A breeze swept by, but it did nothing to cool the students' blazing fighting spirit on the training field. One by one, they rubbed their hands together, waiting for the battles ahead. Yet amid all that enthusiasm, Zhou Duan couldn't feel even the slightest excitement about fighting. He could only stare helplessly at the student beside him, Mizuken, and say:
"Teacher, my opponent isn't this weirdo covered in Explosive Tags, ready to blow himself up with someone at any moment, is he?"
"I'm afraid so!"
The teacher named Kato replied with a grave expression:
"After discussions between our school and the Third Hokage, the first match will be between you and Moshang Shizhen. Don't worry. The candidates for this genin exam were selected according to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency. There's absolutely no malicious targeting or retaliation involved. Look..."
Kato pointed at the Third Hokage, who had appeared at some point in the distance, surrounded by several Anbu:
"See? The Third Hokage has temporarily set aside his busy schedule to watch your match. He's here to make sure nothing unfair happens. In Konoha, you may not trust anyone else, but surely you trust the Hokage, don't you? Zhou Duan, don't be so narrow-minded!"
Kato, who had been rather casual in class, had now turned completely serious. Zhou Duan looked at the stern teacher, then at the Third Hokage, who was smiling and waving at him from a short distance away. All he wanted to say, from the bottom of his heart, was:
"Motherfucker!"
Did they seriously think there was any question of fairness? Was Moshang Shizhen's body covered in Explosive Tags just for show? That Green Tights outfit of his gave Zhou Duan a very bad feeling! Why were all the other genin candidates so calm, while this guy looked like he wanted to tear Zhou Duan apart? Fine, Zhou Duan admitted he'd been in the wrong first, but couldn't they just leave Moshang Shizhen out of the exam?
One resentful complaint after another weighed on his heart, and a string of protests and accusations clogged his throat. But Zhou Duan didn't say a single word. Not for any particular reason—just that at some point, the Third Hokage had appeared right in front of him like a ghost, placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoken with a "kind" smile:
"Zhou Duan, do your best! You're the first student to be tested, so you have to set a good example for the others!"
The hand on Zhou Duan's shoulder tightened. A few words, audible only to him, reached his ears:
"Kid, if you cause trouble, you have to deal with it. I've already spoken to Moshang Shizhen. If you win, everything's fine. If you fail to take him down, I'll tell everyone why he went berserk!"
"Heh..."
Looking at the Third Hokage's meaningful expression, Zhou Duan suddenly felt relieved. He cast a pitying glance at Moshang Shizhen in the distance. Zhou Duan knew it was wrong of him to make Moshang Shizhen this arrogant, but the guy had dared to insult even the Hokage. He was asking for it!
It was clearly a problem with Zhou Duan's own potion. The Third Hokage knew exactly how strong he was, and yet he'd arranged this match where the fight would decide everything. That was how the village protected its geniuses. Thinking about it, Zhou Duan was incredibly glad he'd spent all his time improving his strength. Getting special treatment because you were strong, making someone else take the blame because you were talented, all those dark sides of the village... They were fucking fantastic!
Shaking his head, Zhou Duan pushed his jumbled thoughts aside, removed the Third Hokage's hand from his shoulder, then carried the face-sized Mizuken to the middle of the training field. He stopped in front of Moshang Shizhen, whose expression was wild with fury.
"Before the match starts, I need to emphasize a few things!"
Kato stood between Zhou Duan and Moshang Shizhen. Perhaps because the Hokage had personally come to watch, Kato had maintained a serious expression throughout:
"This match will affect how all the students are assigned after graduation, so you must do your best. Students may use any attack at their disposal, even forbidden techniques. However, neither students nor genin may continue attacking when they know their opponent can no longer fight! The genin being tested must not use attacks that would leave both sides badly injured just to win! Do you both understand?"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
"Good!"
Kato nodded and flashed away from between them. The moment he had left, Moshang Shizhen's eyes turned blood red:
"Kid, I'll never forget what you did to me. If I don't tear you limb from limb and smash you to pieces today, I'm no Moshang Shizhen!"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Seeing Moshang Shizhen's cruel, violent expression, Zhou Duan couldn't help turning to the referee, Kato, and saying:
"Teacher, this guy says he's going to tear me limb from limb. Is it really okay for him to say something this dangerous?"
"Yeah."
The other students watching from the sidelines were confused too:
"Are the genin we'll be facing like this as well?"
"Exactly. Teacher Kato just said we weren't allowed to use lethal attacks, but this Moshang Shizhen looks like he's going to fight to the death!"
"Don't be confused!"
It was the Third Hokage who spoke:
"The genin we selected all know their limits. This genin, Moshang Shizhen, may seem dangerous, but this is only to test Zhou Duan's composure. After all, not letting the enemy's presence overwhelm you is also a vital part of battle!"
"I see!"
"No wonder he's the Lord Hokage. He considered so many things when choosing the exam candidates!"
"Yeah, now I kind of want to switch places with Zhou Duan and experience that pressure for myself!"
"Heh..."
Zhou Duan stared speechlessly at this bunch of fence-sitters who couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. Hadn't they noticed how Moshang Shizhen's eyes were bloodshot, and how hard he was gritting his teeth? He was clenching his jaw so hard that his gums were bleeding. The killing intent radiating from him, as if he wanted to tear Zhou Duan apart, was almost enough to stop Zhou Duan from opening his eyes. And that Green Tights outfit Moshang Shizhen was wearing kept stirring up a sense of foreboding in Zhou Duan's mind!
Sure enough, Zhou Duan's fears became reality. Moshang Shizhen chugged five or six bottles of potion, then shouted:
"Gate of Life, open!"
In terms of strength alone, graduating students weren't much different from genin. The only thing they lacked was experience carrying out missions. What's more, with the Second Shinobi World War underway, any genin with decent fighting ability had been sent to the front lines. A genin who was merely average was the best the village could hope to keep behind. So Moshang Shizhen, well aware of both Zhou Duan's genius and his own abilities, had thought of a solution.
This guy had witnessed Might Duy use the Eight Inner Gates on a mission once, a technique so powerful it seemed like a cheat. He'd been deeply impressed. After enduring a terrifying experience at Might Duy's hands that he'd rather not remember, he'd finally learned the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates: the Gate of Opening!
After using five or six potions that enhanced his body, with unknown side effects, Moshang Shizhen finally managed to open the Gate of Opening and push his speed to the limit. The pain wracking his body turned into boundless hatred; his overwhelming rage was poured into his legs. Relying on the sudden burst of speed and the Explosive Tags covering his body, Moshang Shizhen charged at Zhou Duan in a suicidal attack!
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