Assessment

A few minutes earlier, somewhere in the mountainous exam grounds.

Long ended the call, clasped his hands behind his back, and continued watching the images on the surrounding screens.

This was the monitoring room for the Chunin Ninja Exams' outdoor exercise. Water Style and electronic surveillance equipment were used to monitor almost the entire exam area. It was also the intelligence-gatherer candidates' final destination.

A silver-haired boy with purple eyes, dressed in an Elite Jōnin uniform, walked up beside Long and asked, "Has anyone started making a move?"

"Yeah." Long kept his eyes on the screen as he replied. "Candidate Thirteen, Kanna, asked for the coordinates of Candidate Eight, Yetsuki."

The boy was none other than Yagura, whom Fuyuki had mentioned. He was watching the Chunin Ninja Exams in his capacity as an Elite Jōnin.

"Lord Long, there's a call from Candidate Fifteen, Amayuri," a Chunin called out.

Long covered his earpiece and nodded. "Put it through."

After a burst of static, a cool female voice came through.

"Is this the examiner? I want the coordinates of Candidate Five."

"Candidate Five, Yuji. Are you sure?" Following the exam procedure, Long replied calmly, "Each call costs ten points. If you don't have enough points when they're tallied, you'll be disqualified."

"No need to remind me. I'm sure."

"Then hold on a moment." Long looked up and scanned the screens, soon spotting Yuji.

He gave Amayuri the coordinates as they scrolled across the screen, then ended the call.

"Lord Yagura, we have a result," a Chunin seated at the control panel suddenly called.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Fuyuki Sanzenryo has fled after losing. He seems to be injured, but because of the Hidden Mist Technique, we can't learn the specifics of the fight," the Chunin replied.

"I see. He's still a little behind Zabuza, then." Yagura nodded with a sigh.

Long heard the report too, but showed no reaction.

Before Long could rest for even a moment, another shout rang out.

"Attention! Candidate Thirteen, Kanna, is charging toward Candidates Eight and Nine. His coordinates are in the Tiger Sector. He's moving fast and is expected to reach them in four to five minutes. All relevant personnel, prepare to monitor the area."

"Keep only the surveillance on the candidates. Shut everything else down!" Long immediately ordered. "Switch the screens to Kanna! Track him the whole way!"

Every fight in this exam had to be recorded, not only to evaluate the candidates' performance but also to assess their abilities, personalities, potential, and other qualities.

Kanna was a candidate under special scrutiny. Many people wanted to know whether the son of the Mizukage Aide would surpass his father or prove a disappointment.

The staff sprang into action, adjusting the channels and turning the screens toward Kanna.

On a screen to the left, Kanna strode across the water at an unhurried pace, then vanished in a flash, appearing in the next image. The Chunin in charge of that channel reported helplessly, "Dynamic tracking has a considerable delay..."

"That's fine." Long waved a hand, shifting his gaze from screen to screen until, four minutes later, Kanna emerged from the forest and reached the rear of Tsukiyo Usagi and the others.

"Focus on that area!" Long ordered. "Full 60-degree coverage!"

The screens shifted again, each showing Kanna from a different angle.

"Translator!" Long waved over a beautiful woman with long hair and glasses. "What is he saying? Read it out to everyone."

The kunoichi nodded and fixed her gaze on Kanna's lips.

Most people on site knew a little lip-reading, but each had their own specialty, and this kunoichi was the expert. Everyone had different speech habits, and some even had verbal tics. Accurately reading lips required special training.

"He's outnumbered twelve to one. Good. There are more than enough of them."

"No need to make this so complicated. I'll just take care of all of you myself."

The kunoichi translated Kanna's words one by one, while a recorder wrote them down. This was also important data for judging a ninja's temperament. Some departments had strict standards for their members and wouldn't accept people with unruly or eccentric personalities.

From those few remarks, everyone felt that Kanna was confident and proud, even a little conceited.

He had completely ignored the strategy Long had laid out: stay hidden, infiltrate the enemy, and wait for an opportunity. Instead, he'd chosen to charge straight into the enemy camp alone and fight head-on.

That was undoubtedly unwise. People in the Shinobi World tended to admire lone heroes, but from a practical standpoint, the most important thing was to make the most of one's advantages and maximize the chances of completing a mission.

"Action: S. Personality: B." Long paused to consider, then spoke.

Going straight to pick a fight with the enemy as soon as the exam began showed decent initiative. But his personality was a problem. At the very least, many leaders wouldn't want to see their subordinates act so "recklessly."

People got caught off guard in every era. Just look at Hanzo of the Salamander from Amegakure. He was known as a demigod, yet he was so cautious that no one was allowed near him without permission. He was guarded by bodyguards twenty-four hours a day, and he always went all out, even against unknown rookie ninja. He would even resort to despicable, underhanded methods—when dealing with Yahiko, he had kidnapped Konan.

Even a legendary ninja who had reached the pinnacle of the Shinobi World was so cautious. That showed how brutal the Shinobi World was. Kanna's boldness was worth praising, but in Long's eyes, he would be better off showing some restraint and composure.

On-screen, Kanna charged forward and knocked Yong Kong over with a Water Style: Water Cannonball. Then he struck with the Pulse-Severing Style, knocking Kazama to the ground and even scaring him into surrendering.

"Ninjutsu: B. Taijutsu: A." Long gave his assessment, and the recorder nodded and wrote it down.

But just then, Kanna suddenly spread his arms on the screen.

"Kanna, no need to waste time. Let me end this fight."

The kunoichi continued carefully reading Kanna's lips and body language, translating with professional focus.

"One move. I only need one move to take you all down."

"Take this!"

The kunoichi's translation carried no particular emotion, so her tone remained flat. But everyone present could imagine how full of himself Kanna must have sounded as he said those words.

"Looks like he's about to use his trump card," Long murmured, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

In the next instant, something no one had expected happened.

A visible ripple of air surged outward from Kanna, sending loose stones, puddles, weeds, and everything else on the ground flying. Then Tsukiyo Usagi and the other ten were struck by what seemed like an invisible hammer. Their bodies first bent inward, then shot backward through the air.

The screens crackled and flickered, then filled with black-and-white static.

The room fell silent.

"The surveillance equipment—it's been destroyed!" one ninja stammered.

Long took a deep breath and said gravely, "Calculate the range."

The ninja began scribbling on a sheet of paper. Ten seconds later, he looked up. "I have the result. It was a powerful shockwave with a diameter of at least twenty meters—or some kind of invisible attack."

Long nodded, glanced around, then asked loudly, "Did anyone record the footage?"

"Here!" a ninja raised his hand. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel, and the static-filled footage rewound to the moment Kanna had just raised his hand.

"Play it at quarter speed!" Long ordered.

The footage played again, and this time everyone could see clearly.

When the visible "shockwave" slammed into Yetsuki, the muscles in her face caved in. Her clothes were pressed tightly against her body, and her exposed skin turned deep red. Wounds split open, but before the blood could spray out, the invisible force pressed it back, forming a crimson film. Then she was blasted backward in defeat, and the screen filled with static again.

The recording only captured Yetsuki, but the other candidates must have suffered the same fate.

"Some invisible force compressed the blood beneath the surface of her skin, then it broke through before it could disperse..." Long's expression turned grave. "Send out the medical team. Hurry."

"Recorder, make a correction: Ninjutsu, S-rank!"

"Kanna should have earned enough points. Record this! The chief examiner's assessment: His strength far exceeds that of his peers. He's straightforward, impulsive, and energetic, with considerable confidence in himself. Recommended for promotion to Chunin!"