Early in the morning, after breakfast, Gong Yi hurried to school.
He carefully checked his shuriken, kunai, bandages, and all the other ninja tools he might need in battle, then patiently waited for the graduation exam to begin.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The crisp clacking of wooden sandals echoed through the empty indoor training hall as they walked across the stone floor.
Gong Yi opened his eyes and saw Ishii Kawa, along with several adults standing beside him.
There was no sign of the Konoha High Command he had imagined, nor was the Third Hokage personally appearing to award him a Ninja Headband as he had when Kakashi graduated.
But Gong Yi wasn't disappointed. He was sure that quite a few people were watching this battle from the shadows.
"You're Gong Yi, right? I'm Iga Kawaji, the referee for this exam. This is your opponent, Hirata Saburo!"
Gong Yi silently nodded, focusing his attention on Hirata Saburo.
Ishii Kawa quietly explained, "Lord Iga is a powerful Jonin. With him as the referee, neither of you will suffer any life-threatening injuries."
Gong Yi murmured his acknowledgment, feeling a little more at ease.
From this, it was clear that the village already took him seriously.
They had even assigned a powerful Jonin to referee a graduation exam. That said it all.
"Kid, I hear you requested a Chunin as your exam opponent?"
As Gong Yi looked at his opponent, Hirata Saburo returned his gaze with open disdain.
"Kid, you need to understand that a Genin and a Chunin are worlds apart. If I lose control and cripple you, that'd be a real shame. So I suggest you give up, or pick another Genin as your opponent. My time is precious."
Gong Yi raised an eyebrow and replied loudly, "With Lord Iga here, I'm not worried about that. Besides, before we've even fought, you're already looking down on me. Doesn't that go against the Ninja Handbook's rule to take every enemy seriously?"
Hirata froze for a moment, unable to think of a reply.
Iga Kawaji smiled faintly and waved a hand.
"Let's begin. Start by forming the Seal of Confrontation!"
As tension filled the indoor training hall and both sides prepared to fight, countless students and teachers across the school focused their attention on it.
The genius student who had held the top spot for three years was about to face a Chunin.
If he performed well, he could graduate early.
In a way, this battle had drawn even more attention than Kakashi's graduation exam.
After all, Kakashi's opponent back then had only been a Genin.
"Yugao, do you think Gong Yi can win?"
Kurenai Yuhi clutched Uzuki Yugao's arm, her little face tense with worry.
Uzuki Yugao's eyes were full of concern too. She was one of Gong Yi's admirers, secretly in love with him. After all, Gong Yi was so strong.
He usually did as he pleased and trained hard. Though he was a little aloof, that only made him seem even cooler to girls.
After all, when someone was strong, everything they did was right.
That wasn't being aloof. That was being cool and distant!
Uzuki Yugao softly reassured her, "I think he can. No one knows how much Gong Yi has grown over these three years. At least, we can't see through him anymore."
Kurenai Yuhi grumbled, "Why couldn't Gong Yi wait one more year? Then we could graduate together and be on the same team!"
"He probably has his own plans."
"My mom told me that tensions between the ninja villages are getting worse. Ninjas have already started fighting in secret and sabotaging each other's missions. If Gong Yi goes out on missions now, it'll be dangerous."
Hearing Kurenai's concern, Uzuki Yugao couldn't help furrowing her pretty brows.
Behind them, Asuma and Gekko Hayate were also muttering among themselves.
"Why not have them fight on the field? They put it in the indoor training hall instead. Are they worried we'll see Gong Yi get beaten up by a Chunin?"
Gekko Hayate shook his head. "A ninja's strength is partly built on information. A fight in front of others reveals some of a ninja's methods. The school made the right call."
Asuma grumbled, "Hayate, why are you taking that kid Gong Yi's side? Your childhood friend Yugao doesn't even hang out with you anymore."
Gekko Hayate coughed lightly. "Those are two separate matters. Don't lump them together."
With countless people watching, the tense silence in the training hall was about to erupt into battle!
"Kid, get ready to lose! I'll show you the gap between a graduate and a seasoned Chunin!"
Hirata Saburo shouted and charged forward, kunai in hand.
He was fast!
But Gong Yi was faster!
Clang!
Their kunai clashed violently, scraping together and throwing off sparks.
Gong Yi slipped past him and threw a punch straight at Hirata Saburo's face, a gust of wind trailing behind it.
"You're pretty fast, kid. But when it comes to strength, how can you compare with an adult?"
Hirata Saburo threw a punch without hesitation, meeting Gong Yi head-on.
The instant their fists collided, Hirata Saburo's expression changed.
"How can this be? Why is he so strong?"
After three years of training, Gong Yi had raised his Gravity Technique to ten times normal gravity.
Combined with his own hundred-pound body weight, he was practically carrying a thousand pounds every moment.
And his strength had become terrifying!
A faint crack of bone sounded. From that single clash, Hirata Saburo had already suffered a serious injury.
Strike while he's down!
Gong Yi swept his left leg across. Hirata instinctively blocked, but the immense force made him grunt.
He quickly retreated, fixing Gong Yi with a dark look.
This kid wasn't simple!
He'd planned to finish him off using Taijutsu alone, but it looked like he'd need to use a few more tricks.
Gong Yi rolled his wrists. He was still under the tenfold gravity of his daily training, and his body felt heavy.
But once he released the limits of his Gravity Technique, his strength would surge, whether in power or speed.
At least in terms of Taijutsu, he wouldn't be weaker than a Jonin.
Of course, this was one of his trump cards. He wasn't going to reveal it so soon.
"As a seasoned Chunin, Hirata Saburo must still have plenty of tricks up his sleeve!"
Gong Yi murmured to himself, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Before you continue