Soon, the written exam ended, and the practical portion began.
Ninja were tools, so practical combat was the most important part.
"Now, I'll start calling out names."
Umino Shika stood at the front of the exam area, holding the roster.
He began reading out the names.
Groups of students entered the sparring area marked off by white lines.
When he reached the middle of the roster, Umino Shika looked down at it, then raised his head and scanned the crowd.
"Next match: Qingyu versus Hatake Kakashi."
Qingyu wasn't surprised by the result.
Before the exam, he'd deliberately approached Umino Shika and said he wanted to fight Kakashi.
Umino Shika hadn't refused.
Having Kakashi spar with anyone else would basically be bullying them. Better to have the two strongest students face off directly. It would be fairer and more exciting to watch.
Kakashi stepped out of line, a short sword already in his hand.
Qingyu drew the katana Tsunade had given him.
The moment they faced off, everyone's attention turned to them.
Both Qingyu and Kakashi were the subject of constant discussion in class.
One was a genius who had held the top spot since his very first day at the academy. The other had a powerful background and spent time with the legendary Sannin.
No one could say who would win.
"Here I come."
After forming the Seal of Confrontation, Kakashi drew his short sword.
He slashed diagonally down at Qingyu.
Qingyu drew his katana and blocked the strike.
Clang!
Metal rang against metal.
They separated after the first clash, then charged at each other again.
The katana and short sword collided repeatedly in midair, sparks flying with every strike.
The longer they fought, the more alarmed Kakashi became.
Too fast.
Qingyu was improving too quickly.
The last time they'd practiced swordsmanship together at home under their fathers' instruction, Qingyu had shown good talent, but there had still been a clear gap between them.
But how long ago had that been?
"They're both so aggressive..."
Sarutobi Asuma stood at the edge of the field, watching the two figures trade blows. Without thinking, he pulled his hands out of his pockets.
After a moment, he decided to stay out of their way.
Two geniuses had ruined his dream of coming first this term.
Sarutobi Asuma decided to buckle down and train, then meet them at the summit one day.
"My promotion to Excellent Teacher is as good as guaranteed."
Watching the duel, Umino Shika smiled with satisfaction.
The more outstanding his students were, the more famous their teacher became—and he might even receive an extra bonus.
This was a policy personally established by the Lord Third to motivate instructors and prevent them from neglecting their students.
And now he had Qingyu and Kakashi, two aces, under his wing. His promotion was practically a done deal.
"That boy is quite impressive."
Examiner Kite suddenly spoke beside him.
"Which one do you mean, Teacher Kite?"
Umino Shika turned to look at him.
"Qingyu."
Kite's gaze rested on the figure holding the katana.
Umino Shika was puzzled.
The two were evenly matched right now. Why single out Qingyu?
He turned his attention back to the field.
In the next instant, the tide turned.
Kakashi suddenly retreated two steps and quickly formed Hand Seals.
Earth Release: Earth Wall!
A wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking Kakashi from Qingyu.
This was a D-rank Earth Release technique, a simplified version of the B-rank technique Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall.
Kakashi had specifically asked his father to teach it to him so he could fight Qingyu.
Chakra natures countered one another.
Earth Release countered Water Release.
He knew Qingyu was very skilled at Water Release Ninjutsu. If he could shut down Qingyu's Water Release, he'd cut his offensive options in half.
Qingyu looked at the rising wall of earth, slightly surprised.
So he really is a dog lover.
Although this wall wasn't as sturdy as one created with Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, it had a dog's head on it too.
There was only one, though.
When Kakashi was low on chakra, he could still make dog heads. Now, without a Sharingan transplant and with chakra to spare, Kakashi was showing off his dog-head artistry even more.
Qingyu guessed it was meant to be used alongside his Ninja Dogs.
So, had Kakashi already made a contract with them?
As Qingyu pondered, he began forming Hand Seals.
His Sharingan was already active, one Tomoe slowly spinning in his crimson eyes.
Earth Release countered Water Release.
Of course Qingyu knew that.
But what Kakashi didn't know was that Qingyu could use more than just Water Release.
Qingyu formed Hand Seals, opened his mouth, and spat out a stream of fire.
Fire Release: Snake Bullet!
The flames twisted in midair, taking the shape of a winding snake with fiery fangs, and shot straight toward the wall.
It was a technique Orochimaru had taught him.
Boom!
The serpentine flames smashed into the earthen wall, shattering it on impact.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
Fire Release?
How had he not known Qingyu could use Fire Release too?!
But there was no time to think about it.
Taking advantage of the smoke from the flames and the shattered wall, Qingyu flashed out of sight.
Kakashi gripped his short sword tightly and warily scanned the area.
A figure suddenly burst out of the smoke.
Kakashi reflexively brought his sword down in a slash.
Poof!
The moment his blade struck, the figure burst into a cloud of white smoke.
A clone!
Kakashi's heart tightened.
Had Qingyu released it while the smoke was rising from the fire and Earth Release?
As Kakashi pondered, a fist shot out of the smoke at his side, its forceful punch aimed at his chest.
Kakashi had no time to block, so he instinctively raised both arms to protect himself.
Thud!
The fist slammed into his arms.
A powerful force sent him sliding backward several steps, the soles of his shoes scraping two long black streaks across the white line.
Qingyu gave him no chance to catch his breath. He stepped forward, stopping the tip of his katana at Kakashi's throat.
"I lost."
Kakashi lowered his arms and shook his head with a bitter smile.
He'd lost.
[Collectible trait detected: D-rank trait]
[D-rank trait: Dog-Head Earth Style]
[Effect: After defeating a young Kakashi, Earth Release talent increased by 30%.]
"Can traits drop from this too?"
Qingyu looked at the newly appeared trait.
He realized that even traits of the same rank could offer varying bonuses.
"You're the real genius, Qingyu."
Kakashi said.
"Not really. I just did some extra training too."
Qingyu shook his head, then reached out to help Kakashi up.
"Would you like me to treat you with Medical Ninjutsu?"
Qingyu asked.
"No, that won't be necessary."
Kakashi looked at him strangely.
Qingyu had casually shown off his impressive Medical Ninjutsu again.
It made Kakashi feel a sense of urgency.
If Qingyu had learned so much and still managed to catch up with him, what was he lacking?
"The winner is Qingyu!"
Umino Shika snapped back to his senses and quickly announced the result.
Teacher Kite had a good eye.
Umino Shika thought happily.
No matter who won, his class had produced two geniuses.
At that moment, a white figure appeared nearby.
"Lord Madara, that's everything that happened."
Using Yin Release techniques, White Zetsu recorded what he saw and passed it to nearby White Zetsu, who relayed it onward, one after another.
This was a Yin Release Secret Technique that Madara Uchiha had once obtained by using genjutsu to control and interrogate a Yamanaka Clan ninja. He later refined it into a Yin Release technique with a similar effect.
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