Ringo Amayuri

Three months later, in Kirigakure's large indoor training arena, a stern-looking middle-aged Mist Ninja read aloud from a scroll. A line of young ninja stood before him, while the stands and the platform of honor were packed with spectators.

"I'll now explain the rules for the third stage of Kirigakure's Fourth Chunin Ninja Exams. First, this test will consist of one-on-one matches. Candidates may choose their opponents freely, and a match may begin once both sides agree. Candidates have the right to refuse, with no limit on the number of refusals. Second, candidates may choose their fighting style freely or discuss it with their opponents. Third, the proctors will supervise the exams in their entirety. Candidates must not deliberately harm an opponent who is unable to fight back, and proctors have the right to end a match at any time. Fourth, candidates may not use unconventional weapons such as the Seven Ninja Swords. Fifth, all candidates must sign the relevant agreement. Anyone unwilling to sign will be considered to have withdrawn from the exams. In the event of an accidental injury or death, neither the candidates nor their families may pursue liability. Fifth, the Third Mizukage, the Mizukage Aide, and other officials will witness the exams and determine whether candidates are qualified to become Chunin. That's all."

The rules were quite interesting. They basically let the students decide how the exams would work, allowing them to make full use of their strengths, since everyone excelled at different things. But the rules were clear: the Mizukage and the others would decide whether you passed. In other words, if someone you thought you couldn't beat challenged you, you could refuse—and keep refusing indefinitely. But your score would be very low in the judges' eyes, making it impossible to pass.

The proctor lowered the scroll and clasped his hands behind his back. "Does anyone have any objections?"

"None!"

"Agreed."

Not a single candidate withdrew from the exams. That was only natural. Everyone here had fought their way through the graduation exams, and unlike Naruto Uzumaki and his classmates in the future, they all had blood on their hands. They had long since prepared themselves for the possibility of casualties.

In fact, this year's rules were stricter than in the past. The Shinobi World held Chunin exams twice a year, and aside from large joint exams and special circumstances, Kirigakure had already held four of its own. But the rules in previous years had always carried a cruel edge: there were no restrictions on killing. Unless an opponent surrendered—or was incapable of doing so, such as when they had been beaten unconscious—the proctor wouldn't stop the match unless the opponent's teacher withdrew them.

According to past records, a considerable number of Genin had fought to the death in the exams! Their parents and teachers had even supported them in doing so. Honestly, Kanna couldn't imagine what kind of history had shaped such a brutal village.

Were the ninja of Kumogakure vicious? Of course they were. But that was the result of their climate and geography; people from that region generally had bad tempers. Kirigakure, on the other hand, had made its people this way. It forced them to kill or be killed. From this, Kanna could almost see the shadow of the Spartans from Earth.

It was said that when Spartans were born, they were taken to the elders for inspection. If an elder deemed a baby unhealthy, they would abandon it in a wilderness dumping ground. Mothers bathed their babies in strong liquor. If a baby convulsed or lost consciousness, it was considered too weak to grow into a capable warrior, and they let it die. From the age of seven, boys were taught not to cry, be picky eaters, make a fuss, fear the dark, or fear loneliness. At seven, they began their military training. They were expected to obey their leaders absolutely and to develop courage, strength, and ruthlessness. They practiced running, discus throwing, boxing, fencing, and wrestling. To train their obedience and endurance, every year during a festival honoring the gods, they were whipped. They knelt before the temple as the fiery lashes fell like raindrops, but they weren't allowed to beg, cry out, or even make a sound.

In Kirigakure, the principle was much the same: either kill your opponent or be killed by them. Begging for mercy was considered a disgrace!

The rules were cruel. The ninja they produced were like cold, fighting machines. Compared with Konoha's more broadly educational approach, the former had a clear advantage when it came to low-ranking ninja, while the latter allowed all kinds of talent to flourish. Some people bloomed late, while others faded into the crowd. It was hard to say which approach was better.

But all that was changing. Kirigakure's exam system had faced its first challenge. Momochi Zabuza, a mere nine years old, had killed almost every candidate in his class, and his actions had jolted Kirigakure awake.

The village hadn't been unable to bear the loss of those hundred or so candidates. The problem was the ripple effects that followed! When news of the Momochi Zabuza incident broke, the villagers hadn't condemned him. Instead, he received considerable praise. Everyone thought he was a rare genius, born to fight. But Kirigakure's leaders had keenly noticed that the younger students at the academy seemed to be affected by this public opinion as well. If they didn't stop it, then future candidates might well try to earn the same glory as Zabuza, and something similar could happen again.

If every class produced only one or two Genin, the village would be finished!

So the Third Mizukage had overruled all opposition and broken with a system that had lasted more than forty years. This spring's Chunin exams had become more humane—at least much more so than before. He also planned to reform the graduation exams in June, making absolutely certain that nothing like last year's incident happened again.

None of this was a secret. Kanna Tokiomi had explained it to Kanna before. So when news of the Chunin exams came out, Kanna had asked his father to get him a pass to observe. Since these weren't joint exams, they weren't open to the public. Kanna wanted to assess the strength of Kirigakure's Chunin and consider what to do next, so he had no choice but to ask his father for help.

Now Kanna stood motionless behind Kanna Tokiomi, hands clasped behind his back, serving as his attendant.

"The final test is about to begin. Watch closely," Kanna Tokiomi said by his ear.

Kanna nodded. "I will, Father. That's one of the reasons I came."

"Then! Since no one has any objections, please sign the agreement first."

After receiving approval from the Mizukage and the others, the proctor in charge of the exams made the announcement.

There were six candidates in all. After they had signed in turn, the proctor asked if anyone needed a rest. When they all answered no, he announced that the exams would begin.

"Who'd like to step forward first and choose an opponent?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a girl with dark red hair tied into twin buns beside her ears, wearing a brown robe, stepped forward and pointed to the side.

"Hayashinaka Shigure, what are you waiting for? Get out here!"

Everyone followed her pointing finger. A boy opened his right eye and stepped out of line without hesitation. He said nothing, simply nodding to the proctor to show that he agreed before taking his place opposite the girl.

The boy's left eye seemed to have been injured. A black eyepatch covered it, and a long scar ran from his head all the way down to his chin. Kanna's brow twitched at the sight.

The scar made it clear that someone had once slashed him across the face, from his brow to his chin. The fact that he was still alive after that was impressive.

"If there are no objections, choose your fighting style," the proctor said indifferently.

"Heh. Hayashinaka Shigure, what'll it be?" the girl sneered.

"Whatever," Hayashinaka Shigure replied flatly, closing his right eye again.

"Then, Ringo Amayuri versus Hayashinaka Shigure. No restrictions. One last reminder: you must not deliberately attack an opponent who is unable to fight back. Begin!"

"Hm?" Kanna's expression turned serious. If that hadn't just been a case of someone sharing the same name—

Ringo Amayuri, the second wielder of the Lightning Blade among Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, was known as a "genius Lightning Release ninja." Her documented feats included the Fourth Shinobi World War, when Kabuto revived the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Amayuri had fought a squad of the Allied Shinobi Forces alone and beaten them into a panicked retreat. Kakashi and Might Guy had later remarked that she was so powerful that a hundred Chunin wouldn't be enough to defeat her.

Amayuri was an extremely powerful ninja later in life. Kanna guessed she was around Kakashi's level, among those just below the Kage.

Thinking of that, Kanna glanced at Amayuri's weapon. It was an ordinary katana, not the Lightning Blade that made her enemies tremble.

"Come to think of it, the rules forbid using the Seven Ninja Swords..." Kanna mused. "Does that mean some candidates in past exams managed to borrow one? Or did one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen use their weapon in the Chunin exams?"

It wasn't impossible. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had risen through the ranks one step at a time. As the first wielders, they only needed to demonstrate sufficient talent. But Amayuri was in a different position. Even with her extraordinary talent for Lightning Release, the Lightning Blade already had an owner. Unless Raiga Kurosuki died or willingly gave it up, all she could do was wait.

"It's starting," Kanna Tokiomi reminded him.

In the arena, the proctor leaped back to clear enough space. Hayashinaka Shigure pulled a hand from his sleeve and began forming Hand Seals.

"Ha! Trash!" Ringo Amayuri let him do it without making a move.

Hayashinaka Shigure acted as though he hadn't heard her. He finished his Hand Seals steadily, then pushed off the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Amayuri. He drew his sword in a backhand grip and slashed straight down!

"Useless!" Ringo Amayuri still didn't move. A mocking smile crossed her face as she spoke again.

Thump! Another Hayashinaka Shigure appeared behind Amayuri, forming the Tiger Seal with one hand and reaching out with the other.

With a gulp, the water vapor in the air rushed toward him, gathering into a person-sized ball of water that enclosed Amayuri.

He'd used his real body as bait while a Water Clone Technique trapped his opponent with the Water Prison Technique, setting up a killing blow!

The three-foot blade came down, first pressing into the water prison and carving a deep dent in the orb. Clearly, Hayashinaka Shigure's next move was to release the Water Prison Technique and deliver a fatal strike to Amayuri!

"Hahahaha! This is so much fun!"

Ringo Amayuri burst into laughter from inside the Water Prison Technique. She didn't even glance at the blade above her head, letting the water prison break apart on its own. A second before the blade came down, rings of lightning appeared around her body.

Crackle! Lightning surged! With a boom, blinding silver light illuminated the entire arena. Even Kanna, standing beyond the safety line, had to squint.

Lightning exploded like silver serpents dancing wildly. The arena floor was blasted into rubble, and a charred body trailing smoke flew out. It spun through the air several times before crashing down in front of the proctor.

The nauseating smell of roasted flesh filled the arena. The ninja watching from the stands sprang to their feet, and the entire crowd erupted!

"What!"

"Incredible!"

"What happened to Hayashinaka Shigure?"

Even the proctor looked troubled. He had clearly stated earlier that candidates must not deliberately attack an opponent who was unable to fight back. But Ringo Amayuri had obviously exploited a loophole. She'd killed Hayashinaka Shigure with a single move.

But rules were rules. Though the proctor seemed somewhat helpless, he checked Hayashinaka Shigure's condition and then announced without hesitation, "Hayashinaka Shigure is dead. Ringo Amayuri wins!"

"Incredible!"

"A genius!"

The crowd began murmuring. As usual, the candidates in the first and final matches were probably the ones most confident in their abilities, so those matches tended to be the most exciting. But no one had expected what seemed set to be a fierce battle to end like this. It was absolutely astonishing.

Kanna Tokiomi nodded in approval, then asked, "What do you think? If you fought her, how confident would you be?"

"How confident..." Kanna closed his eyes and considered it carefully, estimating her strength at three times what she'd just displayed.

"I couldn't fight her head-on. Given my current fighting style and techniques, getting close to her would be too dangerous." Kanna answered honestly. Just as Kanna Tokiomi was about to assume he would concede, he continued, "But even if I might not be able to beat her, I wouldn't lose either."

With Shinra Tensei and the Flying Thunder God Technique at his disposal, no matter which one he'd transplanted on the plateau back then, he was a hundred percent sure he wouldn't lose!

"Oh?" Kanna Tokiomi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "You wouldn't lose? If you can't be defeated, then you can't be much weaker than her. She can only counter your abilities. How confident are you?"

Kanna smiled slightly and answered at once. "Absolutely! One hundred percent!"

"Excellent!" Kanna Tokiomi couldn't help slapping his thigh, deeply gratified.

He knew his son's character very well. Judging from Kanna's past behavior and his performance lately, his son would never lie, nor would he fail to see the difference between himself and others. So if he was absolutely sure, that meant he absolutely wouldn't lose!

Kanna still might not be able to defeat his opponent, but everyone had just seen what Ringo Amayuri could do. Hayashinaka Shigure, one of the strongest candidates, had been killed in a single move. The proctor hadn't even had a chance to stop her. She was another Zabuza! Maybe even stronger than Zabuza!

"Not bad. Very good. I've seen how hard you've been working. Keep it up!"

"Of course! I will!"