The announcement came sooner than anyone expected.
Emergency assembly.
Formal instructors.
ANBU visible around the academy perimeter.
No one said the word immediately.
But everyone understood.
War demanded shinobi.
And shinobi had to come from somewhere.
"The academy graduation exam will be advanced," the chief instructor announced.
"Successful candidates will be promoted to Genin status immediately."
Silence followed.
Children processed it slowly.
Because "Genin" no longer meant just pride.
It meant deployment.
Possibly war.
Kaen didn't react outwardly.
Inside, calculations accelerated:
Accelerated graduation = early battlefield exposure.
Clan expectations likely increasing.
Village surveillance tightening.
His long-term strategy remained unchanged:
Stay capable. Stay controlled. Stay unnoticed.
Hitomi stood beside him, fingers lightly gripping his sleeve.
Not fear.
Just grounding.
They had faced hardship together long before academy life.
Still…
War changed stakes.
Preparation week began immediately.
Exams would cover:
Chakra control fundamentals.
Basic taijutsu sparring.
Survival simulations.
Tactical awareness.
Normally spread across years.
Now condensed brutally.
Students trained intensely.
Jiraiya pushed himself loudly as usual.
Tsunade trained methodically, especially medical basics.
Orochimaru focused on efficiency — minimal wasted movement.
Kaen maintained his middle-profile performance.
Reliable.
Not exceptional.
Hidden strength remained hidden.
His private training continued separately:
Observation Haki refinement.
Armament control stabilization.
Chakra containment drills to avoid detection.
Mangekyō Sharingan remained unused publicly.
Nine-Tails-level chakra carefully suppressed.
Secrecy more important than ever now.
War environments amplified scrutiny.
Exam day arrived under grey skies.
Symbolic, perhaps.
Or just weather.
Phase One: Chakra Control
Tree walking, water walking basics.
Kaen passed easily — but intentionally not fastest.
Consistency over flash.
Teachers marked him as dependable.
Exactly right.
Phase Two: Sparring
Random pairings.
Minimal injury allowed.
Maximum evaluation.
Kaen faced multiple opponents.
Every match ended similarly:
Clean defense.
Precise counter.
Quick resolution.
No dramatic displays.
Just competence.
Jiraiya grinned afterward.
"You're annoyingly calm, you know that?"
Kaen allowed a small shrug.
Better calm than targeted.
Phase Three: Survival Simulation
Forest scenario. Team coordination.
Kaen quietly guided his assigned group without overt leadership — subtle suggestions, positioning adjustments, efficient resource use.
They passed comfortably.
Instructors noted:
"Good situational awareness. Stable temperament."
No mention of exceptional power.
Perfect.
By evening, results were announced.
Graduation achieved.
Genin status confirmed.
Applause felt subdued.
Pride mixed with apprehension.
Because everyone knew:
This wasn't normal graduation.
This was mobilization.
Later that night, Kaen stood on the rooftop again.
Observation Haki spread across Konoha:
War preparations accelerating.
Supply movements increasing.
Shinobi deployment orders being drafted.
Reality settling in.
Hitomi joined him quietly.
"We did it," she said.
"Yes."
"Ready?"
Kaen answered honestly.
"As ready as anyone can be."
Which, in wartime, meant:
Not fully.
But prepared enough.
Internally, the system updated subtly:
Points from exam victories.
Lottery still available.
Ultra Instinct goal inching closer.
Useful.
But not his focus tonight.
Because one realization overshadowed everything:
Childhood had ended.
Not gradually.
Abruptly.
War did that.
Yet Kaen remained calm.
Not because he felt nothing.
Because panic never helped survival.
Strength. Awareness. Choice.
Those mattered.
And he intended to keep all three.
No matter what war demanded.