"Weak!?"
The one who came to inform Jokichi of the news was Mizuki. Hearing Jokichi's answer at this time, he subconsciously glanced at the large swath of destroyed forest with obvious scorch marks behind him.
Then he fell into deep thought.
Was it that he himself was too much of a weakling, always mistaking weakness for strength, or had the times changed, and this level of standard could only be considered weak now?
No, it must be that this guy has some misunderstanding of the word "weak"!
In fact, many people in Konoha knew about Jokichi's strength.
Although they did not know the exact details, they were still aware of his general level.
After all, even though the 39th Training Ground was remotely located, it was still just a public training ground in Konoha.
Year-round, there would always be people coming here.
Although those people might not necessarily know who Jokichi was, and Jokichi did not know them either.
But, the only ones who would come to the training ground were ninjas.
Even with just a fleeting glance, one could somewhat deduce a few things from the traces of training.
Mizuki was someone who had coincidentally come here and knew Jokichi's approximate strength.
It was precisely because of this that he proposed letting Jokichi and Sasuke graduate early.
At this time, Mizuki had not yet thought about betraying Konoha.
He was solely focused on relying on his performance to gain an opportunity to elevate his status and strength.
As a teacher, there was no better performance record than producing a few geniuses.
But now...
Hearing the meaning in Jokichi's words, he had absolutely no intention of graduating early at all.
How could this do? My performance record entirely depends on you and Sasuke!
Especially you, the first place.
The corners of Mizuki's mouth twitched, and then he broke into a smile. "Um, Jokichi, you might not know this, but your current strength is actually already very high. Even a teacher like me might not necessarily be your match."
"I know that!"
Jokichi pointed at Ryohei to the side and said nonchalantly, "This person used to be an Anbu squad captain, a Jonin, and he just lost to me."
"I have not lost yet," Ryohei corrected indignantly.
Although the final situation was unfavorable to him, he still had a way to resolve it.
At the very least, the battle was not over.
However, his indignant expression clearly made him look like one of those sore losers who refused to admit defeat even to death.
It would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but the moment he opened his mouth, it directly made Mizuki confirm it as a fact.
While shocked by Jokichi's talent, he was also wild with joy. "Since you possess the strength to defeat a Jonin, then..."
"It took a huge amount of effort to win, and I might not necessarily win next time. Isn't this very weak?"
"..."
Mizuki fell silent, and Ryohei also fell silent.
He was too lazy to even bother correcting the fact that he hadn't lost.
"Um, Jokichi..." Mizuki forced a smile and asked, "What level do you consider to be strong?"
"At least the level of the First Hokage!" Jokichi replied as a matter of course.
"..."
The corners of Mizuki's and Ryohei's mouths seemed to twitch.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but did not know what to say.
"Well, I am joking, just joking." Jokichi waved his hand and giggled, "Even I know that wanting to reach that level just by burying my head in hard training is a bit unrealistic."
"I-Is that so."
Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, reaching the Third Hokage's level is still doable."
"Cough, cough!"
Mizuki, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, choked on Jokichi's words.
Ryohei cast a pitying glance.
Having trained with Jokichi for so long, he was already familiar with his personality.
He knew that Jokichi was deliberately teasing Mizuki.
Although he did not know what kind of grudge or hatred they had, or if it was purely a prank or something.
In short, Mizuki was not going to have a good time.
"Mizuki-sensei, what is wrong?"
Jokichi put on a concerned look but took a step back to open up some distance. "Recently there are rumors of an infectious disease going around the village. You haven't caught this disease, have you!"
"I..."
Mizuki, who had just recovered, choked instantly and could not speak.
You are the freaking one who caught an infectious disease.
However, he was a ninja after all, and still possessed some professionalism.
He also saw through it; Jokichi was deliberately mocking him.
Although he did not know why, Mizuki also did not want to bicker with a child over these things.
Moreover, this was just an insignificant prank.
Deep breath, calm the mind.
Mizuki blinked and smiled, "Jokichi, putting aside whether your level is weak or not, the academy can no longer teach you anything. Continuing to stay at the academy will only waste your talent, so..."
"Stop!" Jokichi reached out a hand to interrupt Mizuki's words. "I can learn and become stronger at the academy."
"Jokichi, I am a teacher."
"But I am stronger than you."
"In terms of teaching people, I am a professional."
"I am more formidable than you."
"I..."
"I can beat ten of you."
Mizuki's hard-earned calm mindset almost collapsed again.
However, despite steadying his mindset, Mizuki also saw through it; Jokichi was dead set on not graduating early.
He immediately stopped saying anything more, said his goodbyes, and left.
Mizuki left cleanly and crisply. Jokichi opened his mouth, feeling slightly unfulfilled; he had wanted to tease him a bit more.
After all, training was a very tedious thing. Having someone come as a flavoring agent would bring some joy to the tedious days.
But since the person had already left, he would just forget it.
Jokichi turned to face Ryohei, pointed his longsword at him, brimming with battle intent. "Let us continue our previous battle!"
"There is no need." Ryohei gently shook his head. "You are already very proficient in the use of various ninjutsu and techniques. Coupled with that astonishing chakra and recovery speed, in terms of combat power, you have already surpassed me."
"In terms of combat power?" Jokichi looked at Ryohei in confusion and asked, "Do you mean mission experience?"
"That is right." Ryohei nodded and said, "A ninja's missions face all sorts of situations. Many times, factors unrelated to combat power will appear."
"For example?"
"For example, an assassination mission. If you are assassinating an important figure, you must have experience in infiltration. Once your infiltration experience is insufficient, you will easily be discovered and subsequently surrounded and annihilated."
"Or for example, an escort mission. You must see through the traps along the way and ensure you do not fall for stratagems like luring the tiger away from the mountain."
"Or again, for example, a mission involving conflicts with ninjas from other countries. If an encounter battle occurs during the mission, you must have the intellect and experience to remain unpanicked in the face of danger and rapidly make a decision."
"If I say it is very difficult for me to win against you in this kind of head-on battle, then if we met in a real mission, it is almost impossible for you to win against me. Of course, that refers to the situation where you do not use your items."
"Alright, I understand." Jokichi interrupted Ryohei's words and said, "In short, it is just some experience that must be accumulated by becoming an official ninja, right!"
"That is right." Ryohei nodded and said, "Moreover, we have been fighting life-and-death struggles for a whole year. We understand each other's ins and outs entirely too well. Continuing to fight will not only fail to increase your combat experience but will conversely cause you to develop cognitive biases."
"Which is to say..."
"I also feel you should officially graduate and become a ninja."
"I see!"
Jokichi thought for a moment and smiled. "...Since that is the case, then let us learn other ninjutsu!"
"Why?" Ryohei widened his eyes. "Did I not just say it? If you want to progress now, the best method is to become a ninja and accumulate experience."
"Because, I am too weak."