Passing the Assessment

Murata raised his palm, and the Samurai Sword in his hand immediately carved out an afterimage as it slashed toward Chiga.

Chiga reacted extremely quickly. The moment he saw Murata appear behind him, he had already twisted around.

By the time Murata swung his sword, Chiga had already slashed out as well.

Clang!

The two Samurai Swords showered sparks.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a while. Then Murata suddenly exerted force, pushing Chiga away while retreating himself.

Seeing this, Chiga advanced with his sword, rapidly closing in on Murata, seemingly unwilling to give him another chance to disappear into the mist.

Having failed to evade him immediately, Murata could only continue battling Chiga.

Clang, clang, clang!

Yet with every clash, Murata's expression darkened further.

Facing Chiga's torrential assault, Murata's breathing became constricted. He felt as if the air itself had become a heavy hammer, grinding him down.

He already hated the Root member who had given him the information. Which bastard had added "plain and unremarkable"?!

He wanted to press that man's head beneath Chiga's Samurai Sword and ask him how he had come up with "plain and unremarkable."

Chiga had no idea what Murata was thinking. Although he had forcibly interrupted the Wind Release Technique earlier and suppressed the backlash, the meridians throughout his body still ached faintly.

Ever since arriving in the Naruto world, he had never suffered such a great loss.

If he didn't get revenge, how could he continue making a name for himself?!

Once evil thoughts arose, killing intent naturally followed.

Taking advantage of Murata's inability to evade, Chiga raised his Samurai Sword high and brought it down toward Murata.

With nowhere to dodge, Murata could only hold his Samurai Sword horizontally in front of him.

But this was precisely the moment Chiga had been waiting for. The Samurai Sword in his hand burst into a pale blue radiance.

Clang!

With the Samurai Sword's sharpness enhanced by the unique cutting quality of Wind Release, Murata's Samurai Sword snapped in response.

The crisp metallic sound rang throughout the arena, and Murata's Samurai Sword snapped in response.

Whoosh!

With nothing to block it, Chiga's sword continued downward, striking Murata in the chest and sending blood spraying into the air.

"How is that possible?!"

Murata stood where he was, staring dumbfoundedly at the broken blade in his hand. Then he lowered his head to look at the blood gushing from his chest, seemingly unable to believe this would be the outcome. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

With Murata falling, the Hidden Mist Technique naturally dissipated as well.

As the mist dispersed, the scene within the arena appeared before everyone.

Chiga stood alone in the center of the arena with his sword in hand, while Murata lay on the ground, his life or death unknown!

"He won?"

"He was clearly at a disadvantage before. How did he suddenly win?"

"Chiga actually defeated Murata-sensei. That's far more impressive than lasting ten minutes!"

However, compared to the Ninja Academy Students' concern over whether Chiga had won or lost, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were more focused on the Samurai Sword in Chiga's hand.

"Wind Release Chakra nature transformation?!"

"There's no mistake. That cutting quality coming from the blade is definitely Wind Release Chakra nature transformation!"

"How old is he? Seven?"

"When I was seven, I couldn't even properly use Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. He has already mastered the cutting nature transformation?!"

Shock had already appeared on the faces of the numerous Jonin. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a trace of surprise.

Although the light on the Samurai Sword in Chiga's hand looked faint, the sharp aura it faintly emitted still made everyone understand that it was definitely Wind Release nature transformation.

While everyone was stunned, Minato came to his senses. He turned to Kushina and blurted out, "Kushina, why don't you let me be Chiga's Jonin Instructor instead?"

People born with Wind Release affinity were already extremely rare. For someone Chiga's age to have mastered Wind Release's cutting nature, he clearly possessed tremendous talent in the attribute.

Minato couldn't help but take an interest in such a talent.

Kushina was likewise shocked by Chiga's talent, but after hearing Minato's words, her face gradually became expressionless. "What did you say?"

Minato still hadn't looked toward Kushina. He was merely staring at Chiga in the arena, seemingly able to see Chiga's every move through the mist.

"Look, Chiga has Wind Release affinity, and so do I. I can give Chiga plenty of guidance in that attribute, allowing him to make better use of his talent. Kushina, you still haven't fully mastered Wind Release. You're even inferior to Chiga, so you're not very suitable to be Chiga's Jonin Instructor."

"You're right. I indeed haven't mastered Wind Release." Kushina's voice was faint and forlorn. "So does that mean you and I aren't suitable either?"

"Kushina, I didn't say anything just now!"

Minato finally realized what was happening. He stiffly turned his head and looked at Kushina's hair, which had begun floating without any wind. His expression immediately changed.

There was no killing intent, but Minato felt as if he had fallen into the deep sea, pressure surrounding him from every direction.

If he answered incorrectly, he really would die!

In the arena.

"Chiga, you... passed!"

Ryōichi-sensei no longer needed to look at the stopwatch. The chief examiner was already lying unconscious on the ground, so what was the point of checking the time?

"Ryōichi-sensei, if you don't find a Medical Ninja soon, Murata-sensei is going to die."

Chiga kindly reminded him. Even after fighting until the final second, Chiga still hadn't dealt a fatal blow. After all, it wouldn't look good if he killed the chief examiner during an exam.

"Oh, oh."

At Ryōichi's shout, a Jonin capable of medical ninjutsu stepped forward to treat Murata.

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi led the group behind him over to Chiga.

He looked at Chiga with undisguised appreciation and praised him. "Uchiha Chiga, your performance was excellent. You showed me a truly spectacular battle."

"Thank you for your praise, Hokage!"

Chiga responded humbly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more satisfied. Chiga was a genius, yet he had none of a genius's arrogance. Such a temperament was truly excellent.

"Tch!"

Sarutobi Asuma watched the way his old man looked at Chiga, a trace of jealousy rising in his eyes.

Asuma also hoped to earn his father's approval. Unfortunately, the two seemed incompatible by nature and had never shown each other a pleasant expression whenever they met.

As a result, Asuma had never experienced a scene like this.

Negative emotions from Sarutobi Asuma, Emotion Points +30!

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stay long. After offering a few words of praise and some encouragement to the Ninja Academy Students present, he left the Ninja Academy.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others departed, the atmosphere at the scene relaxed considerably.

"Chiga, congratulations on becoming a genin!"

"Don't forget us in the future!"

His classmates gathered around Chiga one after another.

Chiga smiled at his group of friends and said, "Don't just offer your congratulations verbally, everyone. How about showing your sincerity with some gifts?"

At this point, Chiga became a little embarrassed as well. Wearing a bashful smile, he said softly, "I remember that the gifts you gave Kakashi weren't cheap!"