As expected.
The options Hiruzen gave were basically in line with what Mikami Yuu had been anticipating.
So now…
Mikami Yuu was just about to speak when he suddenly paused.
And then—
[You achieved excellent results in the Ninja Academy graduation exam and attracted the attention of an old grandpa. Grandpa praises you highly and is also very concerned about your love life. He lists several high-quality girls' names and asks if you want a girlfriend.]
[Detected high-quality potential romance targets: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, Dragon Fire Jutsu, Water Formation Wall, Konoha Style Taijutsu, Konoha Style Swordsmanship.]
[Please decide which "girl" you will have a fated encounter with:]
"…???"
Good lord.
Mikami Yuu could only say: good lord.
He didn't expect the Third Hokage—looking all proper and dignified—to pimp jutsu for him in public!
Kids choose one. Adults choose them all!
That was what he thought—yet Mikami Yuu also knew "all" wasn't realistic.
He was still a kid and had to look like one. If he acted too greedy, it might lower his "impression points" with Hiruzen, which would be a loss.
So the optimal choice was to pick one technique from Hiruzen's suggestions—something practical and with growth potential—and master it thoroughly.
And—
Mikami Yuu noticed a blind spot in the system prompt:
"The potential target list is missing one technique Hiruzen just mentioned. Which means…"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Wall… is that a new skin for Great Fireball?"
The system's definition of [Gift] was still unclear.
So far, Mikami Yuu had only ever given a gift once, and that was basically by accident. For other techniques, he had no clear idea what kind of "gift" they could accept. He could only guess that jutsu with similar names and a direct lineage progression were more likely to be recognized as "skins."
For example, Great Fireball, Dragon Fire, and Great Fire Annihilation—those "Great Fire" Uchiha-style techniques—should probably count as part of the same line.
Now it looked like Fire Dragon Wall belonged to that line too.
Meanwhile, Phoenix Sage Fire and Dragon Fire were two separate lines.
Also, judging by how obsessed Wild Water Wave was with "art," Mikami Yuu strongly suspected the skin she wanted most was Water Dragon Bullet—because that one really was flashy…
So—
A new skin, or a new target?
A new skin would speed up Great Fireball's romance progress and also turn that move into an offense-and-defense pair you could switch between as needed.
But a new jutsu meant a new trait line and up to +4 Constitution. The only problem was that having too many "boats" at once might be hard to manage…
"Still, that's probably fine. From Eight Gates, it's clear that if you can't keep up, you can just leave it in the romance list and come back later. Affection doesn't go down just because you ignore it."
"And for defense… with Substitution, I don't urgently need another defensive jutsu."
"Then Phoenix Sage Fire it is. It'll cover my lack of mid-to-long range offense, and later I can try developing it into the B-rank Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson. The principle shouldn't be too hard."
Though… if he developed a jutsu himself, how would the system count it? A "daughter" born from the original jutsu?
With that thought,
Mikami Yuu made his decision.
"Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, then."
Hiruzen nodded. "You've all just finished the exam—you're tired. Go home and rest today. On graduation ceremony day, I'll personally teach you how to use the technique."
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
Mikami Yuu said.
After that, Hiruzen said a few more words and left with his hands behind his back. Once he disappeared from everyone's view, he raised his right hand and dispelled the Shadow Clone technique, turning into a puff of smoke.
—In a pre-war period like this, the Hokage had far too much work to spend an entire afternoon at the Academy. Sending a shadow clone was already generous, and once dismissed, the clone's memories would return to the real body.
On the field,
Teacher Ooki announced that the graduation ceremony would be held two days later in the school's main hall. The school would announce the list of new genin and the squad assignments. Those who graduated successfully would be personally awarded Konoha forehead protectors by the Academy principal.
And with that,
the graduation exam came to an end.
No one hurried to leave. Everyone stayed on the field, excitedly talking.
Asuma and Hyūga Kamon came over, stopped in front of Mikami Yuu, and—reluctantly but sincerely—said, "Congrats… Yuu. Your performance really did deserve first place."
"But we'll keep training and challenge you again."
"…Sure. I'll give you time to catch up."
Mikami Yuu said with a smile.
After that, Nara Mayumi, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu, and others came by one after another to say a few words.
Once things settled down, Rin finally came over and suggested, "Today is a big day for Yuu-kun. Let's all go eat yakiniku tonight to celebrate—how about it? Kakashi's here too. That means our whole cohort is finally together."
"…?"
What do you mean "a big day"?
Mikami Yuu twitched his lips, but he didn't object.
Kakashi also half-reluctantly agreed.
So,
a group of about ten or so of them marched off to Yakiniku Q. They found two corner tables and pushed them together into one long table, then ordered dozens of plates of meat and some drinks, and ate like monsters.
The good news was: there was no Akimichi-class bottomless stomach in their cohort.
The bad news was: everyone had just finished the exam and burned a ton of stamina, so even Rin and Kurenai—who didn't usually eat much—each finished a full plate of meat. As for Asuma and Guy, who already had big appetites, they devoured four or five plates each like a whirlwind.
When it came time to pay, they split the bill evenly. A few students hadn't brought money, so Asuma and Nara Mayumi covered for them.
After the meal,
Obito tried to sound casual. "So… want to play some cards, Rin? And you too, Yuu and Kakashi—my house is pretty big. If we get tired, we can just sleep there."
In truth, Obito only wanted to invite Rin.
But being alone in a room with a girl felt… questionable, so he had to pinch his nose and include Mikami Yuu and Kakashi too.
"Next time, Obito-kun."
Rin declined gently. "It's too late today. After the graduation ceremony, let's all get together properly."
"…Alright then."
~~~
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