"Substitution Technique!"
His body instantly switched places with a wooden board, while his real self, kunai in hand, circled around behind the chair.
He used the chair as a stand-in for Mimura Hamaki. The moment he imagined shuriken flying toward him, he performed the Substitution Technique to throw his opponent off, then seized the chance to counterattack.
"Completing a series of Fate Grid tasks has only slightly improved my speed, perception, stamina, and chakra, but it really has put me in a state where I'm making progress every day."
"My stamina is plentiful, so I can pay closer attention to Mimura Hamaki's every move. My enhanced perception and speed let me realize his shuriken were fake. The moment he threw them, I instinctively wanted to respond with the Substitution Technique, but luckily I held back."
"The Third Shinobi World War is brutal. I absolutely mustn't stand out. Better to keep my head down whenever I can. There's no shame in seeming less skilled than others."
"I only ask to survive in this chaotic age!"
He glanced at the clock. It was ten at night. He washed up, lay down in bed, and went to sleep.
A graduation exam at the Ninja Academy with only one student? Interesting.
Morning.
Out of habit, he brought up the Heaven Rewards Diligence Fate Grid to take a look.
Byakuya couldn't help freezing.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success Time limit: 2 days: Practice the Substitution Technique (15/20) Reward: Slight increase in chakra control Fate Choice 1: Pass the Hidden Leaf Village Ninja Academy graduation exam Reward: Kekkei Genkai: Storm Release]
Lightning Release Ninjutsu had great offensive and destructive power, but was difficult to control.
Water Release Ninjutsu was versatile, with varied tactics, but its power was a little lacking.
Storm Release was a Kekkei Genkai that combined the strengths of both. It was easy to control, dealt heavy damage, had strong penetrating power, and even caused paralysis...
Looking at all the Kekkei Genkai in the Shinobi World, Byakuya thought Storm Release belonged somewhere in the third tier.
He tried to recall Darui's use of Storm Release in the original story. There weren't many scenes. It was powerful, like a guided laser, but Darui seemed not to have developed it much and only used a few techniques.
But what did "Fate Choice 1" mean? Was there a "Fate Choice 2"?
"If I fail the graduation exam, the task will refresh at midnight, and that might trigger Fate Choice 2? But the chakra natures I'm naturally good at happen to be Lightning and Water. Storm Release seems tailor-made for me, so I'll choose Fate Choice 1!"
Byakuya still arrived at the Ninja Academy on time and took his seat in the classroom.
When the bell rang, Mimura Hamaki stood outside the classroom and called him out.
"Come with me to the exam room."
"Yes."
Mimura Hamaki smiled for once. "Don't be nervous. Konoha needs all the people it can get right now. I won't make things too difficult for you."
"Thank you, sensei."
Having a student like this is such a headache, Mimura Hamaki thought.
Realizing that Byakuya was introverted and didn't like to talk, he stopped trying to sound him out.
When he got home yesterday, he thought back over how all the students had used the Substitution Technique. The others had no problems, but when he had thrown the shuriken, Byakuya seemed about to move, then abruptly stopped and let the shuriken hit him.
Mimura Hamaki shook his head to himself.
Byakuya's grades over the years had only been a little better than the dead-last student's. He couldn't fake it. Mimura Hamaki had worried too much.
"You can skip the written exam. As for your Ninja Academy graduation exam, you'll need to perform the Substitution Technique seven... five times."
Mimura Hamaki led Byakuya to an empty room. He had originally planned to say "perform the Substitution Technique seven times," but considering how poor Byakuya's skills were, he changed it to five at the last moment.
A real Ninja Academy graduation exam couldn't possibly be this simple.
But yesterday's class had already proven that Byakuya was hopeless. He couldn't apply the Substitution Technique in actual combat, so all he could do was perform it mechanically. Perhaps "demonstrate" was a better word.
The task in his Fate Grid required exactly five more repetitions. Byakuya's expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Oh? Is the exam giving you a lot of pressure?" Mimura Hamaki sighed as he looked at him. "Then four times. No, three. Surely you can manage three."
Byakuya seemed to be encouraging himself. "Five times will be fine. I can do it."
"Are you sure?"
"Mm."
"Then five times. Begin."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Byakuya performed the Substitution Technique by the book. But to Mimura Hamaki, he seemed to be using far too much chakra. It was completely unnecessary. With his pitiful amount of chakra, four uses of the Substitution Technique should have been his limit.
Well, four times it is. I'll count it as Byakuya completing all five.
Sure enough, after the fourth use of the Substitution Technique, Byakuya was sweating profusely.
"Congratulations, Senkaku Byakuya, you..."
Before Mimura Hamaki could finish, he saw Byakuya grit his teeth and perform the Substitution Technique a fifth time. Then he collapsed to his knees, exhausted.
"Congratulations, Senkaku Byakuya. You've successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy. I brought your graduation certificate and Konoha Forehead Protector. Take them.
"Because the war has left us short-handed, you don't need to take the survival test administered by a jonin. From now on, you'll be starting a brand-new life as a Konoha Ninja! Someone else will inform you of your new assignment."
Mimura Hamaki took the graduation certificate and Forehead Protector he'd prepared earlier from inside his vest, set them down, and left without looking back.
He was very busy and couldn't waste time on a poor student.
But Mimura Hamaki never saw the dead-last student he'd looked down on reveal a subtle, relieved smile.
For those five uses of the Substitution Technique, Byakuya had deliberately increased his chakra consumption so he could just barely meet Mimura Hamaki's expectations.
The same principle still applied: keeping his head down was the way to go.
In a world where he could lose his life at any moment, the worse he appeared, the less anyone would pay attention to him—and the better his chances of surviving.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success Time limit: 2 days: Practice the Substitution Technique (20/20) Reward: Slight increase in chakra control Fate Choice 1: Pass the Hidden Leaf Village Ninja Academy graduation exam (Complete) Reward: Kekkei Genkai: Storm Release]
The Kekkei Genkai Storm Release blended naturally into his body, subtly changing his genes, cells, physique...
The sensation of gaining it as if he'd been born with it was especially intoxicating. His Lightning and Water chakra felt different now, both in nature transformation and in shape transformation, in a way that was hard to describe.
He picked up the graduation certificate and Forehead Protector.
"Byakuya."
A figure's shadow suddenly fell over him.
Byakuya looked up and hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, principal. Good day."
"Heh, there's no need to be so formal." Vice Principal Hiroya smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Congratulations on graduating from the Ninja Academy. From now on, you're a Konoha Genin capable of standing on your own."
"I wouldn't say that. I, I know what I'm capable of."
"I knew your parents. They were both heroes of Konoha. You're the son of heroes."
"Thank you, principal."
"These are difficult times. Would you be interested in staying at the Ninja Academy and doing whatever work you can? If you don't agree, I'm afraid the village will send you to the battlefield. With your abilities... sigh, I really can't bear to see the child of an old friend die in battle."
To Byakuya, this was an unexpected delight.
The Third Shinobi World War had drained Konoha's ninja like a meat grinder. Aside from Namikaze Minato, who knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, no one could guarantee they'd survive the battlefield.
If he stayed behind the lines and kept his head down, his Heaven Rewards Diligence Fate Grid would keep making him stronger.
"I'm willing."
"Good. The Ninja Academy's storekeeper is about to retire. You can take his place."
"Thank you for your kindness, principal."
"I'll give you three days off. Come to school to work after that, and fill out the Genin paperwork while you're at it. I'll submit it to the Hokage Building for you."
The Ninja Academy's storeroom held many ninja tools. Byakuya could work on his Heaven Rewards Diligence in peace.
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