Sakumo's eyes sparkled with such intensity that it made Hoshiyomi a little uneasy. He knew Sakumo's personality well—this guy was obsessive. Once he set his mind on something, not even ten wild boars could pull him back.
Hoshiyomi genuinely feared that Sakumo might go overboard trying to develop the technique, possibly driving himself to burnout or sustaining hidden internal injuries that could hinder his growth.
That would make Hoshiyomi feel terribly guilty. With that in mind, he quickly straightened his face and gave Sakumo a firm pat on the shoulder, warning him:
"Sakumo, our Gekkō Clan scrolls specifically warn that this technique must be trained gradually. Rushing it could leave you with permanent internal injuries.
When you try to develop it in the future, keep that in mind. I recommend you wait until you've reached Chūnin level before attempting it."
Seeing the seriousness in Hoshiyomi's eyes, Sakumo hesitated, then nodded.
"Don't worry, Hoshiyomi. I understand that much. I'll wait until I've reached Chūnin before trying to develop it."
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Sakumo glanced around to make sure neither Jiraiya nor Orochimaru were nearby before leaning in and whispering:
"Don't you think we're progressing too slowly? I feel like there's nothing left to learn at the Academy.
Honestly, I get more out of sparring with you after school than I do sitting through a whole day of lessons.
I've been thinking—maybe we should just apply for early graduation."
That struck a chord with Hoshiyomi.
Truthfully, he hadn't come to the Academy to learn the basics. His real goal was to befriend Tsunade, Sakumo, and the others. Now that those bonds had been formed, staying in school seemed less important.
But on second thought, it didn't feel right to graduate just yet. Orochimaru had only recently been moved to Class A and had just begun warming up to them. If he and Sakumo suddenly left, what would become of Orochimaru?
Hoshiyomi had always felt that Orochimaru's descent into darkness in the original timeline was largely because no one noticed or cared about the changes in his heart.
He believed that if he could stay close and offer some guidance at the right moments, it might just be possible to steer Orochimaru down a better path.
Now that he was in the world of Naruto, he felt a responsibility to change some of the tragedies that had unfolded in the original timeline—maybe even rewrite some fates.
Looking up at Sakumo, Hoshiyomi said:
"Honestly, I agree. There's not much left to learn here. But it's only been two months since the school year started. Even if we apply for early graduation, I doubt Mitsui-sensei would approve.
He might consider it once we're well into the second half of the year, but not now."
Sakumo thought about that and nodded. Hoshiyomi had a point. Knowing Mitsui-sensei's personality, he wouldn't allow something like early graduation so soon.
"Alright then, we'll stick around a little longer," Sakumo said. "That'll give Jiraiya and Orochimaru time to catch up.
Their potential isn't any less than ours. Give them two or three months and they should reach the graduation standard too."
Hoshiyomi smiled.
"We should talk to them tomorrow, get them thinking about preparing for early graduation as well.
And it's not just them—we should prepare too. The graduation test might be easy, but real missions won't be. If we want to survive, we need to keep sharpening ourselves."
With their conversation finished, the sky was already darkening. Sakumo didn't want to trouble Aunt Rie again, so they parted ways and each returned home.
Back at the dinner table, Hoshiyomi decided to bring the topic up with his mother.
At first, Rie was clearly against it. The Gekkō Clan had only one heir left—if anything happened to him, she wouldn't be able to face her late husband in the afterlife.
Left with no choice, Hoshiyomi had to pull out his trump card—he brought up the incident where they'd taken down a Chūnin-level enemy spy.
That stunned her.
"You're saying… you encountered an Iwagakure spy while training—and killed him?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Hoshiyomi nodded innocently, then ran back to his room and returned with the scroll gifted to him by Lady Mito—a set of advanced swordsmanship notes from the Hidden Leaf style.
"Mom, look. This was Lady Mito's reward after she found out what happened."
Rie unrolled the scroll, her hands trembling as she read the writing inside. Though she wasn't a swordswoman herself, years of living with her late husband had given her some familiarity with the art.
This was no fake. The scroll was the real deal—inscribed with the swordsmanship insights of none other than the Second Hokage himself.
For the now-diminished Gekkō Clan, a scroll like this was nothing short of a treasured heirloom.
Rie's gaze shifted from the scroll back to Hoshiyomi. She could no longer hold back. Tears welled up and streamed down her face. She set the scroll aside and walked over to her son.
Without warning, she picked him up by the waist and delivered two firm smacks to his rear.
Hoshiyomi was stunned—not because a near-30-year-old soul like his couldn't handle a spanking, but because, as far as he could remember, his mother had never hit him before.
And today, after he presented her with what was practically a sacred relic, he got smacked?
He dared not struggle, worried he might accidentally hurt his mother with his strength. All he could do was protest softly:
"Mom… what was that for?"
"You little brat! You went through something that dangerous and didn't even tell me?
Were you planning to keep this from me forever if you weren't thinking of graduating early?"
Hoshiyomi was left speechless. He just let her go on, nodding and admitting fault. After two more swats, Rie finally let him go and sat him down beside her.
"If you truly have the ability to protect yourself, then I'll support your decision," she said, voice still trembling slightly.
"But you must promise me one thing—whether you graduate early or not, you have to protect yourself on every mission that follows.
You are the last heir of the Gekkō Clan. If something happens to you… the clan is finished. Never forget that."
Hoshiyomi fell silent, listening carefully to her heartfelt words. His chest felt tight, and for a moment, he even felt the sting of tears threatening to surface.
But then—
Rie wiped her tears and added seriously:
"So, Hoshiyomi, you'd better bring a girl home soon and let me meet her.
I need some peace of mind. Once I've held my grandchild, you can do whatever you want."
Hoshiyomi: _
You just ruined the whole mood! Give me back my tears!