"Lord Third Hokage, this is an urgent report from the Ninja Academy. Please have a look."
In the Hokage's office, a jonin gently pushed the door open and handed over a scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who sat at his desk reviewing a stack of documents. Though no longer in his prime, the Third Hokage still looked vigorous, a pipe perched between his lips as he reviewed a different report with a frown.
He accepted the file from the jonin without even glancing up—until his eyes inadvertently scanned the words at the top of the new report.
And then… his expression changed.
He put down the original file and focused intently on the document from the academy.
"Three prodigies…?" he murmured.
"Besides Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina… there's one more… Hmm. Takikawa Chiba—that child?"
Sarutobi's brows furrowed thoughtfully.
He wasn't entirely surprised.
Back when Chiba had rescued Hyuga Yukina, his performance had already caught the Hokage's attention. Through Yukina's debrief, it was clear that Chiba wasn't ordinary.
Two students managing to kill a jonin—even a heavily wounded one—was extraordinary. For most academy students, just sensing a jonin's killing intent would paralyze them.
But these two?
They not only withstood the pressure, but fought back and won.
Yukina's talent was undeniable.
But Takikawa Chiba…
To resist a jonin's killing intent and even lead the counterattack?
Hiruzen had only seen such potential twice before:
Once in Jiraiya's student, Namikaze Minato.
And once in his own student, Orochimaru.
"Speaking of which… Minato and Kushina should be returning from their mission soon."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and exhaled slowly.
"Lord Hokage," the jonin aide nearby interjected, "I've always thought it unwise to send Lady Kushina on such a dangerous mission. She is our jinchūriki, after all."
Sarutobi gave a chuckle, shaking his head.
"Minato's with her. Nothing serious will happen."
But inwardly, he sighed.
If I'd tried to separate those two, that red-haired spitfire would've ripped my beard off.
No—probably taken my hair too.
At the thought, Sarutobi rubbed his hairline self-consciously.
The aide opened his mouth again, but the Hokage quickly changed the subject.
"The Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm… Looks like the Hyuga Clan has birthed an exceptional talent. To master that at her age…"
He took another long drag of his pipe.
"And Shadow Clone Jutsu… Uchiha Hirohiko…"
He exhaled, nodding slightly with admiration.
But when he reached the third name, his eyes sharpened.
"High-speed taijutsu… not even a chūnin instructor could track his movements?"
His brows lifted in surprise.
"A taijutsu prodigy? That child… must have trained relentlessly."
After a moment of silence, he set the document aside, picked up his Hokage seal, and stamped the scroll with a bold, red seal:
"APPROVED."
This was the official permission for:
Takikawa Chiba
Uchiha Hirohiko
Hyuga Yukina
…to graduate early.
"Lord Hokage," the aide hesitated, frowning at the signed document, "I understand the other two, but this Takikawa Chiba…"
"You're concerned about his identity," Hiruzen interrupted gently.
"…Yes," the aide admitted after a pause. "He's still the son of a traitor. Allowing him early graduation—"
"That child's background is perfectly clean," the Third said, tapping his pipe gently against the desk.
"But…"
"He was born in the village. His father may have been a traitor, but by the time Chiba was born, the man was already dead."
Hiruzen's voice held a tinge of sadness.
"He's just a war orphan. Raised in the Hidden Leaf."
The aide opened his mouth again—but stopped.
He, too, was an orphan. His parents had died in the Second Shinobi War.
"…You're right. He's just a child."
"Good," Hiruzen said with a faint smile. "Send this to the Academy. Schedule their graduation for tomorrow."
He paused, then muttered, "As for their jōnin instructor…"
The Hokage frowned and puffed thoughtfully on his pipe.
"These three are exceptional. We'll need someone truly capable to guide them. Have Tsunade, Orochimaru, or Jiraiya returned yet?"
"Not yet," the aide answered.
"Hmph… I'll give it more thought. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
The aide turned and left the room, clutching the stamped report.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, pipe in hand, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Takikawa Chiba was behind his cottage, absolutely drenched in sweat, going through his daily training regimen.
Side kicks. Straight punches. Deep squats. Ten-kilometer laps around the house.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and night crept in, Chiba finished his final lap.
And he didn't feel tired at all.
"Looks like I'm adapting to these weights."
Nodding in satisfaction, he made a half-seal with his hands.
"Eight Gates: First Gate, Opening!
Second Gate, Rest!
Third Gate, Life!"
Green chakra flared around him.
In that same breath, he formed hand signs.
"Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm!"
A thick, conical spike of earth burst up from the ground.
He nodded.
The combination of gate activation → hand seals → jutsu execution had become smooth, efficient, battle-ready.
Even this jōnin-level earth technique now felt like second nature.
He repeated the sequence five times in a row, pushing past the building fatigue.
Though mentally draining, this relentless repetition had given him total mastery over his third gate.
More importantly—
He could now open directly to the third gate from a base state.
That had never happened before.
His stamina was growing.
Just yesterday, he could only manage three repetitions.
Today, he did five.
After a brief rest and a quick bite—a freshly steamed Konoha Super Bun—he stood back up again.
This time, he wasn't training muscle memory.
He was preparing for a new jutsu.
"Let's test it."
Taking a deep breath, Chiba activated his Eight Gates Mode.
A rush of chakra surged through him. The level… easily mid-chūnin.
He began weaving hand seals, eyes focused.
If this technique succeeds…
Then my talent truly defies all limits.