawa paused, then continued. "Nineteenth: Shion. Twentieth: Chino. Twenty-first: Hotaru."
These six were actually close in strength.
Who ranked higher mostly came down to luck.
But even as the bottom of the Advanced Class's top twenty-one, they were still far from weak—reaching jōnin in the future would be easy for them.
"Twenty-second… and that concludes the rankings for all thirty students in this graduation exam," Kitazawa finished, then announced, "Starting today, they officially graduate and become genin."
Naruto and the others immediately looked excited.
They'd already been doing missions, but becoming an official shinobi was a different feeling entirely.
But they quickly calmed down—because the real headline was next: squad assignments.
Rankings were already in the past.
They were only a summary of roughly five and a half years at the Academy, not a verdict on the future.
But squads could shape their future.
Because a squad leader and teammates could provide enormous support.
Not just the students—parents like Hiashi and Fugaku were tense and excited too.
After all, their children's squad leaders and teammates would indirectly affect the clans those children represented.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was a reshuffling of Konoha's power and status.
"Squad One: Kurama Yakumo, Karin, and Inuzuka Kiba," Kitazawa announced. "Squad leader: Yūhi Kurenai."
Kiba nodded in satisfaction.
Yakumo didn't need explanation—fifth place in the exam, already stronger than most jōnin.
Karin was a rare medical-nin and sealing specialist in the Advanced Class—support utility maxed out.
And Kurenai had been a teacher for the Advanced Class; Kiba was familiar with her, which meant he wouldn't have to start from scratch.
Yakumo and Karin were satisfied too.
Yakumo had been Kurenai's student even before entering the Academy.
And Karin even lived in the same house as Kurenai—so they understood each other well.
Kiba's mother, Inuzuka Tsume, was pleased as well.
Even if Kiba didn't become Kitazawa's student, being Kurenai's student wasn't bad at all.
Everyone knew Kitazawa and Kurenai were close.
"Squad Two: Aburame Shino, Chino, and Haruno Sakura," Kitazawa continued. "Squad leader: Hatake Kakashi."
"I'm not Sasuke-kun's teammate…?" Sakura froze as if struck by lightning.
Sasuke glanced at her and couldn't help thinking: So she really is cursed luck.
"Kakashi isn't bad either," Shibi thought.
Hatake Kakashi couldn't compare to Kitazawa, but he was still firmly within the Hokage lineage.
Shino didn't show much expression due to his personality.
Still, he was satisfied with Kakashi.
Chino felt like she'd won the jackpot.
She had the Ketsuryūgan, but she wasn't born and raised in Konoha.
She'd assumed her squad leader would be some ordinary jōnin—she never expected it to be the famous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi.
For her, it was an unexpected bonus.
"Squad Three: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chōji," Kitazawa read out the most unsurprising assignment. "Squad leader: Sarutobi Asuma."
In the original timeline, Squad Three was Might Guy's team, and Asuma led Team Ten.
But with all the butterfly effects, it was hard to keep the old Team Three/Team Ten structure intact.
"As expected," Shikamaru said without surprise.
Ino let out a sigh.
She'd guessed it would be Asuma, but not becoming Kitazawa's student still stung.
Shikaku, Chōza, and Yamanaka Inoichi felt similarly.
Even if their three clans had an agreement with the Sarutobi, if they could become Kitazawa's students, they would've gladly thrown that agreement away.
A retired Third Hokage versus an incoming Sixth Hokage—anyone could see which choice mattered more.
"Squad Four: Kaguya Kimimaro, Jūgo, and Tayuya," Kitazawa announced. "Squad leader: Mitarashi Anko."
Kimimaro, Jūgo, and Tayuya all stared blankly for a moment.
They hadn't expected to end up together.
But once they processed it, they all felt it was great.
They already knew each other back in the Sound Village.
As for Anko, they had no complaints—she was Orochimaru's student.
"Squad Five: Rock Lee, Hotaru, and Haku," Kitazawa paused, then said, "Squad leader: Might Guy."
"Lee!" Guy gave Rock Lee a thumbs-up.
As Kitazawa announced each squad, the squad leaders walked one after another to the left side of the Advanced Class.
"Guy-sensei!" Lee said excitedly. "We can unleash the blazing passion of youth together again!"
Hotaru and Haku both felt a headache coming on.
From now on, they'd be experiencing Guy and Lee's "youth" philosophy every day.
"Still not Sasuke yet?" Fugaku felt anxious.
Hiashi felt the same.
They didn't know whether Kitazawa would personally be a squad leader—or whether he'd choose Sasuke and Hinata.
But the answer was about to be revealed.
Five squads had been announced, and among the top twenty-one, only two squads remained.
Once Squad Six was announced, Squad Seven would be obvious.
"Squad Six: Hyūga Neji, Tenten, and Shion," Kitazawa continued. "Squad leader: Yamato."
"Yes!" Tenten clenched her fist.
Her biggest wish was to be teammates with Neji, and she'd gotten it.
Neji didn't mind his teammates—but it was a shame the squad leader wasn't Kitazawa.
Still, Yamato was strong.
Back when he taught the Advanced Class, he'd even shown them Wood Release.
"So Squad Seven is Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata?" Fugaku's eyes lit up.
Hiashi was delighted too.
Even before the squad leader was announced, who besides Kitazawa was qualified to lead those three?
Hinata clasped her hands unconsciously.
She didn't care who her teammates were—she only cared whether the squad leader was Kitazawa.
"Squad Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyūga Hinata," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Squad leader: me."
The arena fell silent.
Kitazawa was about to become the Sixth Hokage.
What kind of treatment his students would receive didn't need to be said.
Fugaku and Hiashi both smiled.
Hinata's eyes widened.
Her dream coming true so suddenly left her momentarily unable to react.
Then her lips curled into a smile, and she excitedly gripped the edge of her clothes.
"Sasuke—who would've thought we'd become teammates!" Naruto grinned so hard his teeth practically sparkled. "This is youth!"
"…" Sasuke tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He felt happy… but not completely happy.
"…And that concludes all squad assignments for this graduation exam," Kitazawa said, looking at Tsunade. "Next, please welcome the Hokage."
Everyone immediately applauded.
Tsunade nodded and used Body Flicker to appear in the center.
Kitazawa stepped aside as she began her speech.
"In this graduation exam, every student performed well—especially Squad Seven," Tsunade said with a smile. "I believe they will become the new generation of Konoha's Three Sannin."
The crowd's hearts jolted.
The status of the Legendary Sannin in Konoha spoke for itself.
A "new Konoha Three Sannin" would naturally be no less impressive. If nothing unexpected happened, the Seventh Hokage would be born from Squad Seven.
And Tsunade had very deliberately singled out Squad Seven—her intent was obvious.
"One last announcement," Tsunade paused, looked around, and said, "Next Monday, we will hold the Hokage inauguration ceremony."
Unlike Hiruzen, she didn't enjoy long speeches. Once she'd completed Kitazawa's "assignment," she ended it quickly.
But no one cared about the length—everyone was stunned by the content: the inauguration ceremony next Monday.
"Alright, you've all worked hard today. Dismissed," Tsunade said, waving her hand before anyone could process it.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the crowd responded after a brief daze.
Kitazawa walked to the Advanced Class.
They and their squad leaders were still standing where they were.
"Congratulations on graduating," Kitazawa said with a smile. "You can go to your squad leaders now."
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!" the Advanced Class shouted in unison.
Then they ran to their respective squad leaders.
Kakashi, Kurenai, and the others greeted Kitazawa and left with their students.
By convention, they'd find a place to introduce themselves—some might even add extra assessment stages.
Like Kakashi's classic bell test with Team Seven in the original timeline.
Kitazawa had no intention of doing a bell test.
There was no need.
And if they actually fought seriously, the commotion would be terrifying.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto asked excitedly. "What do we do next?"
"Nothing," Kitazawa shook his head. "Go back and rest. Wait for my notice."
He was about to become the Sixth Hokage—there was a lot to handle.
And with the Akatsuki's potential moves, they wouldn't be going out on missions for now.
"Huh?" Naruto had expected a new mission, but got nothing.
"What do you mean 'huh'?" Tsunade said with a laugh. "As genin, the most important thing for you is to obey your squad leader's orders."
"Don't worry—it won't be long before you have plenty of new missions," Kitazawa added after thinking a moment.
He meant the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto immediately perked up with anticipation.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke and Hinata didn't say much beyond that.
"Tsunade-sensei, do you need me to escort you back to the Hokage's office?" Kitazawa asked.
The arena had emptied out—only the two of them remained.
"No. I don't need to go back to the Hokage's office anymore. Here—this is for you."
With a slight grin, Tsunade handed him a ring of keys.
"…What is this supposed to mean?" Kitazawa froze, not understanding.
"It means that from now on, you're the Sixth Hokage," Tsunade said, stuffing the keys into his hand. "These are the keys to the Hokage's desk. I'm going to the casino. Good luck."
After saying that, she turned and left without hesitation.
Kitazawa looked at the keys in his hand and twitched the corner of his mouth.
But it really was Tsunade's style.
With a sigh, Kitazawa used Flying Thunder God to appear in the Hokage's office.
He sat in the Hokage's chair and fell into thought.
Even though he wouldn't officially become Hokage until next Monday, Tsunade had already started dumping the work on him—so he had to think about what to do next.
New officials always make a splash.
Now that he was Hokage, he needed to take action.
The first thing he thought of was the Hokage advisors.
Konoha currently had three advisors: the former Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, plus Nara Shikaku as the head of the Hokage's secretariat.
Kitazawa planned to abolish the position of "Hokage advisor," keeping only the Hokage secretary system.
Homura and Koharu could retire directly.
As for Shikaku, his position would remain unchanged—still responsible for the secretariat.
After all, the Nara clan's intelligence was trustworthy.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
He'd once considered making Yūhi Kurenai the Hokage secretary, but she was now the head of the Film and Media Department, so there was no need to add more.
Having Shikaku and Shizune handle secretarial duties was already enough.
Of course, they could add more people later.
Aside from advisors and secretaries, the biggest staffing shortage was Anbu.
With Kitazawa becoming Sixth Hokage and Asuma becoming a squad leader, Anbu suddenly lost two key leaders.
Fortunately, he'd already chosen replacements: Konan and Kakuzu.
Then he thought of Nagato.
If Nagato joined Konoha, what position should he get?
Kitazawa shook his head.
It was too early to think about that—he'd decide after Akatsuki fully joined Konoha.
He mentally reviewed Konoha's existing departments.
Overall, most could remain as they were.
But after the Fourth Great Ninja War, they'd definitely add quite a few new departments.
Kitazawa felt a headache coming on.
Luckily, he didn't need to set everything up all at once—he could add things gradually over time.
The sun was setting.
Kitazawa stood up, ready to call it a day.
At that moment, three lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Form the new Konoha Three Sannin.]
[Mission Reward: Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa couldn't help letting out a small sound of surprise.
He'd completed that system task already—this fast?
He thought for a moment.
It was already dusk.
Most likely, after an afternoon of rumors spreading, the entire village had learned about the so-called "new Konoha Three Sannin."
Either way, it was a good thing.
Mastering Sage Art: Wood Release — True Several Thousand Hands meant he'd completely mastered Wood Release.
Now, compared to Hashirama Senju, the only thing he lacked was chakra.
Thinking about it closely, it was bizarre.
He'd completed so many system missions, his chakra exceeded every shinobi's by far—and yet he still couldn't match Hashirama.
But at least it was enough.
As long as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya didn't come out, it would be fine.
Of course, once Kitazawa had enough strength, he would release her anyway.
Because she would definitely trigger system tasks.
Maybe even something related to the Rinne Sharingan… or the God Tree.
~~~
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