12 - Haven’t You Considered Graduating Early?

It was the ninth day since his father left on a mission.

Though his father had left him two months' worth of living expenses, Kakashi Hatake still made his own breakfast.

After eating and washing the dishes, it was time for Kakashi to head to school.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Poof, poof—

With a burst of white smoke, three Kakashis appeared in the living room. Two of them then formed more seals.

"Transformation Technique!"

They morphed into Obito Uchiha and Yuto Souta.

The three clones slung on their backpacks, trudging toward school with glum expressions.

Today marked the ninth day he still couldn't beat the Uchiha duo…

Kakashi glanced in the mirror, catching the defiance in his own eyes.

He wasn't convinced!

He still remembered the technique that guy had used that morning…

How could a single Great Fireball spawn three fire dragons?

His Earth-Style Wall couldn't hold it back at all, so…

He'd lost, plain and simple.

In the days that followed, he hadn't given up challenging them.

Knife skills, taijutsu, ninjutsu—he'd thrown everything he'd learned into the mix.

And by last night, the number of fire dragons had reached nine…

It was the first time he'd seen someone turn Great Fireball into a defensive technique!

But last night, Yuto Souta had formally extended an invitation.

Train together, skip class together!

He'd agreed.

The entry fee? Just creating shadow clones daily to cover for all three of them at school…

Noon.

The exhausted trio finally wrapped up their morning training.

Today, it was Obito's turn to fish in the river for food, leaving Yuto Souta and Kakashi to rest on the spot.

Watching Yuto Souta, who seized every second to close his eyes and refine chakra, Kakashi's gaze wavered with hesitation.

This morning's sparring had ended, as usual, with one win and one loss.

Obito couldn't beat him, but he couldn't beat Yuto Souta.

This time, though, he felt he'd been this close… If not for running out of chakra at the end, he might've won.

That got him thinking about the chakra drain from those three shadow clones this morning.

"Souta-san… haven't you ever considered graduating early?" After a moment's hesitation, Kakashi voiced his question.

Yuto Souta, mid-chakra recovery, opened his eyes.

Before him, his attribute panel popped up.

[Host: Yuto Souta (Apprentice Genin), Current World: Naruto World]

[Life Energy: 1300 (Standard Genin range: 1000-3000)]

[Chakra Capacity: 1050 (Standard Genin range: 900-2500)]

[Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (Not Awakened)]

[Ninjutsu Arsenal: 7]

[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique Lv1 (99/100), Grand Fire Dragon Technique (99/100), Nested Great Fireball Technique (99/100)]

[Wind Release/Nitrogen Release: Great Breakthrough Lv1 (99/100), Gale Breakthrough Lv1 (99/100), Nitrogen Flow Lv1 (95/100), Great Nitrogen Flow (95/100)]

[Initial Research Points: 0]

[Personal Aura (1): Ninjutsu Master Lv1 (Offensive ninjutsu power increased by 100%, all ninjutsu chakra consumption reduced by 50%)]

[Current Mission (Main): Graduate from the Ninja Academy. Reward: Unknown, Fixed Reward: System Shop Unlocked]

They'd been skipping class for half a month.

Intense training, combined with his growing body… his ninjutsu proficiencies had hit the apprentice genin ceiling.

His life energy and chakra capacity had reached standard genin levels.

Even with his cautious, scientific mindset, graduating from the ninja academy felt like a sure thing.

After all, he had the Ninjutsu Master aura backing him up.

Kakashi's comment actually sparked some interest…

Truth be told, not graduating early was a valid choice too.

Seeing Yuto Souta hadn't answered, Kakashi continued.

"My father wouldn't let me graduate early… He says the ninja world isn't stable right now, and building a strong foundation matters."

Mentioning his father, a trace of pride flickered in Kakashi's eyes.

That left Yuto Souta, who'd been about to respond, momentarily at a loss for words…

Kakashi hadn't hidden that Sakumo Hatake was away.

At this point in time…

Yuto Souta's gaze toward Kakashi carried a hint of sympathy.

"Here's a suggestion, Kakashi…" Yuto Souta said, a bit conflicted.

"You could go back and talk to your dad about his glass… uh?"

Mid-sentence, the sound of fighting from afar made Yuto Souta's brow furrow.

It was coming from the direction Obito had gone to catch fish!

"We'll talk graduation later—Obito's in danger!"

Leaving that rushed sentence behind, Yuto Souta's figure vanished.

Kakashi hesitated for a split second before following close behind.