The Test Ends

Konoha's evaluations for Jonin were extremely strict. It could be said that none of Konoha's Jonin had any obvious weaknesses.

Gathering intelligence, practical ninjutsu combat, and more—Konoha's Jonin already held considerable influence within the village. They were the village's backbone and could even offer suggestions regarding its policies.

Although Hyuga Mirai and the other two had hidden themselves immediately, none of them could use ninjutsu. If they wanted to test him, they could only do so with Shuriken and Exploding Tags.

Moreover, Kaminari Kaede had not given them the chance to set traps. At this rate, even if the three of them went all out, it would be difficult to make Kaminari Kaede take them seriously.

If we want to improve our evaluation in Kaminari Kaede's eyes, it will depend on Yuhi Kurenai's Illusion Technique.

Hyuga Mirai hid in the shadows as he thought this. He did not believe Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist could threaten a Jonin. It would be better for the two of them to create an opportunity for Yuhi Kurenai. As long as her Illusion Technique took effect, Hyuga Kiyomi would still have a chance to counterattack.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Numerous Shuriken and Kunai flew out from the forest, sealing off every direction around Kaminari Kaede.

The Shuriken throws are good, but they were a little too hasty.

Kaminari Kaede glanced around and realized that, aside from retreating, all other escape routes had been blocked. For someone their age, that Shuriken-throwing skill had already surpassed that of an ordinary Genin.

However, it posed little threat to a Jonin like Kaminari Kaede.

He was a Jonin. If a few Shuriken thrown by students could force him to retreat, where would the dignity of a Jonin instructor be?

Kaminari Kaede swiftly drew a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch. With a series of sharp clangs as he deflected left and right, he knocked the Shuriken aside.

Then several Kunai came flying at Kaminari Kaede in quick succession, but his sharp eyes suddenly noticed that the three Kunai seemed off.

Smoke was rising from their handles.

Boom!

The Exploding Tags detonated without warning, and a blaze engulfed the area where Kaminari Kaede stood.

Yet a figure soon leaped out from the flames and smoke. Naturally, three Exploding Tags could not defeat a Jonin so easily. Although Hyuga Mirai had concealed the tags well, wrapping them around the Kunai and covering them with black paper—

Before exploding, however, Exploding Tags always gave off smoke and sparks. That was probably their only flaw.

Behind me!

The instant Kaminari Kaede leaped out of the blast radius, he sensed someone approaching from behind.

Turning his head, he saw Hyuga Mirai.

"Go!"

Shuriken mixed with smoke bombs shot toward Kaminari Kaede. The smoke bombs were meant to block his vision, while the Shuriken forced him to focus on defending instead of dealing with the smoke.

With two members of the three-person team from the Hyūga Clan, smoke bombs would instead give them a major advantage.

That boy from the Hyuga Clan was a qualified Ninja!

Kaminari Kaede thought to himself as his hands rapidly formed seals. In an instant, he unleashed a ninjutsu.

"Water Release: Water Disruption."

A stream of water burst from Kaminari Kaede's mouth, instantly knocking away the Shuriken and smoke bombs before shooting toward Hyuga Mirai.

Poof!

The smoke covered an area dozens of meters wide. Taking advantage of the obscured vision, Hyuga Mirai used the Substitution Technique to evade Kaminari Kaede's ninjutsu.

"He clearly specializes in Fire Style and Earth Style ninjutsu, yet he used Water Release."

Hyuga Mirai grinned slightly as he thought this, then threw a Shuriken toward Hyuga Kiyomi's hiding place as a signal.

Smoke bombs could obscure an ordinary person's vision, but for the Hyūga Clan, they were the best possible aid.

The meridians around Hyuga Kiyomi's eyes bulged as she rushed into the smoke.

Under the Byakugan, Hyuga Kiyomi could see Kaminari Kaede's figure with perfect clarity.

However, the commotion was too great. By charging in like that, Hyuga Kiyomi had completely ruined Hyuga Mirai's intentions. Even if Kaminari Kaede could not see, he could still hear her.

Hyuga Mirai shook his head with a slight frown. He had already done all he could. From here on, he only needed to play a supporting role.

Bang, bang bang, bang!

The sounds of fists and kicks colliding rang continuously from within the smoke. Through the Byakugan, Hyuga Mirai watched the two of them fight with perfect clarity.

Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist was quite powerful, and gusts of force swept out with every punch and kick. However, Kaminari Kaede's Taijutsu was no weaker. Even with the smoke blocking his vision, Hyuga Kiyomi still failed to gain an advantage from her surprise attack.

Once the smoke dispersed, Hyuga Kiyomi had already fallen into a disadvantage. Her Taijutsu was decent, but there was still a gap between her and a Jonin, even if Kaminari Kaede specialized in ninjutsu.

After Hyuga Mirai joined in, Hyuga Kiyomi found things somewhat easier. However, she immediately sensed that something was wrong. The person beside her was definitely not Hyuga Mirai.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Two Kunai flew in from the distance. Kaminari Kaede's sharp eyes caught the smoke and sparks rising from their handles. His heart jolted as his gaze flicked toward Hyuga Kiyomi and Hyuga Mirai nearby.

Are they trying to blow up their own teammates too? Or do they simply not care?

In an instant, Kaminari Kaede made his decision. He flashed forward, preparing to knock away the incoming Kunai.

But that exposed an opening.

"Illusion Technique: Hell Viewing Technique!"

A voice entered Kaminari Kaede's ears, and he immediately realized something was wrong. As the scene before him changed, he saw Yuhi Kurenai in the distance wave at him, wearing the exact same expression Hyuga Mirai had worn during his introduction.

After the test ended, Kaminari Kaede's expression improved considerably.

The sparring test had given him a few pleasant surprises, especially Hyuga Mirai's grasp of tactics. Although the three of them had worked together for the first time, they were enough to handle most Chunin.

"I was fairly satisfied with that test. For your first time working together, your coordination was excellent. Most Chunin are no longer your opponents. Aside from completing village missions, I will also give each of you special training based on your individual traits."

Kaminari Kaede spoke calmly, then pointed out each person's shortcomings during the exchange. Hyuga Mirai was no exception.

He had too few offensive methods, and he had stopped fighting after Yuhi Kurenai activated her Illusion Technique. That was far too careless. Before Kaminari Kaede, the Captain, called for a stop, Hyuga Mirai's actions could only be considered a major failure.

Hyuga Kiyomi and Yuhi Kurenai simply lacked experience. That could be corrected through future missions and training, so Kaminari Kaede did not say much more.

"That will be all for today. Gather in front of the Hokage Hall at nine tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Kaminari Kaede used a Body Flicker and left directly.

Only after Kaminari Kaede departed did Hyuga Mirai speak. "So he really was a Jonin. I thought he was a Shadow Clone. Looks like our coordination just now was pretty good."

Yuhi Kurenai smiled when she heard that. "Yeah, it was my first time successfully using an Illusion Technique on a Jonin, even though it only lasted two seconds." Her eyes curved into crescents, and it was obvious that she was delighted by the result.

"But we still didn't win." Hyuga Kiyomi spoke somewhat unwillingly.

Hyuga Mirai comforted her, "Kiyomi-sama, that was a Jonin. It's already amazing that we managed to gain even a slight advantage."

Yuhi Kurenai suddenly suggested, "How about we celebrate the formation of our team with a barbecue?"

"Barbecue?"

At the mention of it, Hyuga Mirai's mouth began to water. He had always said he should occasionally treat himself to something good, but training took up too much of his time, and he ate a lot. He had always focused only on filling his stomach, never on taste.

Thinking about it, he had barely enjoyed good food for over half a year.

Hyuga Kiyomi was also tempted. After thinking for a moment, she agreed. "Alright, let's go together." Then, seeing Hyuga Mirai's conflicted expression, she added,

"I'll pay for your share."

"Thank you, Kiyomi-sama!"

"From now on, call me Kiyomi when we're with the team. Change how you address me once we return to the clan."