Combat Test

At that very moment, Kushina keenly sensed a scorching gust of wind suddenly striking from behind, carrying with it rolling waves of heat.

"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"

Asuma's powerful voice rang out from the rear.

Following this shout, a cloud of black smoke and ash, imbued with high temperatures, swept toward Kushina.

Kushina narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at the oncoming black smoke, yet she had no intention of dodging.

She knew clearly that the damage from this ninjutsu was limited; its primary purpose was to obscure vision.

Asuma's move was surely a setup for a follow-up attack.

She pondered to herself:

Let's see what you lot are planning next.

She stood quietly in place, allowing the black smoke to envelop her.

In the blink of an eye, Kushina was completely covered by the black smoke, her vision plunged into darkness as she lost all sight.

Just then, a cold glint flashed in the darkness, and several shuriken shot toward her like meteors.

Kushina's reaction was lightning-fast; almost the instant the shuriken appeared, she swiftly drew a kunai and gave her wrist a light flick, easily deflecting the incoming shuriken one by one.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal colliding echoed continuously within the smoke.

"Is that it? Whatever other tricks you have, bring them on!"

Kushina shouted aloud.

Her voice echoed through the smoke; such attacks were not even worth mentioning to her.

However, the response she received was even more shuriken.

Inside the smoke, Kushina danced her kunai in a watertight defense, precisely batting away every incoming shuriken.

A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes as she speculated inwardly:

What on earth are they doing? Attacks like these cannot pose a threat to me.

In the dark smoke, Kushina focused all her attention on parrying the relentless barrage of shuriken, never noticing that every shuriken fired at her was tied to a nearly imperceptible, fine thread.

As time passed, the ground gradually piled up with the shuriken Kushina had deflected.

Outside the black smoke, Amada gripped the threads in his hands, silently calculating the timing.

Just as Kushina thought the assault had temporarily ceased, Amada yanked the threads with all his might.

In an instant, to Kushina's surprise, all the shuriken that had fallen to the ground were pulled up by the threads.

They collided with each other, emitting a crisp "ding-ding-dang-dang" sound, and then, as if controlled by an invisible giant hand, they began to fly wildly around Kushina.

The thin steel wires on the shuriken formed an airtight perimeter, trapping Kushina within.

Kushina did not panic in the slightest, quickly making a judgment: she had to break out of this smoke-filled area immediately.

However, the moment she prepared to dash out of the smoke, a muffled "poof" sound suddenly came from behind her.

Kushina was startled, turning her head back by reflex, only to see a shuriken that had been ordinary a moment ago transform into the likeness of Kurenai.

Kurenai's eyes flashed with an eerie red light, the hallmark of her genjutsu.

The moment Kushina's gaze met Kurenai's red eyes, a wave of dizziness surged into her mind.

Her consciousness began to blur.

But it was only for a split second before Kushina swiftly broke free from Kurenai's genjutsu.

After all, she was a jonin; that a genin's genjutsu could make her lose focus even for a moment was the best proof of Kurenai's talent.

Yet, this fleeting moment was enough for Amada.

The thin wires attached to the shuriken, like agile silver snakes, took advantage of Kushina's momentary lapse to surround her.

Immediately after, the thin wires tightened sharply with a "hissing" sound, binding Kushina firmly.

Feeling the restraint on her body, Kushina looked down at her bound form, feeling both surprised and satisfied.

Although I wasn't going all out, for them to achieve this level already exceeds that of ordinary genin. Not bad.

At this time, the black smoke gradually dissipated under the breeze, revealing the surrounding scene.

Kushina's lips curled into a slight smile, and she prepared to use her chakra to break free from the seemingly sturdy thin wires, and then announce that they had passed the test.

But the very instant the smoke cleared, a sudden sense of crisis erupted from behind her.

It turned out that Amada had quietly arrived behind her at some point.

Amada gripped the katana he had obtained from the system lottery, his eyes firm and focused, his entire body radiating a sharp, fierce aura.

At this moment, his blade was already drawn, the power he had been accumulating finally erupting in a single instant.

A swift, fierce iaijutsu strike was unleashed directly toward Kushina.

The blade sliced through the air, emitting a whistling sound.

Does this kid really want to kill me?

Kushina felt a bit helpless, but faced with Amada's fierce strike, she reacted instantly.

In a split second, a faint yet highly oppressive layer of red chakra surged over her body.

This chakra seemed to possess a life of its own.

In just an instant, the wires binding her snapped under the impact of this powerful chakra.

Simultaneously, Kushina flashed, reaching out with incredible speed to firmly catch the full-force iaijutsu strike.

Her palm was also covered in a thick layer of red chakra.

Amada felt as if his katana had struck an incredibly hard boulder; it didn't budge an inch, and the powerful recoil made his arm go numb.

Amada's face was filled with shock.

Although he had long known that with his current strength, wounding a Jonin would be difficult, being caught barehanded so easily was still hard to believe.

This is just too ridiculous!

He exclaimed in his heart.

Moreover, looking at the red chakra on Kushina's hand, some familiar images vaguely flashed through his mind, though he couldn't quite recall where he had seen it before.

"Alright, stop now. You all pass."

Kushina wore a gratified smile as she announced it aloud.

However, she was muttering to herself inwardly:

To actually force me to use the Nine-Tails' chakra, these brats are really something. Especially that Uchiha kid.

"Great! I knew we could do it!" Asuma said excitedly.

Amada let out a sigh of relief.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his large desk, wearing his iconic Hokage cloak.

Seeing Kushina walk in, he leaned forward slightly, a kind smile on his face, and was the first to ask:

"How are your students? Asuma didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

After all, Asuma was his son, so he couldn't help but ask.

Kushina said with satisfaction:

"They are all good kids. Although Asuma is a bit impulsive, his strength is up to par, and he uses Fire Style ninjutsu quite skillfully. That little girl from the Yuhi clan has practiced her genjutsu very well."

As she spoke, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.