"He definitely has some special ability, otherwise he couldn't have thrown the Akimichi to the ground so easily," surmised the future father of Kakashi.
"Yes, and considering the Akimichi's physical conditioning, even if he were slammed into the ground, he wouldn't be lying unconscious like this," Jiraiya also found it strange.
However, strange as it was, they could figure it all out later. Right now, the most important thing was the outcome of this match.
Meanwhile, Minato, who was fighting a Chunin from the Nara Clan, was completely overwhelmed and couldn't oppose his opponent. Though the young genius was very talented, he hadn't fully realized his potential yet, and it was extremely difficult for him to stand against a Nara Clan member who wielded secret techniques.
Both Satoru and the two Chunin—Minato and Nara—had seen how Satoru's fight with his two opponents ended. Now they understood that the outcome of this match was already decided.
"I'm here!" Satoru shouted upon returning. He immediately used the Great Fireball Technique, pushing back the powerful Nara Clan shinobi with a long-range attack.
Then the System holder and the young genius, using combined explosive seals and kunai, completely cut off the Nara teacher's escape routes. In the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
In this fight, the academy students emerged victorious. And most importantly, both were geniuses not yet ten years old. Satoru, who had served as the main striking force, was even younger than four.
Immediately after the fight ended, the three Ino-Shika-Cho team Chunin teachers were carried away on stretchers by medics. Namikaze and Satoru remained on the field.
Teacher Ikkaku was utterly stunned. He never expected such a small, three- or four-year-old child to defeat three Konoha Chunin!
If someone had told him that earlier, he would have dismissed it as utter nonsense. But now he had seen with his own eyes just how terrifying Satoru was.
"Simply magnificent!" the Third praised, approaching them. At that moment, he looked very kind and approachable. "I thought you'd just hold out for ten minutes against the Chunin, but I never expected you two to actually beat them! It's simply unbelievable!"
"Thank you, Third Hokage-sama," the golden-haired youth bowed. "In this fight, the main credit goes to Satoru. I merely held back the Nara." His words weren't empty modesty; it was the pure truth, and everyone saw it.
"Well, Minato, I know what you're capable of. Your talent is immense," Hiruzen comforted. "I'll introduce you to a teacher. I think under his guidance, your strength will grow by leaps and bounds!" The Third looked at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, nodding to Namikaze, approached him and smiled:
"Minato, right? Want to become my disciple?"
"Yes! Teacher Jiraiya!" That Jiraiya would take the young genius as a disciple was entirely natural and expected. The golden-haired youth agreed immediately.
"Satoru!" the Hokage addressed him. "You've given me a real surprise today! I didn't expect you to be this strong! This fight clearly demonstrated that you've already mastered all the knowledge the Ninja Academy provides perfectly."
"First of all, congratulations to both of you on graduating! Second, Satoru, I'd like to ask: would you like to become my disciple, as well as the disciple of Hatake Sakumo-dono?" Sarutobi asked very seriously.
"Two of them? Become a disciple of two teachers at once?" The orphan was surprised. He had, of course, guessed that Konoha's top leadership was watching him and assumed Sakumo would be his teacher. But he never expected the Third Hokage to want to teach him alongside the White Fang.
"That won't do, old man!" Jiraiya interjected, looking at the Third. "If Satoru becomes your disciple, he'll be my junior brother in training, right? Then Minato would have to call him 'Uncle-Teacher'?"
Tobirama's protégé irritably waved it off:
"Let them call each other brothers among themselves, and that's that. What's the point of those rank formalities?"
"Satoru is a once-in-a-lifetime talent in the entire shinobi world. His combat achievements may have no analogs in the past or future. That's why I must personally put all my effort into his training."
"And as they say, a sage has no fixed teacher. This child is the hope of our Konoha, and perhaps the entire shinobi world. It's possible he'll surpass even my two teachers," Hiruzen had never before given anyone such high praise, not even his favorite Orochimaru.
"Sakumo, what do you think?" The Hokage looked at Hatake, the man known as Konoha's White Fang.
Hatake Sakumo nodded:
"I'm not opposed. I'll teach him diligently."
"And you? Satoru?"
The Third looked at the boy very kindly, and he felt he couldn't refuse.
"Should I agree or not? This is an incredible stroke of luck for me! Becoming a disciple of the Third Hokage and the White Fang... In the future, my ninja path will undoubtedly be smooth and successful!"
Satoru hesitated for just a second, then immediately replied:
"Of course, I'm in! Third Hokage-sama! Sakumo-sama!"
"If that's the case, don't call us that," the Third Hokage pretended to sternly reprimand.
"Kid, won't you call us teachers?" Konoha's hero smiled slightly too. He didn't seem so stern at all.
"Teachers!"
From that moment, Satoru called the Third Hokage "Teacher Sarutobi" and Hatake Sakumo simply "Teacher White Fang."
Both Satoru and Minato received forehead protectors with the Konoha symbol. Now they had officially graduated from the Ninja Academy.
In a few days, they needed to return to school for the team assignment ceremony after graduation.
* * *
As soon as he got home, Satoru immediately summoned his System.
The System stated bluntly:
Congratulations, Master! You have successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy! You have completed the special mission I issued!
Congratulations! You defeated three Konoha Chunin! As a reward, Points are being credited...
Hello, Master! You now have one chance to absorb a ninja's chakra! You have enough Points for two draws!
Satoru immediately asked:
"System, how does absorbing a ninja's chakra work? And how long will it take?"
"Very quickly!"
"Then let's do it!"
Satoru didn't like putting things off. Right now, he was ready for anything to increase his power!
Suddenly, he felt the chakra in his body begin to expand rapidly. He already had quite a bit of chakra, but now, after absorbing, it felt like his body was about to explode.
"What... what's happening?!" he asked in immediate alarm.
Your body, due to growth and size limitations, cannot fully absorb all the chakra. Would you like to use this excess chakra to purify your own chakra?
"I don't get it... But right now... if this can save me, then do it!" At that moment, Satoru was ready to grasp at any straw.
He didn't know how much time passed, but suddenly Satoru felt a pleasant coolness spread through his body. The painful bloating sensation disappeared.
He suddenly sensed his own chakra surge sharply, reaching, by feel, the level of an ordinary Jonin.
"The chakra in my body has become... much purer. Is this the result of purification?"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan