Warrior Assessment

Hyuuga Nen had a katana hanging at his waist. With his hand resting on the hilt, he strolled leisurely toward his destination.

Before long, he arrived in front of an imposing building. Two samurai stood at the entrance, their gazes sweeping over the crowd gathered before them.

Hyuuga Nen scanned the waiting crowd and noticed that most were teenagers, though there were some adults as well; they had all come to participate in the samurai examination.

Hyuuga Nen walked to the side and waited quietly.

In truth, Hyuuga Nen had weighed whether to train on his own or to join the samurai examination.

Training alone offered complete freedom of time without any outside interference. However, joining the samurai examination meant he would have to complete missions for the Land of Iron once he passed, leaving him with less personal time. Yet, there were benefits:

First, it would hone his practical combat experience.

Second, it could provide funds for his cultivation resources. Although his father had provided some, they were now exhausted, and Hyuuga Nen needed to find a way to secure more.

Third, it would allow him to better gather intelligence on the ninja world. If he were to investigate as a commoner, he would likely invite suspicion.

After weighing the pros and cons, Hyuuga Nen decided to participate in the samurai examination.

Samurai missions aren't that heavy; they won't impact my training much. Just as Hyuuga Nen was thinking this, a voice interrupted him.

"Quiet!"

Hyuuga Nen turned to see a middle-aged man in armor walk out, his expression stern as he looked at the crowd. Upon hearing this, the previously noisy group fell silent at once.

"I am the samurai Yamamoto Yuuichirou. I am in charge of your examination today. For the first test: those who have not refined chakra may leave."

Hearing this, the quiet crowd erupted into noise again. Some disappointed individuals slowly stepped out of the line, walking away in low spirits toward the direction they had come from.

"Why? Is it really impossible to become a samurai without chakra?"

At this moment, a boy about the same age as Hyuuga Nen, roughly eleven or twelve, ran to the front of the line and spoke to Yamamoto Yuuichirou with unconvinced defiance.

Hearing this, Yamamoto Yuuichirou frowned and looked down at the boy.

"Of course you can be called a samurai without chakra, but today's examination is for the New School of Samurai. To become a New School samurai, the first requirement is to master chakra."

"In the Land of Iron, there are too many people who want to become samurai, and many of them lack chakra. Such 'samurai' are a dime a dozen. Even if you were a farmer and claimed to be a samurai, no one would mock you. Why bother coming to today's examination?"

When Yamamoto Yuuichirou said this, he didn't mean to blame the boy; rather, there was a hint of empathy in his tone.

"Even without chakra, I will definitely become an excellent samurai!" the little boy shouted, then pushed through the crowd and ran off with red eyes. Following the boy's departure, more than half of the people left as well.

"Alright, let's proceed to the second test: sword technique demonstration. Line up and come one by one," Yamamoto Yuuichirou continued.

Hyuuga Nen watched the others demonstrate their sword skills carefully until, finally, it was his turn.

Walking to the center of the field, Hyuuga Nen held the scabbard in his left hand and the hilt in his right, slowly drawing his katana. He assumed a starting stance, pointed his blade forward, and began his demonstration.

Cleaving, sweeping, lifting, wiping, intercepting, blocking, and thrusting. Hyuuga Nen's movements were fluid and seamless, controlling his strength and speed to a level between that of a child and an adult. He quickly finished the set of movements and concluded with a graceful flourish before sheathing his blade.

Watching Hyuuga Nen's performance, Yamamoto Yuuichirou nodded in appreciation and said, "The final test is a practical combat drill. When your name is called, step forward for one-on-one duels. If your performance is satisfactory, you will pass the examination. Begin."

After a while, it was Hyuuga Nen's turn. His opponent was a youth of sixteen or seventeen. The two reached the center of the field, their blades clashed, and they retreated a few steps. Hyuuga Nen watched his opponent, waiting for him to attack first.

After staring at each other for a moment, the youth could no longer hold back. He lunged rapidly toward Hyuuga Nen, raising his katana high above his head and bringing it down in a vertical cleave.

Facing the incoming blade, Hyuuga Nen stepped back to dodge the attack, then slid a step to the left, swinging his katana forcefully toward the youth's waist.

Faced with Hyuuga Nen's counter, the youth hurriedly raised his katana to block the strike, but the force caused him to stumble back two steps.

After delivering the blow, Hyuuga Nen did not press the attack, instead standing his ground to wait for the youth. Seeing Hyuuga Nen stop, the youth grew angry and charged forward again with his blade raised.

Clang, clang, clang, clang. Every collision of the two blades in the air produced a crisp sound, and every one of the youth's attacks was neutralized by Hyuuga Nen.

"My turn," Hyuuga Nen said. Seizing a moment when the youth left an opening, Hyuuga Nen raised his hands high and brought his katana down with such speed that it whistled through the air.

With a sharp clang, the youth managed to block at the very last second by holding his blade horizontally above his head, but due to the disparity in speed and strength, he was forced down onto his backside.

Hyuuga Nen lowered his blade, the tip pointing toward the ground, and watched the youth quietly.

"I haven't lost yet!" The youth stood up immediately, gripping his katana tightly, gritting his teeth as if gathering some hidden strength.

A layer of blue light gradually surged from the blade of the youth's katana, eventually covering it entirely.

"It's chakra infusion! I didn't expect him to be able to use this technique at such a young age!" the spectators below the field exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing the youth's move, Hyuuga Nen raised an eyebrow. It seems I need to show some real skill. Thinking this, he gathered his own chakra, and soon, a layer of azure light coated his katana as well.

The youth looked on in disbelief as Hyuuga Nen also utilized chakra infusion, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. With a loud shout, he raised his katana and charged at Hyuuga Nen.

With a sound like metal striking stone, Hyuuga Nen blocked the downward cleave. Seeing his blade held back, the youth increased his downward pressure, attempting to overwhelm Hyuuga Nen with sheer force.

Feeling the increase in pressure, Hyuuga Nen smiled slightly and instead lightened his own resistance. He gently rotated his wrist, angling his blade tip forty-five degrees toward the ground, and stepped to the left, executing a wrapping strike. The youth's katana slid harmlessly along the length of Hyuuga Nen's blade.

Hyuuga Nen's sudden release of tension caused the youth to lose his balance and fall forward. By the time the youth regained his footing, the tip of Hyuuga Nen's glowing blue blade was already resting against his neck.

"You lost." With that, Hyuuga Nen sheathed his katana and walked off the field.

Only then did the spectators snap out of their daze, erupting into exclamations. "A genius! It's truly hard to believe!" such praise reached Hyuuga Nen's ears.

Hyuuga Nen waited off the field for a while until Yamamoto Yuuichirou walked to the center. "The third test is over. Those whose names I call, step forward. The rest may return home."

He began reading the names, including Hyuuga Nen's. When he reached Hyuuga Nen, Yamamoto Yuuichirou lingered on him for a few extra moments.

Yamamoto Yuuichirou looked at the fewer than ten people remaining. "Congratulations on passing all the tests. From this moment on, you are official samurai of the Land of Iron. I hope you will remember the honor of a Land of Iron samurai, strive to complete your missions, improve yourselves, and contribute to the Land of Iron. Do you understand?" Yamamoto Yuuichirou asked loudly.

"Understood!" the successful candidates, including Hyuuga Nen, replied.