Sword Intent

In the arena.

Feeling the oppressive force of the Eight Trigrams Field, Ryōken was somewhat surprised, but he quickly calmed down.

A C-rank taijutsu was indeed powerful. If it had been any other student, they definitely would not have been able to withstand it.

But he was different.

Ryōken narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze around. He quickly found many incongruities.

At this point, as long as Ryōken charged at those flaws, he could break this so-called Eight Trigrams Field.

But why go through so much trouble?

Ryōken closed his eyes, then opened them again. A sharp glint flashed through them.

Boom.

A long-accumulated aura burst forth, filling the entire space. Like a force that crushed everything in its path, it directly scattered the Eight Trigrams Field.

The oppressive feeling vanished with it.

As the aura spread, the crowd's previously lively atmosphere abruptly froze.

They only felt an intense, razor-sharp chill rushing toward them, as though it had come from the depths of hell. The cold pierced their bones, and they could not help but shudder.

"What is this feeling?"

"Why does it feel like the dead of winter? I can barely control my body."

Even the Chunin referee stared wide-eyed in disbelief, muttering, "This is Intent. Such a young child has already mastered Intent, and he's using it so skillfully."

Everything in heaven and earth possessed Intent, and people naturally did as well. Those who had long held high positions would carry an imposing presence that suppressed ordinary people.

This was a world of ninjas. So-called Intent could be described as the bearing of the strong—Madara Uchiha's contempt for the world, Orochimaru's sinister aura, and so on.

The aura of the strong could even make the weak tremble and lose the ability to resist.

But he had never imagined that a child under ten could emit such an aura, one powerful enough to break the Eight Trigrams Field. It was truly inconceivable.

"Another genius is rising. I'm really looking forward to his battle with Minato!"

The Chunin referee came back to his senses, full of amazement.

In this era, only the strong could earn the respect of others.

Sword Intent continued to pour forth without restraint.

Yet Ryōken was not particularly satisfied. Such crude usage was practically an insult to Sword Intent.

After breaking the Eight Trigrams Field, Ryōken withdrew his Sword Intent.

In truth, he could only use Sword Intent for a short time at present.

Only then did Hyuga Chizoku barely reach Ryōken. Though he had already sensed the danger, he could only bite the bullet and attack.

He launched attack after attack at Ryōken, chakra flickering as he moved at considerable speed.

Unfortunately, without the suppression of the field, Ryōken, coupled with the Duelist Eye, was simply not someone a taijutsu ninja of his level could contend with. He easily dodged every attack.

With a casual slap, he sent Hyuga Chizoku flying. The boy spun through the air several times before landing on the ground.

At the end of the day, he was only a child. For Hiwa Hyuga's sake, Ryōken did not strike too heavily.

Seeing that the outcome had been decided, the Chunin referee stepped into the middle of the arena and announced, "Ryōken wins this battle!"

At the referee's declaration, the crowd fell silent. They stood rooted in place, their gazes toward Ryōken filled with awe.

Strength...

Feeling the change in those gazes, Ryōken's expression remained calm as he sighed inwardly.

This battle had truly posed no threat to him. With these eyes, taijutsu ninjas were no threat at all, unless they were freaks like Might Guy who could open the Eight Gates Formation.

The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was powerful, but if they could not even touch him, there was naturally no danger to speak of.

There was no suspense in the battles that followed. Even Hyuga Chizoku, the strongest in Group Three, had been easily defeated by Ryōken.

The others naturally did not dare fight him. They either surrendered outright or were dealt with in two or three moves. None of them could withstand even a single exchange with Ryōken.

Before long, Ryōken won battle after battle and claimed victory in the final match, securing his qualification to advance.

The referee's voice, filled with admiration, echoed over the Third Arena.

"Group Three, Ryōken advances!"

The moment those words spread, the crowd first fell silent.

Then, earth-shaking cheers erupted, reverberating over the ninja academy for a long time.

"He's too strong!"

"Yeah, I never expected Ryōken to be this powerful."

"I wonder who's stronger, him or Minato?"

The crowd was full of admiration and awe for Ryōken's strength. Many students who had once looked down on him now gazed enviously at him on the platform.

After advancing, one would be qualified to fight in the main arena. At that time, they could enter the Hokage's field of vision. It was an immense honor.

Amid the uproar, Ryōken left the Third Arena and headed for the main arena.

With the Third Arena being so lively, the other arenas naturally noticed as well and turned their attention toward it.

First Arena.

Minato Namikaze, who only had one opponent left to defeat, stood below the platform and looked toward the Third Arena with curiosity.

"Who could it be? He actually finished faster than I did!"

"Hyuga Chizoku from Group Three shouldn't have that kind of strength. It seems this year's assessment will be quite interesting."

Muttering to himself, Minato Namikaze broke into a bright laugh.

Being invincible was lonely. Having an opponent worthy of a battle made him very happy.

Also in the First Arena, when Hiwa Hyuga heard the commotion coming from that direction, Ryōken's figure immediately flashed through her mind.

It had to be him. He had killed an Elite Genin before.

As she thought about it, an adorable blush appeared on her face.

Her opponent was completely baffled, but he still did not dare let down his guard. She was the Hyuga clan's young lady, and she was quite strong.

In the main arena.

"Lord Hokage, the location for the practical assessment has been arranged."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been listening to a ninja's report, suddenly paused. Hearing the commotion in the distance, a pleased smile appeared on his face.

"It seems an outstanding child has already advanced."

"Alright, you may leave for now."

"It must be Minato Namikaze, the one I favor. He defeated a Genin head-on not long ago. With talent like that, even you can't compare, Orochimaru!"

A rough voice rang out as Jiraiya spoke impatiently, his face full of pride.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue and did not refute him, tacitly acknowledging it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement. He knew of Minato as well. He was the undisputed number one at the ninja academy, a child of extraordinary talent.

Most importantly, Minato came from a civilian background. He was cheerful, outgoing, and approachable, with great potential to become Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi had been watching him for a long time.

"No need to guess. Just ask White Fang."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to a white-haired man wearing a demon mask and asked with a smile, "White Fang, which child is it?"

"Ah, Minato Namikaze is in the First Arena, but that sound came from the Third Arena. It probably isn't Minato."

White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, thought for a moment before immediately replying.

"How interesting. No need to guess. Look."

Tsunade suddenly stepped forward and gestured below.

Everyone looked over.

Then, all of them were startled, surprise appearing on their faces.

Because they saw a child walking toward the main arena.

He was a black-haired, black-eyed boy.

Not Minato, but Ryōken.

"It's actually not Minato. And who is this brat?"

Jiraiya cried out in disbelief.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was equally puzzled. He knew all the stronger students at the ninja academy, yet Ryōken was not among them.

So he looked toward Hatake Sakumo, seeking an answer.

Hatake Sakumo was equally baffled. As the captain of the ANBU, how could he possibly know Ryōken?

He made a hand signal toward the surroundings. After a while, an ANBU appeared on the high platform and respectfully handed a scroll to Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo opened the scroll and quickly scanned it. A moment later, he turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "This child is named Ryōken. He is a war orphan. After his original village was destroyed, he was brought back by passing Konoha ninjas and grew up in Konoha. It is said that due to his frail body, he has difficulty refining a substantial amount of chakra, and he has a withdrawn personality."

"Half a month ago, he suddenly became friends with Hiwa Hyuga. Judging by the timing, it should be related to Hiwa Hyuga's earlier kidnapping, though the exact circumstances are unknown."

"During the practical assessment, he appeared to possess special eyes and thoroughly defeated Hyuga Chizoku. Preliminary judgment places him at Genin level."

After hearing this, Orochimaru gave a sinister smile. "Interesting. I thought Minato would be the strongest of this class, but unexpectedly, a child capable of competing with Minato has appeared."

"I'm not finished. This child has mastered Sword Intent."

As he said this, something unusual flashed through Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

"Sword Intent!"

"How is that possible?!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya spoke at the same time, their faces full of disbelief. Even the three of them had yet to cultivate true Intent.

After speaking, Jiraiya immediately came to his senses, looking displeased. "Although this kid comprehended Sword Intent at such a young age, and his talent is indeed astonishing, Sword Intent has no killing power and does not significantly enhance one's strength!"

"So Minato is definitely stronger. Minato's ninjutsu talent is even greater than Orochimaru's. The killing power of ninjutsu gives a huge advantage in the early stages!"

"That may not necessarily be true. We'll only know after they fight."

Hatake Sakumo did not agree.

He must be a very interesting child.

Hatake Sakumo felt a little excited.

This was a world ruled by ninjas. Hatake Sakumo had seen countless geniuses, but there were very few children with such strong talent in the sword.

Hearing their conversation, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into thought. His focus was different from theirs.

Konoha was a cradle of geniuses. As Hokage, what kind of genius had he not seen? He had even witnessed the First and Second Hokage, two great ninjas.

Therefore, he valued loyalty more—or rather, a sense of belonging to Konoha.

It could also be called bonds.

Still, since the child had grown up in Konoha, he was worthy of a certain degree of trust. It would depend on his future conduct.

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