Three more days passed.
That afternoon, the school bell had long since rung, but the campus was unusually crowded with more students than usual.
The crowd whispered among themselves, their eyes all turning toward the classroom designated as the special examination room.
Today is the day Kakashi Hatake takes his early graduation exam.
Living up to his reputation as a genius, five-year-old Kakashi Hatake passed all the assessments with an impeccable performance and officially graduated from the Ninja Academy, breaking the record for the youngest graduate in Konoha's history.
After the exam, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was present to observe the exam, personally placed the Konoha headband, representing a Genin's status, on Kakashi's forehead.
Many people gathered at the entrance of the examination hall, and Shinichi was there too.
When the door was opened, Kakashi emerged with a brand-new headband on his forehead. He showed no joy at passing the test or breaking the record, nor any excitement at wearing the headband or becoming a ninja.
The face, mostly covered by a mask, had empty, lifeless eyes, like a puppet.
He ignored any classmates who gathered around to chat or offer congratulations, as if they didn't exist.
He simply lowered his head slightly, walked through the automatically parting crowd, and silently walked away slowly. His figure appeared exceptionally lonely and heavy in the long shadows cast by the setting sun.
Shinichi watched the small figure gradually disappearing into the distance, his face expressionless, his thoughts unknown.
After Kakashi left, the students who had gathered gradually dispersed.
Shinichi turned around, joined the flow of people leaving school, and started his way home.
The sky over Konoha remained azure, and life in the village seemed peaceful and normal, but Shinichi knew that this peace would not last long.
Four years.
At most, only four years.
Although his memory of the original timeline was vague and chaotic, he was still able to make a rough estimate through some definite nodes.
For example, most of their class, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Shizune, and even Obito Uchiha, who was a complete failure, graduated at the age of nine.
He himself started school a year later, and he will be ten years old when he graduates.
This means that Konoha's graduation policy will inevitably change in four years at most.
At that time, some major change must have occurred. Even if the Third Shinobi World War had not yet fully broken out, the situation must have suddenly become tense, causing the Konoha Council to have a strong sense of crisis and thus approve the graduation of a batch of students ahead of schedule to replenish manpower.
In other words, he has at most four more years of relatively stable time growing up on campus.
Four years later, whether or not he directly steps onto the most brutal battlefield, he will inevitably begin a true ninja career intertwined with blood and fire.
A sense of urgency, like the silent hand, began to strike clearly in his heart.
Walking in the afterglow of the setting sun, Shinichi's mind raced as he planned his future path.
Creating a persona, generating and upgrading talents, remains the most fundamental path to improving his strength, and this will never change.
The efficiency of generating and upgrading talents depends fundamentally on the distance, depth, and authority of external perceivers.
However, there is actually little difference in efficiency between studying at the Ninja Academy and becoming a Genin immediately after graduation, and it could even be said that the former is worse.
The real turning point is becoming a renowned ninja.
Only when he possesses a unique title that resonates throughout the Shinobi World, like the White Fang of Konoha, the legendary Sannin, and the Yellow Flash, will it mean that his existence is known, discussed, feared, or worshipped by countless ninjas and forces throughout the Shinobi World.
That would be a qualitative change in the scope of cognition, at which point the speed of generating and upgrading talent might truly explode.
Therefore, in these four years, he needs to try his best to get as many talents as possible and to get them as high as possible.
This was not only to ensure that he would start his ninja career at a high level and not perish early on, but also to shorten the time it would take him to become a renowned ninja.
At the same time, in addition to the talents themselves, how to effectively utilize existing resources to access and obtain higher-level techniques and guidance has also been put on the agenda.
His gaze fell on two special classmates, Takashi Ishizuka and Shizune.
Over the past few months, thanks to his gentle nature, consistently top grades, and the subtle help of the Friendly (White) talent, he has developed a very good relationship with his two deskmates.
His interactions with Takashi Ishizuka were the most direct and straightforward. This dark-skinned, strong, and cheerful boy was simple-minded and valued hard work and perseverance.
Shinichi's solid performance in Taijutsu and his diligent attitude were very much to his liking.
The two often sparred and exchanged martial arts tips, their relationship having long surpassed that of ordinary classmates, carrying a sense of mutual respect and companionship.
It seems like a viable path to get in touch with Master Chen, the martial arts master known as the Leaf Dragon God, through the Konoha.
As for his relationship with Shizune, it is a familiar and tacit understanding that has been developing over time.
Shizune is somewhat lazy and introverted, but she has keen observation skills and a kind heart.
As her deskmate, Shinichi's diligence, composure, and occasional displays of reliability gradually earned her trust and a slight fondness.
Now, she occasionally mentions that unreliable Tsunade-sama.
Relationships are a bridge, but how to cross that bridge, gain trust, and then receive guidance or instruction requires more sophisticated design and a better grasp of timing.
Four years is neither a short nor a long time. He must develop a more precise and efficient plan that incorporates the accumulation of talents, the leap in strength, and the building of key connections, and promotes them in parallel.
Shinichi slowed his pace and turned his gaze away from the gloomy sky.
Lead-gray clouds hung low, and the air was filled with the earthy smell and stuffiness characteristic of rain.
"It's going to rain."
He thought, quickening his pace home.
However, just as he turned a street corner, his heart skipped a beat without warning.
Like a vague pull, an inexplicable feeling, he involuntarily stopped and turned his gaze toward the west side of the village, towards that quiet cemetery.
He pondered for a moment, then turned and changed direction, heading towards the cemetery shrouded in an increasingly gloomy sky.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha cemetery.
Lead-like clouds almost pressed down on the treetops, and the wind began to howl, swirling fallen leaves and dust from the ground.
In front of a relatively new tombstone, a small figure has been standing for who knows how long.
Kakashi.
He remained silent and motionless, the wind before the rain ruffling the hair on his forehead and his brand-new ninja headband, but he seemed oblivious.
The eyes above the mask stared blankly ahead, devoid of any strong emotion, a near-dead silence, as if all feelings had been buried along with the person beneath the tombstone.
He was completely immersed in his own world, or rather, immersed in a silent void.
Boom!
A pale bolt of lightning tore through the sky, followed by a thunderclap that seemed to make the earth tremble.
The long-accumulated torrential rain finally poured down in an instant!
Large raindrops pelted down, instantly enveloping the world in a white curtain of rain and deafening noise.
The wind whipped up raindrops, lashing at tombstones, trees, and everything on the ground.
Kakashi remained standing there, seemingly intending to let the cold rain soak him through, as if the numbness of his body could confirm or dispel something within him.
However, the expected sensation of rain hitting his body did not materialize.
A relatively quiet shadow enveloped him, and a dark umbrella, which had somehow opened above his head, shielded him from the howling wind and rain.