Evaluation

Nara Shikaku noticed the change in Toru's eyes and thought to himself, There is something strange about this kid's eyes. Does the Uchiha clan possess another type of eye besides the Sharingan?

Shikaku was a clever man, and he recalled that when Toru broke through his Shadow Possession Jutsu earlier, Toru's eyes had been glowing then as well.

However, Toru's eyes did not usually shine with such intensity, and this subtle difference was keenly captured by Shikaku.

Still, Shikaku understood that everyone had their own little secrets, so he did not intend to probe further.

There were many shadows beneath the trees, which counted as Shikaku's home turf, and his Shadow Sewing Jutsu extended continuously along these shadows.

The shadows were incredibly fast, launching a relentless offensive against Toru, who had no choice but to dodge frantically, leaping and bounding through the woods.

"You might not know this, but our Nara clan has raised deer for generations."

"Deer are just as agile as you are. We invented the original Shadow Possession Jutsu to capture them for their antlers without harming them."

"In a forest filled with shadows, this technique of mine can pin down an entire herd at once, leaving them ready for the harvest."

"In my eyes, you are just one of those deer. Give up the struggle."

Shikaku attempted to shake Toru's resolve with words, yet Toru remained completely unmoved, instead chatting away about the topic of deer hunting with great interest.

"If there's no blood in a hunt, where is the fun in that?"

"If it were me, I'd just use Fire Release to roast the whole herd. Not only would I get the antlers, but I'd have a barbecue to eat as well."

Toru voiced his opinion while continuing to flee.

Shikaku curled his lip and said, "You brat, deer are friends of the Nara clan. How could you treat them so cruelly?"

"Besides, deerskin is a precious resource. Burning it like that is a total waste."

It was a rare sight indeed—two people discussing the proper treatment of deer in the middle of a battle.

Although they were trading barbs, both held surprisingly high opinions of the other in their hearts.

Toru believed that the man before him was not only stronger than himself but also possessed insights into combat methods and ninjutsu that he could learn from.

Shikaku, meanwhile, thought that the youth darting through the woods was the very template of a genius ninja.

With excellent shuriken skills, Fire Release, and taijutsu, he was a perfect Uchiha ninja. Coupled with a wit and sharpness far beyond the norm, Toru possessed strength well above that of a Chunin.

In Shikaku's view, even if Toru lacked a bit of seasoning compared to a Jonin, his strength already surpassed the vast majority of Chunin in the village.

If one were to assign a rank to his strength, the most appropriate title would be Special Jonin.

Special Jonin was a rank between Chunin and Jonin.

It was generally awarded to those whose strength exceeded that of a Chunin or who possessed special talents, even if their comprehensive strength did not reach that of a Jonin.

Toru fit this criteria perfectly.

This led Shikaku to sigh, He is only nine years old. This talent is truly humbling. If he sharpens himself for a few more years, he will likely have the strength of a Jonin.

It is a pity... that he is an Uchiha...

Shikaku's thoughts wandered, and he actually became distracted during the fight.

Toru noticed that the speed of the shadows controlled by Shikaku had slowed down. Although he felt puzzled, he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Toru continued to flee around the forest, the blue light in his eyes flickering constantly as if searching for something in the woods.

By the time Shikaku regained his focus, Toru had already reached the edge of the forest, and Shikaku instinctively gave chase.

Toru arrived at the forest's edge, quickly formed hand seals, and slammed his hands onto the ground.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Divide!

When Shikaku arrived at the scene, he saw a massive, deep fissure cut diagonally across the open ground outside the forest.

Shikaku's intuition told him this was definitely not done at random, and he felt a trace of unease.

However, Toru had already run off in another direction, and Shikaku had no time to think; he could only give chase.

He sighed inwardly, What is this kid doing? And why has his speed suddenly become even faster?

In reality, to avoid being caught by Shikaku, Toru had utilized his Cursed Energy. The combination of Cursed Energy and chakra allowed Toru's speed to briefly surpass even Shikaku, a Jonin.

It made Shikaku doubt his own life for a moment, feeling that he must have lacked exercise lately if he couldn't catch up to a newly graduated youth.

Soon, Toru reached the other side of the forest and performed the same maneuver.

By now, Shikaku had his own suspicions and felt a deep sense of foreboding, thinking, This kid, don't tell me he is going to...!

At this moment, Toru returned to Yuhi Kurenai's side and grabbed her, telling her not to move.

He then formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.

Earth Style: Multiple Earth Style Wall!

Four earthen walls rose from the back, left, right, and above, and when combined with the original Earth Style Wall used earlier to block the shuriken for Kurenai, a total of five thick walls formed an unbreakable cubic fortress.

Boom! Boom!

Two explosions rang out in the distance. At this moment, Shikaku had just arrived in front of the fortress.

Toru sensed Shikaku outside and shouted, "Listen up, enemy outside! The mountains on both sides have collapsed, and you are now dead!"

Toru's voice sounded muffled through the earthen walls, and only then did Shikaku fully understand Toru's earlier actions.

It turned out that while fleeing, Toru had taken the opportunity to recover the Explosive Tag traps Shikaku had laid throughout the forest, embedded them into the fissures he created on both sides of the mountain, and detonated them simultaneously to cause a collapse.

Shikaku was stunned by Toru's wit; he never expected that the background intel he had set up to restrict the trio would become the culprit that led to his own "demise in the canyon."

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

Toru then used Lightning Release to blast open the earthen wall, and together with Kurenai, they dutifully escorted the client and Asuma across the forest and the river, successfully completing the mission.

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

Kurenai cheered with joy and high-fived Toru.

Toru responded to Kurenai with a smile while looking at Shikaku, as if waiting for his praise.

Shikaku rolled his eyes, thinking, This kid is quite the precocious one. Oh well, no point in arguing with a child.

Shikaku spoke up, "Although you all passed the assessment, your evaluations differ in my heart."

"The lowest evaluation goes to Asuma. Your strength is sufficient, but you are too reckless. You paid the price for your impulsiveness, and I hope you remember this lesson."

Asuma had just managed to sit up; hearing this, he felt unwilling to accept it but had no room to argue, so he could only clench his fists in silence.

"In second place is Yuhi Kurenai. Although you didn't display much of your own strength this time, it was precisely because you stayed by the side of the client and the injured Asuma that the mission didn't fail."

"This shows that you can keep your cool and value your teammates, rather than competing for credit. These are very valuable qualities during a mission."

Kurenai was naturally happy to be praised, the corners of her mouth lifting involuntarily, but she still feigned modesty, saying, "I still need to keep learning."

Nara Shikaku waved his hand and continued, "Finally, Uchiha Toru. Your evaluation in this assessment is the highest."

"Your comprehensive strength is at the level of a Special Jonin, perhaps even slightly higher."

"Most importantly, you possess an excellent mind. You were able to rescue and look after your companions during the battle, while simultaneously formulating the best combat plan based on available conditions and information. The success of this mission is largely due to Uchiha Toru's contribution."