What Happened?

After passing through the woodland, the next checkpoint was in the center of the lake, followed by another checkpoint at the mountaintop.

Running through the wilds between the trees, Water Walking at full speed, and climbing over mountain peaks covered most of the marching skills tested of ninjas.

Handling and resolving all kinds of sudden accidents along the way involved a series of related skills, including combat, intelligence gathering, medical aid, and more.

By around midnight, Konoha, the city that never slept, was in full uproar.

"After eleven hours! A hellish race covering one thousand three hundred kilometers! Finally! Someone has completed the assessment first!"

"Compared with previous years, the best record in history has not been broken!"

The previous assessments had not been this difficult. The difficulty was increased year by year according to the candidates' performances.

"Then, this year's Rookie King will be!!!"

"He's here!!!"

"Skintight suit! Watermelon haircut! Youthful passion always on his lips! I'm Kai, remember my name! Konoha's Blue Beast! Konoha Ninja Academy, Class B of the sixth year, Might Guy!!! What an upset!!! Oh, my Hokage! Someone's going to lose sleep tonight! Let's hope your adorable figure isn't up on a rooftop!"

Even after changing shifts, the host's passion remained undiminished.

After running an entire circuit around the city, Might Guy looked utterly spent. With a zombie's gait, the boy tilted his head back and struggled along the main road.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's cheer together! For the victor."

The boy could no longer make out what was being said. He trudged forward on heavy feet.

"No! Wait! Someone's coming!"

"They haven't given up! They haven't given up! They're still clinging on!"

"Uchiha Shisui!"

"Betting on the pride of the Uchiha clan! This victory and glory cannot be handed over to you!"

"Hatake Kakashi!!!"