Chakra Control Assessment

The second stage of testing was the one most likely to force out everyone's true abilities.

Chakra control.

The content seemed ordinary enough: first, sticking a leaf to the palm; then, coating a wooden sword; and finally, the most basic tree-climbing exercise. But in practice, the three parts were linked together. Any instability at any point would be exposed in the next.

Iruka stood at the edge of the training ground, his gaze stricter than usual. "This isn't about who has more chakra. It's about who can use it better. Brute force isn't control, and imbalance certainly isn't talent."

When he said that, quite a few students in the class instinctively glanced at Ling.

Clearly, even now, some people equated "his chakra is unusual" with "his control must be unstable."

Ling paid them no mind.

Once the first part began, the students stepped forward one after another.

Many ran into trouble with the basic leaf-to-palm exercise. Either the leaf fell off as soon as it touched their hand, or their chakra fluctuated too much, making the edges of the leaf tremble and curl upward. Ino performed well, while Hinata continued to display her usual meticulousness. She was not particularly dazzling, but she was exceptionally steady.

When it was Sasuke's turn, the area around the field immediately grew much quieter.

The instant chakra flowed from his palm, the leaf adhered almost soundlessly, as steady as if it had been welded to his skin. Then came the wooden sword coating, followed by tree climbing. Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next, as though he did not need to think at all.

"Excellent." Iruka rarely offered such a clear evaluation.

Kiba clicked his tongue from the side. "That guy's showing off again."

When it was Ling's turn, he stood before the tree and took a deep breath.

For others, control meant restraint.

For him, control often meant holding himself back from pressing down even harder.

Chakra slowly flowed from his palm. The instant the leaf adhered, a faint internal collapse naturally formed within it. Ling's expression did not change. Using the Divine Pattern Eye, he caught that minute shift and adjusted it accordingly.

The leaf stabilized.

Not only did it stabilize, it adhered more firmly and felt heavier than usual.

Several teachers at the edge of the field narrowed their eyes slightly.

"Next."

Wooden sword coating.

Ling gripped the wooden sword in his right hand, chakra flowing through his palm and knuckles into the blade. He had practiced this exercise more than once before. Now that he was doing it again, his movements were even cleaner than usual. There was no exaggerated glow on the wooden sword's surface, only an extremely thin yet even layer of blue fluid, as though all the power had been locked inside.

The most crucial part was the final tree-climbing exercise.

This was considered difficult for new Ninja Academy students. Many children could only remain stuck to the trunk for a few breaths, and taking even a few steps upward was not easy.

The instant Ling raised his foot onto the trunk, he could almost hear many people unconsciously holding their breath.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

He was not moving quickly, but he was so steady that there was barely the slightest sway. When he reached the fifth step, the chakra beneath his feet suddenly collapsed inward, and the bark let out a faint cracking sound. But just as everyone thought he was about to lose his balance, he slightly turned his foot and forcibly dispersed the excess pressure.

Sixth step.

Seventh step.

Ling did not stop until he reached the designated highest point. Then he turned and landed smoothly on the ground.

The entire process had been so clean that it was almost restrained.

For a moment, there was no sound on the training field.

Because this was completely different from the "dangerous talent" many had imagined.

It was not that he could not control it.

On the contrary, his control was even finer than that of most people his age.

Iruka looked at the record board for a long while before speaking. "Uchiha Ling, excellent."

Those two words alone were enough to make many people's expressions turn complicated.

Kiba scratched his head and muttered, "How is this guy good at everything...?"

But Ino smiled, as though she had expected this result all along.

Sasuke stood not far away, his expression as calm as ever, but the fingers gripping his wooden sword tightened slightly.

Of course, he could tell that Ling had not simply completed the exercise. In that moment on the tree, he had forcibly suppressed a potential loss of balance.

That meant his opponent was still improving.

The afternoon wind swept across the field, stirring up a thin layer of dust.

Ling returned to the line. There was no change in his outward expression, but he knew better than anyone that the true value of this control assessment was not the score.

It was that it proved one thing to everyone.

His abnormality was not a flaw.

It was a gift that was being polished, bit by bit, into an advantage.

After school, Hinata softly called out to him at the corner of the hallway. "You were... amazing just now."

There was undisguised sincerity in her eyes when she said it, as though she was genuinely happy for him.

Ling looked at her and gave a faint nod. "You were very steady too."

Hinata visibly froze, as though she had not expected to be praised as well. Then her cheeks gradually reddened, and even her eyes brightened.

Not far away, Ino watched the scene and lightly narrowed her eyes.

She suddenly realized that she had begun paying more and more attention to many details related to Ling lately.

This concern seemed to contain something more than simply finding him interesting.