After the green pepper feast, the orphanage was in an uproar, and Yami achieved exactly what he wanted.
More than a hundred bonds reached the first stage instantly. The system notifications came so rapidly that he could barely keep up, and some even provided two rewards at once.
A realization dawned upon him.
People rarely remember kindness, but hatred? Hatred leaves a deep impression.
If he wanted to establish bonds with everyone, the fastest way wasn't by befriending them—that was impossible.
But… making them feel disgusted, fearful, or even hateful?
Only emotions like hatred could unite even the Five Great Nations in mutual understanding.
Yami suddenly felt a twinge of regret. If he had Danzō's reputation and the fear he commanded, not to mention his ability to shift blame, then the rewards he could obtain from these bonds might have already made him invincible in the ninja world.
Kabuto silently observed Yami. One moment, he was smiling; the next, his face returned to its usual indifference.
Kabuto felt a strange sense of unease.
This kid… was terrifyingly unpredictable.
[Host has reached the second stage of the bond with Yakushi Kabuto. Reward: Special Talent – 'Scientific Research Ability.']
Yami snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Kabuto.
What was this kid thinking about? How did he suddenly reach the second stage?
At the Ninja Academy, Kazama Shuichi stood before the class with a serious expression.
"Tomorrow, we will hold this year's final exam. This test will assess everything you've learned over the past year and consists of two parts: a written test in the morning and a practical test in the afternoon."
"The Third Hokage will also be present to observe your performance."
As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted into chatter.
"The Hokage is coming?"
"I've only seen him at the entrance ceremony!"
"This is awesome! If I do well and get praised by the Hokage, my parents won't dare to scold me anymore!"
Although the ideological indoctrination wasn't as intense yet, the Third Hokage had ruled for over twenty years, and his prestige in the village was unmatched. The mere mention of his presence had the students excited.
Even Itachi straightened his posture subconsciously.
Kazama Shuichi remained patient, waiting for the excitement to die down before continuing.
"I hope all of you will perform your best. If anyone fails… their homework for next semester will be doubled!"
The noisy classroom instantly fell silent. The mischievous kids immediately sat up straight, and Shuichi dismissed the class.
As usual, Yami walked home with Izumi. He wasn't particularly concerned about the Third Hokage's visit.
Besides maintaining his presence and reinforcing his reputation, he knew that Hiruzen was most likely coming for Itachi.
Every Uchiha genius caused unease within the village. Itachi wasn't just a genius—he was also the clan leader's son. Of course, Hiruzen would take an interest in him.
"Izumi, I plan to graduate after this exam."
The little girl, who was enjoying a box of Chibi Maruko snacks, froze in surprise before growing anxious.
"Graduate early? Then I want to graduate early too!"
Having trained with Yami every day, Izumi knew his strength well. Forget just graduating—he was already strong enough to be a Chūnin.
Even she had reached the level of a graduate.
For some reason, whenever she trained with Yami, her mind felt sharper, and her progress skyrocketed compared to practicing at home.
She had already mastered the Three Basic Techniques and learned two Fire Release jutsu.
Her only weakness was Chakra capacity.
Of course, that was only in comparison to adult shinobi.
As an Uchiha, even without awakening her Sharingan, Izumi's Chakra reserves far exceeded that of ordinary people, she was at least at the level of a Genin.
"Izumi, you can't graduate yet." Yami stopped and looked at her seriously. "The war isn't over. Even if you don't go to the battlefield, the missions you'd be assigned will still be dangerous."
"If you graduate in two years, things will be much better."
"Then stay in school with me!" Izumi pouted, tension in her expression at the mention of war. "We can graduate together after it's over."
"Izumi, I can't learn anything by staying in school, it would just be a waste of time. And don't worry about my safety. The village won't assign me anything too dangerous."
After much persuasion, Yami finally convinced Izumi to give up on graduating early.
Right now, he could barely protect himself; he had no extra energy to look after Izumi as well.
If he stayed in school, he wouldn't be able to interact with more shinobi or form new bonds.
He wouldn't be able to reach the second stage of his mother's legacy and elevate his talent.
So, he had to graduate.
Otherwise, he'd be stuck in the Academy, repeating grades until he eventually graduated with Hanabi.
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha district…
In a small forest, several large trees were lined with targets.
Uchiha Itachi, who had been practicing his shuriken techniques, suddenly stopped, as if processing some new information.
After a moment, he opened his eyes again.
"Final exam… the Third Hokage…"
After absorbing the knowledge from his Shadow Clone's report, Itachi showed no particular reaction and simply returned to training.
Only when the scent of dinner filled the air did he finally gather his ninja tools and head home.
A small figure wobbled out of the house.
A gentle smile appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face as he took two quick steps forward and picked him up.
"Alright, come here."
Holding little Sasuke, Itachi felt this was the happiest part of his day.
A gentle voice called from the kitchen.
"Itachi, you're back? Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. And help Sasuke wash up too."
Carrying Sasuke, Itachi headed to the bathroom.
That evening, during dinner, Uchiha Fugaku brought up the final exam.
"I heard the Third Hokage will be visiting the school. Make sure you perform well and don't disgrace the Uchiha name."
Itachi gave a calm nod as he carefully removed the bones from his fish and placed small pieces into Sasuke's mouth.
That was the end of their conversation.
No one in the household considered a simple exam to be worth much attention.
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