"Teacher, that's Second Lord's ninjutsu, right?"
"Mm. You're presiding over this exam. How will the third round proceed?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
Seeing Kyoichi use Water Severing Wave had surprised him as well. He had never expected this boy to master the Water Release ninjutsu that no one had been able to learn since Tobirama Senju.
The Senju Clan had split apart back then, scattering many things among its branches.
That alone was nothing surprising.
What was surprising was Kyoichi's astonishing talent for ninjutsu. Not only had he mastered Water Severing Wave, but he had also modified the Body Flicker Technique: Improved.
Even without the Senju bloodline, Kyoichi was a talent.
Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled. "Teacher, there is no third round. I am the third round. Although you gathered some people for this exam, this boy is the only one who truly needs to be promoted through such means."
"Promoting a Chunin directly to Jonin, especially when he came down from the battlefield injured and without enough battle merits... Unfortunately, we are desperately short on talent right now and urgently need manpower. We have no choice but to do this."
The Third Hokage sighed.
During wartime, ninja promotions were often very fast and did not require an examination.
But—
Kanda Kyoichi had come down from the battlefield injured. Although his battle achievements were considerable, they still were not enough to reach the level required for promotion to Jonin. It was an awkward situation.
"I'm reassured with you presiding over this exam. From what I can see, Kanda Kyoichi's strength is entirely at the Jonin level. It will depend on how he gathers intelligence and judges the battlefield situation."
The Third Hokage spoke.
At this point, he had no idea that Orochimaru was researching Hashirama Cells. He still thought Orochimaru was simply interested in Kanda Kyoichi, which was why he had volunteered to take on this task.
Everyone cherished talent.
Of course—
The Third Hokage knew all about his tangled relationship with Danzo, so after speaking, he added, "Orochimaru, I have complete faith in your abilities, but as for Root, keep your distance from them."
"Teacher, I'm only borrowing someone this time to make the exam site easier to arrange. Besides, this method of promotion will be more convincing."
As Orochimaru spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Borrowing Hyuga Tao? It seemed his problem had been noticed.
"You know what I mean."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded lightly. He did not say it outright, but his meaning was already clear. It all depended on whether Orochimaru was willing to listen.
Forest of Death.
Kyoichi was still playing a game of cat and mouse with Orochimaru.
That bastard Orochimaru was a real sticky pest, clinging to him without letting go. Kyoichi had not fought him much for two reasons: first, it did not fit his mission objective; second, he suspected Orochimaru was after his blood.
He did not want Orochimaru to obtain it for now.
But—
A moment later, he sensed another figure rushing toward the area ahead of him.
Hyuga Tao.
Was he one of Danzo's people too?
How could that be?
A strange look flashed across Kyoichi's eyes.
However, one thing was certain.
Danzo and Orochimaru had set up this scheme most likely to injure him and obtain his blood, thereby further researching Hashirama Cells.
He pretended not to sense Hyuga Tao and continued toward Aburame Hiyori's location.
She had already obtained two scrolls!
Before long, Hyuga Tao appeared ahead and blocked Kyoichi's path.
"Sorry, I have a mission to carry out. I have no choice but to do this."
Hyuga Tao spoke briefly and directly.
Kyoichi let out a cold laugh and ignored him. Instead—
Whoosh!
With the Body Flicker Technique, he passed by Hyuga Tao.
In the next moment, Hyuga Tao activated his Byakugan and charged at Kyoichi.
Gentle Fist!
He was extremely fast. With the Byakugan, he could observe Kyoichi's movements with even greater precision. He was confident that he could keep up even under the Body Flicker Technique and block Kyoichi by striking his acupuncture points.
The plan was sound.
But—
Just as he caught up, he discovered that chakra covered Kyoichi's entire body.
What was this?
Earth Spear!
By forming a protective layer with Earth Release chakra, Kyoichi made acupuncture-point strikes extremely difficult. Hyuga Tao immediately realized that something was wrong and struck out with his other hand.
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
However—
Kyoichi reacted extremely quickly, swiftly dodging the attack. He then formed hand seals, and a water dragon rose into the air and charged toward Hyuga Tao.
This was only the first killing move.
The real danger was—
Hyuga Tao had just dodged the Water Dragon Bullet when he saw Kyoichi move at incredible speed and appear directly behind him.
Shadow Leaf Dance.
Then came a kick!
Hyuga Tao was sent flying. He crashed through several trees along the way. If Orochimaru had not used Earth Release at the end to weaken the impact, he might have flown even farther.
By then, Hyuga Tao was unconscious and gravely injured.
Had he been crippled?
Orochimaru was extremely surprised as he stared at Kyoichi.
Hyuga Tao was an elite member of the Hyuga Branch Family who had joined the Anbu. Orochimaru had borrowed him for this mission, and his strength was not weak. Yet Kyoichi had defeated him in a single encounter, rendering him incapable of fighting with just one kick. That strike was terrifying!
He had definitely used some kind of special Taijutsu.
Another new technique!
"Kyoichi, you've really given me... far too many surprises."
Orochimaru was incredibly excited.
He felt as though he had finally encountered someone who understood him.
"You're Orochimaru, right?"
Kyoichi asked.
"You recognized me, yet only left behind a Shadow Clone? Kyoichi, I am one of the Sannin, after all."
Orochimaru smiled.
Kyoichi had seen him on the battlefield. As long as he paid a little attention, it was not difficult to notice some of his characteristics, such as—
Licking his lips.
Damn habit!
But—
So what if he had been recognized?
He was not too discouraged.
Compared with a mere mission, he admired Kyoichi's creativity and talent even more. This was a genius just like himself!
A giant snake appeared.
It carried Hyuga Tao on its back and quickly headed toward another area of the Forest of Death.
"I'm very curious about that technique you used just now. Could you enlighten me?"
Orochimaru knew that Kyoichi had activated some kind of special Taijutsu, making him several times faster than usual. He could not catch up with him now. Rather than waste time, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.
"That technique just now wasn't created by me. I learned it from someone else. It's called the Eight Gates."
The Shadow Clone smiled.
Orochimaru had no intention of fighting, and Kyoichi was happy to go along with it. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to sit down and talk?
Besides—
He was certain that the Third Hokage was spying on them. This was a good opportunity to make a name for Might Duy.
"The Eight Gates? Indeed, indeed... Interesting. I never expected Konoha to have a genius researching this kind of Taijutsu. But there should be more than just this one technique, right?"
Orochimaru's eyes were filled with excitement.
When it came to all kinds of research in Konoha, even the Third Hokage could not compare with him now.
He naturally knew about the theory behind the Eight Gates.
Although Kyoichi's technique was obscure and its aura was concealed by the Eight Gates, Orochimaru could still deduce that Kyoichi had opened no more than the First Gate just now. Based on the ability of the First Gate...
That was nowhere near enough to defeat Hyuga Tao with a single strike.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm? Earth Spear?"
Orochimaru muttered to himself.
He organized his thoughts and continued deducing. He realized that it was very likely some kind of Earth Release ninjutsu.
Earth Spear!
"Nothing can escape Orochimaru's notice."
"Impressive. To activate the Eight Gates while maintaining the Earth Spear state at the same time—your chakra control must be incredibly strong."
Orochimaru sighed repeatedly.
He had to admit that Kyoichi was the most talented young man he had encountered in all these years. Minato Namikaze was also extremely talented, but he was not the type Orochimaru liked.
Kanda Kyoichi was!
He vaguely felt that Kanda Kyoichi knew even more techniques.
"I really want to fight you properly. Unfortunately, I am the chief examiner this time. Going all out against you would be bullying you too much."
Orochimaru sighed.
He revealed his true appearance and did not attack again.
The next moment—
He saw black insects filling the sky in the distance. Clearly, Kyoichi had engaged the Aburame clan's representative.
As he passed by Kyoichi's Shadow Clone, Orochimaru said in a low voice, "Kyoichi, if we get the chance next time, let's have a proper talk!"
Aburame Hiyori would not be Kyoichi's opponent.
He was absolutely certain of that!
"Yes!"
Thanks to 'Liu Nian Chang Cun' for the reminder. The Hyuga Clan could not possibly join Root. I wrote this too quickly and failed to consider that point; it has now been corrected. The chapter comments were automatically deleted when the passage was revised.
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