Assessment Begins

Looking at the electrifying audience, Tomoko suddenly understood what everyone was thinking.

At this moment Tomoko no longer felt nervous, anxious, flustered, or inferior.

Instead, she found a steadfast belief. At that moment, Tomoko found her own Ninja Way.

Based on her own experience, she knew better than anyone that if Yichen hadn't discovered her unconventional talent, there would only be one outcome for her: to be buried among the masses, never to rise again.

So at this moment, Tomoko set a goal for her ninja career. She wanted to be like her teacher, Yichen, to find those buried geniuses and guide them onto the path they should take.

Because the scene was so intense, no one noticed Tomoko's change. This was mainly because most of the people present had never experienced such a shift in Tomoko.

However, there was one exception: Ikura. As a Quasi-Kage level expert, Ikura himself had undergone such a transformation twice.

Ikura understood how rare this opportunity was for Tomoko, and considering her absent-minded state amidst the encouragement of the crowd, he immediately summoned several examiners and asked them to go down to the stage and control the progress of the lottery.

Currently, Tomoko is in the team, and without external interference, her Wind Release: Breakthrough momentum shouldn't be interrupted. However, it's hard to say whether she can maintain this momentum when it's her turn to draw lots.

Although Tomoko was still quite a distance from the draw location, Ikura wasn't sure if she could make Wind Release: Breakthrough before reaching it.

This slowed down the process of the lottery draw, but fortunately, Tomoko, completely absorbed in her own thoughts, didn't notice anything amiss.

At this moment, she was still undergoing a process of ideological and spiritual elevation.

That's right, Tomoko is Wind Release: Breakthrough the barrier on the Jonin.

Tomoko is ten years old this year!

Ikura was actually quite shocked. An ordinary Mu Qi Ninja Academy student had accomplished in just one year what would take him, a top genius in the Ninja World, several years to achieve.

"Yichen, how did you do that?"

Although Ikura noticed that Tomoko was Wind Release: Breakthrough, he didn't Tomoko why and assumed it was due to Yichen's guidance. He resolved to ask Yichen about it after he returned to the village, so as to gain some experience for taking on disciples in the future.

Tomoko's foundation is relatively weak, so although she achieved Wind Release: Breakthrough today, she will not become Jonin anytime soon. With her current level, it will take her at least two or three years to grow to the Jonin level.

But it is precisely because of the poor foundation that this Wind Release: Breakthrough is even more important. Breaking through ahead of Wind Release: Breakthrough means that one can grow earlier and save countless hours.

Tomoko had previously lacked guidance from a renowned teacher and had taken many detours, although he has now corrected his mistakes, what he lacks most is time.

After a long while, Tomoko finally made her Wind Release: Breakthrough just before reaching her draw position. Seeing this, Ikura breathed a sigh of relief; she had been incredibly nervous.

"Protecting the growth of the younger generation is indeed more important than one's own growth."

After signaling that the draw would proceed as planned, Ikura realized that he hadn't yet reported such a significant matter to Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage. So he wrote a secret report and had an instructor deliver it to Ōnoki.

It wasn't that Ikura was making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather that she was disturbing Ōnoki, who was already extremely busy with the war.

A genius ninja is far too important for a ninja village.

Under Yichen's guidance, Tomoko had already transcended mediocrity, but her ultimate goal was still visible: Jonin. If she could gain some insights before reaching the peak, then Elite Jonin was also a possibility.

But for ninjas, the most uncontrollable thing is their perception. Cultivating willpower is the most difficult aspect.

Now, after this Wind Release: Breakthrough, the possibility of Tomoko becoming Elite Jonin has greatly increased.

More importantly, this change in Tomoko demonstrates that she has a talent for insight, and her success rate in gaining insight is indeed far higher than that of ordinary people.

Every Elite Jonin is invaluable to the village, especially in Iwagakure, which doesn't even have a single true Kage Level ninja.

When Ōnoki received the news, his first reaction was disbelief. Because of the importance he attached to Yichen, Ōnoki and other high-ranking officials had also carefully reviewed the information on Yichen's three disciples.

At the time, Ōnoki was puzzled. Although Yichen's choice of Kajiyamari Ōnoki Kawakita him, he could still see their potential from their profiles.

Of all the girls, only Tomoko and Megumi, Ōnoki couldn't figure out what was going on with them.

Unexpectedly, it was this seemingly Mu Qi Tomoko was the first to achieve success.

Ōnoki, who had wanted to visit the Training Ground in person, glanced at the pile of documents in front of him and forcibly suppressed his impulse. He said to the examiner who had come to deliver the message, "I can't leave right now. Tell Ikura to bring the person here after the assessment."

"Yes!" The Chunin Examiner came to deliver the message responded and quickly left.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Ōnoki couldn't concentrate on his work, so he had the Anbu deliver the message to the three advisors still in the village, sharing the good news with them as well.

At the Training Ground, the group quickly completed the lottery draw, which had resumed at a normal pace. Then, a dozen examiners stepped forward and divided the area into dozens of zones.

Then, following the instructions of their assigned numbers, everyone began to stand in pairs.

Kajiyamari was lucky; he was among the first group of people to stand against him.

His opponent was a veteran Genin named Nagano Risa, who excelled in close combat.

Nagano Risa clearly knew Kajiyamari's identity and also understood Kajiyamari strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, she charged towards Kajiyamari at full speed as soon as the battle began.

If it were Kajiyamari, who hadn't experienced many battles a month ago, facing the close-quarters combat of a veteran Genin alone, he might have been a bit flustered.

But after a month of intensive missions, Kajiyamari's combat experience had become much richer. He moved quickly within the designated area while simultaneously forming hand Hand Seals at top speed.

Then, before Nagano Risa could get close, Kajiyamari successfully used his first C-rank Ninjutsu: Water Release - Water Style: Water Wave.

Because of the close proximity, Nagano Risa was not able to completely dodge the attack and was forced to create distance by the Water Style: Water Wave, causing her to stagger uncontrollably.

Then the main force of the battle never returned to Nagano Risa's hands. After more than a dozen C-rank Ninjutsu, the battle ended because Nagano Risa was unable to dodge in time.

Kajiyamari's performance in this First Shinobi War would certainly be considered good for anyone else, greatly increasing his chances Chunin promotion to Chunin. However, it fell short of the one-sided crushing victory that the audience had expected.

Of course, in the eyes of experts, Kajiyamari's performance was worthy of the title of Jonin disciple. After all, Ninjutsu- based ninjas are indeed at a disadvantage in one-on-one combat in the early stages.

Considering that she knew five or six different attack Ninjutsu at such a young age, and that she could use them in actual combat after simplification, the examiners said that Kajiyamari's answer was satisfactory.

The time spent in each group of ninja battles varied. As instructed by the instructors, as soon as a winner was decided in any area, a new person would immediately step up to compete.

Kajiyamari won relatively quickly, but he wasn't among the fastest, so it didn't cause much of a stir.

The second of Yichen's three disciples to enter the arena was Tomoko, Tomoko entrance once again caused a sensation among the audience.

However, this time everyone was very in sync; after a brief cheer, they quickly quieted down to watch the game.

Seeing that almost all eyes were drawn to Tomoko, the other Genin who were competing all looked on with envy. However, envy aside, the competition had to continue.

"Teacher Yichen, I won't let you down," Tomoko thought to herself, then glanced at the audience and quietly added, "Don't worry, everyone, I won't disappoint you either."

When Tomoko set her gaze firmly on her opponent, the opponent immediately felt a sense of pressure.

Tomoko's rival was named Ohmori Shiho, who was two years older than Tomoko and a graduate of the Advanced Class in their year.

Since he had been serving under the Jonin Captain since graduation, he was very familiar with the oppressive feeling he had when Tomoko's gaze swept over him.

That's the kind of pressure you only Jonin when facing a genuine Jonin; it's the fear that arises from the difference in mental fortitude.

"Could it be that this Tomoko is already Jonin?" Limited by her limited perspective and knowledge, Ohmori Shiho did not understand the process of Wind Release: Breakthrough to Jonin, so her courage weakened considerably before the battle even began.

In this battle, both were Ninjutsu -type ninjas. Tomoko's Hand Seals speed far surpassed Ohmori Shiho's, and her Wind Release was more powerful than Earth Release. In addition, one was riding high on momentum while the other had lost her courage, so the battle was one-sided from the very beginning.

Tomoko was even more relaxed than Kajiyamari. With her two group-attack Wind Release and superb control abilities, she directly forced Ohmori Shiho to a safe distance, and then had to admit defeat at the critical moment.

The moment Ohmori Shiho conceded defeat, the entire audience erupted in cheers, as if they themselves had won. Everyone spontaneously began to cheer.

They cheered for witnessing a miracle, and were thrilled that Tomoko had lived up to their expectations.

Hearing the cheers of the crowd, Tomoko was also very excited. From today onwards, she was no longer that insecure little girl who almost failed her graduation exam.

She was a powerful figure whom all the Genin of Iwa ninja envied, and in the future, she would be the envy of the Chunin Jonin.

Once she grows into Jonin, she will make others envious of her.

Standing at a distance, Ikura watched Tomoko with a smile; this young girl already possessed the confidence of a strong person.

Ikura's younger sister Chikotake, sat next to the Great Witch Kanno Tsuko, looking at her older sister in the audience with starry eyes, muttering, "I never knew my sister was so amazing."

Kanno Tsuko, standing next to her, looked eager to try. "I really want to go up and compete. It's a pity, after this round, Tomoko definitely be promoted directly and won't need to participate in the assessments tomorrow and the day after."

This is also part of the rules. If the Chief Examiner Ikura, feels that a candidate has already reached the level of Chunin, they can be promoted directly without taking up a spot that has had its promotion requirements relaxed this time.

If the Chief Examiner feels that your demonstrated strength has not yet reached the level of Chunin, then you will continue to participate in the assessment on the second and third days, and so on, until all five rounds of competition are completed.

The examiners will then select the top few dozen candidates based on their overall strength and report them to the Tsuchikage, who will then bestow upon Chunin.