Compliance Test

Take the tenth question, for example. The examiner wouldn't explain it until forty-five minutes had passed.

How could any examinee finish in less time than that?

"Lord Hokage, Minato, one of the proctors for this exam, added a note explaining the situation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head. After the recorded time of five minutes and thirty seconds, there was a short note detailing what had happened.

"So that's what it was, Uchiha Shimizu..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood why this had happened.

Shimizu's theoretical knowledge was simply so solid that he'd answered every question.

And his final answer also matched the answer to the tenth question. Given that, this was hardly surprising.

"Fugaku, the Uchiha have produced an outstanding ninja. I believe he'll become a blazing Will of Fire and illuminate Konoha."

"Mm... Ah, yes, Lord Hokage."

Fugaku frowned. The Uchiha had produced an outstanding ninja?

Quite a few had entered the Chunin Ninja Exams this year. Several promising Uchiha had taken part.

Which member of the Uchiha Clan was the Third referring to?

The second exam skipped the trip to the training ground and went straight to the Chunin Ninja Exams preliminaries.

Everyone drew lots, and Shimizu was lucky enough to receive a bye.

That meant he only had to wait quietly for the first round of preliminaries to end before entering the second round.

"Hey, Kurenai, Shimizu got a bye."

The two of them came out of the exam room and looked at the notice board in front of them.

"When I get to the second round, maybe I'll get to fight Shimizu."

Asuma Sarutobi rubbed his hands together and waved around his newly purchased ninja tool. It looked like a pair of knuckle dusters, but curved blades extended from the bottom, gleaming coldly.

It had been some time since Shimizu graduated from the Ninja Academy, and Asuma Sarutobi was curious to see how strong he'd become.

"No. I'm the one who's going to fight him."

Kurenai Yuhi spoke coldly, her crimson eyes filled with determination.

"So you really want to fight me that badly?"

Shimizu had somehow appeared behind Kurenai Yuhi. She could even feel his breath against her delicate neck.

She quickly turned around and glared at him.

"You stole the spotlight today. That's why."

Asuma Sarutobi looked on with glee.

He assumed Kurenai Yuhi couldn't stand seeing Shimizu show off and wanted to knock him down a peg.

"Kurenai Yuhi, do you have a little time?"

Shimizu looked calmly at Kurenai Yuhi.

He'd handed in his exam early, gone out to feed the White Dove, then returned to check the notice board.

They needed time to count how many people had passed, and he'd been the first to finish. The notice hadn't even been posted yet when he left.

"...I do."

Kurenai Yuhi's expression shifted several times before she finally nodded.

She wanted to see what Shimizu had up his sleeve.

If he treated her like he had before, she'd call for help.

"Asuma, Shimizu and I are going to practice genjutsu. We'll be back soon."

Kurenai Yuhi was worried Asuma Sarutobi might get the wrong idea, so she made up an excuse on the spot.

"All right. The matches won't start for a while, so I'll wait here."

Asuma Sarutobi had a delinquent air about him, but he trusted Kurenai Yuhi completely and didn't suspect a thing.

Five minutes later.

Shimizu and Kurenai Yuhi arrived at a secluded corner where few people passed by.

They were on the rooftop of a building, with a clear view of the bustling crowd below.

"What exactly do you want? Do you want to fight me right now?"

Once they'd reached their destination, Kurenai Yuhi spoke bluntly.

After what Shimizu had done to her, the fact that she could stand here without punching him showed how well she'd managed to control herself.

"This isn't the right place. Our match should come later. As long as you survive enough rounds, we'll run into each other sooner or later."

Shimizu's lips curled up as he said:

"I know you want to wipe away the shame of your last defeat. I'm pleased you've got that kind of determination, but I don't like what you're wearing today. Change into something more youthful, or I won't fight you with genjutsu."

"I'll defeat you another way instead. After all, genjutsu is the only thing you're good at, isn't it?"

With that, Shimizu vanished from where he stood, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave without waiting for Kurenai Yuhi's answer.

"I'm not changing!"

Shimizu's sudden disappearance left Kurenai Yuhi trembling with anger. She slapped the rooftop wall hard, her fingers gripping its surface as if to vent her fury.

But if Shimizu refused to fight her with genjutsu, what would all her hard work have been for?

"That demon..."

Kurenai Yuhi gritted her teeth. Every time she saw Shimizu, he managed to change how she saw him all over again.

After a long silence, Kurenai Yuhi's chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths. She released her fingers, which had gone pale from gripping so tightly.

She didn't want to keep dreaming about Shimizu every night. She even wondered if he'd planted some kind of suggestive genjutsu in her, making her relive that night's nightmare over and over.

To start her life anew and restore the Yuhi Clan's good name, Yuhi turned and left. She was heading for the Yuhi Clan.

Half an hour later.

Asuma Sarutobi had grown restless waiting. He was fiddling with the Chakra Blade in his hand when he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw Kurenai Yuhi.

She wore practical clothes: a long-sleeved top that covered her upper body, a red bandage wrapped around her waist, and a white skirt.

"Why did Kurenai change her clothes?"

Asuma Sarutobi wondered to himself. He put away the Chakra Blade and stood to greet her.

"Kurenai, why did you..."

Asuma Sarutobi voiced his question. He wasn't the type to keep things to himself; he said whatever came to mind.

"A ninja accidentally spilled a cup of water, and my clothes got soaked, so I changed."

Kurenai Yuhi replied lightly, her voice clear and bright.

"It's fine. Maybe your bad luck's all used up now, Kurenai. You'll have nothing but good luck in your match later."

Asuma Sarutobi tried to comfort Kurenai Yuhi with his awkward words.

"Bad luck..."

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Asuma Sarutobi, who had no idea what had happened, and suddenly felt a little sad.

Then she clenched her hand tightly. Starting today, she would put an end to the source of her bad luck.

The two of them headed to the competition area together.

The matches were just beginning, and they went to different areas to face their respective opponents.

It would be a long day. Some people were full of enthusiasm, while others had already been eliminated in the first exam and were left dejected.

Shimizu, who had left long ago, had already returned home.

The first round would take several days at least. Since he'd received a bye, all he had to do was wait quietly for someone to notify him.

He wasn't interested in watching the others' petty squabbles.

He might as well spend the time training.

Pakura was the only one who seemed somewhat interesting, with her unique Kekkei Genkai, Scorch Release.

Two days later.

The Chunin Ninja Exams were in full swing, and the second round had arrived.

Shimizu looked at the result of his draw. His opponent was Pakura.