Jonin Assessment

"Who's going first?" someone suddenly asked as the five people on the field took their positions.

According to the unspoken rules among ninjas, the person with the highest rank or the strongest strength is usually first or last.

And so... all four pairs of eyes turned to Sakura Haruno, who was standing at the back of the line.

"Huh? Why are you all looking at me?" Sakura was taken aback, but quickly realized what she meant and laughed, "You guys can do whatever you want, as long as I'm not the first one to go on stage."

She loves to be number one in everything else, but in situations like this, where she's surrounded by people waiting to see her perform, Sakura gets a little nervous...

If they weren't first, then they'd be the grand finale. The four quickly reached this conclusion, discussed it briefly, and then immediately arranged the order of their performances. [Note]

The first person to be tested was Sakura's acquaintance, Genma Shiranui.

This guy had previously served as Sakura Haruno's Chunin Ninja Exams examiner, and in the blink of an eye, he became a ninja participating in the Jonin Exams alongside her.

The world is truly wondrous.

Sakura watched him stand on the field, a Senbon stick dangling from his mouth, looking cool, and felt a pang of emotion.

Compared to Sasuke's cool, pretentious persona in the original work, she admires Genma's coolness more. His composure during the Konoha Collapse Operation left a deep impression on Sakura.

The examiners for the Jonin Exams were chosen by Tsunade Jonin the proceedings, and the selection process was quite casual. In this case Tsunade simply selected Hotaru Hyuga.

"They're acquaintances." Sakura blinked, as expected, she recognized Elite Jonin who could serve as examiners, or at least had met them a few times in the Anbu.

Hotaru Hyuga is the squad leader of the Second Squad of the Anbu, and her strength ranks among the top in the entire Anbu. When Sakura Haruno went to the Hyuga Clan to find Hinata before, she saw her sparring with Hiashi. In that fleeting glance, Sakura could tell that the two were evenly matched and evenly matched!

Although it was just a friendly sparring match, it has already proven a lot.

Hotaru Hyuga was supposed to be placed with the Caged Bird Seal like her brother Hizashi and become a member of the Branch Family. However, because she joined the Anbu and held an important position within it, and was also a direct descendant of the Hokage, possessing strength, status, and protection, the matter of Cursed Seal on her was repeatedly delayed and never actually carried out.

Hinata's constant dedication to training and striving for excellence is partly inspired by Hotaru's story; Hinata model!

If Hinata could do what Hotaru Hyuga did, even if Hinata becomes Branch Family in the future, the matter of the Cursed Seal would naturally be left unresolved.

The Hyuga Clan's branch, to which Hinata belongs, has many impressive women: Hotaru, Hinata, and Hanabi.

However, Genma on the field also played quite well.

Sakura Haruno's impression of him was limited to his usual carefree attitude of carrying a Senbon, and his steady and reliable demeanor in crucial moments; she didn't really know how strong his fighting ability was.

After Hotaru Hyuga, with her as a reference point, Genma's combat strength became apparent—facing the relentless onslaught of a ninja nearing the Quasi-Kage Level, he was able to hold on, standing firm like a reef in the ocean.

Hotaru Hyuga pressed forward relentlessly, while Genma fought and retreated!

Retreating to the edge of the arena, Genma Shiranui's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly spat out the Senbon from his mouth—whoosh!

The Senbon transformed into a streak of cold starlight, rushing towards the Hotaru Hyuga and the fireflies with the speed of Denka across the sky!

Hotaru Hyuga dodged to the side, halting her attack; Genma Shiranui seized the opportunity to leap up, forming hand Hand Seals and spitting out a huge fireball!

"His timing was perfect," the other examinees waiting for their turn whispered among themselves. "He caught Hotaru Hyuga off guard during her attack!"

"Genma was initially at a disadvantage when Hotaru Hyuga got close," someone else said. "He retreated again and again, and was already on the edge of a cliff, but at the last moment he reversed the situation. It was a beautiful strike! Hotaru Hyuga is now at a disadvantage."

Then they began various analyses and solutions.

Sakura Haruno felt a slight toothache after hearing these comments.

Genma's attack was a highlight, but she knew very well that this move had been brewing since he was entangled with Hotaru Hyuga; as for the shift in the situation and Hotaru Hyuga being at a disadvantage... having been an examiner, she knew what was going on—it was all a routine.

To avoid any accidents, the ninjas serving as examiners should be at least one level stronger than the examinees to be able to handle the battle with ease and control. Hotaru Hyuga didn't use her true abilities at all; she only used the strength of an ordinary Jonin. Otherwise, Genma would definitely not have been able to escape Hotaru's pursuit and attacks once she got close.

Different levels of ability and perspectives lead to vastly different views of the world.

Sakura saw Hotaru Hyuga guiding Genma step by step to unleash his full power; what they saw, however, was a battle with back and forth.

But after these people finished commenting, they turned their attention to her, seeking her opinion or approval, which made Sakura feel a little awkward.

"Genma is really amazing! Passing the test shouldn't be a problem for him." She said with a smile, which was in line with their opinion, but it was also the truth.

Genma switched from defense to offense, unleashing wave after wave of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu attacks with overwhelming force, seemingly suppressing Hotaru Hyuga.

However, Sakura could see clearly that his attacks had limited effect on Hotaru Hyuga; in terms of Taijutsu, he dared not continue to get close and could only harass her with ninja tools, which was of no use to Hotaru Hyuga, who had Gentle Fist and Byakugan.

The Ninjutsu attack seemed very effective, but it was actually just Hotaru Hyuga holding back; when she first used Fire Style, Sakura Haruno saw Hotaru Hyuga's hand move slightly and then stop, so she knew that she wanted to casually use Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to disperse it, but she probably gave up the idea because of her status as the examiner.

Genma Shiranui's greatest strength lies in the Senbon, which have been imbued with his Chakra for many years. Through Chakra Threads similar to those of a puppeteer, Genma can manipulate the Senbon remotely, combining them with his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu attacks to launch several swift and powerful sneak attacks, with perfect timing and angle. The Senbon needle tactics in his hands are full of tricks, making him incredibly skilled, even Hotaru Hyuga to be on high alert.

The veteran Jonin present could generally tell that Hotaru was holding back; however, they were more concerned about Genma's displayed strength, as his Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and combat intelligence were all above the passing grade for Jonin.

It seems he was actually qualified to become a Jonin several years ago.

"Tsunade, how did you manage to get his application for promotion to Jonin?" The Third Hokage asked, tilting his head as he stood next to the Fifth Hokage, puffing on his pipe.

The Third Hokage was a bit frustrated. Genma was a lazy bum who was afraid of trouble and had never been interested in becoming a Jonin. He had tried to persuade him several times, but to no avail.

Tsunade chuckled, glossing over the question; she would never tell the Third that she had taken a roundabout route, getting his girlfriend to pressure him into becoming more ambitious... That's a woman's advantage.

She glanced at the battle on the field. After being suppressed for a while, Hotaru Hyuga became a little more serious, and Genma immediately fell into a disadvantage again. He began to struggle against Hotaru Hyuga's long-range Gentle Fist and Empty Palm attacks, and the Senbon was no longer able to play a harassing role.

Seeing that Genma's situation was precarious and he was about to be defeated, Tsunade decisively signaled for the battle to stop and the assessment to end. After consulting with the Jonin observing the ceremony and several high-ranking advisors, she directly announced that Genma had passed the assessment.

Applause accompanied the two as they left the stage. Next up was Namiashi Raidō, and the examiner was Kakashi Hatake.

On the side waiting for the assessment, only Sakura and two other people remained. They were a pair of brothers whose names she had never heard of before: Kiji Aso and Kijo Aso.

The two brothers had just made some important comments, but when the fight ended, they realized that Hotaru Hyuga to a Genma. They then realized that their analysis was complete nonsense.

Only then did I realize what Sakura's silent smile meant earlier.

Feeling utterly ashamed of their earlier embarrassment, the two brothers shamelessly began offering their opinions again; however, they had become much smarter and started asking Sakura for her opinion.

Questions like, "Sister Sakura, do you think Namiashi Raidō could last a few moves against a fully powered Kakashi?" or "Can Raidō defend against Kakashi's Lightning Blade?" are common.

The battle on the field wasn't intense, so Sakura had the leisure to answer their questions; however, compared to the two men focusing their attention on Namiashi Raidō, Sakura Haruno was more concerned about Kakashi's strength.

They haven't sparred in a long time.

Hearing that Sasuke and Kakashi had been training quite diligently lately and had increased their strength significantly, showing signs of approaching Kage Level, she was very eager to witness it; unfortunately, Namiashi Raidō couldn't force Kakashi to unleash his full power.

It's already quite impressive that he can force Kakashi to use two or three tenths of his fighting power.

After passing the Namiashi Raidō test, the two brothers took turns performing. Although their eyesight was a bit lacking, their skills were quite good; they quickly passed.

Finally, the much-anticipated Sakura Haruno made her appearance.

The arena erupted in a cacophony of voices; the Jonin who had been calm and collected moments before were now bursting with excitement.

Several high-ranking officials sitting nearby also began to whisper and murmur among themselves.

Tsunade glanced back at the Jonin behind her, looking as if she were about to select examiners. Several people quickly raised their hands, volunteering to be examiners; many of the remaining Jonin also showed slight interest and were eager to try. When the Fifth Hokage turned around and looked over, they all turned their gazes toward Tsunade, their fighting spirit burning.

"Looks like everyone's really looking forward to it." She turned to the Third Hokage with a smile.

"Heh heh, after all, that kid's already a master." The Third Hokage smiled, his eyes narrowed. "The opportunity to spar with a master is very precious! They're not approaching this as examiners, but as challengers!"

"So... who should I send as the examiner?" Tsunade, turned around thoughtfully, and muttered to himself.

"I'll go, Lord Fifth Hokage. As Sakura Haruno's mentor, I'm probably the most suitable examiner to take the stage," Kakashi said, stepping forward.

Tsunade head. "Precisely because you are her teacher, you have many opportunities to spar with her, so let's leave this opportunity for someone else." Her gaze swept over the ninjas behind her, scrutinizing each one.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Tsunade's eyes lingered on Hotaru Hyuga; the latter calmly returned Tsunade, a smile about to appear on her face, but the Fifth Hokage's gaze only remained for less than half a second before shifting to the next ninja.

What she needs is an examiner with sufficient strength, but Hotaru Hyuga has already taken the stage.

Tsunade quickly scanned the entire area and soon made up her mind.

So, it's you I've chosen! Come out!

Tsunade and threw a Poké Ball.

"Might Guy, come here!"

[Note: The original meaning of the finale refers to the penultimate order, but now everyone understands it as the penultimate order.]

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