Battle Ends in Five Seconds

Yakushi Hane, is it...

What astonishing talent...

His left eye, exposed from beneath his bandages, stared fixedly at the white-haired youth crackling with thunder inside the crystal ball.

Danzo's fist, hidden within his wide sleeve, tightened inadvertently, his gaze filled with endless possessiveness and greed.

"Here I come..."

"This battle will end in an instant."

Returning his gaze to the training ground, Hane looked at the three genin who were completely stunned by his Chidori.

Amidst the blinding glare of the violent electrical current, Hane's body crouched slightly.

"BOOM!!"

The very moment a leaf fell from a nearby tree, the ground beneath Hane's feet shattered and exploded.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, Hane transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished from his spot on the training ground.

"It's so piercing!!"

"What is that strange sound?!"

As Hane charged forward in a flash of lightning, the crowd only heard a sharp, shrill screeching echoing through the air, causing some to cover their ears with both hands.

"That is no strange sound..."

"That is a thrust; the powerful Lightning Release chakra has brought about immense physical activation..."

While everyone was shocked by the exaggerated momentum of the Chidori, the proctor, Kurenai Yuhi's Father, kept his eyes locked on the white-haired youth charging as a bolt of lightning, his composed face showing genuine shock.

"To be able to unleash such momentum from a simple thrust, this kid..."

"He is nothing short of a monster!"

"You are the first..."

In the split second everyone was stunned, Hane, having transformed into a lightning thrust, arrived instantly before the cold-faced genin.

"What is this speed?!"

"Such a jutsu! He's going to kill me!!"

Watching Hane appear before him in a flash of lightning, the cold-faced genin was completely paralyzed with fear.

"CRACKLE!!"

Before the genin could react, the violent Chidori current on Hane's left hand grazed his neck.

The cold-faced genin felt his body go numb and his vision go black, collapsing to the ground and losing consciousness.

"If this weren't an examination..."

"That strike would have pierced your heart."

Glancing at the fallen genin, Hane didn't stop for a moment, vanishing again as a streak of electricity.

Although he had only grazed the side of his neck, the powerful current of the Chidori had instantly knocked him unconscious.

"Too... too fast!!"

"A... a genin was taken out in a single second?!"

Seeing Hane take down a genin in less than a second on the training ground, the surrounding onlookers were so shocked they couldn't close their mouths.

"Don't get too cocky, brat!"

"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!!"

Seeing his companion fall instantly, the scarred genin was both shocked and enraged, his hands quickly forming seals.

"Rumble..."

Once the seals were complete, the scarred genin slammed his hands onto the ground.

Suddenly, a massive slab of rock rose from the earth, directly blocking Hane's path of charge.

"It's a C-rank Earth Release!!"

"Looks like he's an elite among the genin!!"

Seeing the scarred genin's skillful Earth Release, someone in the crowd recognized him as an elite ninja among the genin.

"BOOM!!"

But before the words had even faded, the massive rock slab on the training ground shattered instantly.

"Trying to block Lightning Release with Earth Release... are you an idiot?"

Amidst the flying debris and the scarred genin's terrified gaze, Hane, still surging forward as a bolt of lightning, smashed through the massive rock and arrived right in front of him.

"Leaf Whirlwind!!"

Without a word of wasted breath, Hane sprinted up to the scarred genin and pivoted, delivering a whip-kick that sent the man flying.

Stimulated by the powerful Lightning Release chakra of the Chidori, Hane's physical vitality was greatly enhanced; the scarred genin felt as if his chest had been struck by a massive iron hammer.

He flew backward, slammed into a nearby tree, and collapsed to the ground, instantly knocked unconscious.

"D-don't come any closer!!"

Having witnessed his two companions being instantly taken out by Hane, the last remaining genin on the training ground was overwhelmed by Hane's terrifying aura. He couldn't help but take a step back, only to accidentally press his back against a tree.

"BOOM!!"

The very next second, the genin heard a deafening roar beside his ear.

Hane, who had vanished into a streak of lightning, now stood directly before him. His left hand, crackling with the violent, roaring Chidori, had passed right by the boy's head, leaving a stinging gash across his cheek.

The entire tree behind him snapped in two, startling a flock of birds into the air.

"Exactly five seconds..."

"Teacher Kurenai, can you announce the results of the assessment now?"

As the violent current in his left hand gradually dissipated, Hane asked calmly and indifferently.

The genin standing before him had his eyes wide open, frozen in place, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

If Hane's Chidori had been off by even a fraction of an inch, his head would undoubtedly have been blown to pieces.

Silence.

The training ground, surrounded by a crowd, fell into a suffocating silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the astonishing white-haired boy.

"Ahem..."

Hearing Hane's reminder, Kurenai Yuhi's Father, who had been equally stunned, finally snapped back to reality.

After a couple of awkward coughs, he withdrew his shocked gaze and announced loudly.

"This practical survival test!"

"Yakushi Hane is the winner! He has successfully passed the assessment!"

He won!!

He actually won?!

Five seconds! He took out three genin in just five seconds!!

Watching the white-haired boy walk silently off the training ground, almost everyone present felt as if they were dreaming.

The brief, oppressive silence at the scene finally erupted completely.

"My god!!"

"He took out all three genin in an instant!!"

"Is this really something a six-year-old brat can do?!"

"That jutsu just now! Did you all see it?!"

They were going crazy; everyone around was losing their minds.

The Chidori, both powerful and spectacular, and the boy, a monstrous talent.

The miraculous performance by the Uchiha Clan genius Shisui had already left them in awe.

But now, Hane's monster-like display of taking out three genin in an instant had completely shattered their definition of a ninja.

"Amazing! Hane!!"

"You're the greatest genius in history!!"

At that moment, Urushi and the other kids in the crowd were flushed with excitement, their brains reeling from the shocking spectacle.

After stepping off the training ground, Hane saw Shisui, whose calm face was now filled with unprecedented fervor and fighting spirit.

"As expected, my judgment was not wrong..."

"Hane, you truly are the rival I was destined to face!"