The True Assessment Groups

Araki neither agreed nor disagreed with Zabuza calling himself cold.

As a transmigrator, wasn't it only natural to be indifferent toward the natives and see them as NPCs?

Only truly deep and close interactions could break through that ingrained cognitive barrier.

For example, Ringo Ameyuri was no longer a dispensable character in Araki's eyes. If she was on Zabuza's kill list, Araki would definitely try to save her.

But Zabuza's tone of "you're worse than me" annoyed him somewhat.

Watching coldly from the sidelines was still better than personally killing people, wasn't it?

"Hehe."

Araki sneered. "Of course. I'm not as hot-blooded as you, great champion of justice!"

The heavy mockery in those words made Zabuza's face flush red.

It had to be said that his decision to take on this seemingly brutal mission was not entirely unrelated to the little heroic complex in his heart.

A hero was supposed to be someone who "made a promise, bore the shackles of a lifetime, met a tragic end amid everyone's misunderstandings and curses, and was remembered only by a few," wasn't he?

But having such a private thought exposed right to his face was more humiliation than a teenager's pride could bear. Zabuza growled softly:

"I never said I was a champion of justice!"

Then, amid Araki's teasing smile, he retreated in embarrassment.

"Still young, after all."

After Zabuza left, Araki let out a leisurely sigh. His eyes went unfocused as he stared at the not particularly high ceiling.

"So what if that really was what you thought? They say to judge deeds, not hearts. Since you had the courage to step forward and bear these sins, then you were a hero! What did it have to do with your own thoughts?"

With a trace of emotion, Araki's eyes gradually closed, and he drifted into sleep.

Time flew by, and before long, graduation assessment day had arrived.

Over the past few days, through his duels with Himura Kenshin, Araki had gained a faint grasp of the trick behind Dragon Cry Flash. Most importantly, he had learned how to protect his ears from being damaged by the vibrations.

The technique was actually quite simple.

Dragon Cry Flash worked by using sound-wave vibrations to cause resonance in the semicircular canals of the ear, thereby damaging their structure.

So the first effective method was to wear earplugs.

That was right. Block the transmission of sound, and as long as you could not hear it, you would be fine.

Naturally, Araki could not accept such a method. Crippling one of his five senses was truly a brain-dead move.

The other method was neutralization.

That was, when he made his move, he would rapidly apply another sound-wave interference to his ears. This second sound did not need to meet many requirements. It only needed to interfere with the sound of the sword and disrupt its frequency. Once it could no longer cause resonance in the semicircular canals, that little bit of sound naturally posed no threat.

The method of producing the sound was simple as well. He only needed to lightly tap the roots of his teeth.

Though the sound was not loud, it was extremely close to the cochlea, so the effect was outstanding!

While in the Consciousness Space, Araki had used this move to successfully withstand Himura Kenshin's Dragon Cry Flash. It had been personally tested and proven effective.

However, because Dragon Cry Flash was unleashed at the instant the sword was sheathed, its deception was simply too great. So although Araki had countered it once, he still had not managed to defeat his opponent.

"Looks like I can only wait until I learn some new ninjutsu and see whether I can find a way to beat him!"

With his longsword in his arms, Araki arrived alone at the outskirts of Training Ground No. 4.

Dozens of students around his age had already gathered there. They stood in groups of two or three, observing the people around them while remaining wary of the companions at their sides.

"How boring!"

Watching them, Araki shook his head disdainfully.

"That's why they can only use their blood to make their final contribution to Kirigakure."

A low voice sounded behind him. Araki turned around and immediately revealed a teasing smile.

"Oh, the great hero is here!"

Zabuza, who a second ago had been talking loftily about sacrifice and contribution, instantly lost his composure. He glared viciously at Araki and forced out several words through gritted teeth.

"I told you, don't call me that!"

"Heh, how interesting! What I call you is none of your business, is it?"

Araki provocatively raised his chin.

"You!"

Zabuza was furious. He clenched his fists, but in the end calmed down and slowly said:

"Sooner or later, I'll catch up to you—surpass you, even. When that happens, I'll make you shout those words a hundred times in Kirigakure."

"Hahahaha!"

Araki burst into laughter at Zabuza's instinctive retreat.

Just as he was about to say something else, a group of examiners wearing gray vests walked over.

The leader carried a longsword on his back, wore a gray headscarf, and held a roster in his hand. In a hoarse voice, he said:

"We will now call names and assign groups. Those with matching numbers in Groups A and B will fight each other to the death."

That hoarse voice, like metal scraping against metal, successfully intimidated everyone. More than a hundred prospective graduates stared obediently at the roster in his hand, praying that they would be assigned a weaker opponent.

"A1, Ueda Maya. B1, Shimizu Ryu!"

"A2, Zabuza Momochi. B2, No Aoi!"

"A34, Araki. B34, Ito En!"

As name after name came from the examiner's mouth, some rejoiced while others despaired.

The most obvious were the two students assigned to groups with Zabuza and Araki. They had already collapsed onto the ground, looking like salted fish that had lost all hope.

After the final pair of names was called, the chief examiner closed the roster. He swept his gaze over the chattering crowd, raised his voice, and shouted, "Those in Group A, come with me. Those in Group B, follow Examiner Ueno beside me. You will enter Training Ground No. 4 through different entrances! You have one day to kill the student with the same number as you, then return to the entrance before sunset. Do that, and you will become genin!"

After the chief examiner finished speaking, a middle-aged ninja in a gray vest beside him stepped forward.

"I am Chunin Ueno Seiseki. Group B, follow me. We'll go to the entrance on the other side!"

Araki and Zabuza were both in Group A. They followed behind the chief examiner, jogging all the way toward their designated entrance.

The atmosphere along the way was far livelier than before. Since they were all in Group A, there was no hostility between them, so there was no need to be overly guarded.

On the contrary, some people tried to recruit a few helpers and form teams to deal with their enemies.

Watching their animated behavior, Araki felt a little pity for them.

"You still think this assessment is divided into Groups A and B? It isn't. The real groups are [those Zabuza can kill] and [those Zabuza can't kill]. Unfortunately, every one of you belongs to the former."

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