Chapter 6: The Graduation from The Academy
Many years passed by in the Konoha. Today was the special date of another Academy graduation. A new generation of young shinobi would soon enter the service. It was a scorching hot summer day.
Inside the largest and most eminent building of the whole village, The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was full of tasks and responsibilities today. Batches of jonins and chunins were constantly going in and out of his office. His large table was full of different documents, with different pictures.
He was sorting all the graduated genins to their future instructors, which could be either jonins or chunins, depending on the performance they showed back at the Academy, but it was still mostly chunins. Even graduates from the main Academy building and classes, at the center of the village, get usually sorted out to chunins. Jonins are a pillar force of the village, and there was only a couple hundred of them in the village. So, it was quite a privilege to get them as instructors and it was rare.
And after the last batch of shinobi finally exited his office, Hiruzen let out a tired sigh of relief while lighting out his pipe and inhaling a few clouds of smoke. He was not waiting for a special shinobi to come. Soon, the awaited man entered the room after a knock and respectfully bowed and saluted, "Lord Hokage!", He was a tall and well-muscled man. He had a somewhat large nose and black hair.
The most noticeable feature on his was his shiny bowl-style haircut and thick eyebrows. He also wore a strange green jumpsuit, orange-striped leg warmers, and the standard Konoha flak jacket.
"Guy, what do you think of that kid I mentioned before? Did you check him up? He's really like you were back then... So, what have you decided? Will you accept him?", Hiruzen smiled and asked Guy.
"Lord Hokage, I think he has the potential to become a pillar of the whole village in the future! Please let me be his instructor!", Guy passionately shouted out in an instant. The Third Hokage previously mentioned to him that there was a very hard-working and unyielding little guy in the Academy, who also looked a lot like him when he was young, both in spirit and appearance. He asked Guy to check him personally and see if he would like to become his instructor once he graduates from the Academy. If Guy agreed, then he would make an exception, and allow him to graduate from the ninja Academy, despite having literally no talent in genjutsu or ninjutsu skills.
Therefore, one day, Guy listened to the Hokage's suggestions and went over to examine the said kid himself alongside his friend Kakashi. And he immediately formed a really good first impression of him. He was unyielding, hard-working, disciplined, and faintly even naturally talented in taijutsu area. The only disadvantage that he had was that he was unable to excel in other shinobi areas for some reason.
Guy decided then and there, that he would do his best to make him an excellent shinobi, even without using any ninjutsu or genjutsu skills, just like he himself and his father were in the past.
"That's great Guy! I believe you'll really make a very qualified shinobi of that kid." Hiruzen mentally sighed, finally having found a successor for Guy's world-class taijutsu skills, especially for that secret technique called the "Eight Inner Gates". It was a secret technique that existed ever since the Warring States period in the Ninja World, in various forms, many people accidentally awakening it.
It was not until his late teacher Tobirama Senju wrote it down on a scroll and carefully systematized it that it reached the present heights of today. Hiruzen later personally passed that technique onto a hopeless genin named Might Duy, Guy's late father, who couldn't do any genjutsu or ninjutsu at that time but was somewhat talented in taijutsu. Even Hirzuen didn't imagine that decades later, that same young genin, he once gave a scroll on a whim, and forgot about, managed to fight off and kill half of the notorious Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist while saving his son and his teammates. From that moment on, Hiruzen realized the ultimate scary potential of that technique and that it may be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, technique that their village possess.
After Might Duy's passing, that earthshaking technique was passed onto his son next, Might Guy, who was even more talented than his father in using it, already managing to master it up to the Seventh Gate, in half the time it took his late father to do it. He was also currently one of Hiruzen's most trusted subordinates, also known as the "Konoha's Blue Beast" outside the village, getting all the glory his father didn't get during his life, who instead remained a ranked genin during all his life.
Hiruzen wasn't sure even he could take on Might Guy in his Seventh Gate form, so Might Guy might not be just the mainstay of the village, but even the strongest powerhouse currently in the village.
"Here is the information about your other two students this time around Guy.", Hiruzen smiled and gave Guy the only two files left on his table titled "Neji Hyuga" and "Tenten Higurashi" successively.
Might Guy took the papers from Hokage's hands, nodded, and curiously looked at them, already knowing that genins usually graduate in teams of three, so he won't be just Rock Lee's instructor.
Seeing him carefully scanning over those documents, Hiruzen smiled inwardly a little. In fact, it was not only Rock Lee he desired to give Guy as a student. There was also Tenten, the daughter of the biggest weapons merchant family in the village. They lobbied to get her a powerful shinobi teacher, who could both teach and protect her well in the future, they even gave some material assistance to the village, free of charge, for that matter, and Might Guy was logically the best option for Hiruzen.
As for Neji Hyuga, Hiruzen long ago understood that he was the most talented Hyuga in history and also definitely the strongest talent village had in recent history. Therefore, Hiruzen prepared to better integrate him into the village through Might Guy, who was one of his closest subordinates.
He watched them many times over in person, or through his crystal ball, while in Academy, that's how he determined that they were the best fitted from this generation to be given to Might Guy.
'The next generation, to be scheduled to graduate next year, is many times more extraordinary...', Hiruzen thought while looking down at the whole Konoha through his large window, after Might Guy finally left to meet his new students, 'Minato's son and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, the last living Uchiha left in the village and also Itachi's young brother, also offsprings of all the important clans...'
***
Rock Lee failed his final graduation exam at the Academy. That was also his last chance. The content of the exam was a basic Clone Technique, but he couldn't do it. He simply wasn't talented even in the most basic E-Rank ninjutsu. Each year there would be a different E-Rank jutsu as the graduation requirement. He always thought that his hard work and determination would've paid off, in the end, so that he would've somehow gotten a pass for his exceptional taijutsu. However, the cruel reality punched him in the face. Everyone graduated and got their forehead protectors, except him.
E-rank ninjutsu are the most basic of all ninjutsu. They can be with only the most rudimentary understanding and control of chakra, which is why they are the first techniques to be taught to those who wish to become shinobi.
That was the first time in his life that his core beliefs were shaken, and he contemplated simply giving up on his dreams of becoming a shinobi. After all, he couldn't even get past the first step.
He was crying loudly in some excluded alley between his home and the Academy. He couldn't even bring himself to walk anymore. His whole world collapsed after the Academy was over for real, all of his previous classmates passing, all but him. It was over, he really didn't become shinobi in the end.
He was just an ordinary orphan, with a slightly stronger physique according to seniors who picked him up from the orphanage and gave him a place to live next, just before the Academy started.
He was one of the few talented children with potential, picked up from the orphanage to go into the shinobi Academy on a scholarship. And he even got sorted into the main elite village Academy.
It was simply a dream come true for him, who didn't even think that was possible until then. But, instead of changing his life for the better, the Academy was the start of his nightmares instead.
It turned out, he had just a slightly stronger physique than ordinary, but he didn't have a thing that made shinobi what they were in the first place, the ability to summon his chakra to the outside of his body in the forms of genjutsu or ninjutsu. It would be basically a game over for anyone at that point. He then experienced vicious verbal and in the beginning even physical bullying from his class.
However, after he got such a chance to change his life from the village, instead of shrinking back, he started training even harder instead. He decided to beat his poor natural talent through hard work and determination and prove to anyone that an unyielding mindset is the most important thing. He would become the strongest taijutsu specialist, and beat all those who laughed at or bullied him.
But, today he learned the hard way that everything was pointless in the end, all the hard work was worthless, and everyone but him passed on. There is truly no place for taijutsu in this Ninja World.
However, just then, while he was at the lowest point of his life, on the ground, he suddenly spotted a tall silhouette of a man confidently walking toward him and speaking passionately in a slow manner, "Youngin, your youth has just started! There is no reason why you should be crying now!"
"Let me introduce myself! I'm the Konoha's Blue Beast, the strongest taijutsu specialist in the village, and also your new teacher from today onwards!", The tall man with a bowl-shaped haircut, and a green jumpsuit, held a Konoha forehead protector in front of him while smiling brightly, with his white teeth showing, and making a thumbs up gesture toward the stunned Rock Lee on the ground.
Little that he knew, that strange man would later become his idol and the closest thing to a family he ever had in life, his father-like figure, his teacher, and savior who taught him everything he knew.
***
Inside one of the few classrooms located inside the main shinobi Academy of Konoha, two young teenagers were present. The floor of the classroom was constituted of large wooden planks, the tables were wide and also made of wood, while the walls were mainly colored blue. There were also many windows on one side of the room, which brought hot summer air and light into the place.
Directly beside one of those broad windows, on the side, in the middle row of wooden tables, sat a seemingly very young, male teenager. He was looking at the outside scenery, while completely ignoring the other, female teenager that was also currently in the stood at the center podium.
The girl snorted in dissatisfaction while occasionally taking a few glances at him. She was annoyed by something else as well. Their future shinobi teacher and the other unknown future teammate were nowhere to be seen. They were already waiting alone there for quite some time. All the other classmates got picked by their teachers already, it was just the two of them who still had to wait.
She had black hair and grey eyes on a nice-looking face. She also wore her hair in two Chinese-style buns on her head with short fringe bangs framing her face. On her body, she wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons, and dark green pants.
While the boy seated near the window had very long black hair, freely dropping out onto his shoulders, also covering nearly half of his back. He had distinctive white eyes, and a very young, but mature face. He wore a white kimono shirt with long, loose sleeves, matching pants, a navy-grey apron tied around his waist, and black shinobi sandals. His forehead was fully covered by his newly acquired Konoha village forehead protector. Those six years passed by in a blink of an eye, and his Academy life was officially over. It was finally time for him to go to the next level of strength. So, that he would finally change his fate. It was also a moment when he was a little freer than before.
After all, he was now an official shinobi of Konoha, not just a Hyuga's slave. It was an improvement.
'I hope that Might Guy won't disappoint me. After all, he's one of the most crucial parts of my later calculations.', Neji thought while glancing at the outside scenery and other Konoha buildings.
'I'm still far away, but this is the first step that must be taken... I must trust the process!', Neji spoke to himself while recounting all the time he spent right inside this spacious old-looking classroom.
Regarding knowledge, he got only the most basic stuff from here, that he could comprehend without even trying hard thanks to his previous world knowledge and the strength of his two combined souls. Therefore, he didn't need to study too hard to always be at the top of his class.
Regarding the individuals he met there during all those years, none were special or worth his attention from those students, apart from his future teammates, and that was more for their future connection, not for their strength or means. Even his teacher chunin, was just a middle-level canon fodder, in his mind, not even a high-level one. He felt like he could easily win a fight against him.
Just then, he heard Tenten snorting loudly once again from the side in dissatisfaction, maybe wanting to grab his attention in this way. However, as in a couple of previous times, she did that, while they were waiting alone here, he just ignored her again. He didn't mind some mindless communication with her at this time, to waste time, it's just that his cover all those years was for himself to be seen as a very cold and resigned to fate type of person. He rarely talked outside.
"Can you at least check it with your Byakugan to see if someone is coming!? Aren't you tired of waiting!?", Tenten stomped her foot onto a wooden floor, in anger and discontent, calling out.
They didn't have much communication during the Academy, as Neji was always cold and over-looking toward anyone, even his teacher. But, after learning today that he was going to be her future teammate, for life and death, she somehow felt a lot more familiar with him, so she asked.
She heard a few things about him from her parents and from different gossip that floated around the Academy. She usually despised such people who looked down on everyone like him, but she also had a few guesses already on why he behaved like that from all those things heard. Also, he was truly qualified to act like that, because no other student managed to last even one move in sparrings against him, and even their teacher chunin said at one time that Neji grew to his level.
Neji finally turned around to glance at her a little. And after a while, he nodded, then slowly activated his Byakugan to check the situation and see what was happening outside the room.
But, just in a few seconds, his face suddenly turned weird and he quickly closed his Byakugan.
Seeing this, Tenten, who never saw his cold face changing, during all those years, also widened her eyes in shock, "Is it a danger!? Quickly, talk!", She immediately came towards his table and looked at him anxiously. After all, coupled with the fact that they were so late, she thought of that possibility.
However, before Neji answered, they both suddenly heard loud shouts coming from outside of the building, and then slowly climbing up straight towards their classroom next, "Guy-sensei!", "Lee!"
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