Time flowed like a placid river.
Two and a half years passed.
Linbei grew from a six-year-old into an eight-year-old.
His height shot up, transforming him from the malnourished, bean-sprout-thin child he once was into a sturdy, upright youth.
The baby fat on his face receded, leaving his features more defined, and beneath his messy black hair sat a pair of calm, steady eyes.
Tom hadn’t changed much.
He was the same as ever—his tuxedo-fur was spotless, his bowtie was tied perfectly straight, and his expression was perpetually caught somewhere between “disdain” and “boredom.”
The boy and the cat sat in the courtyard, two black tomoe spinning within their red irises.
The scene was both eerie and harmonious.
Over these two and a half years, Linbei’s strength had taken a qualitative leap.
His Chakra reserves had steadily reached the Jonin level.
While he couldn’t match the sheer volume of a genius Jonin like Kakashi, there was likely no one else in his age group who could compare, save for a monster like Itachi.
In terms of Taijutsu, Tom’s seven-fold reaction speed had become fully integrated into his instincts.
In his Ninja Academy Taijutsu classes, he could easily dodge every classmate’s attack and counter with surgical precision.
Of course, he always held back, maintaining the appearance of an “above-average” student.
His Rasengan had grown to the size of a basketball, capable of blasting a meter-deep crater into solid rock.
His Great Fire Dragon Jutsu could now reliably split into five dragons, each two meters long, with flames hot enough to turn sand into glass.
His Sharingan remained at two tomoe, but his insight and dynamic vision were more than twice as strong as when they first awakened.
He could clearly see the trajectory of high-speed shuriken, predict Ninjutsu types the moment an opponent began weaving signs, and even catch faint glimpses of the Chakra flow within an opponent’s body.
Everything was going according to plan.
The only thing Linbei agonized over was his graduation date.
“Linbei-kun, let’s apply for early graduation together!”
One day after school, Izumi ran up to him and leaned over his desk, her eyes sparkling.
Her hair was much longer than it had been two years ago, tied back in a ponytail, and while some of her baby fat had faded, her shallow dimples still appeared when she smiled.
“I want to graduate early!
I want to become a Genin!”
Linbei looked at her excited face and remained silent for a moment.
His original plan had been to lay low at the Ninja Academy until he was twelve.
Graduating at twelve would leave him with one year before the Night of the Extinction—tight, but safe.
But he had changed his mind.
If he graduated at twelve, he would only have one year.
Was it possible to go from Genin to a level capable of rivaling Itachi and Obito in just one year?
He’d be dreaming.
He needed more time.
More time to grow stronger, more time to lay his traps, and more time to win over those who could be swayed—like Shisui and Fugaku.
If he graduated at eight, he would gain an extra four years.
Four years.
That was enough time to do many things.
“Alright,” Linbei nodded.
“Let’s graduate together.”
Izumi’s smile was brighter than the sunlight streaming through the window.
***
Konoha Year 51, Spring.
The graduation exam was held at the dueling arena in the center of the village, just as it had been when Itachi graduated two years prior.
Linbei stood in the center of the field, facing the proctor.
Three-Body Technique—Transformation, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution.
Each was performed cleanly and efficiently, without flaw, yet without being flashy.
The proctor marked “Pass” on his clipboard with a neutral expression.
Taijutsu—He exchanged ten moves with the proctor, getting hit three times and landing one strike.
It was a mediocre performance that wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
Shuriken—Six targets at ten meters.
He hit five.
The proctor nodded and wrote down “Good.”
“Pass,” the proctor said, handing over a forehead protector.
“From this day forward, you are officially a Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village.”
Linbei took the protector, its silver metal glinting coldly in the sun.
He tied it around his forehead and turned to walk off the field.
Izumi was already waiting by the sidelines, her own brand-new protector tied on, her eyes curved into crescent moons from smiling.
“Linbei-kun!
We’re finally ninjas!”
“Yeah.” Linbei smiled, his gaze lingering on her forehead protector.
“We’re ninjas now.”
Izumi grabbed his sleeve, bubbling with excitement. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Let’s go celebrate!
I heard Amaguriama has a new dessert—”
“Not today.” Linbei interrupted her, his tone slightly urgent.
“I have something urgent to take care of.”
Izumi blinked, her smile faltering slightly.
“What’s so urgent?”
“Something very important,” Linbei said without further explanation.
“We’ll celebrate another day.
My treat.”
He turned and hurried away, leaving Izumi standing alone clutching her schoolbag, watching his retreating back.
“Linbei-kun…” Izumi whispered, her voice as light as a spring breeze.
Linbei didn’t hear her.
He walked quickly, almost breaking into a jog as he navigated the streets of Konoha, crossed the stone paths of the Uchiha compound, and burst through his front door.
*Thud.*
the moment the door closed behind him, he leaned against it, panting heavily.
It wasn’t from exhaustion.
It was excitement.
The moment he had accepted the forehead protector, he felt something trigger within him.
It was a subtle, indescribable sensation, like a string that had been pulled taut for a long time finally being plucked, emitting a low resonance.
Summoning Jutsu.
He could summon again.
“Tom!” Linbei called out.
“Meow.” Tom poked his head out from the kitchen, a half-eaten piece of dried fish clutched in his paw.
“It’s time.”
Tom tilted his head, then seemed to feel it too.
His ears perked up, his pupils constricted, and he dropped the fish to trot over and crouch by Linbei’s feet.
Linbei sat cross-legged in the center of the room and took a deep breath to steady his racing heart.
He bit his right thumb, and blood welled at the tip.
Hand signs—Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram.
Five signs in less than a second.
He slammed his bloodied palm onto the tatami mat.
“Summoning Jutsu!”
Chakra poured from his palm, spreading across the floor in black ink-like lines.
They extended outward like vines, weaving into a complex geometric seal.
Then—
*Poof!*
A massive cloud of white smoke exploded, filling the entire room.
The smoke was as thick as a winter fog, obscuring everything.
Linbei coughed a few times, squinting as he tried to see what was inside the haze.
Something was moving in the smoke.
It wasn’t an elegant, composed movement like Tom’s.
It was more of a…
how to put it?
A spongy, bouncy sort of movement.
The smoke gradually dissipated.
Linbei finally saw it.
There was something new in the room.
It was yellow.
It was square.
Its surface was covered in holes.
Standing about half a meter tall on the tatami mat, it wore a pair of brown shorts and a red necktie.
Its face held an expression that sat somewhere between “innocent” and “completely oblivious to what’s happening.”
It raised a limb—it was hard to tell if it was a hand or just more sponge—and waved at Linbei.
“Hi~”
Linbei’s jaw dropped.
SpongeBob SquarePants.
It was actually SpongeBob SquarePants.
The yellow sponge who lived in Bikini Bottom, who caught jellyfish, blew bubbles, and flipped Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab.
Countless thoughts flashed through Linbei’s mind.
An immortal body—he could be sliced into pieces and simply reform.
Cloning—he could be shredded into countless mini-clones.
Top-tier culinary skills—his speed at making Krabby Patties was absurd.
And then there was…
the “driving black hole” trait.
He had failed his driving test over 1.25 million times.
Linbei looked at SpongeBob standing on the mat, then looked down at Tom by his feet.
Tom was looking up, using his Sharingan to analyze the newcomer.
His expression was nuanced—it wasn’t hostility, nor was it curiosity; it was a look of weary resignation that said, “Not another one.”
SpongeBob noticed Tom as well.
He tilted his head, staring at Tom with his large, round eyes for three seconds, and then—
“Wow!
A kitty!” SpongeBob’s voice was high-pitched and bright, filled with genuine delight.
“Hi!
I’m SpongeBob SquarePants!
What’s your name?
Do you like catching jellyfish?
Can you blow bubbles?”
Tom’s ears flattened against his head, and his tail flicked irritably.
He pulled a small chalkboard from behind his back and wrote:
[I hate chatterboxes.]
SpongeBob leaned in to read the board, and his smile grew even wider.
“You can write!
That’s so cool!
Can you teach me?
I always get ink everywhere when I try to write!
Patrick says my handwriting looks like chicken scratches!”
Tom put the chalkboard away, turned around, and walked to a corner, sitting down with his back to SpongeBob.
His posture screamed: *I don’t know him.*
Watching this, Linbei’s lip twitched.
He could already imagine how chaotic his future days were going to be.
One cat who could do everything but hated talking.
One sponge who (seemingly) could do nothing but never stopped talking.
And he was stuck between these two oddities, trying to survive in a ninja world that was a ticking time bomb.
“Alright then.” Linbei stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and looked down at SpongeBob.
“Welcome to the team.”
SpongeBob’s eyes lit up like two stars.
“Really?
That’s great!
I can make Krabby Patties!
Do you want one?
I’ll make some right now!”
As he spoke, he reached behind—wait, did he have a pocket dimension back there too?—and pulled out a flat-top grill, a bag of flour, a jug of oil, a jar of secret sauce, a jar of pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and buns.
Linbei stared at the row of ingredients and was silent for three seconds.
“Where did you get all that stuff?”
SpongeBob tilted his head thoughtfully and said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “From behind me, of course!”
Linbei closed his eyes and took three deep breaths.
*Don’t argue with gag characters.*
*Do not argue with gag characters.*
Whether it’s one or two of them.
“Go ahead,” Linbei said.
“I’m actually quite hungry.”
SpongeBob’s smile was brighter than the sun.
He picked up a spatula and began grilling Krabby Patties.
Tom turned his head from the corner to steal a glance.
When the scent of the patties reached him, his ears twitched, and he reluctantly slunk over.
Linbei sat at the low table, watching SpongeBob busy himself at the grill and watching Tom pretend not to care while his tail wagged uncontrollably.
He looked down at the forehead protector at his waist.
A ninja.
He was finally a ninja.
And he had a new companion.
The road ahead was still very long.
Outside the window, the setting sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the old houses of the Uchiha compound a deep, burnt orange.