Silence. Then the crowd erupted.
Parents exchanged bewildered glances. Students stood slack-jawed.
Minutes ago they'd been privately congratulating themselves on graduating to genin, only for the bombshell of Makoto's chunin status to detonate in their midst.
And before the dust settled, the man himself had strolled up and casually announced he was a jonin.
It was a hard feeling to describe. It was like learning to throw your first punch, stepping into the ring, and watching Mohammad Alai climb through the ropes.
But just as you drop to your knees in defeat, he grabs a microphone and announces: Your actual opponent is Yuujirou Hanma.
Tobe Kakeru's jaw hung open wide enough to fit a fist inside.
He'd spent the last ten minutes parading back and forth in front of Hina Ebina, making sure she noticed his shiny new forehead protector.
Graduating from the Ninja Academy was supposed to be his moment, a chance to claw back even a scrap of dignity in front of the girl he liked.
Then Makoto had backhanded him with reality.
What the hell, man. You got here two years before us, but this is ridiculous.
Four years in this world had taught Tobe exactly how much weight the jonin rank carried.
Every hidden village in the world would kill for one. And on top of that, Makoto bore the title of the Third Hokage's personal disciple.
The Akizuki sisters stood in the crowd, unable to look anywhere else.
Their eyes traced every line of Makoto's new vest, gazes soft and lingering, practically melting.
Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama and the other three girls who'd spent four years as servants in Makoto's household stared with eyes like dinner plates.
They knew the man they served was no ordinary person, but this was beyond anything they'd imagined.
Mrs. Yukinoshita pressed her lips together, something flickering behind her eyes.
A jonin... how strong is that, exactly?
Four years trapped in this world, and Konohagakure had been peaceful the entire time.
The greatest display of power she'd witnessed was the Rasengan Makoto had formed before the transmigration. Four years later, how far had he come?
Mrs. Yukinoshita was deeply curious.
"So..." Ichinose Chizuru spoke up, a thought clicking into place. "Mako... Nishikado, does that mean you might be assigned as our jonin instructor?"
The people around her froze.
Iruka had mentioned it during the announcement: after a week's break, they'd return to the Academy for squad assignments. Three-person cells, each led by a jonin.
If Makoto was a jonin now, then theoretically...
"Really?"
Airi's eyes lit up like a switch had been flipped. She latched onto Makoto's arm, shaking it back and forth, lashes fluttering. What she was hoping for couldn't have been more obvious.
"It's possible, but I don't know who I'd be assigned yet."
Mid-sentence, his gaze drifted to the far corner of the schoolyard.
Under the big tree, on the lone swing, sat a solitary figure.
Naruto.
The blond boy hung his head, fingers white-knuckled around the chains, the toe of one sandal tracing absent patterns in the dirt.
Most of the crowd still orbited Makoto, but from the corner of the yard, the whispers of the local parents drifted over like buzzing flies.
"What is wrong with these people?" Sonoko Suzuki's brow creased. She kept her voice low.
Four years here, and she'd seen more than enough of how the villagers treated Naruto.
Her temper flared the way it always did. Back in the early days she'd wanted to intervene, but a quick reality check reminded her she wasn't the Suzuki Group heiress anymore.
Eri had warned her not to start trouble. So she'd bitten her tongue.
But she genuinely couldn't understand it. He was a kid. What could a child possibly have done to deserve those looks from grown adults?
On his way out, Makoto took a small detour.
He passed by Naruto and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "There's always next time."
Naruto raised his head and forced a smile.
Makoto gave him a nod and said nothing more.
They'd gotten along well enough when he first enrolled at the Academy.
After his early graduation, they'd rarely crossed paths. But that was fine. He had no intention of replacing Sasuke as "that one person" in Naruto's heart.
The kid was the shinobi world's most devoted bro. Makoto had zero interest in developing that brand of "Konoha friendship."
His appearance had left the other players with mixed feelings, but the mood was still festive on the whole. Superhuman abilities were superhuman abilities, after all. Hard to complain about that.
With the ceremony over, players who had parents headed home for celebratory dinners. Those without parents went back to the orphanage.
Makoto was rounding up the Akizuki sisters and Yui's group to head home when...
"My kunai has never tasted defeat either"
The roar split the air.
A black blur shot out from the crowd, kunai flashing cold in the light, lunging straight for Makoto.
"Aaah!"
Yui, mid-conversation with Yumiko Miura, yelped and dove behind Makoto's back.
Everyone present froze. They'd passed their graduation exams, sure, but at the end of the day they were still green rookies who'd never seen real combat.
Makoto didn't even blink.
The instant the blur reached him, he raised one hand, casual and unhurried.
Flick.
One finger to the forehead.
"OWWW!"
The attacker flipped backwards and crashed flat on the ground.
Now everyone could see who it was: a kid who looked about eight, missing a front tooth, currently rolling around clutching his forehead and howling.
"You were eavesdropping outside, weren't you, Konohamaru."
Makoto grinned down at the little brat.
Konohamaru rubbed the fresh red welt blooming between his eyes and flashed a gap-toothed grin. "Heh heh, that's Big Bro for you! That's exactly how you should deal with an old geezer like Danzo. Rip right into him!"
Makoto laughed, hauled him off the ground by the collar, and gave him a light smack on the back of the head.
The other players stared in stunned silence.
Hold on. Were they seeing this right?
This was Sarutobi Konohamaru. The Third Hokage's biological grandson. Third-generation political royalty.
And the look of pure worship on the kid's face as he gazed up at Makoto...
Some of the players who'd just started recovering their morale sank right back into despair.
Being outclassed in ability was one thing. Being outclassed in connections too was just cruel.
Airi planted her hands on her hips, chin high, chest proudly puffed out.
See? That's how popular my man is.
Mrs. Yukinoshita watched Makoto's retreating figure, her two daughters and husband beside her, and sighed quietly. If only Makoto were my son...
That evening, the Akizuki house was livelier than New Year's.
To celebrate all six household members graduating, Kayoko Akizuki and Ichinose Chizuru had teamed up to prepare a feast.
The four-girl group had moved in as "servants" years ago, but after four years they were family in all but name. Of course, the housework and attending to Makoto's needs were still their responsibility.
After dinner, Makoto produced two slips of paper and handed them to the sisters.
"What's this?" Airi blinked.
Marina took hers and studied it. "I remember... Grandpa Sarutobi gave you one of these, didn't he?"
"Chakra paper," Makoto confirmed. "Channel your Chakra into it and it'll reveal your elemental affinity."
The room went quiet for a beat.
Everyone remembered the apprenticeship ceremony four years ago, when the Third Hokage had done the same thing with a single sheet of paper.
Kayoko noticed the flash of envy in the four girls' eyes and spoke up. "Makoto, what about Yui and the others?"
Of the four, Yui was her favorite. The girl had no talent for cooking, was hopelessly clumsy at cleaning, but threw herself into every task with everything she had.
That kind of earnest effort was the fastest way to an older woman's heart.
Makoto looked genuinely baffled. "They're not my women."
True enough.
But the smiles on the four girls' faces stiffened.
Especially the three besides Chizuru. They'd never harbored romantic feelings for him. Not yet, at least.
But four years of tending to his every need, scrubbing his back, giving massages, washing his feet... the physical closeness was incalculable.
Romantic or not, Makoto occupied a place in their hearts that wasn't easily defined.
And with one sentence, "They're not my women," he'd filed them neatly under "outsiders."
That stung.
The Akizuki sisters, Airi in particular, could barely keep the corners of their mouths from reaching their ears.
The giddy thrill of being the one who's favored and knowing it. What woman wouldn't love that?
A moment later, the Chakra paper reacted.
Airi's sheet split cleanly down the middle. The left half soaked through with water. The right half ignited and crumbled to ash.
Marina's paper split too: the left side drenched, the right side crumpling into a tight wad, as if something had crushed it from all sides.
"Water and Fire, and Water and Lightning..." Makoto rubbed his chin.
He hadn't expected both sisters to have such aggressive elemental affinities, and both carrying Water Release at that.
Then again, given the kind of characters they'd originated from... a natural aptitude for water made perfect sense.
He stood and headed for the courtyard. "Follow me. I'll teach you a couple of techniques."
The Ninja Academy only covered the Three Basic Jutsu and fundamental combat skills. The Body Flicker was as advanced as it got.
Offensive ninjutsu like the Great Fireball or the Water Dragon Bullet were left for jonin instructors to teach.
He'd give the Akizuki sisters a head start.
Behind him, Yui and the others stood rooted in place, watching his back, their expressions a tangle of emotions too complicated to name.