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Shin, Kushina, and Mikoto left the exam area. Mikoto stared at Shin, her mouth slightly agape.
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"Shin, how are you so strong?"
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She was astonished. One-Punching a Chunin? Even most Jonin couldn''t do that.
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"It''s not that I''m strong; it''s that he was weak."
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Shin didn''t consider himself strong. Compared to powerhouses like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, he was still a fledgling.
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"Kushina, aren''t you surprised? Did you know Shin was this strong?"
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Mikoto looked at Kushina with envy. Living with Shin, she must have known all about his abilities.
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"Of course I knew. And I''m stronger than that guy, let alone Shin."
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Kushina was indeed stronger than Kimura, the Chunin they had faced. She might lack combat experience, but her raw power was undeniable.
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Kushina''s strength was probably at elite Chunin level. Considering her knowledge of Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu, she might even be comparable to a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
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But her combat experience was lacking. Her actual fighting prowess was probably at the level of an elite Chunin.
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Mikoto was also quite strong. She had awakened the Sharingan, and even though it was only at the one-tomoe stage, it still gave her an edge against Chunin.
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Even without Shin''s help, she could probably hold her own against Kimura. She was talented.
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They returned to the classroom to await their team assignments.
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Soon, Minato, Akiko, and Tsume Inuzuka returned. They had been a team.
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"You''re back already? Did you pass?" Minato asked.
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"Failing the graduation exam would be embarrassing. You defeated the Chunin, right?"
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Shin asked.
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They must have defeated the Chunin to be back so soon. Minato and Akiko were both strong; there was no way they would fail.
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Judging from his usual performance, Minato''s strength was easily Chunin level. Akiko, chosen as a Jinchūriki candidate, had been trained by Mito and was probably just as strong as Minato.
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As for Tsume, she was from the Inuzuka Clan and was also comparable to a Chunin.
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Even Minato alone could defeat a Chunin, let alone the three of them together.
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"Yep!"The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
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Minato was beaming. He was still young and inexperienced, so defeating a Chunin was a big deal to him.
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The future Minato, at his peak, wouldn''t even blink at killing a Jōnin.
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A while later, Nawaki returned with the Hyūga brothers. They had also defeated their opponent.
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"Shin, that Chunin was so weak! We crushed him!"
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"Yeah, Chunin are pretty weak," Shin agreed.
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"Shin, we''re not officially Chunin yet. It''s not good to say that," Hiashi said.
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"I meant the average Chunin."
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Shin was referring to the average Chunin. There were exceptions, of course.
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The future protagonists, Naruto and Sasuke, and Might Duy, Might Guy''s father, were all Genin, but they were far from average.
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Soon, everyone in the class returned. As the elite class, they had all passed.
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If even the elite students couldn''t pass, the regular classes would have no hope.
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Tanaka-sensei entered the classroom, carrying a box.
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"You are all officially Shinobi now. Here are your forehead protectors. Come and get them."
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The box contained their forehead protectors, a symbol of their graduation and their new status as Shinobi.
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"Also, team assignments will be announced tomorrow morning, so please come back then."
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Tanaka-sensei dismissed the class. Nawaki invited his friends to celebrate, including Shin and the others.
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As dusk fell, Shin and Kushina said goodbye to Mikoto and headed back to the Senju compound with Nawaki.
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"Hey, Nawaki, where did you get the money?" Shin asked.
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Nawaki had treated them to dinner. Where did he get the money?
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"Sis hasn''t borrowed any money from me for the past few years. I''ve been saving up. And now that I''m a Shinobi, I''ll be making my own money."
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Shin shook his head. Did Nawaki really think making money as a Shinobi was easy? Small missions barely paid anything, and the high-paying ones were dangerous.
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Back at the compound, Shin stopped Nawaki before he could go to his own residence.
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"Nawaki, you dream of becoming Hokage, right? Now that you''re a Shinobi, you''ll be facing danger. Be careful."
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Nawaki paused, then smiled. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. You and Kushina should be the ones being careful."
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Nawaki left. Shin and Kushina returned to Tsunade''s courtyard. To their surprise, Tsunade was home.
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"Surprised to see me?" Tsunade asked, noticing their expressions.
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"Yeah, you said you''d be gone for a few days on a mission. What are you doing here?"
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Shin''s eyes swept over Tsunade''s figure. Her most noticeable change in the past four years was... well, there..
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He couldn''t fathom how she had gone from an ''airport'' to a ''mountain range''.
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"The mission was canceled. Now hurry up and make me dinner. I''m starving."
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"Hmph, why should Shin cook for you? We already ate. You''re on your own," Kushina stuck her tongue out at Tsunade.
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"Shin, if you make me dinner, I''ll give you a surprise tomorrow."
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Tsunade ignored Kushina and looked at Shin expectantly.
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"A surprise?" Shin looked at her thoughtfully.
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"Hey, what''s with that look? I hate that know-it-all expression."
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"Fine, I''ll make you dinner. I look forward to your surprise." Shin smiled and headed to the kitchen.
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Kushina and Tsunade glared at each other.
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"Why don''t you make your own dinner? Why bother Shin?" Kushina grumbled.
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"Duh, if I could cook, I wouldn''t be starving," Tsunade rolled her eyes.
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Tsunade''s cooking skills were... well, let''s just say they were on par with Kushina''s.
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"Wait, you said you already ate?" Tsunade suddenly remembered Kushina''s earlier comment.
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"Yeah, we had Yakiniku. Nawaki treated us. It was delicious, crispy and juicy," Kushina said, deliberately trying to make Tsunade jealous.
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Tsunade gritted her teeth. That little rascal, treating everyone but his own sister!
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Of course, Nawaki had no idea she was home.