Evaluation

Nara Shikaku noticed the change in Toru's eyes and thought, There's something strange about that kid's eyes. Could the Uchiha Clan have another kind of eye besides the Sharingan?

Shikaku was a clever man. He recalled that when Toru had just broken his Shadow Possession Jutsu, Toru's eyes had been glowing then, too.

But Toru's eyes weren't usually this bright. Shikaku had keenly picked up on this tiny difference.

Still, Shikaku understood that everyone had their own little secrets, so he didn't intend to pry.

There were plenty of shadows beneath the trees, making this Shikaku's home ground. His Shadow Sewing Jutsu stretched farther and farther along them.

The shadows moved quickly, launching one attack after another at Toru. Toru had no choice but to dodge, leaping through the woods.

"You may not know this, but our Nara Clan has raised deer for generations."

"Deer are as nimble as you are. To avoid hurting them while collecting their antlers, we invented the original Shadow Possession Jutsu."

"With shadows covering the woods, I can use this technique to immobilize an entire herd of deer at once, so people can collect their antlers."

"In my eyes, you're just one of those deer. Give up struggling."

Shikaku tried to unsettle Toru with his words, but Toru wasn't fazed in the slightest. Instead, he seemed quite interested and continued the conversation about hunting deer.

"What's the point of hunting if there's no bloodshed?"

"If it were me, I'd just use Fire Release to burn the whole herd. Then I'd get the antlers and enjoy some barbecue, too."

Toru shared his opinion as he fled.

Shikaku clicked his tongue. "You brat. Deer are friends of the Nara Clan. How can you treat them so brutally?"

"Besides, deer hide is a valuable resource. Burning it would be a terrible waste."

It was a rare sight to see two people discussing what to do with deer in the middle of a fight.

Though the two traded barbs, each held the other in remarkably high regard.

Toru thought the man before him was not only stronger than he was, but also had things he could learn from in terms of battle tactics and understanding ninjutsu.

Shikaku, meanwhile, thought the boy leaping around the woods was practically the template for a genius ninja.

With excellent Shurikenjutsu, Fire Release, and Taijutsu, Toru was a near-perfect Uchiha ninja. Add his extraordinary intelligence and keen instincts, and he had the strength of a Chunin or higher.

In Shikaku's eyes, though Toru still lacked the polish of a Jonin, he was already stronger than most of the Chunins in the village.

If his strength were converted into a rank, the most suitable title would be Special Jonin.

Special Jonin was a rank between Chunin and Jonin.

It was generally awarded to ninja who were stronger than Chunin or had a special skill, but whose overall abilities didn't measure up to those of a Jonin.

Toru fit the criteria perfectly.

Shikaku couldn't help but marvel, "He's only nine. That talent is downright humbling. Give him a few more years of training, and he'll probably have the strength of a Jonin."

"Too bad... he's an Uchiha..."

Shikaku's thoughts ran wild, and he lost focus in the middle of the battle.

Toru noticed that the shadows Shikaku controlled had slowed down. Though puzzled, he knew this was a rare opportunity.

So Toru continued fleeing around the woods, the blue light in his eyes flickering as if he were searching for something in the forest.

By the time Shikaku came back to his senses, Toru had already reached the edge of the woods. Shikaku instinctively chased after him.

At the edge of the woods, Toru swiftly formed hand seals and slapped his palm against the ground.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!

When Shikaku arrived, he saw a huge, deep fissure slanting across the open ground outside the woods.

His instincts told him this hadn't been done at random. A hint of unease crept over him.

But Toru had already run off in another direction. Shikaku had no time to think and could only chase after him.

He wondered, What is this kid trying to do? And why has he suddenly gotten so much faster?

In truth, Toru had used Cursed Energy so Shikaku wouldn't catch up. The boost from Cursed Energy combined with Chakra made Toru even faster than Shikaku, a Jonin, for a short time.

Shikaku almost began to doubt himself, wondering if he'd let himself get out of shape lately, since he couldn't catch a boy who had only just graduated.

Soon, Toru reached the other side of the woods and did the same thing.

By now, Shikaku had figured out what Toru was planning. His heart sank, and he thought, Is this kid going to...!

At that moment, Toru returned to Yuhi Kurenai and grabbed her, telling her not to move.

Then he formed hand seals and slapped his palm against the ground.

Earth Style: Multiple Earth Style Wall!

Four earthen walls rose from behind, the left, the right, and above. Along with the wall Toru had first used to shield Kurenai from the Shuriken, they formed a sturdy, impregnable cubic fortress.

Boom! Boom!

Two explosions rang out in the distance, one after the other. Shikaku had just reached the fortress of earthen walls.

Toru sensed Shikaku outside and shouted, "Enemy outside, listen up! The mountains on both sides have collapsed. You're dead!"

Toru's voice sounded especially muffled through the earthen walls. Only then did Shikaku fully understand what he'd been doing.

While fleeing, Toru had secretly retrieved the Explosive Tag traps Shikaku had set throughout the forest. He'd then made fissures in both mountainsides, planted the tags inside, and detonated them all at once, causing both sides of the gorge to collapse.

Shikaku was amazed by Toru's cleverness. He hadn't expected the background information he'd set up to restrict the three of them to become the very thing that had led to his "death in the gorge."

Shikaku raised his hands helplessly. "Ah, I'm dead."

Toru blasted open the earthen wall with Lightning Release. Then, together with Kurenai, he dutifully led the client and Asuma through the woods and across the river, successfully completing the mission.

Shikaku walked over, clapping as he said, "Congratulations on passing this field exercise."

Kurenai jumped up and down with delight, then eagerly high-fived Toru.

Toru smiled back at Kurenai, then looked at Shikaku as if waiting for praise.

Shikaku rolled his eyes and thought, That kid is far too clever for his age. Oh, well. I won't hold it against a child.

Shikaku began, "Although you've all passed the test, I have a different evaluation of each of you."

"Asuma ranks lowest. Your strength is up to par, but you're far too reckless. You paid the price for your impulsiveness, too. I hope you remember this lesson."

Asuma had only just managed to sit up. He was unhappy with the evaluation but had no strength to argue, so he silently clenched his fists.

"Yuhi Kurenai ranks second. Although you didn't get to show off your strength this time, it was because you stayed beside the client and the injured Asuma that the mission didn't fail."

"That shows you can keep your composure and value your teammates. You don't fight with them for credit, which is a very valuable quality on a mission."

Kurenai was naturally happy to be praised. The corners of her mouth lifted despite herself, but she still put on a modest air and said, "I still have a lot to learn."

Nara Shikaku waved a hand and continued, "Last, Uchiha Toru received the highest evaluation in this test."

"Judging by his overall abilities, he's at the level of a Special Jonin, perhaps even a little stronger."

"Most importantly, he has an outstanding mind. He can rescue and look after his teammates in battle, while also devising the best plan possible based on the available conditions and intelligence. Uchiha Toru deserves the lion's share of the credit for this mission's success."