Graduation Day arrived.
The Konoha Ninja Academy’s graduation exam in this era looked nothing like the one future generations would remember.
War was approaching.
The Third Shinobi World War lurked just beyond the horizon, drawing closer with every passing month.
In times like these, combat ability outweighed almost everything else.
Many of the values born during the Warring States Era still lingered within the shinobi world.
Strength mattered.
Strength earned respect.
Strength kept people alive.
And because of Orochimaru’s newly introduced team format, this year’s examination had attracted far more attention than usual.
The Academy Training Grounds were crowded.
Chunin.
Special Jonin.
Jonin.
Even a few high-ranking shinobi with no official reason to be there.
Officially, they had come to observe the graduating class.
Unofficially, they were hunting for talent.
A promising graduate could become an apprentice.
A future subordinate.
A trusted teammate.
Or, if fortune smiled, the foundation of Konoha’s next generation.
Rows of students stood ready as instructors organized the event.
“The first team: Asuma Sarutobi, Hinata Mei, Mizuno Masao.”
Asuma stepped onto the field with his teammates.
The examination began immediately.
Despite serving as one of Ren’s favorite punching bags, Asuma remained the Third Hokage’s son.
His training was exceptional.
His fundamentals were solid.
His taijutsu was well-developed.
Combined with two competent teammates, he quickly pressured the Chunin examiner.
The three coordinated effectively, covering one another’s weaknesses and exploiting openings as they appeared.
Watching from the sidelines, several shinobi nodded approvingly.
“Not bad.”
“Good teamwork.”
“The Third Hokage raised him well.”
“He’s already approaching elite Genin standards.”
“You can tell they prepared in advance.”
The assessments were overwhelmingly positive.
One observing Jonin folded his arms and sighed.
“Lord Orochimaru’s format is surprisingly clever.”
Several others nodded.
The new examination revealed much more than raw strength.
Choosing teammates required judgment.
A shinobi needed to understand his own abilities.
Recognize his weaknesses.
Evaluate others accurately.
Build trust.
Coordinate under pressure.
Lead when necessary.
A team-based examination exposed all of those qualities.
Asuma’s group demonstrated them well.
The next team was a different story.
Individually, they were talented.
Collectively, they were a disaster.
All three wanted to lead.
Arguments broke out in the middle of combat.
Orders contradicted one another.
Coordination collapsed almost immediately.
They still managed to pass.
Barely.
But several Jonin quietly crossed their names off their mental lists.
Strength alone wasn’t enough.
A shinobi who couldn’t work with others often became more trouble than they were worth.
At the best viewing position stood Orochimaru.
His loose robes swayed gently in the wind.
His arms remained folded.
Golden eyes watched the battlefield without missing a single detail.
An invisible space surrounded him.
His reputation was simply too intimidating.
One of the Legendary Sannin.
The man many believed would become the Fourth Hokage.
And somehow, even those titles failed to capture how dangerous he truly felt.
“Lord Orochimaru.”
A warm voice interrupted his thoughts.
Orochimaru glanced sideways.
A familiar blond shinobi approached.
“Minato.”
A faint smile appeared.
“You’re here.”
Minato Namikaze smiled back.
Bright blond hair.
Gentle blue eyes.
The sort of person people instinctively trusted.
“I’m looking for future teammates.”
He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
“Kakashi graduated too early. Finding people his age has become difficult.”
His gaze drifted toward the field.
“So I thought I’d see if any promising students stood out.”
The words sounded sincere.
Because they were.
When other people spoke about nurturing Konoha’s future, it often sounded political.
When Minato said it, people simply believed him.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
“How diligent.”
Minato laughed.
“Coming from you, that’s unexpected.”
His eyes moved toward the examination field.
“Most Jonin wouldn’t bother attending an Academy graduation.”
“Normally, neither would I.”
Orochimaru’s gaze narrowed slightly.
“This time, however, the old man specifically asked me to evaluate someone.”
Minato’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Oh?”
Orochimaru gestured toward the entrance.
“Here he comes.”
Minato followed his gaze.
A tall Academy student stepped onto the field.
Relaxed.
Confident.
Smiling.
Two girls followed behind him.
Kurenai Yuhi.
Rin Nohara.
Minato’s expression sharpened slightly.
Even at a glance, he could tell the boy was unusual.
Experienced shinobi learned to read people through movement alone.
Posture.
Balance.
Footwork.
Awareness.
Every detail revealed information.
“So that’s Ren Akihara?”
“The same one.”
Orochimaru nodded.
“To be safe, I assigned an elite Jonin as his examiner.”
Minato raised an eyebrow.
That was highly unusual.
Most graduation examinations used Chunin evaluators.
Because they were Academy students.
Even gifted Academy students.
But Ren wasn’t being treated as a normal student anymore.
Anyone capable of defeating Kakashi Hatake and Shisui Uchiha could not be evaluated through ordinary standards.
A Chunin simply wasn’t enough.
Minato’s interest deepened.
Orochimaru’s eyes never left the field.
An elite Jonin was still an elite Jonin.
Victory should be impossible.
But victory wasn’t what interested him.
Decision-making.
Adaptability.
Judgment.
Those were the qualities that revealed a shinobi’s true value.
What would this fascinating student choose to do?
On the field, Ren turned toward his teammates.
His expression grew serious.
“Remember the plan.”
Kurenai hesitated.
Rin looked uncertain.
Even now, neither of them felt entirely comfortable with it.
Unfortunately…
They had already agreed.
“Right.”
“We remember.”
“Good.”
Ren nodded with satisfaction.
“Then let’s begin.”
The next moment—
Both girls dramatically removed their cloaks.
The audience blinked.
Underneath were matching outfits.
Bright red tops.
Athletic shorts.
Pom-poms.
For several seconds, the entire training ground fell silent.
Then the cheering began.
“Go, Ren!”
“Ren is invincible!”
“Ren will win!”
“Let’s go, Ren!”
Pom-poms shook enthusiastically.
The voices echoed across the battlefield.
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
The elite Jonin examiner stared.
The observing shinobi stared.
Minato stared.
Even Orochimaru’s expression froze for a fraction of a second.
Nobody understood what they were looking at.
Was this some obscure tactical formation?
A psychological warfare strategy?
A forgotten clan technique?
An advanced support method?
What exactly was happening?
Meanwhile, Ren grinned.
“Excellent.”
He rolled his shoulders.
Cracked his knuckles.
Then launched forward.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
A shockwave swept across the field.
At that moment, everyone watching realized a horrifying truth.
This…
This was the strategy.
The entire strategy.
Last night’s team meeting had apparently produced a single conclusion.
Kurenai would cheer.
Rin would cheer.
Ren would handle literally everything else.
Operation Codename:
I’ll Carry You All the Way.