I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

But the current situation is somewhat unexpected for Kakashi.

Not only does Naruto have a large amount of chakra, but his ninjutsu and taijutsu are also remarkable, far exceeding the level that a ninja academy student should have, and he is in no way inferior to a regular Chunin.

Having limited his strength to that of a genin, he was finding it increasingly difficult to cope.

Naruto noticed Kakashi's surprise and stood still, saying, "Should we call it quits? I'm worried I might hurt you. You look a little weak, old man."

"I am a Jonin, and my strength is far superior to yours."

Kakashi's expression turned strange; he was unwilling to admit to Naruto that he was a little weak.

Naruto nodded: "Then I'm relieved. I haven't used my full strength yet."

"He hasn't even used his full strength yet?" Kakashi's lips twitched, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue fighting.

However, Kakashi quietly relaxed the restrictions on strength, and his idea of ​​agreeing to a sparring session changed from initially encouraging Naruto to testing his full strength.

Naruto unleashed another combination of ninjutsu.

Kakashi slammed his hands into the ground and shouted, "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

In an instant, a wall of earth carved with a dog's head rose from the ground, blocking the gale and kunai.

Naruto's expression changed mid-air, revealing an opening. Kakashi instantly teleported forward, intending to grab the unsteady Naruto.

But when Kakashi grabbed Naruto, Naruto turned into smoke and disappeared.

Shadow Clone Technique!

After subconsciously frowning, Kakashi noticed Naruto standing in the distance, smiling at him. Several shadow clones appeared beside him, forming hand seals and unleashing Wind Release.

Kakashi couldn't determine who the real body was, so he could only use Earth Flow Wall again to block the attack.

Using the three earthen walls to protect himself, Kakashi was just about to catch his breath when he heard a whooshing sound above him. Naruto was charging towards him with a rapidly spinning Rasengan in his palm.

Sensing danger, Kakashi stopped suppressing his power.

He removed his eyepatch, revealing his Sharingan, and dodged the Rasengan attack with a tricky angle.

With a loud bang, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the earthen wall that was hit by the Rasengan.

Kakashi stood still, watching Naruto. Dodging the Rasengan was not difficult for him.

He was more concerned about how Naruto mastered the Rasengan.

It would be fine if he learned it from the Third Hokage, but if Naruto developed it on his own, that would be terrifying.

In addition, Naruto now has the strength of a guaranteed Chunin.

Naruto's talent in ninja has completely surpassed his, and even surpassed that of Minato, who became the Fourth Hokage.

Although Minato had the strength of a Jonin before graduating, he was eleven or twelve years old at the time. Naruto should only be eight years old now, far from the period of rapid growth for a ninja.

Kakashi couldn't find the specific reason.

Naruto's talent can only be attributed to his teacher's powerful genes and his status as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.

Just then, Kakashi saw Naruto walking over and said with a smile, "Want to fight again?"

Naruto shook his head: "I'm not going to fight anymore. If we keep fighting, I'll definitely lose. But Uncle, the strength you're using is way beyond that of a genin. I don't believe this is the strength of a genin."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto and said sarcastically, "You've been hiding your strength too. Your strength has long surpassed that of a ninja academy student."

"But I'm still a student at the Ninja Academy, I'm not lying to you about that. Is being excellent wrong?"

“Of course you’re excellent, but I think you should go back to the Ninja Academy. To become a full-fledged ninja, fighting ability alone isn’t enough; you also need to excel in your academic subjects.”

Naruto glanced at Kakashi and said, "Uncle, you really did bring me back to school, but I've already studied the academic subjects at the Ninja Academy to the sixth grade level. I'm more than qualified to become a ninja."

Hearing this, Kakashi was somewhat surprised, and then asked a few questions about academic subjects.

After Naruto answered all the questions correctly, Kakashi fell silent. He couldn't find a reason for Naruto to go back to class; Naruto's talent was too outstanding for the Ninja Academy to remain there.

But children should stay in school at this age; the cruelty of ninjas is something no child can bear.

Because he was a ninja who graduated early, he had become accustomed to killing while his peers were still in the ninja academy. As a result, he has not yet fully emerged from the shadow of his past.

He also led another subordinate in the Anbu, Uchiha Itachi, who carried too much burden at a young age.

After a moment's thought, Kakashi asked Naruto, "Why do you want to become a ninja? The life of a ninja is no better than that of a ninja academy. You'll be killing and being killed, and it's even more brutal than you want."

Naruto was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Because the Hokage promised me that as long as I became a ninja, he would tell me about my background long ago."

Kakashi paused for a moment, and his gaze towards Naruto softened considerably.

Naruto's first impression of him was that of an arrogant brat, but now he is a child who wants to know the truth.

For a moment, Kakashi wanted to tell Naruto that he was actually the son of the Fourth Hokage, but when he thought of what the Third Hokage had told him, he gave up on the idea.

The teacher has too many enemies. Being a Jinchuriki can save his life, but being the son of the Fourth Hokage will only lead to his death.

At this moment, Naruto said again, "Uncle Ninja, I actually know who you are. You are one of the ninjas who follow me around and protect me every day. Can you tell Grandpa Hokage that I can become a ninja now?"

Kakashi's eyes widened as he looked at Naruto.

It's normal for Naruto to spot him, since he never deliberately disguised himself, but how did he see through the ANBU member's disguise?

Seemingly guessing Kakashi's thoughts, Naruto said, "After the attack last time, I suddenly gained the ability to sense chakra. Several chakras have been following me. I guess they were arranged by the Hokage."

Is this a talent inherited from Kushina's teacher?

Kakashi thought of his teacher's wife, Kushina, who also had similar abilities and cared for him very much.

After a moment's thought, Kakashi agreed: "I can pass on your message to the Hokage, but even if the Hokage approves, you must personally submit an application to the Ninja Academy teachers to graduate early."

Naruto nodded: "I understand, but it's really great that you're willing to help."

Kakashi sighed softly, then went to a secluded spot to summon his subordinates to relieve him. He then headed towards the Hokage Building to inform the Third Hokage of what had just happened.

After Kakashi left, Naruto looked towards the Hokage Building and smiled.

By showing some of his strength to Kakashi and submitting an application to graduate early, he should be able to gain some freedom and stop being constantly watched by the Anbu.

Chapter 49 Graduation Early?

Inside the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage opened the report that Kakashi had sent.

The report shows that Naruto has mastered the ability to sense chakra and demonstrates combat skills comparable to a Chunin. He has also self-studied the Ninja Academy curriculum up to the sixth grade.

For these reasons, Naruto proposed graduating early to become a ninja.

The Third Hokage tapped his fingers on the table, looked at Kakashi standing beside him, and asked, "Kakashi, you're also a ninja who graduated early. Do you think it's better for Naruto to stay at the Ninja Academy or graduate and become a genin?"

"Based on my experience, it would be more suitable for Naruto to stay at the Ninja Academy and train for a few more years."

"However, Naruto's desire to graduate early is most likely not because he really wants to become a ninja, but because he wants to know about his background and who his parents are."

After saying that, Kakashi looked at the Third Hokage and spoke the truth.

The Third Hokage stopped tapping the table, pondering the gains and losses in his mind.

From a rational perspective, it's not advisable to reveal Naruto's past. Naruto is still young, and if he accidentally lets it slip, it will only be detrimental to his development...

But I did promise him that I would tell him the truth once he became a ninja...

But Naruto knows that he is actually the son of the Fourth Hokage, but he has been treated unfairly by the villagers. He might resent the village and blame me for turning a blind eye.

For a moment, the Third Hokage was also in a dilemma, unsure whether he should tell Naruto about his origins.

If he tells Naruto, he's afraid Naruto will become jealous. If he lets Naruto graduate early and become a ninja, Naruto might escape his control and face even greater backlash in the future.

After a moment's thought, the Third Hokage said to Kakashi:

"We can't tell Naruto the truth yet, but graduating early is acceptable. Given Naruto's background, he'll become a ninja sooner or later, so it's better for him to adapt to ninja life and make new friends sooner."

"Kakashi, are you willing to leave the Anbu and become Naruto's team leader Jonin?"

Becoming Naruto's team leader Jonin... Kakashi was stunned. He was just a messenger, how could he suddenly become Naruto's team leader Jonin? He had never been a team leader Jonin before.

After thinking for a moment, Kakashi said, "That's possible, but according to the rules, I have to bring three genin. However, all the ninja academy graduates for this year have already been assigned. I can't just bring Naruto as a genin, that would be too unusual."

The Third Hokage thought for a moment and said, "This is indeed a problem. We'll reject Naruto's application for now and let him graduate next year. I'll have to trouble you then. You'll need to spend more time with Naruto this year."

At that moment, Kakashi seemed to remember something and said, "Third Hokage, Naruto's sensory abilities are now able to detect the Anbu's presence. Shouldn't we change our current method of protection?"

"It's up to you. Just remember, Naruto must not be allowed to get close to the Uchiha clan's territory."

Hearing this, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Although he couldn't let Naruto know about his origins, he still managed to buy Naruto some time to act independently, which could be considered as doing something for his teacher.

Now I have someone else to care about, even if they're just a troublesome little brat.

After Kakashi left, the Third Hokage continued to handle his work. Recently, he had been receiving more and more complaints, most of which concerned the security forces.

The fact that the security forces received complaints was actually a good thing for him, proving that the Uchiha clan was unpopular.

But in addition to the complaints, he received feedback from the Anbu that the security forces were purchasing more and more supplies, and large quantities of explosive tags, kunai, and shuriken were being transported to the Uchiha clan's territory.

This is far beyond what is needed to maintain order; it's enough to wage a small-scale ninja war.

Even if a coup were to be launched, so many supplies wouldn't be needed.

The Third Hokage was somewhat helpless, but he knew that this was the Uchiha's way of expressing their dissatisfaction and trying to get the Uchiha to gain more benefits. However, what the Uchiha wanted was not a single department or a Jonin position, but his position as Hokage.

The Uchiha clan cannot have a Hokage; this was his idea, and it was also the consensus of his other old friends.

The Uchiha clan's extreme personality could also lead to the village's international isolation, and it could also cause Tobirama to downplay the clan's importance, thus exacerbating the village's policy failures.

The Uchiha clan also lacked any significant achievements, making it difficult for them to gain public support when they became Hokage.

Most importantly, given the number of Jonin in the Uchiha clan, once they become Hokage, they will likely occupy a significant portion of the village's departments, forming a deeply entrenched network that turns the village into a Uchiha village.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and Itachi Uchiha's appearance interrupted the Third Hokage's thoughts.

The Third Hokage looked at Itachi, the only Uchiha he could communicate with after Shisui's death, and slowly asked, "Itachi, is there any new information from the security forces?"

"Father is actively contacting other ninja clans, hoping to form an alliance with them."

Forming an alliance with other ninja clans? In other words, there are no further plans for the time being.

The Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief. He was certain that the various clans in the village would not ally with the Uchiha. Whether it was the risk of taking sides or the Uchiha's arrogant nature, it would be difficult for them to form alliances with other clans.

He was more worried that the Uchiha might be making a desperate gamble and storm the Hokage Building, which would be a huge loss for the village.

As one of the Five Kage, he was naturally not afraid of being surrounded by the Uchiha, but his subordinates, including the Anbu and civilian staff, were different and could easily be killed by Uchiha Jonin.