Assessment

(The template introduction is too wordy, the author is lazy and doesn't want to bother with it, so let's focus on the plot.)

In the Uchiha Compound, Uchiha Shisui leaned against the wall, slowly making his way home.

To think I nearly flipped over facing one chunin and two genin; I must never be this arrogant again. If the enemy had reinforcements, then... Uchiha Shisui reflected, recalling everything that had just transpired.

Upon returning home, the light screen before his eyes flickered, and several previously dim slots suddenly lit up.

"Storm Release? I suppose that counts as a bit of self-preservation."

The next morning, Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi Hatake headed to the Ninja Academy as usual. The graduation applications submitted yesterday wouldn't be processed that quickly, so they naturally still had to attend class.

"Today's lesson is shuriken throwing. Everyone, gather on the training ground now!" Onizuka shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing toward the field.

Each student received three shuriken from Onizuka.

"I'm starting the roll call now. When your name is called, come up and throw," Onizuka said, holding his record sheet.

"First, Asuma Sarutobi."

"Heh, Kurenai, just watch," Asuma Sarutobi said to Kurenai beside him, rolling up his sleeves. After walking to the mark, he cast a provocative glance toward Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui ignored him entirely; what adult would get angry at a child?

"Ikuzo!" Asuma Sarutobi shouted, instantly throwing all three shuriken. With a dull thudding sound, all three hit the target, though they were slightly off-center.

"So cool!" Asuma Sarutobi's performance earned him the admiration of many young fans, but the girls were much calmer, their gazes split into two camps: one for Kakashi Hatake, and the other for Uchiha Shisui.

"Next..." Onizuka read off many names, mostly civilians. The worst among them was Might Guy, who only managed to get one shuriken to stick to the very edge of the target.

The standouts included Ebisu, Izumo Kamizuki, Genma Shiranui, and Hayate Gekko, among others.

"Go for it! Obito!"

Rin Nohara's voice immediately drew a crowd. Obito straightened his goggles, his smile full of confidence, and he punched his palm, shouting, "Rin, just watch! My shuriken technique is definitely the strongest. After all, I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

"Idiot," Kakashi Hatake rolled his eyes.

"Kakashi, you jerk! You always interrupt me at the critical moment. I'm going to fight you!" Obito's eyes blazed with fire, looking ready to throw down.

"Obito, go ahead and throw. Everyone is waiting for you."

Rin Nohara tilted her head and said to Obito with a smile.

A blush quickly crept onto Obito's face, and forgetting all about Kakashi Hatake, he obediently returned to the throwing circle.

"Watch this!" Obito declared, throwing the three shuriken with all his might.

The onlookers held their breath, wondering if this Uchiha was a genius like Uchiha Shisui.

"Whoosh~~" A light breeze blew by, and the shuriken, which had been spinning as they flew, lost their momentum like a kite with a broken string and fell limply to the ground.

"Huh?" The once-confident Obito's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Impossible! Onizuka-sensei, I request another try!" Obito's face turned beet red; he just wanted one more chance to save face.

"Fine," Onizuka didn't mind such a small request.

On his second attempt, Obito stared fixedly at the bullseye and threw again.

The result was better than before, landing slightly closer to the target.

"Damn it, so close," Obito looked utterly dejected.

"Haha, you can't even hit the target; you're definitely the dead last," the surrounding students mocked.

"Hmph, you're the dead last! I, the great Obito, will become Hokage in the future, so you'd all better watch out!" Obito retorted, refusing to back down in the face of ridicule.

"Obito, are you okay?" Rin Nohara leaned in to comfort him.

Obito scratched his head and Responded: "Rin, I'm fine. I'll definitely succeed next time."

"Yes, I believe you can do it, Obito."

"Next, Uchiha Shisui."

As Onizuka's voice fell, half the girls in the field let out piercing shrieks, as if whoever was loudest would win his favor.

Uchiha Shisui stepped into the throwing circle, holding three shuriken in one hand. With a flick of his wrist, the three shuriken flew toward the bullseye in a top-middle-bottom formation. Uchiha Shisui's lips curled upward as two more shuriken flew out, colliding with the first three in an instant. Before anyone could react, he threw several more; the sparks from the collisions looked like blooming petals, and the rhythmic thudding soon echoed across the field, drawing cheers from the previously quiet crowd.

The bullseye was now pierced by three shuriken in a triangular formation, with the others surrounding them in a perfect circle.

"This guy still loves to show off," Kakashi Hatake thought, his eyes fixed on the target. He understood Uchiha Shisui's shuriken technique well; with his Sharingan, he could catch even the most minute errors, which was why he essentially had no rivals among his peers when it came to shuriken.

"Next, Kakashi Hatake."

After Onizuka's announcement, the girls supporting Uchiha Shisui began to provoke the others, and the girls supporting Kakashi Hatake were not about to be outdone.

Kakashi Hatake walked to the throwing circle with a lazy gait and, as usual, threw them casually. A moment later, all the shuriken were embedded in the exact same spot on the bullseye.

"Very good! That concludes today's lesson. Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Shisui, stay behind. Everyone else, dismissed." With the results in, Onizuka announced the dismissal.

In the Konoha school office, Onizuka pulled out two forms and said to the two Konoha geniuses before him: "The Hokage has said that both of you are geniuses of Konoha, with abilities that already exceed those of an average genin. However, to become a ninja, strength alone is not enough; one must also possess the Will of Fire. These two assessment forms will determine whether you two can graduate early, so..."

"I understand, Onizuka-sensei. I will fill them out carefully." Before Onizuka could finish, Uchiha Shisui stepped forward to take the forms. He scanned them briefly and found they were exactly as he had guessed—all questions regarding the village and the Will of Fire.

"Very well, then Kakashi Hatake, this one is yours."

After Onizuka took out another form and handed it to Kakashi, he signaled that the two could return.

Once they stepped out of the school gate, Kakashi waved the form in his hand and asked, "Shisui, do you have your own Will of Fire?"

"Kakashi, things like the Will of Fire are best just listened to; don't take it as a belief."

"Why?"

"It is limited to the village, while my will has no such limitations, for I shall make it cover the entire ninja world."

Kakashi stood stunned for a moment, then looked at Shisui's retreating back, suddenly feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.