Ninja Academy Exams

It was exam day. In the morning, a two-hour written theory test quietly got underway.

Inside the exam hall, the scratch of pen tips against paper rose and fell, tense but orderly.

Hayato seemed especially composed during the written exam, his eyes reflecting an indescribable confidence.

After all, it did not test their ability to gather intelligence, but purely assessed how well they had mastered the basics.

For him, it was nothing more than a warm-up.

When the proctor announced the end of the exam, the students handed in their papers and filed out.

Teacher Shuichi quickly organized everyone into lines and led them to the practical Training Ground, where they prepared to face the even graver challenges ahead.

The practical exam lasted four days, with opponents assigned in pairs by lottery.

Hayato's first opponent was Kotetsu Hagane.

When Kotetsu learned that his opponent was Hayato, his face immediately fell. He muttered, "My luck is really terrible today."

The result was just as Kotetsu had expected. Hayato won with ease, thanks to his superb Taijutsu.

After his first match, Hayato headed to Kurenai's battle area.

The Ninja Academy's practical Training Ground was divided into ten areas, each supervised by a Chunin.

When Hayato arrived at Kurenai's Area Eight, the battle was still raging.

Kurenai's opponent was Ebisu. The two were evenly matched, and the fight was exceptionally intense.

Hayato watched Kurenai's performance closely from the sidelines. In terms of Taijutsu, her speed was decent, but she was somewhat lacking in strength and was often driven back by her opponent's physical advantage.

At that moment, Kurenai caught sight of Hayato out of the corner of her eye. A stubborn resolve welled up inside her: Hayato's watching. I absolutely can't lose in front of him!

Kurenai planted her foot and accelerated toward Ebisu in an instant, swinging her right fist straight at him.

Ebisu was shocked. "So fast!"

He hurriedly dodged to the side while raising his right hand to try to block Kurenai's attack.

"Now!" Kurenai's right fist didn't land on him. Instead, she used Ebisu's right hand as a springboard.

She leaped upward and, after rising to a certain height, brought a vicious roundhouse kick down on Ebisu's back, knocking him to the ground.

Bam! The deafening impact kicked up a cloud of smoke.

Hayato silently summed up the fight in his mind: If you're short on strength, use speed to increase the damage. Kurenai's pretty clever.

The Chunin in the exam area hurried over to check on Ebisu. After finding that he had only passed out, they nodded to indicate that he was all right.

The medical staff then carried Ebisu away, and the supervising Chunin declared Kurenai the winner.

Kurenai ran excitedly over to Hayato, her voice trembling with excitement. "Hayato, did you see that? I won! I won!"

Hayato smiled and ruffled Kurenai's hair. "Mm, you were the best!"

Kurenai's cheeks instantly turned bright red, but Hayato's approval made her incredibly happy.

"Come on. Get ready for tomorrow's exam," Hayato reminded her. Kurenai answered and followed right behind him.

The next morning, sunlight bathed the land as everyone gathered once more in the center of the Training Ground.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, the students who had won the first round had all assembled again.

This time, Hayato drew a boy named Kagami Hyuga as his opponent.

Without using any ninjutsu beyond the Three Basic Jutsu, Hayato defeated him with his superb Baji Quan.

On the other side, Asuma's opponent was Kakashi, while Kurenai's was Izumo Kamizuki.

Unfortunately, neither of them managed to defeat their opponent. That left Hayato as the only winner among the three students in his row.

The third day arrived, and Hayato's opponent was Guy.

Guy gazed at Hayato, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Hayato, let's have a match with no regrets!"

Hayato replied with a smile, "As you wish."

The two stood face-to-face and formed the Seal of Confrontation. The battle began at once.

Guy struck first. He pushed off hard with his foot, charged at Hayato, and swept in with a roundhouse kick.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Hayato raised his right arm and successfully blocked the powerful strike.

Then he pushed off and retreated, deftly dispersing the force.

When his first attack failed, Guy pressed forward again.

However, Hayato didn't just passively defend. He dodged Guy's attack with a sidestep, quickly put some distance between them, and formed hand seals.

"Clone Technique!"

As the smoke cleared, five Hayatos charged at Guy together.

Guy fought his way forward, defeating the clones one by one.

But when the last Hayato was defeated too—

"What? That one was a clone too?" Guy was stunned.

"Guy, losing focus in a fight is a major taboo."

A voice suddenly rang out. When the smoke cleared, the stone beneath Guy had turned into Hayato.

"Baji: Iron Mountain Lean!"

Hayato launched a heavy blow, sending Guy staggering backward.

Guy doubled over, like a cooked shrimp.

Hayato pressed forward again, his attacks falling on Guy like a violent storm.

"Baji: Twenty-Four Postures!"

In the end, Guy was defeated.

After the fight, the two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Guy was in excellent physical condition. Even after such a fierce battle, he quickly recovered his composure.

He looked at Hayato and sighed. "You beat me again. What a shame."

Hayato smiled and encouraged him. "Keep it up, Guy! You're strong too."

At last, the final day arrived. Hayato's final opponent was Kakashi.

That day, all their classmates gathered to watch the battle between the two.

And it wasn't just their classmates who had come—Hiruzen, the Hokage, was there in person to watch as well.

That undoubtedly made the fight all the more compelling.

On the field, Kakashi gazed at Hayato with a serious expression. "Hayato, I hope you'll give it your all."

For the first time, he felt a powerful fighting spirit rising within him, as if he had returned to the day they first met at the Ninja Academy.

He wanted to find out just how great the gap between their actual strength was now.

Hearing Kakashi's words, Hayato looked back at him. "You mean, not limiting ourselves to the Three Basic Jutsu?"

Kakashi knew that Hayato had mastered ninjutsu beyond the Three Basic Jutsu. He gave a slight nod.

Hayato didn't agree right away. Instead, he turned to Shuichi beside them. "Teacher, do the rules allow us to use ninjutsu other than the Three Basic Jutsu in battle?"

The question put Shuichi in a difficult position. "Well..."

Normally, the Ninja Academy only taught the Three Basic Jutsu, so that was all the students used in practical matches.

But today's circumstances were a little unusual.

Fortunately, the Hokage was here to watch. When in doubt, ask the boss.

"Lord Hokage, what do you think?" Shuichi asked.

Everyone's eyes turned to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen paused as he smoked, then said with a smile, "Ninja battles have always demanded that you give it your all. That's how you show respect for your opponent."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi looked at Hayato, anticipation written across his face.

After hearing Hiruzen's words, Shuichi nodded too. "Then the two of you can form the Seal of Confrontation."

The two stood face-to-face and formed the Seal of Confrontation. The battle was about to begin.

Hayato formed hand seals with one hand, silently grumbling to himself.

Give it my all? No way. I can at least hold back a little less.