Squad Leader Promotion Assessment

Police Force.

After finishing their morning patrols, the members of the Police Force were notified to head to the training grounds inside the Police Force building.

As Hayato stepped inside with Shisui and Seiichi, he saw that Fugaku was already standing at the front.

Faster than expected.

Even the various squad leaders, who were usually difficult to gather all at once, were standing there; every one of them was an Uchiha who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Once everyone had quieted down, Fugaku spoke slowly: "I have summoned you all today to announce a personnel adjustment regarding the Police Force."

Fugaku paused, his gaze sweeping over the squad leaders before him. "Two of our clan's disciples have performed exceptionally well in recent training. Their temperament and strength both meet the requirements for a Police Force squad leader, and I intend to promote them."

"They will assist the Police Force in coordinating security for both the village and the clan."

As the words fell, one or two of the squad leaders showed signs of being moved, yet none spoke out rashly.

Seeing this, Fugaku continued: "Positions in the Police Force are never determined by seniority, but by strength. Of course, whether they are promoted or not should not depend solely on my decision."

"Therefore, the squad leaders may discuss and decide among yourselves to conduct a comprehensive assessment of these two. Whether it be ninjutsu, genjutsu, or on-the-spot adaptability, only when you acknowledge their strength and believe they are capable of serving as deputy squad leaders will this promotion order officially take effect."

An Uchiha standing in the very center looked around, and seeing that no other squad leader was willing to step forward and ask, he had no choice but to take a step forward.

"Clan Head, may I ask who these two clansmen are?"

"Yakumi, the two I propose are Hayato and Shisui," Fugaku said, looking at Uchiha Yakumi with a serious expression.

"This..." Uchiha Yakumi was stunned. He knew of Shisui, but Hayato?

"Yakumi, I'll test them with you," Uchiha Tekka stepped forward, taking the assessment upon himself.

The other squad leaders had no objections, and Fugaku nodded. Both men were Jonin; if Hayato and Shisui could defeat them, that would be enough.

Fugaku then looked at Hayato and Shisui in the crowd and said, "Come up."

Hayato and Shisui stepped forward, and the Police Force members parted to let them pass.

"Tekka, I'll take Shisui, you take Hayato?" Yakumi said, looking at Shisui. Shisui's reputation as a genius was known throughout the clan, and he was very interested in seeing exactly how strong Shisui was.

As for being the chosen target, Hayato didn't care in the slightest.

He walked slowly to stand before Uchiha Tekka. This man was a radical of the Uchiha clan; his methods were sound, or he wouldn't have become a Jonin at this age.

The Police Force training ground was cleared, and all the clansmen headed to the second floor to watch.

The first match was Hayato versus Tekka.

"Hayato, this world is ruled by strength. Are you... ready?"

Before the words had even faded, Tekka's eyes turned blood-red, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning incessantly.

With a single step, Tekka lunged forward. He flicked his right hand, and ten shuriken flew out, hurtling toward Hayato at high speed.

At the same time, he raised his hands and wove signs rapidly: "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

Flames clung to the shuriken, surrounding Hayato and sealing off his position completely.

Hayato's gaze sharpened, his hands weaving signs like a fluttering butterfly: "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

Boom!

A thick wall of water rose instantly, the massive impact of the water flow blocking all the flame-coated shuriken.

Sss!

The collision of fire and water triggered a violent burst of steam. Dense mist filled the air, instantly obscuring Tekka's vision.

The moment the mist exploded, Hayato stepped back to create distance, his hand signs shifting before he slammed his palms together.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

His chakra transformed through nature manipulation into wind, forming a violent gale the moment his palms met, striking the mist.

A sharp whistle tore toward Tekka's position. Tekka raised his arms to block the impact of the wind, his body swaying as he stepped into the gaps—clearly having tracked the trajectory of the wind pressure with his Sharingan.

He wove signs again: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball surged toward the source of the wind, and in the next instant, Tekka vanished from his spot.

When Tekka reappeared, he was already behind Hayato, his kunai slashing down fiercely.

Hm?

The feel was wrong!

Hayato didn't dodge; instead, as if he hadn't noticed Tekka at all, he took the kunai strike head-on.

But the next moment, his body turned into a pile of mud.

"Earth Clone!"

Tekka's pupils constricted. He stepped back rapidly, his eyes scanning his surroundings incessantly.

What terrified him was that Hayato had used an Earth Clone right under his constant observation, and he hadn't noticed it at all.

And—up to this point, how many styles had Hayato used?

Water Style, Wind Style, Earth Style.

Konoha jonin typically need to master at least two types of chakra nature transformations, yet the number Hayato had already displayed far exceeded that.

Just as Tekka was vigilantly observing his surroundings, a massive shadow instantly loomed over him. Everything around him plunged into darkness, save for a pair of blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan manifesting before his eyes.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

In that instant, Tekka felt his entire body rendered immobile, as if pierced and pinned down by iron spikes. A genjutsu!

How could his own Sharingan fail to resist this illusion?

"The timing was controlled quite well." Yashiro, standing beside Fugaku, nodded in satisfaction, clearly impressed by Hayato's response.

Fugaku did not respond, merely watching everything in the arena in silence.

Hayato had no intention of revealing his Mangekyo, and having already displayed three types of ninjutsu, he likely had other plans in mind.

Hmph! Don't underestimate me!

Tekka felt his pride stung; he had actually been captured like this by a clansman who had only just awakened his Three-Tomoe.

Chakra surged within him, threads of lightning dancing through his body, and in the next moment, he shattered the genjutsu.

He landed on the ground, his breathing slightly ragged, sweat beading on his forehead.

Clearly, breaking free from that illusion had not been an easy feat for him.

His gaze locked firmly onto Hayato before him, a smirk curling his lips. Still too young; he actually didn't take this opportunity to launch an attack.

His hands moved in a blur of seals: Rooster-Snake-Monkey-Ram!

"Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!"

Chakra instantly transformed into several small spheres of lightning, rushing toward Hayato in the center from all directions.

Watching the approaching lightning balls, Hayato flicked three kunai attached to steel wires from his fingertips. They landed in the puddles left behind by the Water Formation Wall he had cast moments earlier.

With the reflection of the lightning balls in his eyes, just as they were about to strike, he raised one hand and formed a simple seal: "Release!"

Zzzzt!

The multiple small lightning balls instantly dissipated, grazing past Hayato's sides and over his head.

Boom! Boom!

The lightning balls struck the ground, blasting out charred craters, while Hayato's robes billowed from the shockwave.

The next moment, he created a Shadow Clone. Chakra rapidly condensed and transformed within him as his cheeks puffed out. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

A stream of flame erupted from his mouth, instantly coalescing into a massive fire dragon. His Shadow Clone simultaneously exhaled wind-natured chakra.

Wind fueled the fire!

BOOM!

The fire dragon swelled to twice its size, and the temperature in the training ground skyrocketed. Even the Police Force members watching from the second floor felt a distinct burning sensation on their skin.

Tekka's expression shifted to one of shock as he quickly formed seals. "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

The arena was now occupied by two fire dragons, and Hayato, expressionless, directed his fire dragon to collide with the one Tekka had unleashed.

RUMBLE!!!

A deafening explosion echoed through the air, and an invisible barrier blocked the fire ninjutsu within the arena.

Everyone's eyes turned toward the center of the field, where the ground had been scorched black. A figure slowly descended to stand in the middle.

Hayato turned his gaze toward the fallen Tekka nearby, then shifted it toward Fugaku on the second floor.

"Uchiha Hayato, challenge successful!"