"First-year student Shimura Kizaru, early graduation exam, starting now!"
At a schoolteacher's announcement, Kizaru walked onto the field under the watchful eyes of the entire school and Konoha's High Command.
Uchiha Kensuke stood at the center of the field, a Ninja Sword about a meter long strapped to his back.
Watching the boy walk up—taller than he was—Uchiha Kensuke quietly steeled himself.
After looking over Kizaru's file from the clan head and the elders, Uchiha Kensuke understood.
This boy was not to be underestimated. Otherwise, he'd pay dearly for it.
For all he knew, he might be the one to lose this match.
And if that happened, he'd become the laughingstock of the clan!
"I won't hold back in this exam. Give it everything you've got!" Uchiha Kensuke stared at Kizaru and said coldly, his expression impassive.
"Give it everything I've got?" Kizaru rubbed his head in chagrin and smiled. "That's a tough request!"
What an infuriating kid!
Composing himself again, Uchiha Kensuke continued, "Make your move! Let me see what you can do!"
With his hands in his pockets, Kizaru looked at Uchiha Kensuke and said with a genial smile, "Then I won't hold back!"
As he spoke, Kizaru raised his right leg. Golden light bloomed from his shin, dazzling and brilliant.
A golden slash ripped through the air, racing toward Uchiha Kensuke.
His pupils contracted sharply. He'd never seen this move before, and realized the information he'd received was wrong. Uchiha Kensuke used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the slash.
Kizaru's golden slash startled Uchiha Kensuke, but it shocked the spectators even more.
That leg glowing with golden light, and the Flying Slash with its tremendous destructive power, left countless people gaping!
"What is that?" someone blurted out from among Konoha's High Command, watching the exam from the rooftop.
Danzo's lips curled slightly. He turned toward the Uchiha Clan head and several elders standing nearby.
"That boy, honestly! Using a Kekkei Genkai for a mere graduation exam."
Kekkei Genkai?
Everyone present caught the key phrase.
They all turned to Danzo and the three Shimura Clan elders behind him, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.
"That boy awakened the Kekkei Genkai passed down by our Shimura ancestors!" the Great Elder explained with a hearty laugh.
The Shimura ancestors had a Kekkei Genkai? Who did they think they were fooling?
Everyone present came from a ninja clan at the very least, and knew the Shimura Clan quite well.
They were absolutely certain the Shimura Clan had never had a Kekkei Genkai.
Considering that both of Kizaru's parents were members of the Shimura Clan, there were only two possibilities for how he'd suddenly acquired a Kekkei Genkai.
The first was that the boy wasn't actually a Shimura, but an orphan they'd adopted.
But that seemed unlikely. Even across the entire Shinobi World, no one had ever seen or heard of a Kekkei Genkai that could produce golden light.
Once they ruled out the first possibility, only one answer remained.
This Kekkei Genkai that produced golden light had been created by Shimura Kizaru, a boy who wasn't even seven years old.
Envy! Jealousy!
Everyone looked at the Shimura Clan's Great Elder, who was grinning from ear to ear, with overwhelming envy.
A single genius could help a clan flourish for decades at most!
A new secret technique could give rise to a ninja clan!
A Kekkei Genkai could nurture a top-tier clan—even one as powerful as the Uchiha or Hyuga, great clans of the Shinobi World!
This was incredible! The Shimura Clan was about to soar!
With their emotions in turmoil, everyone glanced at the Shimura Great Elder before turning their attention back to the field below.
On the field, after dodging Kizaru's first attack, Uchiha Kensuke unleashed Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
Using the enormous fireball as cover, Uchiha Kensuke used the Shadow Clone Technique to create two clones. Then, the three of them charged at Kizaru from three directions, Ninja Swords in hand.
Facing the enormous fireball head-on, Kizaru stood perfectly still, utterly unbothered. He didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.
He leaped backward to create some distance, then raised his right leg and kicked out three slashes in quick succession.
The three slashes flew toward the three Uchiha Kensukes charging at him.
Bang! Bang!
The slashes instantly destroyed two Shadow Clones. The last one wasn't hit—it vanished on the spot.
Body Flicker Slash!
Having read Uchiha Kensuke's file, Kizaru immediately recognized the move.
He pulled his right hand from his pocket and turned sideways, dodging Uchiha Kensuke's attack from behind with pinpoint precision and effortless grace.
A Rasengan formed in his palm. Smiling, Kizaru sidestepped the attack and suddenly thrust his right hand toward Uchiha Kensuke's abdomen.
Bang!
Another puff of white smoke. The Uchiha Kensuke struck by the Rasengan was also a Shadow Clone.
"How frightening, Uchiha!" Kizaru looked around before slipping his right hand back into his pocket.
Hidden behind a tree trunk at the far end of the field, Uchiha Kensuke received the information from his Shadow Clone and furrowed his brow.
At that moment, Uchiha Kensuke really wanted to curse!
Who had said Shimura Kizaru was just a kid with decent Wind Release Ninjutsu and an outstanding physique?
What was that devastating golden slash? And what was that Chakra Ball packed with destructive power?
The clan's intelligence had been completely wrong. Uchiha Kensuke's gaze turned grave as he braced himself for a formidable opponent!
Just as Uchiha Kensuke was adjusting his battle plan, Kizaru, standing near the center of the field, smiled and raised his right hand.
"Oh-ho-ho! Uncle, found you!" Kizaru said with a laugh, pointing his index finger at a distant tree.
A golden laser shot from his fingertip and struck the tree, setting off an explosion.
With his position exposed, Uchiha Kensuke sprang into action.
Using the smoke from the explosion as cover, Uchiha Kensuke, whose Sharingan was already active, began forming Hand Seals.
Fire Style: Great Dragon Flame Technique.
A huge, blazing dragon head burst from his mouth, surged out of the smoke, and hurtled toward Kizaru with terrifying force.
"Yaya! How frightening!" Still smiling, Kizaru sprang into action as several fiery dragons charged toward him.
Instead of retreating, Kizaru used the Body Flicker Technique to fly straight into the air. Then he transformed into a streak of golden light and shot toward Uchiha Kensuke at incredible speed.
A perfect combination of the Glint-Glint Fruit's power and the Body Flicker Technique: Light Style: Flash Instant Technique!
In the blink of an eye, Kizaru was right in front of Uchiha Kensuke.
Golden light flared. Kizaru became a human flash grenade, instantly blinding Uchiha Kensuke, who was caught completely off guard.
This time, Kizaru didn't waste words or give Uchiha Kensuke time to react. His golden right leg shot toward Uchiha Kensuke as he began forming Hand Seals.
Uchiha Kensuke didn't even have time to use the Substitution Technique before he felt an immense force slam into him.
Crack!
Hearing the bones in his body snap, Uchiha Kensuke flew away with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face.
Thud!
He hit the ground hard. Gravely injured, Uchiha Kensuke felt a metallic taste rise in his mouth. He coughed, and blood sprayed from his lips.
As everyone watched in shock, Kizaru landed and walked toward Uchiha Kensuke with a smile, hands in his pockets.
Stopping several meters away from Uchiha Kensuke, Kizaru smiled and delivered his line.
"Uncle, have you ever been kicked by light?"