"Next up is shuriken. There are two ways to test you: throwing or catching. Which do you choose?"
The proctor looked at Lu Yu and asked with some anticipation.
"Throwing!"
As Lu Yu saw it, throwing shuriken took less effort. Catching them was much more troublesome.
"Good!"
The proctor waved to one of the teachers nearby, and three wooden boards with bull's-eyes painted on them appeared opposite.
"Lu Yu, just try to hit the bull's-eyes with the shuriken."
Lu Yu took the shuriken and looked at the spectators behind the targets. His brow furrowed slightly.
As a seasoned couch potato, Lu Yu had spent the past few years lying around at home every day. He'd hardly exercised at all, so he couldn't control his strength very well.
It had been fine when he'd injured someone with a finger flick not long ago; he'd only needed to control his strength roughly. But shuriken required both precision and force, and since this was his first time handling them, he couldn't say for sure whether he might hurt someone.
After hesitating, Lu Yu said to the proctor, "Could you ask the people behind the boards to move aside a little? I'm worried I might accidentally hurt someone."
The proctor glanced at the few jonin behind the targets and laughed dismissively. "Don't worry. You're a long way from them. You can't hurt them."
"Oh, all right!"
Lu Yu took a deep breath, unable to stop himself from getting a little nervous.
He kept repeating to himself:
Gently, gently. Make sure I throw them gently...
Then Lu Yu casually tossed the shuriken...
Whoosh!!!
Whoosh!!!
Thwack!!!
Lu Yu's hands moved rapidly, and the three shuriken in them shot out at incredible speed.
Damn, I still threw them too hard...
The instant the three shuriken left his hands, Lu Yu realized something was wrong.
The shuriken had made a faint sonic boom as they flew.
The wooden boards opposite were instantly sliced in half. The three shuriken kept flying and headed straight for Asuma, who was watching the scene with interest.
Asuma's heart raced. An icy chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, every hair on his body standing on end. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He felt as if a knife were pressed to his throat, ready to cut it open the next second.
He had no time to think. The instant the feeling hit him, Asuma threw himself to the side.
Swish...
Asuma had barely thrown himself aside when the three shuriken, moving at incredible speed, flew past him and vanished from sight.
Asuma stared at the field in shock. Lu Yu was looking at him apologetically, and Asuma was instantly left reeling.
Sage of Six Paths above! Had that kid really made me feel like I was about to die just now?
Asuma shook his head in disbelief and laughed at himself. It must be all those missions lately. Maybe it's time I took a vacation.
No one else noticed Asuma's sudden movement. Even so, when they saw the wooden boards sliced in half by the shuriken, the entire field fell silent.
"Um... should we move on to the next test?"
Lu Yu smiled at the proctor and reminded him at just the right moment.
Only then did everyone come back to their senses, one after another. They looked at Lu Yu completely differently now.
Those boards were as thick as a finger, yet shuriken had sliced right through them. How much strength did that take?
The proctor swiftly wrote on Lu Yu's score sheet: "Shuriken: 10 points."
"Mm, well done!"
The proctor's expression had changed as he looked at Lu Yu. He gave him an encouraging smile and said, "Last is taijutsu. Test yourself against the taijutsu instructor over there."
A Chunin from the Akimichi Clan, who had just sparred two rounds with Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke, stepped forward.
The examinee could attack him with all their strength, and the instructor would grade them based on their use of taijutsu.
Of course, the school considered it impossible for an examinee to defeat a Chunin.
Especially since the Akimichi Clan was the toughest clan around. There was no chance of a mishap.
However, when the Akimichi Chunin faced Lu Yu, he inexplicably felt a deep sense of unease.
It was like facing a Tailed Beast that could go berserk at any moment.
Lu Yu looked helplessly at his opponent, then at the proctor's expectant expression. He let out a quiet sigh and said something that shocked everyone present:
"Teacher, I forfeit!"
"What?"
The proctor was stunned. This was just a taijutsu test, nothing unreasonable. Was there really any need to forfeit?
He still managed to ask patiently, "Lu Yu, can you tell me why?"
Lu Yu naturally couldn't tell the truth. He pretended to be embarrassed, scratched his head, and said softly, "Teacher, I was injured a while ago. I need to rest for now, so I can't fight."
The proctor understood at once and immediately said with concern, "Oh, so that's why. All right, take care of yourself. We'll skip the taijutsu test for now. You look to be in good shape, so I'll give you five points for taijutsu."
"Thank you, teacher."
Lu Yu politely nodded and left the field. The Akimichi Chunin wiped the sweat from his forehead, unsure when it had appeared, and let out a long breath.
"What's wrong with me? Why was I so scared of a kid?"
The Akimichi Chunin scratched his head, unable to make sense of it.
When Shikamaru saw his big brother coming over, he discreetly gave him a thumbs-up and said in a low voice, "Big bro, since when do you like showing off? You even forfeited. Couldn't you have just gone through the motions?"
Gone through the motions? How? Was I supposed to do what I did earlier and fend him off with a finger flick? That would've been way too showy.
Lu Yu leaned comfortably against the wall. Hearing that, he said with a serious expression, "If I told you I was afraid I'd accidentally kill him, would you believe me..."
"Haha, big bro, you're hilarious. Just wait till we get home and Mom asks you to explain."
What a pain...
Before you continue