Chapter 311: Naruto and Hinata Are Preparing to Graduate Early
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the wide windows of the Hokage's office, casting long shadows across the towering stacks of paperwork.
"Someone."
The single word had barely left Uchiha Akira's lips before the air in the center of the room warped. An Anbu operative, face hidden behind a porcelain animal mask, materialized from the shadows and dropped to one knee.
"Go to the Ninja Academy," Akira ordered, his voice calm but carrying an absolute, unquestionable weight. "Summon Iruka Umino."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Anbu operative bowed his head. A faint rustle of fabric echoed through the silent office, and with a blur of the Body Flicker Technique, the operative vanished, leaving only a faint breeze in his wake.
More than ten minutes passed in quiet efficiency.
A gentle, rhythmic knock finally broke the silence.
"Hokage-sama, Iruka Umino has arrived," the guard's voice announced from the corridor.
"Let him in."
The heavy oak doors pushed open. Iruka Umino stepped over the threshold, taking a slow, deep breath to steady his racing heart. A faint sheen of nervous sweat clung to his palms.
This was far from his first time standing in this room. Yet, every single time he crossed that doorway, a deep sense of awe gripped his chest. Konoha's military might and economic prosperity had reached terrifying new heights, eclipsing every previous era in the village's long history. And the architect of this golden age sat right in front of him.
Uchiha Akira.
Iruka immediately lowered his gaze, bowing deeply at the waist. "Hokage-sama, you sent for me."
"Iruka." Akira leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the polished mahogany desk. He gestured casually toward the empty chair opposite him.
"No... I wouldn't dare. I will just stand," Iruka replied quickly, his posture rigidly straight.
Akira did not insist. He preferred efficiency anyway. "I called you here regarding Naruto and Hinata."
Hearing those two names, the tension bleeding into Iruka's shoulders instantly dissolved. As their homeroom instructor at the Ninja Academy, he cared for those two children more than anyone else. Especially Naruto. That lonely, isolated boy who had once been the target of the entire village's scorn, acting out just to steal a glance of acknowledgment, had completely transformed. Under the Hokage's personal guidance, Naruto was rapidly growing into a terrifyingly capable shinobi.
A proud, genuine smile tugged at the corners of Iruka's mouth.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto and Hinata have both performed exceptionally well in the recent practicals. Especially Naruto, his chakra control and—"
"Their time at the Ninja Academy ends now," Akira interrupted, his tone flat and decisive. "Arrange for their early graduation."
The proud smile froze on Iruka's face.
"Wh—what?" Iruka blinked, his mind struggling to process the command. "Graduate early?"
His first instinct was to call it absurd. How old were Naruto and Hinata? According to the standard curriculum established by the Second Hokage, they still had nearly two full years before they were scheduled to take the Genin exams. Graduating them now shattered every academic regulation in the book.
"Hokage-sama!" Iruka stepped forward, a hint of protective urgency bleeding into his voice. "Isn't this... isn't this far too early? Although Naruto and Hinata possess excellent combat skills, they are still children. Their mental maturity might not be fully developed for the battlefield, and they haven't finished the advanced theoretical courses yet..."
He swallowed hard, pushing through his hesitation. "To throw them into active duty so soon... isn't it a bit rushed?"
Akira simply looked at him.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't scowl. He merely rested his dark, bottomless eyes on the academy instructor.
The remaining protests died in Iruka's throat. The air in the office suddenly felt incredibly thin. A suffocating, invisible pressure settled over the room, pressing down on Iruka's shoulders until fine beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead. Only in that suffocating silence did Iruka realize what he had just done.
He had let his emotions dictate his tongue. He had directly questioned the Hokage's judgment.
"Iruka," Akira said softly, breaking the crushing silence. "Let me ask you a question. How old was Kakashi Hatake when he graduated from the Ninja Academy?"
Iruka flinched, caught completely off guard by the historical pivot. "He... he was five years old."
"And how old was he when he was promoted to Chunin?"
"Six years old..."
The realization hit Iruka like a physical blow. The pieces clicked into place.
"Since Kakashi could graduate at five and command a squad as a Chunin at six," Akira said, leaning back against the leather upholstery of his chair, "then tell me, why can't Naruto? Do you truly believe his current strength is inferior to a five-year-old Kakashi?"
Naruto's strength.
Flashes of the recent practical exams played out in Iruka's mind. He saw the blinding, razor-sharp gales of Naruto's Wind Release Ninjutsu tearing through training logs. He heard the terrifying, high-pitched screech of the Rasengan spinning wildly in the boy's palm, radiating chakra fluctuations so dense they made the air vibrate. He remembered the final spar for the top student position, where Naruto had overwhelmingly, almost casually, crushed the recognized prodigy of his generation, Sasuke Uchiha.
Iruka asked himself the question honestly.
If Naruto were placed in the active roster right now, he wouldn't just be a Genin. With his monstrous chakra reserves and lethal jutsu arsenal, most veteran Chunin in the village wouldn't even last three minutes against him.
Keeping a monster like that sitting at a wooden desk, listening to lectures on basic shuriken trajectories... it wasn't just unnecessary. It was a waste of time.
A bitter, self-deprecating realization washed over Iruka. He had been so blinded by rigid regulations and standard curriculums that he had tried to force a extraordinary genius into a standard mold.
"It was my mistake... I was too narrow-minded, Hokage-sama." Iruka bowed his head deeply, his face flushing with shame. "Naruto's combat prowess has long since shattered the graduation standards."
"As for Hinata," Akira's voice echoed through the spacious office. "She is the same."
Iruka nodded immediately. He couldn't refute that either. The Hyuga heiress had shed her timid shell, displaying a lethal, precise mastery of the Gentle Fist that left her instructors speechless.
"Hokage-sama, I understand perfectly." Iruka bowed again, his posture rigid with newfound resolve.
"Since they already possess the wings to soar, there is no reason to keep them locked inside a cage," Akira stated, his gaze drifting toward the window overlooking the village.
Iruka nodded heavily, etching those words into his mind. "I will return to the Academy and arrange their graduation assessments immediately!"
Akira waved a hand in dismissal.
Iruka bowed one final time and backed away slowly, not daring to turn his back until he had crossed the threshold and pulled the heavy oak doors shut.
Ninja Academy.
The golden afternoon sun streamed through the large classroom windows, illuminating the dancing motes of dust suspended in the air. The history instructor stood at the podium, droning on about the territorial borders during the Second Great Ninja War. The monotonous lecture had successfully lulled half the class into a drowsy stupor.
Only a handful of students kept their eyes on the chalkboard.
In the back row, Naruto slouched in his seat, idly twirling a pen between his fingers. It spun in a flawless, rapid blur. His blue eyes drifted toward the window, watching a hawk circle the Hokage Monument, his mind miles away from the classroom.
Suddenly, the wooden door slid open with a sharp clatter.
Iruka stepped into the doorway.
His sudden appearance acted like a bucket of ice water. The sluggish, sleepy atmosphere in the classroom vanished instantly. Every student snapped to attention, their eyes locked on the scarred instructor.
The history teacher paused mid-sentence, setting down his chalk. "Teacher Iruka."
Iruka offered a brief nod of acknowledgment before his sharp gaze swept across the rows of desks, finally locking onto his two targets.
"Naruto. Hinata." Iruka's voice carried a serious weight. "You two, step out into the hall for a moment."
Naruto blinked, the spinning pen dropping onto his desk with a clack. He pointed a finger at his own chest. "Me? Teacher Iruka, did something happen?"
A few seats away, Hinata stood up gracefully, her pale eyes reflecting a quiet curiosity.
"It is an order from Hokage-sama," Iruka said, offering zero room for negotiation.
Hokage-sama.
The lazy, bored expression on Naruto's face evaporated. His eyes sharpened into focused slits. He sprang from his chair, his movements suddenly carrying the lethal, coiled energy of an active shinobi, and bolted out the door.
Hinata followed closely behind, her footsteps completely silent against the wooden floorboards.
The moment the door slid shut, the classroom erupted into a frenzy of hushed, buzzing whispers.
"Did Naruto get into trouble again?" a boy whispered loudly.
"Are you an idiot? Impossible!" another student hissed back. "Naruto is the top ranker in the entire academy now. Besides, Hokage-sama is his personal master! Why would he be in trouble?"
Out in the quiet corridor, Iruka walked to the far end of the hallway before turning around to face his students.
He looked at Naruto, whose sharp jawline and intense blue eyes were looking more and more like the Fourth Hokage every single day. Then he looked at Hinata, standing quietly by his side, exuding a calm, unshakable aura that demanded respect.
A wave of bittersweet emotion swelled in Iruka's chest.
Time truly was merciless. These two children, who used to sit in his classroom and struggle with basic transformation jutsu, had already grown to a height that even he had to look up to.
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