This Was the Route I'd Planned All Along~

The explosion everyone expected never came. To the Blond Youth's astonishment, Uzumaki Kuming, who had been stuck to the ground by the Clay Bomb, slowly sat up, his whole body wreathed in lightning.

"Plop!" The Clay Bomb on Kuming's body fell away like a lump of soft mud.

"What's going on?"

"What did you do?"

The Blond Youth's voice had grown sharp. What ninjas feared most was the unknown, and everything happening to Uzumaki Kuming was unknown to him.

"Clay Bombs are Earth Release ninjutsu. I infused your bombs with my Lightning Release Chakra, making them useless."

"As a ninja, you should know that Lightning Release Chakra counters Earth Release!"

"I just wanted to pass the Ninja Academy exam in peace. Why did you have to get in my way?"

Kuming stood up, chakra markings appearing on his face. Several golden stripes extended from his forehead across his entire body. His chakra had become visible as he released it to its fullest, and the chakra spreading over his body had begun to strengthen him.

At that moment, Kuming's gaze was filled with hostility.

Anyone would be furious to have the results of years of hard work ruined, let alone to have someone threaten their life.

Pain throbbed from the wounds on his back and arms, making Kuming even more irritable. As his mood shifted, the chakra swirling around him began to surge violently.

Before undoing the Yin Seal, Kuming could only draw on as much chakra as Kakashi had. After undoing it, he could probably draw on the equivalent of fifty Kakashis.

His immense chakra formed a vast vortex, and an overwhelming pressure bore down on the Blond Youth.

"How can someone so young have already mastered chakra nature transformation? How is that possible?"

"If it's true, then I'll never allow someone like you to exist in Konoha."

"I'll put an end to you right here!"

The Blond Youth's gaze hardened, killing intent filling his eyes. The powerful aura Kuming had created with his chakra didn't deter him from killing Kuming; it only made him even more determined. Before, he had attacked Kuming with a somewhat playful attitude. Now, he was truly serious.

"Kill me?"

Uzumaki Kuming raised an eyebrow and vanished from where he stood. The next instant, he swung a roundhouse kick at the back of the Blond Youth's head.

Kuming knew his Taijutsu well. Though chakra had strengthened his body, the effect was limited. Taijutsu ultimately depended on physical ability. Naruto had possessed far more chakra than Kakashi as a child, but their Taijutsu had been on completely different levels.

Taijutsu strength wasn't determined by chakra reserves alone.

So Kuming didn't assume that being free to use his chakra would let him easily defeat his opponent. His age and physical development already set a limit on his Taijutsu. But his immense chakra could still boost his Strength of a Hundred, and to make sure he could kill his opponent with one blow, he aimed for the back of his head—the most lethal target.

The brain stem was located at the back of the head. Damage to it could directly affect a person's breathing and heartbeat. This vulnerable area didn't require much force to cause a fatal injury, which was why modern boxing rules prohibited blows to the back of the head.

Kuming's Strength of a Hundred could already give him the power of an adult man. With the additional chakra boost, he was confident a blow to his opponent's head could leave him unable to fight back.

Wreathed in chakra, Kuming appeared behind the Blond Youth in an instant. His swift strike caught his opponent off guard. The Blond Youth hadn't expected Kuming to move so quickly after getting back up.

"Thump!" Unable to dodge in time, the Blond Youth barely managed to shield the back of his head with both hands. The impact sent him flying forward and tumbling onto the ground. But as he blocked Kuming's attack, several tiny Clay Bombs slipped from his sleeve.

Though he was the one under attack, the Blond Youth seized every chance to strike back.

"Hah!"

"Boom!!"

The Blond Youth hit the ground. At his shout, a violent explosion erupted behind him. He scrambled up and warily watched the smoke rising ahead. He knew that kid wouldn't die so easily.

""

"Hm?"

After a long wait, the smoke gradually cleared, but Kuming was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm outta here!"

In the forest, Kuming raced through the undergrowth, keeping his sensory field activated without daring to switch it off for even a moment. He had now released all his chakra, so there was no point in saving it.

Though he had completely undone the Yin Seal, Kuming had realized the moment his ambush failed that he wasn't a match for his opponent. Most of the jutsu he knew weren't suited for combat, and his Taijutsu was weaker too. If his sneak attack hadn't worked, facing the guy head-on would just get him killed.

So Kuming had taken advantage of the situation, using the explosion from his opponent's counterattack to make a quick escape.

"I'm still young. I've got plenty of time to get revenge. I'll lie low for now. One day, I'll scatter your ashes to the winds."

Kuming wasn't running toward Konoha. If his opponent had ambushed him there, the road back to Konoha was probably full of traps. Instead, he headed straight for the exam's destination. The most dangerous place was the safest; as the exam's destination, that place had to be under Konoha's control.

After all, how could the Third Hokage, that master of indoctrination, pass up such a perfect chance to make his presence felt when the exam ended?

But before long, Uzumaki Kuming stopped in a clearing. The sight before him cut deep into his heart.

The clearing was covered with charred corpses. From the remains, he could tell they had all been young children. Farther away lay several bodies that were mostly intact, apparently the Chunins Konoha had sent to protect the children.

Kuming had caught a distant glimpse of some of them when they left the village.

"So you're Lord Earth. I'll remember this grudge."

"Don't think I can't figure out where you're from just because you won't tell me!"

"I'll kill you!"

Fighting back the urge to vomit, Uzumaki Kuming clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. After a long moment, he shut his eyes and quickly slipped into the forest.

"Whoosh!"

Not long after Kuming left, a blond boy arrived. His white clothes were covered in dust, and there was even blood on his face, though none of it was his.

Three masked Anbu with swords strapped to their backs followed behind him.

"Damn it, we're too late! They've all been killed—even the Chunins protecting them."

The Anbu quickly checked the bodies, hoping to find survivors. Minato Namikaze's heart was racing as he rapidly scanned the scene.

"Kuming, please be safe."

Minato didn't see Kuming among the bodies on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief, but his anxiety didn't fade. He hadn't spotted Uzumaki Kuming anywhere, so he couldn't let his guard down.

Minato Namikaze, who had been following Kuming in secret to protect him, had also been attacked by a powerful ninja. After a fierce battle, Minato killed his assailant, then encountered reinforcements from Konoha. The group had started searching for the children who had left the village together.

"Come on, keep searching!" After checking the bodies and confirming there were no survivors, the Anbu quickly placed a chakra marker. Minato waved his hand, and they set off to search again.