The Last

Uchiha Isho stepped out of the crowd with a steady gait, his expression somewhat complex. If he were defeated in this duel, his ranking would undoubtedly hit rock bottom, and he had no desire to increase his training load.

I originally wanted to keep a low profile and develop steadily, but it seems I have to go all out. Even if it costs me a Ninja Experience Card, I must win.

Isho quickly arrived at the designated spot. At the Exam Proctor's signal, both sides performed the Seal of Confrontation, immediately entering a combat state.

Thump, thump, thump. Isho sprinted backward, simultaneously throwing shuriken at various parts of Neji Hyuga's body.

The latter pursued relentlessly, quickly using a kunai to defend or dodging through jumps and side-flips, evading every strike by the narrowest of margins.

"Useless tricks again," Neji Hyuga muttered to himself, his heart filled with disdain.

Isho did not lose heart and continued to sprint. He had used the same tactic in his previous encounters with Neji Hyuga, knowing full well the lethality of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms; once the pressure points were sealed, he would be left with no power to resist.

Unless, of course, he used a cheat.

After running for a short while, the distance between the two was less than ten meters. Neji Hyuga's eyes flashed, and he suddenly accelerated like an arrow released from a bow, aiming to secure victory in one fell swoop.

Just then, Isho suddenly turned and completed the final Tiger Seal. A bad premonition instantly surged in Neji Hyuga's heart.

He tried to react, but a rolling wave of heat accompanied by a massive fireball over a meter in diameter surged toward him.

It was none other than, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

However, at the very moment of impact, the Chunin Exam Proctor flickered in front of Neji Hyuga. He reached out as if to intervene, then flickered back, his strange movements looking like a demonstration of the Body Flicker Technique.

Seeing this, Isho dared not be careless and formed seals with his hands once more.

In an instant, a charred piece of wood appeared where he had been standing, while Neji Hyuga reappeared ten meters to Isho's left.

The boy looked rather disheveled; his clothes were partially scorched, his face was flushed red, and his breathing was heavy.

Isho lunged forward, and in this moment, the roles of pursuer and pursued were suddenly reversed.

How is this possible?! He can still use a ninjutsu of this caliber? How can his chakra be so abundant?

Seeing this, Neji Hyuga's expression changed, and he immediately tried to use his speed advantage to widen the gap.

Isho would not let him have his way. He exerted himself, leaped forward with a Body Flicker, and closed the distance once more.

Crimson flames spewed from his mouth. Realizing he couldn't dodge, Neji Hyuga immediately leaped to the side.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A thick, heavy brown stone wall rose in front of Neji Hyuga, conjured by the Exam Proctor.

This signaled Isho's victory, and the entire battle from start to finish had lasted barely two minutes.

"Uchiha Isho... I truly didn't expect this. A third-year exam producing a ninjutsu that only a Chunin could master. Such a genius is worthy of the Uchiha name."

After a brief moment of reflection, the Chunin teacher flashed to Isho's side, raised his right hand, and declared, "The first match, Uchiha Isho wins!"

"What was that ninjutsu just now? Uchiha Isho was actually able to use it twice in a row."

"To be able to perform such a powerful ninjutsu in the third year, his strength must be at least that of a Genin! When did he become so strong?!"

The surrounding students ignored Neji Hyuga's defeat; from the moment Isho used the Great Fireball Technique, the proficiency and immense power he displayed had left a far greater impact on them.

One had to realize that many in the class hadn't even mastered the basic Three Basic Techniques, which showed just how difficult learning ninjutsu was.

The level of training required for the Fire Style ninjutsu Isho had used so skillfully was at least several grades higher in difficulty.

Moreover, Isho's strength had previously been average, so his sudden surge to Genin-level power created a massive gap that they found difficult to accept.

"Isho, no wonder you said you were second; it turns out you learned such a powerful ninjutsu! Forget second, you should be first now."

Akiyo was genuinely happy for Isho. He stepped forward and threw an arm around Isho's shoulder, his eyes bright and his posture suddenly standing straight.

Seeing the many classmates looking at him as if he were a stranger, Isho curled his lips upward and said, "I won by luck. Of course, this victory is also inseparable from my usual diligence."

Effort is nowhere near as good as cheating, Isho added silently in his heart.

Neji Hyuga, who had returned to the ranks a step behind Isho, witnessed this scene. He clenched his fists tightly, his white eyes glancing at Isho with unwillingness, before he let out a cold snort and looked away.

Of course, not everyone wanted Isho to become strong so suddenly. Especially the group led by Lingdou Yiyou, who had been discussing blocking him after school just moments ago.

At this moment, their faces were uniformly twisted and ugly. After realizing the situation, they wanted to show Isho a friendly smile, but their expressions were incredibly awkward and stiff, as if they hadn't practiced the look enough.

"Next group, Yukino versus Yuino."

"Phew, it's finally almost over. This weather is killing me. Seriously, can't we watch from the shade? Why do we have to stand here until the results are out?"

Isho wiped his forehead with his hand and flicked it toward the ground; the few droplets of sweat evaporated the moment they touched the earth.

The ones with average strength are evenly matched, fighting until one side is exhausted. What a waste of time. Unlike me, I found the right timing in both the second and third matches and ended them with a single ninjutsu, Isho thought helplessly.

"The final match, Uchiha Isho versus Jingchuan Lirang."

Jingchuan Lirang walked out of the crowd at a steady pace. He was about 1.4 meters tall with a sturdy build, making him quite conspicuous among the students.

As the Exam Proctor swung his right hand down, both combatants drew their kunai simultaneously.

"Pop."

Two clones identical to Jingchuan Lirang appeared in an instant, each holding a kunai. The three figures stood side-by-side and immediately charged toward Isho.

Attacking so quickly? It seems this kid doesn't want to give me a chance to use ninjutsu. In that case, I'll spar with him in taijutsu.

Although Yi Xiang still had enough chakra to perform two more Fire Style ninjutsu, he suddenly wanted to temper his taijutsu, so he chose to meet force with force.

Thinking to himself, Yi Xiang quickly and skillfully drew two shuriken from the ninja tool pouch on his back.

"Swish."

A sound of air being torn apart rang out as the two shuriken flew precisely toward the chests of the Jingchuan Lirang on the left and in the center.

"Clang."

The Jingchuan Lirang in the center instantly blocked with a kunai, causing the shuriken to be deflected away by the impact, while the figure on the left dissipated into white mist.

Just then, Jingchuan Lirang had charged to within two steps of Yi Xiang, and the figure on the right lunged forward, a sharp kunai pointed straight at Yi Xiang's throat.

Yi Xiang's eyes flashed; although he knew this figure was a clone, he dared not be careless. He jerked his head back abruptly while simultaneously kicking out with his right foot, causing the figure struck in the abdomen to rapidly dissipate.