Tsunade's verdict sent a murmur of shock through the crowd.
An elite jōnin, one of the village's core forces, had just been stripped of his rank? And sentenced to ten years of confinement!
Even if he was released after ten years, he would probably be ruined by then.
It was the harshest punishment they had seen since Konoha was founded.
"Thud!"
Noji Daishi stumbled and fell to the ground. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and in an instant, his face went deathly pale. He felt as if he'd fallen into an icy abyss, a chill rising from his feet and shooting straight to his head!
It was over! Everything was over!
He had thought that once he became an elite jōnin, he could do whatever he pleased in the village. Unless he betrayed the village, it would surely support him for the rest of his life and let him live above everyone else!
But now, with Tsunade's verdict, everything he'd had was gone like smoke!
Two ninja assigned to escort him dragged the dazed Noji Daishi away without the slightest courtesy.
Tsunade and the other senior officials watched the whole thing without expression, their eyes utterly unmoved.
It was true that elite jōnin were a core part of the village's strength, and their numbers were fundamental to any ninja village. They were extremely important, which was why all the major ninja villages were willing to invest so much effort in training them.
The village's senior officials had even known about the things Noji Daishi had done before. But they had considered his crimes not worthy of death, and aside from his character, Noji Daishi was indeed a fairly capable ninja. He had completed many missions and made some contributions to the village.
So the village had merely assigned Anbu to keep an eye on him and taken no concrete action.
But what Noji Daishi had done today was a fundamental desecration of Konoha's rules. The threat he posed to the village now far outweighed the contributions he had made in the past.
This was serious enough to shake the village to its foundations. If they still did nothing, were they supposed to wait until a spark became a raging fire?!
On top of his past behavior, Noji Daishi was so disliked that, as everyone watched him being dragged away, not a single person stepped forward to speak on his behalf.
Kameda Hironori, Noji Daishi's friend, hurriedly lowered his head at the sight, not daring to say a word.
Although he and Noji Daishi had been on good terms in private, truth be told, they were little more than drinking buddies. They could bully civilians and drink and brag together, but there was no way they'd risk their lives for each other or forge a bond through shared hardship.
In fact, seeing Noji Daishi utterly disgraced, Kameda Hironori even wanted to seize the chance to kick him while he was down, hoping to win favor with Lord Hokage and the other senior officials!
It had to be said: Noji Daishi had really outdone himself when it came to being a terrible person!
After Noji Daishi was taken away, four elite jōnin repaired the arena, and the exams continued.
After confirming his victory, Takizawa Dan left the arena under the crowd's awed gazes.
Whether he had chakra or not, whether his body was frail or not—
He had defeated Hyuga Niuer and Hyuga Niuda in two consecutive matches. During the Chunin Ninja Exams, he had beaten Nochi Yoshino in a single move in front of everyone. Then, relying on his reflexes, he had forcefully dodged a full-power attack from the elite jōnin Noji Daishi!
That string of achievements was already remarkable—almost unbelievable. After all, even the champions of the last two years, Hyuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, wouldn't dare claim they could dodge an elite jōnin's attack entirely through physical ability alone!
Before Takizawa Dan left, a green fragment dropped from Noji Daishi.
And before Yamato left, a colorless fragment dropped from him!
Takizawa Dan was astonished.
Fragments dropping wasn't unusual, but two had appeared at once!
And Yamato's fragment was actually colorless! In other words, it couldn't be rated.
But then again, Yamato's Wood Release was an extremely unusual nature transformation, so it made sense that the system couldn't immediately assign it a rating.
As he left, Takizawa Dan deliberately passed by the two fragments, pretending to tie his shoelaces as he picked them up!
Whoosh—whoosh—
A streak of green light and a streak of colorless light entered Takizawa Dan's mind almost simultaneously!
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained an ability: Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique (Conjures a vast amount of water in the air, forming a gigantic waterfall that crashes down and sweeps across the entire area, carrying enemies away!)] [Cooldown: 30 minutes] ... [Congratulations, host. You have obtained an ability: Wood Style: Deep Forest Creation (Creates a small forest ahead of you. You can freely control the growth and movement of its trees, granting you complete control within its boundaries, including healing and attack!)] [The host has discovered a colorless attribute fragment for the first time. As a reward, the ability has evolved to its ultimate form.] [The host has obtained an upgraded ability: Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence! (A signature technique of the First, Senju Hashirama, famous throughout the Shinobi World! Its power is countless times greater than that of "Wood Style: Deep Forest Creation"!)] [Cooldown: 7 days] [Duration: 60 minutes] ... [Host's current abilities: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Gentle Fist, Multi Shadow Clone Technique, Wind Style: Kamaitachi Jutsu, Wind Style: Floating Catkin Jutsu, Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique, Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!]
Glancing at his list of abilities, Takizawa Dan was filled with astonishment.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
This was the signature technique of the First, Senju Hashirama. Its power was practically limitless, enough to completely turn the tide of battle single-handedly.
Unfortunately, it could only be used for up to sixty minutes at a time, and after using it once, he would have to wait a full seven days for it to recharge!
More importantly, a technique like Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence had an enormous scale. If Takizawa Dan used it in the center of Konoha, the entire village would be transformed into a forest in an instant—and cease to exist as it was.
He didn't have Yamato's painstaking patience to slowly repair the entire ninja village. Besides, if anyone was injured or killed, the consequences would be devastating!
So Takizawa Dan decided that even though he had learned a technique as ridiculously powerful as Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, he would keep it hidden as his last trump card and never use it unless absolutely necessary!
Having made up his mind, Takizawa Dan left the arena without arousing anyone's suspicion.
Looking at his list of abilities, Takizawa Dan felt a sense of satisfaction.
He now had quite a few ways to protect himself. If he used all his abilities, he could make sure he escaped unscathed even against a Kage Level opponent!
In this dark world of ninja, the more powerful one's skills, the greater one's chances of survival!
But Takizawa Dan was unsure whether he should return to the ranks of the examinees.
He intended to lie low, keep his strength hidden, and grow steadily. Returning to his peers would be the best way to blend in.
But he had just displayed such formidable strength. If he casually went back to the examinees, he would be swarmed at once by questions and admirers!
For Takizawa Dan, who wanted to stay unnoticed, that was unacceptable.
But if he didn't return to his companions and acted alone, he would stand out even more. The senior officials might even blame him for being arrogant and aloof...
Sigh... What should he do?
As Takizawa Dan walked along, he agonized over the decision.
Just then, a masked ninja suddenly appeared in front of him!
Takizawa Dan's eyes narrowed. Anbu!
"Takizawa Dan, Lord Hokage wishes to see you!"
Before you continue