3 Graduation

The rest of Toru's time in the academy would past just as quick, until eventually he was waiting in the classroom for his name to be called. Underneath his desk, 10 visible and another 10 unseen leaves were dramatically spinning at different rates atop of his fingers and toes. He had already mastered both the Tree-walking and water-walking exercise, to the point where he was able to stick any surface of his body to their surfaces freely. Toru was running through his soon-to-be started official plans as he concentrated on the droning hum of the small gust of winds the mini-fan-like leaves provided him, when he once again sensed the chakra of Itsuki-sensi and another student leaving the testing room.

As he sensed the student leave the academy in obvious glee, proof of his graduation, Itsuki once again walked into Toru's soon to-be ex-classroom as he called out, "Toru-kun, follow me for your graduation test."

Suddenly, the leaves spinning atop of his fingers and toes stop and dropped to the ground, as Toru stood up and walked behind Itsuki, back to the classroom he had just sensed him come from. Itsuki sat down next to his work acquaintances and continued to speak, "Toru, no last name, civilian-born, ranked 13th of 20. This year's graduation jutsu is the substitution jutsu, please proceed."

Toru brought up his hands and slowly performed the needed hand signs for the required jutsu and soon replaced himself with a similar sized chair in the room, with a decent sized cloud of smoke produced.

"Congratulations on passing! I know you are not the most ambitious or top ranked in our class but your presence and participation in class has made a subtle impression on your classmates and me, as well. I hope you go far in future, serving our village." Itsuki stood once more and handed the village forehead protector to Toru who just stood in front of them shaking "imperceptibly" in a show of nervous excitement.

'Fuck this village' He thought grimly. 'If I didn't need to harvest the talents you all so painstakingly raise to increase my own power, I wouldn't stay any longer than needed.' He internally hmphed.

"Please report back to the academy at 0800 tom-" Toru interrupted Itsuki.

"Actually Itsuki-sensei, could I be directly placed in the Genin Corps. I noticed that our class has an odd number of students, if we all pass, for an even distribution of students in genin teams." The atmosphere in the already empty classroom stilled, as the teachers glanced back in forth between each other.

"Well- this is certainly different. Why do you not want to be on a Jonin-sensei team, it would allow you to rapidly develop in the future, and in some rare cases may learn some skills developed personally by your sensei." Itsuki questioned. It was an odd case for a student to actually wish to participate in Genin Corps without even attempting the Jonin-sensei team test. However, Toru even knew this fact.

'Why would I want to team up against a Jonin right now? Especially if they may be able to discern I am not trying my hardest, and sabotaging my own team's chances of passing. It would definitely be easier if you could just pass me along.'

He began to answer, "I know my limitations. I'm civilian-born, I'm certain with my talents neither my mother nor father were ninjas, or ninja of any relevant caliber. So, I don't want to take the position of another aspiring clan member to join a Jonin-sensei team."

"Toru, however, we cannot guarantee that everyone in your class can graduate at this point, so I can't give you a direct answer at the moment, however, I will pass along your wishes to the Hokage after all of today's test."

Toru nodded, "That's all I can ask for, thank you all for your previous teachings." Although, Toru couldn't care less about the lives of the citizens in Konoha or his fellow comrades, he was thankful for these academy teachers, who dutifully taught him the all-around basic of a shinobi. From espionage, tracking, mission survival, and nature tactics, as well as other useful studies he was taught over the last few years.

'But, it's no longer necessary. You have provided me with a strong base to continue forward, any further guidance would place me too directly in the face of higher ups. I need to now specialize on my own'

Alongside improving his chakra control, to arguable "high genin or chunin" levels he continued to increase the training weights he wore, they now weighed his own body weight, 130 pounds (about 59 kg).

Against his previous assumptions, in his hospital internship, due to his acceptable classroom grades, he was taught the Mystical Palm Technique prior to graduation, and he was fairly adjusted to it. He could currently heal from small scratches to small deep wounds and scraps from kunai and shuriken. Nothing to serious, yet it still showed dramatic progress. From barely being able to mold chakra to hold a single leaf in the leaf control exercise to now closing non-lethal wounds. Nowhere near the proficiency he would need for his future plans but satisfactory, nonetheless.

His ninjutsu arsenal remained the 3 main jutsu taught in the academy: the clone jutsu, transformation jutsu, and replacement jutsu previously shown.

Rather it was his special taijutsu style and genjutsu that truly stood out, although none of his teachers or classmates would be any the wiser. Training with weights proved helpful as his speed neared high-genin, on the cusp of low-chunin, and his daily routine of stretching before bed and after waking, provided Toru with a more Hyuga like flexibility than normal. He could perform a backflip into a front split, then back into a handstand, then walk around the village on them, in a show of strength as well as flexibility. Toru argued that if this world allowed for normal citizens to live like peak athletes in his previous life, why not break all possible boundaries as a training shinobi. He fought with a mixture of the basic academy taijutsu with superior flexibility and random chakra sticks to throw opponents off guard. He had used the theory of the Tree-walking exercise to overload whatever point on his body came in contact with the opponent with chakra to blow them back, as well as sticking to either the ground to remain in place, or sticking to opponents to maneuver around them, to perform a tackle.

As for genjutsu, when Toru would walk around the village from time to time, he would succumb "innocent" villagers to his test illusions to work out their effect, which led to some public scenes that would eventually involve some passing shinobi to disperse the foreign chakra from the unknowing civilians.

Yet, all his skills paled in comparison to his growth in chakra reserves. Through repeated efforts in draining his chakra multiple times a day, through a new practice he termed rapid depletion practice, in which Toru would try different methods to expel and spend his chakra in a short and fast period of time, then meditate and slowly increase his chakra regeneration levels. Through the rapid depletion practice, Toru's own reserves grew into a much denser and quicker flowing chakra. The practice allowed for even his chakra coils to eventually expand to allow for even more chakra to pass to each part of his body. Although it would eventually get harder over time to expend his chakra faster and faster as his reserves grew, he continually developed a practice to allow for the overworking of his chakra coils, especially in recent months, after learning the Mystical Palm Technique, which allowed him, in some regards, to speed up his microtear healing of the chakra pathway.

Now, through his more developed chakra sensing, he determined his new reserves to sit around mid-chunin, levels a drastic increase from his previous meager levels of chakra.

Returning back to Toru, he had grabbed his forehead protector with the promise that Itsuki would put in a word for him to the Hokage, in terms of his graduation placement.