Senju Nawaki

"Senju Nawaki!"

As Kato Taka's voice fell, a small imp with light brown hair, brown eyes, a blue pendant necklace, and a white robe slowly parted the crowd and walked towards the center. He walked so slowly that a distance of only twenty-odd steps took him a full five minutes!

Finally, when everyone was about to lose patience, Nawaki stood on the competition grounds. Just as Kato Taka was about to call for the start of the match, he heard Nawaki shout loudly and point at the Genin being assessed opposite him:

"Who is the unknown nobody over there? State your name!"

"……"

The mouth of the assessed Genin twitched, and he didn't reply. Seeing that Nawaki was being ignored, Nawaki immediately became displeased:

"I say, you nameless Genin, your attitude is very unfriendly…"

Nawaki shook his white robe, on which "Fourth Hokage" was written crookedly in red oil paint, instantly blinding everyone:

"Is this how you treat the future Fourth Hokage?

You know, as the Fourth Hokage, I possess potential no weaker than the First Hokage!

Do you know that facing the Hokage, reverence is something every loyal ninja must possess!

Do you know that if everyone in the village were like you, how could I lead the village to prosperity and hope!

Do you know that as a Hokage…"

"You brat, I'm not dead yet!"

Zhou Duan's shock hadn't even subsided before Nawaki, this eccentric who was crazy about becoming Hokage, appeared. The Third Hokage could no longer suppress himself and roared:

"Nawaki, stop your nonsense and hurry up and take the exam!"

It had to be said that whether as Hokage or as a caring elder, the Third Hokage's words were effective for Nawaki. Nawaki obediently nodded at the Third Hokage, turned around, and looked at the assessed Genin:

"The voice of the annoying old man has been dealt with. Now, rude and humble opponent, accept my divine judgment!"

After saying this, Nawaki figured that if he continued to act cool, the Third Hokage would personally assess him. So, this guy stopped wasting words, formed hand seals, and immediately began preparing his ninjutsu. This preparation immediately plunged the assessed Genin opposite him into immense shock!

The reason for the shock was not because of Nawaki's hand seal speed. So far, he had only formed three seals. Even students who had just enrolled were far ahead of him;

Nor was it because the assessed Genin recognized the horror of this ninjutsu, and he had only formed three seals. Judging by his appearance, there were still quite a few hand seals to come, and who knew what ninjutsu he was going to use!

What truly shocked the assessed Genin was that at the beginning of the battle, Nawaki had not created distance between them, nor had he used ninja tools to force him back, nor had he used any defense. Instead, he had done nothing from start to finish, standing in place less than two meters away from him and beginning to prepare his ninjutsu!

The assessed Genin fell into immense confusion—should I foolishly wait for this kid to finish his hand seals before fighting? Or should I mercilessly knock this fool out with a single punch?

This was, after all, the First Hokage's grandson. I shouldn't let him lose so badly, but this kid's combat awareness is too damn idiotic!

The Genin suppressed the urge to attack and glanced subtly in the direction of the Third Hokage. He saw that the Third Hokage, with a face not much better than his own, gave him a subtle nod with extreme awkwardness!

Zhou Duan, who had been watching from not far away, silently observed all of this, silently lamenting the darkness within the village, and at the same time, witnessed the battle of the genius ninja Senju Nawaki, whose potential was no less than that of the God of Shinobi, the terminator of chaos, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama!

In fact, there wasn't much to see. While Senju Nawaki's ninjutsu was indeed powerful, the battle could be summarized by the following scene:

Senju Nawaki took three minutes to use an A-rank ninjutsu, Earth Style: Earth Dragon Attack, which the assessed Genin narrowly dodged using his movement techniques!

Senju Nawaki took five minutes to use an A-rank large-scale ninjutsu, Earth Style: Hell Twisting Spears, which the assessed Genin narrowly dodged using the B-rank defensive ninjutsu, Earth Style: Earth Rising Platform, and the Substitution Technique!

Senju Nawaki's Chakra was exhausted, his body was fatigued, and he was unable to move. The assessed Genin walked up to him and knocked him down with a single punch!

Seeing Nawaki, who even after being knocked down by a straight punch, still marveled at how extraordinary his opponent was and hoped that this Genin, whose name he didn't even know, would become his subordinate, Zhou Duan looked at the Third Hokage with immense sympathy, believing that with such a kid on his hands, the Third Hokage's expression at this moment must be incredibly interesting!

As expected, the Third Hokage, who usually appeared benevolent, now had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot. Zhou Duan believed that if he had to choose between fighting desperately against the Hokage of another ninja village and standing here watching Nawaki's battle, the Third Hokage would unhesitatingly choose the former!

But fortunately, Zhou Duan's and Nawaki's battles were only exceptions to the exceptions. The other ninja battles were still conducted in a proper and normal manner, which gave the Third Hokage the motivation to stay.

"Hyuga Utsuru, wins!"

Following Kato Taka's judgment, the assessment for this wave of over fifty people was also completed. After all, they were just students who had finished their basic knowledge. Among these fifty-plus people, only three successfully defeated the assessed Genin: Zhou Duan, Namikaze Minato, and Hyuga Utsuru. Only five managed a draw, and they were all guys with secret clan ninjutsu.

Fifteen classes totaling 1000 people. Zhou Duan's class was the last to complete their assessment. The Third Hokage looked at these students and nodded silently. Although there were not many particularly outstanding graduates, this was the average level for previous years. The Third Hokage walked in front of everyone and slowly spoke:

"You are all the hope of Konoha. Konoha's future will depend on you to support it. I believe you have all heard that due to the tense situation on the front lines, your batch of ninjas will directly enter the battle against the Sand Ninja. The battlefield is the cruelest place, but at the same time, it is also the place that can best temper people and stimulate a ninja's potential. I hope you can all become powerful ninjas. That's all I have to say. Regarding your assignment list, a ninja will notify you at that time. You only have two days to prepare. Strive for the glory of the village!"

After the Third Hokage finished speaking, he flashed away. The students, who were still savoring the recent battles, put away their relaxed expressions. With a wave from Kato Taka, they turned into streaks of black shadows and left. Everyone knew that a severe battlefield awaited them!