Jonin Assessment - Middle

Facing the incoming shuriken, Narak sidestepped to avoid them.

Just as he was about to land, Kai kicked at him from the side. Narak raised both arms to block Kai's strike.

Midair with no leverage, Narak was sent flying backward by Kai's kick. After landing, his feet carved two long trenches into the ground.

This was merely a probing exchange; the two separated instantly upon contact.

Narak rubbed his slightly numb arms. Damn, if an ordinary person took that kick from Kai, their arms would probably be broken right away.

"You've got some solid physical strength, kid!"

Little did Narak know, Kai was also inwardly surprised that his kick had left Narak unscathed. Though he hadn't opened the Eight Gates, that kick wasn't something just anyone could take.

"Ah, this kind of youth really gets my blood pumping! Today, let's see whether my Iron Fist or the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist comes out on top!"

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

Kai's fighting spirit soared as he pressed his attack against Narak.

"Perfect, I want to know that too!"

"Gentle Fist!"

Narak unleashed the Hyuga Clan's signature technique, parrying Kai's strikes with movements that seemed slow but were actually lightning-fast.

In an instant, figures crisscrossed the field as the two exchanged dozens of blows!

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood to the side, already lifting his forehead protector, his left eye's crimson Sharingan locked onto the movements of the two fighters.

"Boom..."

After another clash, Narak and Kai instantly separated.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

But before Narak could catch his breath, Kakashi, who had been lying in wait, hurled a jutsu his way.

"Tch, what a pain. Hado Number Thirty-One: Roaring Cannon!"

Facing Kakashi's harassment, Narak flung out a Hado in response!

"Boom!"

The fire-style jutsu and fire-attribute Hado collided midair, unleashing terrifying energy with a deafening roar. The entire central tower shook from the impact, and a few roof tiles even fell off. Narak felt that if this kept up, the tower would collapse.

The spectators on the second floor couldn't help but frown. The destructive power displayed by the two fighters clearly exceeded their expectations.

The Third Hokage sighed. "I was too hasty. I shouldn't have let them fight inside the tower. If it gets damaged, repairs are going to cost a fortune!"

"ANBU, seal them off with a barrier!"

At the Third Hokage's command, four ANBU ninjas appeared inside the tower, positioning themselves in a square formation, each occupying a corner.

"Barrier: Four-Square Seal Array!"

The four formed hand seals and shouted in unison. As their cries faded, a shimmering barrier materialized, enveloping the entire space within the tower.

The Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction, stroking his beard. "Mm, this should be fine now."

The three locked in battle below merely glanced at the surrounding barrier before ignoring it.

At this point, only a third of an incense stick's time had passed since the fight began.

"Oh! Narak, you're really strong. I can't beat you in my normal state. Next, I'm going to get serious, so watch out!"

Seeing that his attacks couldn't overpower Narak, Kai couldn't help but smirk, flashing a grin at him.

Is he about to open the Eight Gates? Narak's heart tensed, and his expression turned serious. After all, based on the original story, Kai with the Eight Gates open was on par with Six Paths-level power—the only downside being its short duration.

Though this exam wouldn't warrant opening all eight gates, even just a few would make him incredibly strong, easily capable of taking on an average Kage.

Narak couldn't help but grumble inwardly. This is just a Jonin exam, and you're thinking of opening the Eight Gates against me? Isn't that a bit too flattering?

But clearly, Narak was overthinking it.

Just as he himself realized, a Jonin exam wasn't enough to make Kai open the Eight Gates against him—that would be overkill, far beyond what a Jonin should be able to handle!

Kai stood there and began removing his weights.

First from his arms, then his legs, and finally the Konoha flak jacket he wore. He unfastened them all and casually tossed them behind him.

"Boom!"

As the weights hit the ground, they made a sound like a meteor striking Earth, accompanied by a cloud of dust kicked into the air!

Watching this exaggerated scene, even though Narak already knew about it, he couldn't help but gulp. That pile must be nearly a thousand pounds, right?

No wonder they call him Konoha's Blue Beast—he's not even human!

"Um... Kai-senpai, can I ask you something?"

"Narak, ask whatever you want. I'll answer without holding back!"

"Ahem, nothing much. I just wanted to know—how do you eat and use the bathroom while carrying all that weight? Don't your chairs and toilets collapse?"

"About that, I'll let you in on a little secret—don't let my sitting fool you. I'm actually squatting in a horse stance the whole time. That way, I can train even while eating or using the toilet, hahaha..." Kai explained to Narak, finishing with a grin that flashed his gleaming teeth.

"Oh... as expected of you, the Blue Beast of Konoha! Truly diligent—a real role model for us youngsters!"

Listening to their exchange, whether it was Kakashi on the battlefield or the Konoha higher-ups and clan heads watching from the stands, everyone was covered in black lines.

A perfectly serious Jonin exam fight, and somehow it felt like the conversation had derailed it?

"You two... Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

Kakashi, unable to take it anymore, spat out a Water Dragon Bullet, cutting off their pointless chatter.

Narak sidestepped with a Flash Step, dodging Kakashi's sneak attack.

"Kakashi, hold off for now. Let me have a good fight with Narak first."

"Take this—Konoha Whirlwind!"

Watching Kai charge at Narak at full speed, Kakashi, who had been about to attack again, reluctantly backed off.

On the other side, Kai, now unburdened by his weights, moved so fast he was a blur, beyond what normal eyes could track. If Narak weren't also skilled in speed and accustomed to such pace from long training, he wouldn't have been able to follow Kai's movements.

Facing Kai's storm-like kicks, Narak's fists moved in tandem, executing the Gentle Fist as his spiritual pressure transformed into Chakra coating his hands, blocking Kai's assault.

In the stands, watching Narak hold his own against Kai, the Third Hokage turned to Hyuga Hiashi and said, "Clan Head Hyuga, your son's Gentle Fist is masterful—he must have inherited your full teachings!"

Hiashi smiled modestly. "I'm ashamed to say I've had little left to teach him for a long time. Most of it is his own exploration. His skill in the Gentle Fist has likely already surpassed mine!"

His old face wore a humble smile, but the other clan heads of Konoha couldn't help feeling that smile was dripping with smugness.

"Damn it, he's showing off this time! No way—I'm going to drill my own kids when I get back. Every single one of them—no way they're getting outdone. Otherwise, where's my dignity?"

At that moment, the young ninjas still in class at the Ninja Academy suddenly shivered in unison, sensing something bad was about to happen.

If you can't find the book by title, try searching by the author—maybe it just changed names!