The Wood That Stands Tall in the Forest

Chapter 21: A Tree Standing Tall in the Forest!

"Uzumaki Kuming, begin!"

Urged by the teacher, Kuming walked to the designated spot. However, just as he stood there ready to begin the assessment, he realized something of vital importance.

He hadn't brought any shuriken with him...

"Sorry, teacher, I don't have any shuriken."

Kuming looked at the teacher with some embarrassment. He truly hadn't known that the assessment would involve shuriken. He had a few kunai on him, but shuriken? Sorry, he really didn't have any.

"Uh..."

"Student, it seems you aren't quite prepared to become a ninja yet!"

The academy teacher reached behind his back. Despite his words, he still handed his own Ninja Tool Pouch to Kuming.

"Begin."

After taking the pouch, the teacher pointed toward the target and urged him on.

"Right."

Kuming replied, reaching into the pouch to clumsily pull out a shuriken. After neatly counting out five, he returned the pouch to the teacher and turned his gaze toward the target.

Because of the Yin Seal, I should use as little chakra as possible.

Overusing chakra might destabilize the seal's structure, and Grandma Mito isn't here to reinforce it for me now.

A faint, light-blue diamond-shaped mark flickered on Kuming's forehead, barely visible under the sunlight. Yet, this mark was very real. A year ago, with the help of Uzumaki Mito, Kuming had completed the construction of the Yin Seal, and he had been pouring chakra into it for nearly a year now.

For some reason, despite the massive amount of chakra he had poured in over the year, the Yin Seal remained in that same flickering, faint state. According to Mito, the structure Kuming had built was vast and stable, requiring an immense amount of chakra to fill.

It was precisely because the structure was so stable that he didn't have to refrain from using ninjutsu while storing chakra, unlike Sakura, who had to be careful during her training. Kuming could still mobilize a portion of his chakra without affecting the storage process.

However, the amount of chakra he could mobilize required strict control; if he exceeded the limit, all his previous efforts would be for nothing.

I wonder how many "Kakashi" my total chakra capacity is now? Mobilizing one unit shouldn't be a problem... (Note: "Kakashi" — a unit of chakra, one unit equals the total chakra of the elite jonin Kakashi.)

Kuming focused his attention on chakra control. As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, his chakra reserves were vast, and such a massive amount was inherently difficult to control. Doing so without affecting the Yin Seal was a significant challenge for him.

"Uzumaki Kuming, hurry up." Seeing Kuming hesitate, the teacher couldn't help but urge him again.

The very next second, Kuming picked up a shuriken and flicked his wrist, launching it toward the target. The shuriken moved with such extreme speed that the naked eye could no longer track its trajectory.

"Zzz..."

"BOOM!!!!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi heard a sound like crackling electricity, followed by a deafening roar from the direction of the target. A moment later, a violent gust of wind whistled through the air, forcing even the Third Hokage to squint.

The other children on the field were even worse off; they covered their faces with their hands, bracing themselves to avoid being blown away. Several of the thinner children were knocked to the ground by the powerful blast, rolling several times.

"What happened?" As the fierce wind slowly died down, the academy teacher stared at the massive crater in the distance, speechless. The target had long since vanished, and the area within four or five meters around it had been turned into a pit about a meter deep.

Failed. I actually missed the target.

Kuming, who had thrown the terrifying shuriken, knew that the projectile—infused with a bit of his chakra—had missed the target entirely and struck the ground instead. His original intention had been to use his chakra control to manipulate the flight arc of the shuriken.

Clearly, his first attempt had not been a success.

"What is that? Such terrifying power!"

"Is that really a shuriken? This power is stronger than some Fire Style jutsus!"

The children slowly regained their senses and began to chatter, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Kuming.

In their eyes, Kuming was nothing short of a dangerous individual.

"This..." Looking at the crater in the distance, the teacher responsible for grading didn't know what to say. This was only Kuming's first shuriken, and it had caused such a commotion; he was almost hesitant to let Kuming continue the assessment.

"Uzumaki Kuming, this assessment is for shurikenjutsu. The use of chakra is prohibited. Do you realize you've broken the rules?"

Although the teacher's tone was stern, his expression was that of someone who had just discovered a treasure. While the Third Hokage remained silent, his gaze toward Kuming grew even more fervent.

Regardless of the method Kuming used to achieve such terrifying destructive power, one thing was already certain to the Third Hokage.

Uzumaki Kuming was a genius! And he had no ties to any of the village's major clans.

"Uh..."

"Sorry, I didn't know."

Kuming had known the destructive power of his throw would be significant; his true intent had been to attract the Third Hokage's attention. Whether or not he hit the target was irrelevant. Seeing the expression on the Third Hokage's face, Kuming knew his plan had succeeded.

"Heh heh, Teacher Jiudai, it's fine."

"It's normal for a child not to understand. Let's just consider Uzumaki Kuming as having passed."

"After all, since the target was blown to bits, giving him a full score is justifiable."

"Let's tentatively place him in Class 1-A."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and raised a hand to stop Jiudai from further questioning Kuming. In his view, a student with such terrifying destructive potential had no issues entering the academy.

Though he had noted that Kuming missed the target, to Hiruzen, that was a minor detail. When selecting students for the academy, potential was what mattered most.

"Yes! Lord Hokage!"

Jiudai bowed his head slightly in response, then turned to Kuming and said, "You don't need to throw the rest of your shuriken!"

After speaking, Jiudai announced to everyone present, "Uzumaki Kuming, Excellent, Preparatory Class, Class 1-A!"

As his words fell, Jiudai waved his hand, signaling for Kuming to return to the ranks.

"Hehe!" A smile spread across Uzumaki Kuming's face. With the shuriken test passed, he had no worries left for the remaining events. After all, in terms of raw individual strength, there shouldn't be a single child present who could be his match; on this point, Kuming remained extremely confident.

Not long after Kuming returned to the ranks, a masked ninja in the shadows silently slipped away. The person's departure did not catch Uzumaki Kuming's attention, but the Third Hokage seemed to sense something, glancing briefly in the direction the figure had vanished.

The Uzumaki Clan's child—there are certainly quite a few people keeping an eye on him.

The Third Hokage thought to himself, a smile appearing on his face as he dismissed the matter. Since Uzumaki Kuming had already enrolled in the Ninja Academy, it wouldn't be long before this child was branded with the label of the Third Hokage!