Terrifying Talent!

The shuriken test of Uzumaki Kuming was merely a small interlude in the overall examination. After Kuming finished his test early, the other children proceeded with theirs one after another.

It must be said that the children from the major clans were truly outstanding. The group Uzumaki Kuming was in consisted of the youngest students and had the highest passing requirements, yet the pass rate actually reached 100%.

That was not even the most critical part; among the dozen or so young children, ten of them achieved a perfect score of five hits out of five. This group included not only children from the Uchiha clan but also those from the Nara clan and the Yamanaka clan.

As the last child finished the assessment, the shuriken test came to an end.

"Now, we begin the second test: the taijutsu test!"

"I will be the one testing you this time. You will spar with me, and I will determine whether you meet the requirements for enrollment!"

After all the children had completed the shuriken test, Jiudai stood before the crowd to announce the second test.

"Isn't it supposed to be sparring between students?"

Upon hearing the method for the taijutsu test, Kuming looked at the teacher whom the Third Hokage called Jiudai with some confusion. He had originally assumed the taijutsu test would be as simple as children sparring against one another, with the strong surviving and the weak being eliminated. He had not expected that the test would involve sparring against the teacher.

In this way, the teacher held significant authority; whether a child passed or failed was entirely up to the teacher's word.

This doesn't seem very reasonable, Kuming thought to himself, glancing stealthily at the Third Hokage standing to the side. Judging by the Third Hokage's expression, this arrangement clearly had his approval, yet Kuming still could not fathom why they would use such an obviously unfair testing method.

However, since everyone participating in the test was a child, no one felt that this method was wrong. On the contrary, many felt that this approach was actually quite good. Those with strong taijutsu skills even saw it as a great opportunity to showcase their abilities.

"The first batch of children who finished the shuriken test should be rested by now, so let's start with you."

"Since everyone has to be tested anyway, we won't follow the list this time. Who will volunteer to be the first one to test?"

Jiudai was a Chunin. Because of his immense patience and absolute loyalty to the Third Hokage, he was qualified to teach and nurture students at the Ninja Academy. Although he had not been on the battlefield for a long time, Jiudai's strength was quite outstanding among Chunin, which was more than enough to test these children who weren't even Genin yet.

After all, as an academy teacher, the students present were still somewhat reserved, and for a moment, the scene went quiet.

"No one? Is there no one willing to step forward?"

"If no one is going to volunteer, then I'll start calling names!"

Seeing the silent crowd, Jiudai couldn't help but speak up. His demeanor reminded Kuming of his teachers back in his previous life. Whenever a teacher asked a question in class, they were met with total silence, and the subsequent roll call was a true ordeal for the students.

Often in such moments, the one who could rescue the whole class from their predicament was the top student.

And in the world of the Hokage, the same problem had the same solution.

"Teacher, I'll go first!"

From the crowd, Hizashi Hyuga pushed aside some children blocking his path and walked out of the queue to the open space in front of Jiudai. There was excitement and determination on Hizashi's face; it seemed he was full of confidence in his own strength.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! As expected of someone from the Hyuga clan, go for it, Hyuga!"

"Nice! Good luck!"

The playground, which had been silent, suddenly became lively.

The enthusiastic cheers of the audience made Hizashi Hyuga, who was now standing in the center of the field, feel his blood boil. Being able to display his strength in front of so many people made Hizashi Hyuga's mood surge with excitement.

"Teacher, let's begin!" Hizashi Hyuga bowed, then assumed the starting stance of the Hyuga family's Gentle Fist.

"Very good, come at me."

Teacher Jiudai smiled and nodded. Without any movement, he stood there brazenly, signaling for Hizashi to attack first.

Seeing Jiudai's slightly arrogant posture, Hizashi Hyuga's gaze turned sharp, and the veins around his eyes bulged.

"Byakugan!"

Hizashi Hyuga let out a low shout, then charged forward rapidly, raising his hand to strike a palm directly at Jiudai's face.

"Whoosh!" The wind from the palm brushed past Jiudai's cheek. Facing Hizashi Hyuga's attack, Jiudai tilted his head casually to dodge it, then teased:

"The speed is not bad, as expected of someone from the Hyuga family!"

Although it was a compliment, Hizashi did not seem particularly happy to hear it. After his first strike missed, Hizashi quickly changed his move, shifting his palm into a finger strike and stabbing directly toward Jiudai's shoulder.

"The taijutsu of the Hyuga clan..."

"Their unique ocular jutsu allows them to see the human meridian system, acupoints, and the flow of chakra. They can predict the ninjutsu an opponent might use and react quickly."

"Their unique taijutsu allows them to strike their own chakra into the opponent's body, sealing the enemy's acupoints and blocking their chakra flow."

"With such taijutsu, one only needs to land a single hit to win!"

At some point, Shikaichi Nara had walked up beside Uzumaki Kuming, acting as a commentator while watching the battle in the field. Hearing the voice, Kuming glanced sideways at Shikaichi before returning his attention to the field.

It was just the Byakugan. Although this was the first time Uzumaki Kuming had seen it in person, he had known about the Byakugan's fighting style long ago.

"Bang!"

In the field, the finger strike Hizashi landed not only failed to hit Jiudai but was instead met with a kick to his chest. The immense force sent the unprepared Hizashi Hyuga flying back a considerable distance. Fortunately, Hizashi Hyuga's physical constitution was strong enough that this kick did not cause him to lose his ability to fight.

Such fast attack speed. Is this teacher really just a Chunin?

After sliding back from the kick, Hizashi Hyuga steadied himself, his expression becoming much more solemn. He was not some ignorant little kid; on the contrary, coming from the Hyuga clan, Hizashi Hyuga had seen many ninjas—Jonin, Chunin, and all sorts of others.

Even when the Hyuga family trained him, they arranged for many outstanding Jonin and Chunin to spar with him. Therefore, Hizashi Hyuga knew very well that this obscure academy teacher was definitely a hidden master.

Hizashi Hyuga adjusted his mindset and resumed his fighting stance, but this time, his posture was significantly different from before.

This is? The Third Hokage's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing Hizashi Hyuga's movement, and Jiudai, who was sparring with Hizashi, also turned slightly more serious.

"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!"

A whirlwind rose from thin air. As the words left Hizashi Hyuga's lips, his figure surged toward Jiudai, unleashing a storm of attacks that rained down like a tempest.

"Bang! Bang, bang, bang!"

"Bang..."

The two figures intertwined, their movements so rapid they blurred the vision of the onlookers. Aside from the Third Hokage and a few accompanying teachers, there were hardly any students in the academy who could track the exchange.

"Holy crap... is this really an entrance exam for the academy? Isn't this supposed to be the Chunin Exams?"

Uzumaki Kuming stared at the frenzied assault of Hizashi Hyuga, his mouth agape and momentarily speechless. He never expected that a mere academy entrance exam would feature an eleven-year-old capable of executing the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

In the history of the ninja world, the first man to reveal the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was the genius Neji Hyuga, but he had been thirteen years old when he used it during the Chunin Exams.

Yet here, the same technique was being unleashed by Hizashi Hyuga, and more importantly, Hizashi was only an eleven-year-old boy. It seemed the title of "genius" would soon be bestowed upon him.

"Eight Palms!"

"Sixteen Palms!"

"Thirty-two Palms!"

"Sixty-four Palms!"

Hizashi Hyuga's attack frequency was blistering. As he shouted "Sixty-four Palms," his hands formed a "seven" shape, slamming directly into two acupuncture points on Jiudai's chest. Jiudai was sent flying by the force of the final strike, crashing heavily into the ground with a loud "bang."

"Did he succeed?"

The surrounding students craned their necks, observing the figure lying on the ground with murmurs of uncertainty.

"A Substitution Technique, huh." Kuming brushed the bangs from his forehead and whispered. His perception had already picked up on the anomaly of the Jiudai being struck the moment the first two palms landed.

"I lost..."

Hizashi Hyuga looked at the fallen Jiudai and spoke. As his voice faded, the Jiudai on the ground suddenly transformed into a puff of smoke, leaving behind only a wooden log.

"Very good. Although you only managed to land two hits on me, your taijutsu is excellent. Hizashi Hyuga, your grade is outstanding!"

Jiudai's voice came from behind Hizashi. It turned out he had used the Substitution Technique to evade the assault long ago. Even though Hizashi had only landed two painless strikes, for the purpose of the assessment, his taijutsu ability had already earned Jiudai's recognition.

The Hyuga Clan, another genius has emerged! The Third Hokage thought to himself. While pleased, he also felt a sense of unease. This super-clan of Konoha was truly overflowing with talent, and as Hokage, he already felt the weight of the pressure.

"Thank you, teacher!" Hizashi showed no surprise at Jiudai appearing behind him. His Byakugan had actually detected the evasion, though he had realized it a split second too late.

Having finished the first assessment, Hizashi Hyuga returned to the queue. Afterward, students continued to challenge Jiudai one after another. However, many of the students who followed Hizashi couldn't even land a single blow on him.

"Looking at it this way, Hizashi Hyuga's taijutsu is truly terrifying. So far, he is the only one who has managed to land a hit on that teacher!"

Watching student after student being toyed with by Jiudai, Shikaichi Nara couldn't help but sigh. Just as he was about to strike up a conversation with Kuming again, he noticed that Uzumaki Kuming had already stepped out of the queue and was walking toward Jiudai.

"Teacher, for the under-eight group, let me go first!"

Kuming, dressed in a white training outfit, walked to the center of the field. The previous student was still lying on the ground unable to stand, but Kuming had already entered the arena, smiling at the examiner.

"Oh? Can't wait?"

"Alright then, you go first for the junior group."

Jiudai looked at the handsome boy before him and smiled.

"Please go easy on me." Kuming maintained basic etiquette, offering a slight bow to signal the start.

"Come on! Begin."

The moment Jiudai's voice fell, Kuming vanished from his spot. In the next instant, he appeared right in front of Jiudai, lifting his leg in a front kick. Since Kuming was only about three feet tall, his target was precisely Jiudai's crotch.

This kid is too devious! The trajectory of Kuming's kick made Jiudai's scalp tingle. He immediately crossed his arms to block the strike, feeling a surge of annoyance, only to see Kuming perform two backflips and land beside the student who was still lying on the ground.

"What is he doing?" Under Jiudai's puzzled gaze, Kuming hooked his right foot under the student who hadn't been able to stand up and kicked him away.

"You're in the way!" Kuming lowered his brow, and after clearing the obstacle, he transformed into a blur once more, charging toward Jiudai.

"Fast! But not fast enough!"

Seeing Kuming's aggressive approach, Jiudai bent his arms, bracing for the impact.