After the top student in each grade had been chosen, it was Aoike's turn.
Everyone watched with curiosity. Their expressions ranged from interest and admiration to displeasure.
They all wanted to know how the top student compared to him.
At that moment, only Aoike, his opponent, and the referee stood on the training ground.
The referee loudly explained the rules of the assessment.
"For this match, your opponent is Yamamoto Shin, a Special Jōnin of Konoha."
"The goal is to hold your own against Yamamoto Shin for five minutes without losing."
The students below the stage exchanged glances. After all, Jōnin was the highest rank among ordinary shinobi.
Though the title had the word "Special" in it, it also meant that Yamamoto Shin excelled in at least one area beyond that of an ordinary Jōnin.
This was only an assessment, after all. Yamamoto Shin regarded it as an evaluation of a junior.
"Kid, the academy is only the starting point for a shinobi. The battlefield isn't some shinobi game. If you don't have any impressive skills, you'd better go back to class."
Aoike formed the Seal of Confrontation, paying no mind to the contempt in his words.
It was only natural for a Special Jōnin to look down on a Ninja Academy student. This wasn't a fight to the death on the battlefield, where the strong had to be wary of the weak.
Seeing that his words hadn't shaken Aoike's resolve, Yamamoto Shin fell silent.
He wanted to see just how much the prodigy measured up to Kakashi in his prime.
The referee's hand dropped.
"Begin!"
A few shuriken flew toward Yamamoto Shin.
A standard probing throw.
Yamamoto Shin held a kunai in one hand and casually knocked two shuriken aside. When he saw the other two veer off and fly three feet above his head, he felt a little disappointed.
Is that all he can do?
But just as he let his guard down, the sound of the two shuriken colliding overhead stirred the instincts he had honed through years of battle.
He rolled aside, narrowly dodging the shuriken as they changed direction. One sliced a small hole in the fabric over his shoulder.
"I let my guard down."
He had seen the technique of changing a shuriken's angle by making it collide with another in midair during Uchiha sparring matches. It required exceptional technique, reflexes, and calculations.
He hadn't expected this kid to know it.
Putting aside some of his contempt, he wielded a kunai in each hand to face Aoike, who had already closed in.
Several metal weapons clashed in their hands, sparks weaving around the two of them.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yamamoto Shin's forehead. He couldn't believe a child could put that much force behind his blows.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others could see the situation clearly. Aoike was indeed much stronger than other children his age, but he was still at a disadvantage compared to an adult Jōnin.
What truly let him contend with Yamamoto Shin in Taijutsu was his skill at redirecting force.
Every time they clashed, Aoike used his footwork to shed most of the impact. Like a spinning top under attack, his movements grew smoother and smoother.
But the strain this put on his body was undoubtedly enormous. Yamamoto Shin realized that, yet still didn't dare risk a head-on clash.
A powerful whip kick forcibly broke Aoike's rhythm. Yamamoto Shin turned and swung a punch at Aoike's chest.
Aoike crossed his arms to block it, then used the force to leap into the air. He threw the kunai in his hand, disrupting Yamamoto Shin's follow-up.
By the time Yamamoto Shin dodged the kunai, Aoike had only three hand seals left to form for the Great Fireball Technique.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
The instant the enormous fireball burst forth, Yamamoto Shin's hands moved so fast they blurred.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Smoke from the clash of water and fire filled the area. Unable to see through it, Yamamoto Shin realized he had made a mistake. Ignoring the flush of embarrassment on his face, he quickly formed a few simple hand seals, only to have his technique interrupted without question.
He clutched the arm where several of his pressure points had been struck and circulated his chakra, reopening the blocked points.
But the tingling numbness meant he could only make simple movements with that arm.
Yamamoto Shin didn't dare waste time and created a Shadow Clone.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
The mist dispersed, and Aoike, who had been hiding inside it, was blown away too.
"Here's my chance."
Yamamoto Shin seized the moment, coordinating his Shadow Clone with his real body.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Yamamoto Shin was the same age as Kakashi. Thanks to his tenacious vitality and large chakra reserves, he had survived the Ninja World Wars.
He unleashed the combination technique. Though he still had chakra to spare, he didn't dare follow up with another jutsu, worried he might lose control and kill the prodigy.
The ground beneath Aoike's feet turned into a swamp, while a water dragon hurtled toward him from the sky.
Even in such a predicament, he didn't panic.
He began with the hand seals commonly used for Wind Style. Pale blue chakra spilled out around him, forming a sphere that enveloped his body.
"Hyuga's Rotation? But I thought this kind of Nintaijutsu didn't require hand seals."
Suppressing his doubts, he considered the matter. Whatever kind of Rotation it was, rotation was an unavoidable weakness. No defense could be truly absolute.
He formed hand seals again, preparing Earth Release: Earth Collapse Technique. Combined with Swamp of the Underworld, it would be enough to stop the spinning Rotation.
Before he could use it, Rotation barely deflected the Water Dragon Bullet before coming to a halt.
Yamamoto Shin stopped moving.
"Looks like he's reached his limit," he speculated to himself.
Danzo and the others on the platform thought the same.
Only Hyuga Hiashi and Sarutobi Hiruzen knew it wasn't over yet. Aoike's new technique hadn't made its debut...
Once the remaining blue sparks faded, Aoike appeared before everyone in a completely new form.
A pure-white veil of light became a thin layer covering his body. His chakra was more active than ever before.
Wind parted the mud beneath his feet. Bathed in sunlight, he looked almost celestial.
"Watch out, sir."
The moment his toes touched the ground, a gust of wind burst outward. Everyone saw only a blur, then a massive fist filled Yamamoto Shin's vision.
Before he could make out what had happened, Aoike had already flashed behind him and gently struck him with a palm. Yamamoto Shin flew backward, and only his Shadow Clone helped him steady himself as he tumbled.
So fast!
He could barely keep up with Aoike's shadow.
Yamamoto Shin was under immense pressure, drenched in sweat.
He stopped holding back and tossed a shuriken into the air.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
A storm of shuriken engulfed Aoike. He took a deep breath—whoosh!
All the shuriken were blown back.
Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Wall!
A wall of earth rose before Yamamoto Shin, blocking the shuriken that had been blown back at him.
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Aoike swept his leg. Two sharp blades of wind sliced the Earth Wall to pieces.
Aoike flashed forward and pressed one hand against Yamamoto Shin's chest. The wind blade poised to strike signaled the end of the match.
Yamamoto Shin lowered the hands he had been using to form seals and looked at the calm Aoike before him with a complicated expression.
"I've lost."