Chapter 5 .2:
...
Last day of classes for the year…
Kiba could feel it clearly.
The students' footsteps in the hallways were different.... lighter, less rushed. As if they knew they wouldn't be hearing Kaede's shouts or sprinting endless laps across the training field under the hellish sun for a while.
"Today I'm not lifting a single finger," Karura declared the moment they stepped into the classroom. "If there's writing, I'll pretend I'm asleep. If there's training… well, I'll just play dead."
"You say that every day," Pakura replied dryly, settling into her seat like she was preparing for an interrogation.
"Yes! But this time I really mean it," Karura insisted, letting her head drop onto her desk with a loud thump.
Kiba took his usual spot at the back of the classroom by the window. Or well, next to where he knew the window was. He could feel the warmth of the sun filtering through the frame and gently brushing his cheek. It was pleasant. A quiet reminder that even if he couldn't see the sky, he still knew it was there.
Sensei Kaede entered the classroom with his usual creaky step.... like worn-out soles.... and announced in his dry voice:
"Today we'll review a few theoretical fundamentals, and then… free training. Or, free until I say otherwise."
A general sigh filled the room, half relief, half resignation.
"Look on the bright side," Kiba whispered toward Karura. "He didn't mention a surprise test."
"Shhhh, don't say it—you might summon it!" she hissed, covering her mouth as if the universe could hear them.
…
Free training turned out to be not so free. Kaede led them all to the training field and asked them to form groups to run attack and defense simulations combining ninjutsu and bukijutsu.
Kiba, as usual, ended up with Karura, Yashamaru… and, by Karura's special request, Pakura as well. Though the latter clearly didn't want to team up with Kiba, she did want to be with Karura.... so both of them got stuck together despite their obvious incompatibility.
"Are you sure?" Kiba asked as they walked. "Pretty sure your sister hates when I breathe near her."
"Pfft! That's just 'cause she's a tsundere," Karura replied, her mouth full of cookies. No one knew where she'd pulled them from. Oh, and yes.... she'd obviously learned the word tsundere from Kiba. Yep, the two of them spent way too much time together….
"I regret ever telling you what that meant…. but either way, it's getting kind of annoying," he added, frustrated. He didn't get why Pakura hated him so much when she was the one always picking fights. Though a part of him knew... she was a bit jealous of how much time Karura spent with him instead of her.
Still, that wasn't his damn fault.
"It is. But also adorable. Shhh, don't tell her," she answered, miming a zipper over her lips.... with a kunai, of course. Yep, welcome to the ninja world and its quirks.
Pakura was waiting for them with a look that screamed, I have a thousand better things to do than this… with Kiba, of all people, but she joined without protest. Yashamaru, as always, just went with the flow.... calm smile, relaxed steps.
"Ready to train?" Kiba asked, turning slightly toward Pakura.
"Only if you don't do anything stupid," she replied flatly.
"Well, now that complicates things," he joked, unfazed. At this point, he was used to her snide remarks.... it was practically tradition.
…
Training went as usual… until the sky darkened slightly. Not with clouds, but with the rising murmurs of students as they noticed Rasa walking onto the field.
He was accompanied by a Suna council member and a chunin, moving with a calm confidence that wasn't arrogance.... it was training. Today, he wasn't dressed like a student. Today, Rasa stood as something more… like a real shinobi, even if not officially yet.
Because yes, today was his day.... the early graduation match.
Unlike normal graduation fights that took place at the end of the year, early graduation was held on the last day of class.
"Do you think he'll actually win?" Karura asked, sneaking up beside Kiba.
Unlike standard graduation, early graduation was tougher. To pass, you had to survive at least three full minute against a damn chunin... a far cry from just landing a hit on a genin.
That's why early graduation was rare in Suna.
Of course, Rasa didn't actually need to beat the chunin, but if he did, his popularity would skyrocket. Not to mention.... he'd be a genin in just his third year… at nine damn years old.
"He thinks he will. That's usually enough," Kiba replied, focused. After their match, he knew Rasa still had some time before he could truly beat a chunin.... though, of course, that depended on whether the chunin was first, second, or third tier.
Obviously, that tier system didn't exist formally..... but it was how Kiba liked to categorize genin, chunin, and jonin.
It was surprisingly accurate. First-tier were the elites of their rank, second-tier had experience and solid footing but weren't top-level, and third-tier were the newly promoted.... still unsteady and far from matching their rank's reputation.
Silence fell as Rasa stepped into the combat area. His opponent, a local chunin, was already in stance. No joking around. This was serious.
But Kiba wasn't only watching the fight. While Rasa moved.... fighting with brutal precision, measuring every ounce of chakra and every step... Kiba was paying attention to something else: everyone else's reaction.
The students. The sensei. The jonin lining the edges of the field.
They wanted to see if the clan leader's son was truly up to the task.
And of course… he was.
The golden dust flowed with lethal grace, like each grain had a will of its own. Sure, Kiba couldn't see it.... but he could feel it… just like that time they fought.
"He's going to win," Pakura said suddenly. For the first time.... no sarcasm, no hostility.
Karura nodded.
And so did Kiba.
Because this chunin, at first glance, was barely more than a freshly promoted genin. Even if the promotion was new, his level still clearly leaned more toward genin than full-fledged chunin.
In Kiba's scale, the guy barely qualified as third-tier chunin.... more like first-tier genin.
His only real advantages as a chunin were experience, speed, and bukijutsu. The rest of his arsenal was still genin-level. And against Rasa's golden dust, that wasn't enough to break through the defense… something Kiba had learned himself in their fight.... yep, Kiba still didn't have a technique strong enough to do it, and neither did this "chunin."
In fact, it was only thanks to his speed that the man was managing to keep up. His bukijutsu didn't stand a chance of piercing Rasa's defense, which meant this was already a lost battle for the poor guy.... he just didn't know it yet.
...
The fight lasted quite a while.... around ten minutes. Rasa could've ended it after just three minutes, which was the official requirement for his graduation, but obviously, with his clear advantage, he said nothing and kept going. Unfortunately for the newly promoted chunin, that meant ten solid minutes of getting absolutely humiliated by a nine-year-old kid just finishing his third year at the academy.
Yeah… not the best way to kick off your life as a fresh chunin.
It was embarrassing.... but Rasa wasn't going to hold back for that. This was his moment. His best opportunity to make a name for himself.... not just as the heir to the Jiki clan, but as something more.
To stop being just "the clan leader's son"… and to start being known by his own name.
Rasa Jiki... a name earned by merit and strength.
Rasa and his golden dust didn't just dominate the opponent.
He dismantled him. Reduced him to a handful of desperate dodges and defensive moves, until the chunin, exhausted and clearly overwhelmed, had to concede the fight. Continuing would've only made the defeat more humiliating. It was obvious.... even to him.... that he'd lost.
But at least he hadn't been taken down by a single hit.
He'd endured. Stayed on his feet.
Not much… but it was something. A small comfort to not completely lose face in front of the village as a freshly promoted chunin.
And with Rasa's current level, it wouldn't be long before he himself reached chunin rank. So soon, it wouldn't seem like such a disgrace to have lost to him. In fact, it might even turn into a great story one day.... because Rasa was going places. Much farther than an average chunin like him could ever dream.
So yeah… for now, it was a small stain on his shinobi record.
But someday, it would be an honor to have faced Rasa Jiki.
As Rasa's victory became clear, the silence around the field shattered—cheers erupted.
"I guess now he's officially a shinobi…" Kiba murmured, arms crossed.
"Yep. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could graduate early too? Oh I bet you could, Kiba," Karura said suddenly.
"Him?! Don't joke, Karura," Pakura snapped.... but Kiba ignored her completely.
His mind was somewhere else.
Specifically, in that part of his brain where the system had just triggered a new quest.
[New Quest!]
[Quest: Don't Fall Behind Rasa!
Details: Graduate early next year.
Reward: Sasori's Poison
Penalty: None]
[Additional Quest: You Can Too!?
Details: Defeat the chunin you face in your early graduation match.
Reward: Transfer Puppet Vision Seal
Penalty: None]
...
That night, back at home, Kiba sat on his futon with a cup of tea.... one Karura had forced him to take before they split up.
The taste was strong and spicy. Turmeric, a bit of anise… and probably ginger. He didn't like ginger. But he drank it anyway.
'Congrats, Rasa,' he thought.
Then, in a whisper that slipped out on its own:
"Guess I don't have much of a choice now… I'll have to do the same next year, huh?"
Clearly, this hadn't been in his plans. He'd rather stay in the Academy a bit longer. But as always, no plan ever stays the same forever.