Demon

Qi Shuang's sudden withdrawal disappointed many examinees who had been eyeing him as an easy target.

They had hoped to snatch their graduation qualification from this unlucky classmate.

Now, it seemed their expectations had all come to nothing.

But disappointment aside, they still had to press on with the ninja graduation exam.

There was only one unlucky bastard, and they hadn't pinned all their hopes of graduating on him alone.

A ninja's qualification ultimately had to be earned through real strength.

Even if they managed to kill someone through trickery, they couldn't be sure they wouldn't become someone else's graduation target.

Elsewhere, the poisoned Qi Shuang, under the teacher's care, was quickly sent to Kirigakure's hospital.

"I still have matters to handle at the exam grounds. This kid's in your hands now!" the teacher said to two medical staff.

"Mm! Rest assured!" one medic nodded in reply.

With that, the ninja teacher glanced once more at the unconscious child and swiftly turned to leave.

After examining Qi Shuang's injuries, one medic joked to his companion, "This kid's pretty funny—getting hurt by his own kunai!"

"Aside from those fresh new students, this is the first time I've seen someone so clumsy!"

"What a riot!"

"Alright, hurry up and treat his poison! If we're late, this kid's going to suffer!" the other medic said dismissively.

Then, the two began the Poison Removal procedure in an orderly fashion.

While Qi Shuang lay unconscious from the poison, a tense and thrilling ninja graduation exam kicked off at Kirigakure's exam grounds.

It wasn't so much an exam as a life-or-death battle among the examinees.

Only those who lived—and killed a fellow student—qualified to graduate!

This was a rule set by Kirigakure since the First Mizukage's time.

Because he said only the heartless could become excellent ninja!

And because of this rule, Kirigakure's ninja numbers were far fewer than those of the other Four Great Villages.

Even Sunagakure, with its sparse population and scarce resources, had more.

Perhaps thanks to this ruthless rule—raising ninja like poisonous insects in a jar—Kirigakure's total ninja count was low, but its overall military strength wasn't weak, ranking mid-tier even among the Five Great Villages.

So no one had ever questioned this merciless rule. Or maybe someone had, but faced with the collective, they were too insignificant and had to shut up.

Today, that rule, followed for nearly a century, met a silent challenger.

"R-report... Mizukage-sama!"

A frantic, panicked voice shattered the quiet of the Mizukage's office.

"What's the panic? Have we lost a battle? Or has Konoha withdrawn?" A man in a blue robe quickly blocked the newcomer, his face full of indignation.

"This is the solemn Mizukage's office—these youngsters are far too rash!" he thought.

Taking a look at the newcomer, he asked in surprise, "I remember... aren't you the teacher from the Ninja Academy?"

"Today's the ninja graduation exam. Why aren't you watching over the exam grounds, running here in a fluster, shouting like that?"

The Blue-robed Man frowned and barked at the newcomer.

"Let him finish speaking first!" a man wearing a Water-Character Hat said slowly from behind the desk.

That was Kirigakure's Third Mizukage.

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing his superior speak, the Blue-robed Man reluctantly stepped back.

"Speak. What's happened that's got you so flustered?" the Mizukage asked, looking at the newcomer.

"The exam grounds... the exam grounds are a river of blood. Only one examinee is left alive!" the man said, trembling with fear.

Every time he recalled that child standing alone in a pool of blood, his face utterly indifferent, he felt a chill run down his spine!

"Explain clearly. What happened? Were you attacked by enemies?" The Mizukage raised an eyebrow, a vague irritation stirring in his heart.

If enemies had truly invaded, that would be a huge problem!

"No, no!"

The newcomer waved his hands frantically.

"That's a relief," the Mizukage breathed a quiet sigh.

As long as the village's defenses hadn't been breached and enemies hadn't slipped in unnoticed, anything else could be dealt with.

"It's... it's one examinee. He killed all the classmates he was taking the exam with!" the man revealed another shocking piece of news.

"What?!"

"What?!"

Both the Blue-robed Man and the Mizukage thought they had misheard.

"You must be joking? A kid barely ten years old killed every single examinee in the testing grounds?" the Blue-robed Man asked in disbelief.

"Sir, I swear I'm not lying!"

The messenger grimaced, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "We counted the bodies. Aside from that one lucky bastard who withdrew at the start, that brat killed all the other examinees!"

"Are you certain he was the one who killed them?" the Mizukage asked calmly.

The messenger gave a bitter laugh and continued, "When we found only him left in the testing grounds, we interrogated him on the spot."

"He said, aside from a few who died for failing to meet graduation standards, he killed everyone else!"

At that, both men fell silent.

After a long pause, the Mizukage finally spoke. "What's the boy's name?"

"Zabuza. Momochi Zabuza!" the messenger replied with his head bowed.

"Alright, you may go." The Mizukage waved him off.

"Then... how should we handle that child?" the messenger asked again.

"He's still just a child."

The Mizukage let out a faint sigh and continued, "Let him graduate normally."

"Killing to graduate was a rule set by our predecessors. He did nothing wrong."

"We have no right to make things difficult for a child under ten."

Hearing this, the Blue-robed Man beside him clearly still felt reluctant.

"But—"

"No more 'buts'! Are you saying that Kirigakure, one of the Four Great Villages, doesn't even have the capacity to accommodate a single child?" The Mizukage frowned and demanded loudly.

"Yes, sir! I understand!"

With that, the reporting ninja turned and left.

Once the sound of footsteps faded, the Blue-robed Man spoke to the Mizukage again. "Sir, if you indulge that child so freely, and others follow his example, then the future of our Kirigakure will sooner or later be destroyed by our own people."

The Mizukage gave him a deep look and said, "Don't you think this is a perfect opportunity to revise the Ninja Academy's graduation rules?"

"Hm?" The Blue-robed Man was taken aback.

The Mizukage slowly rose from behind his desk and continued, "Our Kirigakure already has fewer ninja in total than the other Four Great Villages."

"But because every single one is an elite forged through ruthless decisiveness, our overall combat strength isn't weak."

"Normally, this doesn't show any problems. But once war breaks out, the flaws become apparent."

"In other villages, if a student fails the graduation exam, they can go back and retrain. But our students die right there in the testing grounds."

"Because of this, our replenishment of combat personnel lags far behind the other Four Great Villages."

"And right now, our front lines are already stretched thin! With this incident happening in the rear, if we keep going like this, we simply can't fight the war."

"Then, sir, what do you propose?" the Blue-robed Man asked tentatively.

"Go inform those old fogies immediately. Tell them I'm convening a high-level Kirigakure meeting." Gazing out the window at the thick white mist, the Mizukage's face was set with determination.

Finally, he added silently to himself.

Certain outdated rules need to change.

That year, because Zabuza had killed every single examinee, the Kirigakure high council unanimously passed a revision to the ninja graduation examination system.

Momochi Zabuza thus earned the name "Demon."

A being seemingly reborn as a demon incarnate.