Chapter 32 – Taichi's Early Graduation
Kakashi's early graduation had sparked a wave of motivation among the students. From that day on, Taichi could clearly feel everyone training harder, and even Obito was rarely late anymore.
Of course, enthusiasm fades over time—laziness is human nature. Unlike Taichi, who had a "status panel" to constantly track his progress and stay mentally stimulated, most of the others couldn't maintain that drive. After a week or so of intense effort, everyone gradually slipped back into their usual routines: some were late, some slept in, and some indulged in snacks.
Taichi, as always, persisted in his training, exhausting all his energy before resting each day. This monotonous, repetitive routine continued steadily until the end of their second-year term.
---
On that day, Taichi submitted his own early graduation request to the school. Once again, it caused a stir. The application quickly landed on the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced over it and sighed, "They're all seedlings of Konoha," before promptly signing it.
Hiruzen already knew Taichi's capabilities. Over the past year, every vacation Tsunade had helped Taichi apply for hospital internship certifications. After each internship, Taichi would occasionally train under either Tsunade or Jiraiya.
Thanks to Hiruzen's frequent use of the Telescope Technique, he had often observed Taichi sparring with Kakashi. Now that Kakashi had graduated early, it was obvious that Taichi, whose skills rivaled Kakashi's, was more than ready.
The school swiftly arranged Taichi's graduation assessment, aiming to have him graduate alongside the regular sixth-year students. This way, he wouldn't have to wait an extra month for a suitable team, as Kakashi had.
Receiving the assessment notice, Taichi exhaled in relief. Graduation would finally allow him to advance his ninja profession, freeing him from wasting valuable experience points stuck in the current rank.
---
Over the past year and a half, Taichi's abilities had improved dramatically. It was no exaggeration to say that now, facing a typical Chunin would be effortless for him.
Name: Taichi Matsushita
Profession: Ninja Apprentice Lv10 (Max)
Talent: Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent, Scholar
Age: 7
Constitution: 18 (+1 from long-term training)
Strength: 19 (+1)
Agility: 17 (+2)
Spirit: 22
Chakra: 12,000 (14,200)
Attribute Points: 12
Skill Points: 13
Nature Transformations:
Fire Release Lv6 (823/1000)
Wind Release Lv6 (363/1000)
Water Release Lv5 (574/800)
Yang Release Lv6 (454/1000)
Skills:
Advanced Taijutsu Lv0 (844/1000)
Advanced Meditation Lv0 (867/1000)
Hatake Kenjutsu Lv10 (634/2000)
Body Flicker Technique Lv6 (536/1000)
Ninjutsu:
Fire Release:
Fire Dragon Flame Bullet (B-rank) Lv7 (753/1200)
Great Fireball (B-rank) Lv3 (321/400)
Wind Release:
Gale Palm (C-rank) Lv8 (683/1400)
Pressure Damage (B-rank) Lv3 (321/400)
Water Release:
Water Formation Wall (B-rank) Lv8 (653/1400)
Water Prison (C-rank) Lv5 (221/800)
Water Clone (C-rank) Lv5 (432/800)
Water Dragon Bullet (B-rank) Lv3 (221/400)
Medical Ninjutsu:
Mystical Palm Technique Lv9 (323/1600)
Delicate Illness Extraction Technique Lv8 (463/1400)
Chakra Scalpel Lv6 (464/1000)
Mastered: Ninja Tool Throwing, Three Basic Techniques, Flame Bullet Jutsu, Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, Great Breakthrough …
Evaluation: Graduation is imminent. The real ninja world awaits you.
---
Looking at his updated status panel, Taichi felt proud. The only frustration was that Advanced Taijutsu and Advanced Meditation were incredibly difficult to train. A whole year had passed, yet neither had reached Lv1. Thinking ahead, Taichi felt a slight headache. Luckily, he hadn't spent his skill points yet—so if progress stalled, he could always use them to upgrade.
---
Time quickly flew to the day of the assessment. Once again, Jonin Sarutobi Matsuya was the supervising examiner, while the Chunin assessor had changed to Nagashima Hikaru. The process was the same, but since it coincided with the school exam day, there were few onlookers—mostly teachers.
Taichi and Chunin Nagashima faced each other, forming opposing hand seals. At Jonin Sarutobi's command, "Begin!", the assessment commenced.
Taichi didn't hesitate and launched the first attack. His hands moved at lightning speed, forming the seals. In just over a second, the Phoenix Sage Fire hand seals were complete. "So fast!" was the silent thought of every watching ninja. From Taichi's mouth, 24 fireballs shot out, paired in twos, attacking Chunin Nagashima from multiple directions.
Nagashima, already stunned by the speed of Taichi's seals, now gaped as the 24 fireballs came at him. "Is this still Phoenix Fire? How… how are there so many?" he thought, instantly using Body Flicker to dash aside.
The first pair of fireballs slammed into the spot he had just vacated. Two loud explosions echoed across the training ground.
"Each fireball is as strong as a standard Fireball Jutsu!" murmured some of the teachers nearby.
Nagashima's head was sweating just from the sheer destructive power of those initial fireballs. But there was no time to dwell on it. The remaining fireballs adjusted their trajectories mid-flight, tracking him relentlessly. Nagashima had no choice but to continue dodging with Body Flicker.
The ability to adjust a jutsu mid-flight was not something just anyone could do.
In fact, this was a skill Taichi had only recently mastered. When his Chakra Nature Transformation reached Lv6, he felt his understanding and control over the corresponding elemental jutsu had hit a new level. Lv6 Nature Transformation is already Jonin-grade, and combined with Taichi's extraordinary mental strength, he could now perform fine adjustments after launching a jutsu.
Of course, these were only minor adjustments for now. It intimidated a first-time observer like Nagashima, but as Taichi's skill continued to grow, the tactical value and destructive potential of this technique would skyrocket.
---
As Nagashima frantically dodged, his focus gradually shifted away from Taichi. At that moment, Taichi drew a short blade and, using Body Flicker, intercepted the path Nagashima had dashed toward.
By the time Nagashima noticed Taichi, it was too late. He scrambled to parry Taichi's slashing strikes. Having underestimated his opponent and lost the initiative, even defending became a struggle.
After five swift slashes, Taichi successfully cut through Nagashima's kunai defense, leaving him wide open. Taichi switched his blade to his left hand, stepped forward, and delivered a hooking punch to Nagashima's abdomen. As Nagashima bent over from the strike, the blade was already at his neck.
"Taichi Matsushita wins!" announced Jonin Sarutobi.
Despite the detailed description, the entire match lasted less than a minute. It ended so abruptly that the audience didn't react until Sarutobi's declaration. Excited murmurs broke out:
"That was way too fast!"
"This kid is amazing!"
"Nagashima underestimated him."
"Didn't you see all those Phoenix Fire balls he released?"
"Exactly, the number and the power… incredible!"
"It must be a modified version of the jutsu."
Nagashima, still inside the ring, was utterly embarrassed. Losing was bad enough, but losing so quickly due to underestimating an opponent was humiliating. Without a word, he bowed slightly to Sarutobi and hurriedly left the area.
Watching him leave, Jonin Sarutobi shook his head. Nagashima didn't fully grasp it—he assumed he lost merely because he underestimated Taichi. But Sarutobi knew the truth: Taichi's mastery of Fire Release had already reached Jonin-level proficiency. What he lacked now were experience and physical conditioning. So Nagashima's loss was well-earned.
Sarutobi then turned to Taichi with a warm expression:
"Taichi Matsushita, you've passed your assessment. You'll graduate alongside the sixth-year students. Remember to come to school tomorrow for class placement."
"I'll remember. Thank you, Jonin Sarutobi," Taichi replied politely.
---