Practical Test

Just then, Kushina keenly sensed a scorching gust of wind suddenly rush at her from behind, bringing a wave of heat with it.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"

Asuma's powerful voice rang out from behind her.

At his shout, a cloud of black smoke billowing with intense heat surged toward Kushina.

Kushina narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched the black smoke rush toward her, but she had no intention of dodging.

She knew this technique's damage was limited. Its main purpose was to block her vision.

Asuma was surely using it to set up a follow-up attack.

She thought to herself:

Let's see what you're planning next.

She stood quietly where she was, allowing the black smoke to engulf her.

In the blink of an eye, Kushina was completely covered by the black smoke. Everything before her went dark, and she lost all visibility.

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

Kushina reacted almost instantly. The moment the shuriken appeared,

she swiftly drew a kunai and gave her wrist a slight flick, easily deflecting every incoming shuriken.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out repeatedly through the smoke.

"That's it? If you've got anything else, bring it on!"

Kushina shouted.

Her voice echoed through the smoke. This level of attack was nothing to her.

Yet more shuriken came in response.

In the smoke, Kushina's kunai moved in a blur, deflecting every shuriken with pinpoint precision.

A hint of confusion showed in her eyes as she wondered:

What are they up to? Attacks like these can't threaten me.

In the dark cloud of smoke, Kushina focused entirely on fending off the endless shuriken,

without noticing that each one had an almost imperceptible fine thread attached to it.

As time passed, the ground gradually filled with the shuriken Kushina had knocked away.

Outside the black smoke, Amada gripped the threads tightly in his hands, silently calculating the moment to act.

Just as Kushina thought the attack had temporarily stopped, Amada suddenly yanked the threads.

In an instant, to Kushina's astonishment, all the shuriken lying on the ground were pulled into the air by the threads.

They collided with one another, making a crisp clattering sound. Then,

as if controlled by an invisible hand, they began flying wildly around Kushina.

The fine steel wires attached to the shuriken formed an inescapable net, trapping Kushina inside.

Kushina didn't panic in the slightest. She quickly assessed the situation: she had to get out of the smoke as soon as possible.

However, just as she was about to charge out of the smoke, a muffled "thump" suddenly sounded behind her.

Kushina's heart lurched. She instinctively turned to look,

only to see an ordinary shuriken suddenly transform into Kurenai right before her eyes.

Kurenai's eyes flashed with an eerie red light—the sign that she was casting a genjutsu.

The moment Kushina met Kurenai's red eyes, a wave of dizziness washed over her.

Her consciousness began to grow hazy.

But only for an instant. Kushina quickly broke free of Kurenai's genjutsu.

After all, she was a Jonin. The fact that a Genin's genjutsu could make her lose focus, even briefly, was the best proof of Kurenai's ability.

That brief moment, however, was more than enough for Amada.

Like nimble silver snakes, the fine wires attached to the shuriken quickly closed around Kushina while she was distracted.

Then the wires suddenly tightened with a "zzzt," binding Kushina securely.

Feeling herself restrained, Kushina looked down at her bound body, both surprised and pleased.

"Even though I wasn't giving it my all, they've still done better than ordinary Genin. Not bad."

The black smoke gradually dispersed in the breeze, revealing the surrounding area.

Kushina's lips curved into a slight smile. She was just about to use her chakra to break free of the seemingly tough steel wires and announce that they had passed the test,

when a sudden sense of danger prickled at her back the instant the smoke cleared.

Amada had somehow slipped up behind her without her noticing.

He gripped the sword he had won in a system lottery, his gaze firm and focused, his whole body radiating a sharp aura.

His sword was already drawn, and the power he had been building up burst forth as he unleashed a swift draw-cut at Kushina.

The blade cut through the air with a "whoosh."

Is this kid really trying to cut me in half?

Kushina felt a little helpless, but she reacted instantly to Amada's fierce attack.

In a flash, a faint yet oppressive layer of red chakra surged over her body.

The chakra seemed almost alive.

In the next instant, the powerful chakra shattered the steel wires binding her.

At the same time, Kushina blurred forward and reached out at incredible speed,

catching Amada's full-force draw-cut with a steady hand.

Her palm was coated in dense red chakra.

Amada felt as though his sword had struck an unbelievably massive boulder.

It didn't budge an inch, and the tremendous force of the impact left his arm numb.

Amada stared in shock.

He had known that, with his current strength, injuring a Jonin would be difficult,

but he still couldn't believe she had caught his sword so effortlessly with her bare hand.

That's ridiculous!

He cried out inwardly.

And as he looked at the red chakra covering Kushina's hand, a familiar image flickered faintly through his mind,

but for the moment, he couldn't remember where he had seen it.

"All right, that's enough. You passed."

Kushina smiled with satisfaction and announced it loudly.

But inwardly, she muttered:

They actually made me use the Nine-Tails' chakra. These kids are something else—especially that little Uchiha.

"That's 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 a broad desk, wearing his trademark Hokage cloak.

When Kushina walked in, he leaned forward slightly with a kind smile and asked first:

"How are your students? Asuma hasn't been giving you trouble, has he?"

Asuma was his son, after all, so he couldn't help asking.

Kushina answered with satisfaction:

"They're all good kids. Asuma's a little impulsive, but his abilities are up to standard, and he's very skilled with Fire Release Ninjutsu. The little girl from the Yuhi family has trained her genjutsu quite well."

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