The Chunin Exams Draw to a Close

"Big Sister Kurenai, you're so strong."

"Hehe, you weren't bad either."

The two girls praised each other, both quite satisfied with the result.

A draw meant that neither of them could advance, but at least it proved that they were both formidable.

Kurenai went up to the second floor and stood with her hands behind her back, looking at Toru as though waiting for something.

Toru had been discussing something with Kakashi. Seeing Kurenai like this, he walked over and gave her a hug.

"You did well."

That left Kurenai embarrassed. She had only been hoping for praise from Toru, yet he had given her a hug outright.

Rin felt deeply envious as she watched Kurenai and Toru, then turned to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi instantly felt a chill down his spine. After hesitating for a while, he finally stammered out some praise. "You fought pretty well."

At that moment, Obito shoved Kakashi aside and rushed in front of Rin, asking with concern, "Rin, you're hurt. Are you okay?"

Rin snapped out of her delight at receiving Kakashi's praise. She looked at the wound on her leg, then smiled at Obito. "Obito, did you forget that I'm a medical ninja?"

Obito scratched his head foolishly. "I was just worried about you."

Rin smiled gently and healed her injury herself.

Elsewhere, after Toru and Kurenai finished their hug, he exchanged a look with Asuma beside them.

The two tacitly headed down together.

"Your father is watching you from up there. Are you nervous?" Toru asked.

"What does it have to do with me if he's up there? He never cared about me when I was growing up anyway," Asuma replied.

"I think he does care. He's been watching you the whole time," Toru said truthfully.

Asuma instinctively looked toward the Hokage on the second floor, and their gazes met.

Asuma immediately looked away. "No matter what, I'll give it everything I have. Whether he watches me or not won't change that."

Toru nodded.

The two came before Shikaku.

After studying them deeply for a moment, Shikaku announced, "Begin."

Asuma pulled out Flying Swallow and fitted them over his hands, taking up a boxer's stance as he bounced lightly in place.

Then he moved with a boxer's footwork, planted his feet against the ground, and charged swiftly at Toru.

Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist!

His powerful punch came wrapped in a fierce gale.

Toru did not want to reveal his Limitless Technique in front of everyone, so he retreated.

Asuma pressed his advantage, his movements and fists kicking up clouds of dust from the ground.

But his fists had limited reach, so Asuma took things a step further.

Chakra Blade: True One-Character!

Asuma infused Flying Swallow with Wind Release Chakra, forming two blue Chakra blades sharp enough to cut through iron like mud.

On the second floor, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze remained fixed on Asuma.

"Has this child's mastery of Wind Release reached this level already?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have rarely paid attention to Asuma's growth.

Toru, however, knew that Asuma's Wind Release abilities went far beyond this.

Faced with the successive slashes of the Chakra blades, Toru remained on the defensive, constantly evading.

Suddenly, Toru chose to widen the distance, moving directly out of Asuma's melee range.

Yet Asuma threw the Flying Swallow in his hands straight at Toru.

Wind Release: Verdant Gale!

Toru rapidly formed hand seals and instantly cast Earth Style Wall.

The Earth Style Wall was successfully formed, but it failed to block the attack.

The two Flying Swallow blades flew out wrapped in sharp Chakra, crossing as they instantly cut an X-shaped opening through the Earth Style Wall.

The Flying Swallow then curved back into Asuma's hands, and he immediately threw two punches, shattering the Earth Style Wall completely.

This fierce fighting style suited Asuma's straightforward nature perfectly.

But just as Asuma broke through the Earth Style Wall's defense, Toru had completed the hand seals for his next jutsu.

Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!

Asuma had already witnessed this technique's power. On top of that, Fire Release countered Wind Release, so he did not dare take it head-on and immediately dodged to the side.

Boom!

The blazing flame dragon struck the ground beside Asuma, erupting in a shocking explosion.

Even the wide stretch of stone-brick flooring nearby was easily blown apart. Asuma, who was right beside it, naturally did not fare well and was sent flying at once.

Asuma rolled across the ground several times, even flinging the Flying Swallow from his hands.

Shikaku was about to step forward and announce the end of the match.

Yet Asuma shakily forced himself back to his feet.

"Sensei... it's not over yet..."

Asuma's legs were barely obeying him and trembled constantly, but his eyes remained exceptionally resolute.

He began forming hand seals, then forcefully exhaled in Toru's direction.

In an instant, he spewed a sky full of scorching ash that blanketed a vast area ahead.

Boom!

The ash ignited and produced a violent explosion, no weaker than the Great Dragon Flame Jutsu from before.

Asuma was already utterly exhausted and had thought this final move might achieve something.

But when the explosion cleared, Toru was completely unscathed.

No one knew what method Toru had used to escape the massive explosion caused by the ash.

In truth, Toru had been forced to use the defense of his Limitless Technique.

At last, Toru formed hand seals and cast Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, ending the battle.

Asuma was blown away and crashed heavily onto the ground, losing his ability to fight.

Toru had not held back in the slightest. Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought he bore some deep grudge against Asuma, but in reality, Toru knew that Asuma would never surrender otherwise.

The medical team carried Asuma away on a stretcher. Toru walked over and said, "I believe everyone has seen your strength now."

"Compared to you, what does my strength even amount to?" Asuma said.

"Enough. Stop following me. Don't you still have another match? Go."

With that, Asuma closed his eyes.

Toru returned to the examination grounds.

Kakashi leaped down from the second floor.

Now, the Chunin Exams had entered their final stage.

As expected, the contest for champion and runner-up came down to Toru and Kakashi.

These two geniuses, who had ranked first and second in Konoha ever since their days at the Ninja Academy, were about to clash once more today.

On the second floor, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not seem particularly worried about his own son. He merely instructed an Anbu beside him to check on the medical team, then continued watching the final match of the Chunin Exams.

"Minato, who do you favor?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

Namikaze Minato answered honestly, "Although Kakashi is my student, I don't think he can defeat Toru."

"I see," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a hint of regret.

After all, although Toru and Kakashi were both geniuses, their backgrounds were different.

Kakashi was Minato's disciple, Minato was Jiraiya's disciple, and Jiraiya was Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple.

On top of that, Kakashi's father was the renowned White Fang of Konoha. Kakashi's roots in Konoha were impeccable.

Toru, on the other hand, came from the Uchiha clan. His father had once nearly been labeled a rogue ninja for attempting to leave the village.

Though Toru's relationship with Nara Shikaku and Yuhi Shinku allowed Sarutobi Hiruzen to place ample trust in him, that was all.

Barring any surprises, the future position of Hokage had nothing to do with Toru. It would be handed to Kakashi instead.

Although the Will of Fire promoted by Konoha made many hot-blooded youths believe they might one day become Hokage,

the truth was that most people had been destined from the beginning to never attain that position.

The position of Hokage had always been passed down through a single lineage.

From the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, it had passed from elder brother to younger brother. From the Second to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, it had passed from a deceased master to his disciple.

The next Hokage could be one of the Legendary Sannin, who were the Third's disciples; Namikaze Minato, who was his disciple's disciple; Hatake Kakashi, who was his disciple's disciple's disciple; or even one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's two sons.

But it could never be passed outside that line.

And the Uchiha clan was even more impossible.

Toru had understood that from his very first day of class, when he learned from a textbook that Uchiha Madara, who had founded Konoha with the First Hokage, had defected.

Because the seed of Konoha's upper ranks' distrust toward the Uchiha had already been planted.