Because school had started again, Mikami Yuu could no longer spend seven or eight hours a day training the way he did during break. Still, he kept farming affection for several jutsu by talking to them whenever he had time.
Along the way, he also discussed the "transformation templates" idea with Transformation Technique.
In this intense, fast-paced exam-prep atmosphere,
Mikami Yuu was the first to push Healing Technique into the next stage:
Healing Technique (Affection: 50/100 — Intimate)
(Stage rewards obtained twice: Constitution +2; Trait: Healing Brand — Wounds you heal leave a subtle "healing brand." For three weeks after treatment ends, the brand continues repairing surrounding tissue until it returns to its original pre-injury state.)
There wasn't much change—just that the repair period was shortened by a quarter.
Also, based on Mikami Yuu's tests on small animals, the "Healing Brand" had an unstated hidden restriction: the wound had to be within a certain size range. Injuries on the level of severed limbs, lost eyes, or being cut in half couldn't be fully restored.
After all, it was only a C-rank technique.
Regrowing limbs was something even the Strength of a Hundred Seal supposedly couldn't do—you'd need Hashirama cells for that.
Then,
the second breakthrough was Substitution Technique!
As the second of the Three Basic Jutsu to reach max affection, its trait truly evolved, and the description looked dazzling—
Substitution Technique (Affection: 100/100 — Hearts Aligned)
(Stage rewards obtained four times: Constitution +4; Trait: Pseudo-Realm Instant Cast — Your Substitution has reached mastery. Within 80 meters, you can treat objects as substitution mediums and swap with your main body in 0.2 seconds. If the swap target is a living creature with chakra, or is excessively large, additional chakra is required.)
"!"
That very day, Mikami Yuu went to the training ground and ran several tests.
And could only say: holy crap.
Now it really had become "mini-Amenotejikara."
The range of Pseudo-Realm Instant Cast wasn't dramatically larger than Seal-less Instant Cast, but what you could swap with had changed completely—from substitution mediums you had to carry, to any object within an 80-meter radius. Rocks, clods of dirt, wooden posts…
Even fish in the river, birds in the sky—if he concentrated, he could just pull them over and swap.
Within 80 meters, it was basically a conceptual god called "Substitution."
Of course, it had flaws.
First, chakra consumption increased—especially when pulling living creatures, which cost several times the normal amount.
Second, the range was still a bit small.
But considering Substitution already had low chakra costs and a short cooldown, and "80 meters plus another 80 meters" could chain—unless he ran into something like Deidara's massive AOE jutsu, or a speed monster like Namikaze Minato, he'd still have a chance to escape most dangerous situations.
And if he really did meet people like that…
Forget 80 meters—800 meters wouldn't save him either.
Since Pseudo-Realm Instant Cast was so different from normal Substitution, Mikami Yuu decided to keep it hidden for now. He'd only use the version that still required a medium.
That special effect should be saved for critical moments.
He'd originally wanted to push Clone Technique and Wild Water Wave into their next stages too.
But the graduation exams arrived first.
The written exams came first.
That was Mikami Yuu's comfort zone—easy work.
One thing worth mentioning was the "Will of Fire" essay prompt.
Mikami Yuu fought through the cringe and wrote a long, flowery little composition, using as childlike a tone as possible, laying out themes like "I can never repay the Hokage's kindness" and "Konoha is my home, and protecting it is everyone's responsibility."
Judging from how Hiruzen acted every time he gave speeches at the Academy, this essay should make him happy for a good long while. If he got into a great mood and pulled Mikami Yuu into the Hokage's office to write this kind of thing full-time, that wouldn't even be a bad outcome.
After two days of written exams,
came the practical exam phase.
Kunai and shuriken throwing, the Three Basic Jutsu, a five-kilometer obstacle run, identifying wild ingredients…
Those basic individual tests were unavoidable.
And the most important part was, of course, the PVP-style combat sparring.
Konoha's graduation policy in this era was stricter than in Naruto's time. Just passing the Three Basic Jutsu wasn't enough—you needed a major confrontation event. Formats rotated year by year: 1v1 duels, three-person squad battles, wilderness survival drills… rarely the same two years in a row.
So Mikami Yuu didn't know what this year's format would be.
But "uncle-network" kids with connections started showing off their "intel skills," trying to find out the format and whispering in class:
"Did you hear? This exam might use a free-for-all brawl format!"
"Free-for-all? What do you mean?"
"Just a big group fight, right? Last year was three-man team battles, so logically this year should test something different."
"There's no rule that it has to change. Even 1v1 duels get used for multiple years straight. I think this could be a smokescreen the teachers threw out, testing our intel-gathering ability. The real exam has already started from this moment…"
Over here,
Rin also heard those discussions. She nudged Mikami Yuu and asked softly, "Yuu-kun, what do you think? About the exam rules?"
"…We'll win."
Mikami Yuu smiled.
"…?"
Rin didn't understand the reference. She simply tilted her head, confused.
Mikami Yuu added, "It doesn't matter. We'll find out then."
He was already fully prepared. No matter the format, he was confident he could at least secure second and fight for first, so there was no need to overthink it.
"Rin, why aren't you asking me?"
Obito poked his head out from the back row.
"…I think, Obito-kun, with your adaptability, these objective conditions won't really affect you."
Rin said.
The truth was, even if Obito cared about the rules, it wouldn't help. He was consistently stable in the "dead last" department. Even if his real strength was a 70, he could only perform at a 30. Passing at all would be a win.
Time reached 10 a.m.
Mikami Yuu and the others followed Ooki-sensei out of the classroom and onto the field.
A large area had been cleared, and ninjutsu had been used to create obstacles: dirt mounds, fake boulders, raised platforms, puddles of water—made to look like a simulated real battlefield.
Just then,
a familiar head of white hair entered everyone's view.
"…Huh—is that Kakashi?!"
~~~
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