Test Concluded

Konoha's assessment for Jonin was 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 a certain degree of advice on its policies.

Although Hyuga Mirai's group of three had hidden themselves immediately, none of them knew ninjutsu, so if they wanted to probe their opponent, they could only use Shuriken and Exploding Tags.

Moreover, Kaminari Kaede had not given them an opportunity 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'll depend on Yuhi Kurenai's Illusion Technique.

Hidden in the shadows, Hyuga Mirai thought that Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist posed little threat to a Jonin. It would be better for the two of them to create an opportunity for Yuhi Kurenai. As long as the Illusion Technique took effect, Hyuga Kiyomi would still have a chance to counterattack.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

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

The Shuriken throws are pretty good, but they're a little too eager.

Kaminari Kaede glanced around and found that every escape route other than retreating had been blocked. For children their age, that level of Shuriken throwing had already surpassed that of ordinary Genin.

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

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 pulled out a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch. With a series of sharp clangs as he blocked left and right, he knocked the Shuriken aside.

Then more Kunai came flying toward Kaminari Kaede. His sharp eyes suddenly noticed that the three Kunai seemed strange.

Smoke was rising from their handles.

Boom!

The Exploding Tags detonated without warning, and flames and smoke engulfed the spot where Kaminari Kaede stood.

However, a figure soon leaped out of the smoke and fire. Naturally, three Exploding Tags could not possibly defeat a Jonin so easily. Although Hyuga Mirai had concealed the Exploding Tags very carefully, wrapping them around the Kunai and covering them with black paper—

Before exploding, Exploding Tags would always emit smoke and sparks. That was probably their only flaw.

Behind me!

The instant Kaminari Kaede leaped out of the explosion's range, he sensed someone approaching from behind.

Turning his head, he saw Hyuga Mirai.

"Go!"

Shuriken mixed with smoke bombs flew at Kaminari Kaede. The smoke bombs were meant to block his vision, while the Shuriken forced him to keep his attention on them rather than dealing with the smoke bombs.

With two members of the three-person team from the Hyūga Clan, using smoke bombs actually gave them a considerable 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 jet of water shot from Kaminari Kaede's mouth, instantly blasting away the Shuriken and smoke bombs before surging toward Hyuga Mirai.

Bang!

Smoke spread across dozens of meters, and while the smoke bombs obstructed vision, Hyuga Mirai used the Substitution Technique to evade Kaminari Kaede's ninjutsu.

"He clearly excels at Fire Style and Earth Style, yet he used Water Release."

Hyuga Mirai thought with the corner of his mouth twitching upward, then threw a Shuriken toward Hyuga Kiyomi's hiding place as a signal.

Smoke bombs could block ordinary people's vision, but for the Hyūga Clan, they were the best possible aid.

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

Under the Byakugan, Hyuga Kiyomi could see Kaminari Kaede's figure clearly.

However, the commotion was too great. Hyuga Kiyomi's direct charge completely ruined Hyuga Mirai's intentions. Even if Kaminari Kaede could not see, as a Jonin, he could still hear Hyuga Kiyomi approaching.

Hyuga Mirai frowned slightly and shook his head. He had already done all he could. From here on, he only needed to play support.

Bang, bang bang, bang!

The sounds of fists and feet colliding rang continuously from within the smoke. Through the Byakugan, Hyuga Mirai watched their exchange with perfect clarity.

Although Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist was quite powerful, whipping up gusts of force with every strike and kick, Kaminari Kaede's Taijutsu was no weaker. Even with the smoke obscuring his vision, Hyuga Kiyomi still failed to gain any advantage through 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.

With Hyuga Mirai joining in, Hyuga Kiyomi relaxed somewhat. 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 sight of sparks and smoke rising from their handles. Startled, he glanced 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 and 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 his eyes began to change, he saw Yuhi Kurenai in the distance wave at him, wearing the exact same expression Hyuga Mirai had worn during his introduction earlier.

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

The combat assessment had given him a few pleasant surprises, especially Hyuga Mirai's grasp of tactics. Although the three had worked together for the first time, they would have been enough to handle most Chunin.

"I'm fairly satisfied with that test. You coordinated this well despite working together for the first time. The vast majority of Chunin are already no match for you. From now on, besides completing village missions, I'll also give each of you specialized training based on your individual traits."

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

He had too few methods of attack, and he had stopped fighting once Yuhi Kurenai activated her Illusion Technique. That was far too childish. Before Kaminari Kaede, the Captain, called a halt, Hyuga Mirai's actions could only be described as a serious failure.

Hyuga Kiyomi and Yuhi Kurenai simply lacked experience, but that could be corrected through future missions and training, so Kaminari Kaede said no more.

"That's enough for today. Gather in front of the Hokage Hall at nine tomorrow morning."

With that, Kaminari Kaede used the Body Flicker Technique and left directly.

After Kaminari Kaede left, Hyuga Mirai finally spoke. "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 at 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 clear that the result had made Yuhi Kurenai very happy.

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

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

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

"Barbecue?"

At the mention of it, Hyuga Mirai's mouth began to water. He had always said he would 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 rather than taste.

Come to think of it, he had barely enjoyed any good food for over half a year.

Hyuga Kiyomi was tempted as well. After thinking it over, she agreed. "All right, let's go together." Then, seeing Hyuga Mirai's somewhat conflicted expression, she added,

"I'll pay for your portion."

"Thank you, Kiyomi-sama!"

"Call me Kiyomi when we're with the team. Change how you address me once we return to the clan."