The Hokage Office was wreathed in smoke.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the Jonin Instructors gathered in front of him and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
"I summoned you here; a glance around the room should tell you why."
"Have the other nations already been notified?" Asuma Sarutobi removed the cigarette from his mouth and continued, "Still... the Village has indeed seen a lot of foreign Ninja lately."
"Then when does it start?" Kurenai Yuhi interjected. "The Chunin selection exam!"
"In seven days." Hiruzen Sarutobi blew a smoke ring. "The annual Chunin Exams."
A brief silence settled over the office.
Several Jonin exchanged glances, each lost in thought.
"Seven days from now, the Chunin selection exam officially begins." Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe. "So, who among you wishes to nominate your subordinates?"
After a short pause, four figures stepped forward almost in unison.
Yamato, Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi.
The other Chunin and squad instructors present showed surprise.
The current class had graduated less than three months ago, yet four squads were being recommended for the Chunin Exams.
Looks like this year's rookies are something special!
Everyone thought to themselves.
However... as though recalling something, the group lifted their gaze to Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
No matter how you looked at it, this class was extraordinary —after all, it had produced a prodigy the Third Hokage himself had taken as a disciple!
"Please, wait a moment!"
At that moment Iruka squeezed through the crowd, looking anxious.
"Lord Hokage, honored instructors, isn't this too rushed? They just graduated; they lack experience. Entering the Chunin Exams now is premature! They'll face elites from other Villages, even life-and-death battles!"
Kakashi's eyelid drooped, his tone as lazy as ever, yet his words left no room for doubt: "Iruka, they're Ninja now."
"But they're still children!" Iruka retorted, voice trembling with agitation.
Kakashi's visible eye flicked toward him.
"I was a Chunin at six." He paused, then added firmly, "Besides, they aren't your students anymore —they're our subordinates."
The statement left Iruka choking on the words in his throat; he opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Enough, no need to argue..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand to forestall further dispute, then looked toward Iruka.
"Your concerns aren't groundless. Very well —set them a small test. Only those who pass may enter the exam. You will personally oversee it. How does that sound, Iruka?"
Hearing this, Iruka frowned, weighing the matter.
It was indeed a compromise —testing the students' abilities while keeping them from rushing into an exam beyond their level.
He drew a deep breath and nodded. "If that's the case... I agree."
"In that case..." A gentle smile crossed Yamato's broad face. "Iruka, if so, there's no need to test Shinichi."
The moment those words left his mouth, every eye in the office snapped toward Yamato, surprised and probing.
Though everyone knew Tejima Shinichi was the Hokage's disciple and exceptionally gifted, such blatant favoritism made some uncomfortable.
Was the Hokage's pupil above the rules?
Iruka's brow knitted. "Mr. Yamato, what do you mean? Even Shinichi should follow protocol; he can't just—"
Yamato lifted a hand, cutting Iruka short, and swept his gaze across the skeptical faces.
His smile faded a little as he said earnestly, "Everyone, it's not what you think. I'm not showing favoritism—on the contrary, I'm considering Iruka's safety."
"For my safety?" Iruka was stunned.
The others were equally puzzled —only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake understood.
Yamato nodded, his eyes roaming over every Ninja present as he spoke slowly:
"Because Shinichi's strength... is already no less than mine. If you test him without knowing his limits and he instinctively responds in earnest, it could be very dangerous for you."
"What?!"
"Not below Yamato?!"
"How is that possible?!"
Yamato's words sent shockwaves through the office.
Ninja who had kept their composure began whispering, faces stamped with disbelief and shock.
Not below Yamato?!
A Genin who'd graduated mere months ago, rivaling a Jonin in power?!
Those familiar with Yamato's background —Kakashi and several former Anbu —knew how formidable this seemingly gentle man had been in the dark sector.
Even those unaware of his exact record understood that anyone chosen as a Jonin Instructor was an elite among elites; there were no weak links here.
Yet a Genin, graduated less than three months, possessed Jonin-level strength?!
It sounded like pure fantasy.
But when their eyes drifted to the Third Hokage seated calmly behind drifting smoke, and they saw no hint of objection to Yamato's claim, disbelief slowly gave way to realization.
Yes... Tejima Shinichi, the disciple personally taken in by the Third Hokage.
They recalled the Third's previous pupils —the Legendary Sannin who had shaken the Ninja World. Though one had defected, none could deny their terrifying strength and talent.
If the successor to the Hokage's legacy possessed such overwhelming power, it was... not entirely unacceptable.
The commotion gradually quieted, yet every gaze toward the Third Hokage and the unruffled Yamato turned complex.
Yamato wasn't surprised, but he had to clarify.
He had expected their reaction; his need to speak plainly wasn't to boast of his student's might, but to avert a possible tragedy.
Two and a half months of intensive training and sparring had taught Yamato one undeniable fact —rather than saying Shinichi rivaled him, it was more accurate to admit he could no longer fathom the boy's depths.
Thanks to his status as the Hokage's disciple, Shinichi had studied numerous Jutsu recorded in the sealed scroll—everything except Wood Release.
His growth had long since defied common sense.
Should Iruka launch a surprise attack during the test, Shinichi's honed danger reflexes might trigger an instantaneous lethal counter.
After all, the shadow of Root still clung to the boy.
Any sudden threat would activate his most primal defense —one-hit kill.
Involuntarily, Yamato recalled the Root Ninja Shinichi had once Rasengan-blasted in the head, and his own expression darkened.
If back then Shinichi had needed a Rasengan for a headshot, right now... he wouldn't bother with such trouble.
He was practically a One-Punch Man!!!
'The Senju clan's monstrous strength... utterly brutal!!!'
At that moment Hiruzen Sarutobi rapped his pipe, drawing everyone's attention back.
"Very well—Shinichi is exempted from testing and gains direct entry to the Chunin Exams." He finalized, turning to Kakashi Hatake and the others. "As for the remaining Genin, the test proceeds as planned. Iruka, I'll leave it to you."
Iruka opened his mouth, looked from the Third Hokage to the composed Yamato, then swallowed his questions and worries and simply nodded.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"