Graduation Exam Day

At the Leaf Village Ninja Academy training grounds in the early morning, the air still carried the dampness of dew.

Hyuga Xiao stood at the edge of the grounds in his assistant instructor's position, his calm gaze sweeping over the gathered students. His white pupils glimmered faintly in the morning light, and his six-percent-purity Byakugan made the flow of chakra in his field of vision clearly visible.

"Today is the graduation exam," the Chunin examiner beside him said quietly. "Xiao, you'll be responsible for recording the matches of the third group."

"Understood." Xiao gave a slight nod, his voice gentle.

His gaze settled on Kurenai Yuhi amid the crowd.

The eight-year-old girl wore the standard Ninja Academy uniform. Her dark red hair was tied into a ponytail, and obvious nervousness showed on her childish face. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, while her lips were pressed tightly together.

Xiao quietly activated his Byakugan.

Hong's chakra flow was much steadier than it had been three days ago, but the chakra node near her heart was still somewhat sluggish—that was the lingering effect of an old injury. Still, when she formed hand seals, her chakra gathered at least thirty percent faster than before.

"System, confirm the target's status," Xiao silently said in his mind.

[Target: Kurenai Yuhi (8 years old)]

[Current Fate Node: Graduation Exam Genjutsu Failure Incident]

[Intervention Progress: 37%]

[Estimated Interception Success Rate: 68%]

Not enough.

Xiao shifted his gaze toward the other side of the examination grounds.

Several children of the Uchiha Clan were gathered there. Among them, a black-haired boy sneered in Hong's direction. Xiao remembered him—Uchiha Aoki, born into a side branch. His talent was ordinary, but his clan's Kekkei Genkai gave him a natural resistance to genjutsu.

In the original story, Hong had faced Uchiha Aoki during the exam. Her genjutsu had been effortlessly broken by the Sharingan, and he had publicly mocked her: "A war orphan thinks she deserves to use genjutsu?" The incident had become a psychological shadow she could not shake for years.

"The exam begins!" the chief examiner announced.

The students entered the field according to the order of their draws. Taijutsu sparring, shuriken throwing, basic ninjutsu demonstrations... the examinations proceeded in an orderly fashion.

As Xiao recorded the results, he watched Hong's draw from the corner of his eye.

When Hong pulled a numbered tag from the box, Xiao saw her little face turn pale at once.

"Third Group, Seventh Match: Kurenai Yuhi versus Uchiha Aoki!"

As expected.

Hong's fingers trembled slightly around the number tag. She looked toward Uchiha Aoki, and the boy already wore a confident smile.

"Hong." Xiao's voice suddenly sounded beside her.

Hong jumped, turning to see that Xiao had somehow appeared at her side.

"X-Xiao-sensei..."

"Before you go on, I need to inspect your protective gear." Xiao's tone remained calm and natural, as if it were merely routine.

He crouched down and lightly pressed his fingers against Hong's forehead protector and knee pads. The action was completely natural, and none of the nearby examiners or students paid it any attention.

The moment he inspected her knee pad, Xiao swiftly slipped a folded note into its inner lining.

"That's all." Xiao stood, lowering his voice until only the two of them could hear. "Remember, you are Kurenai Yuhi's daughter. Your mother's genjutsu notes, page three, line seven."

Hong froze.

Xiao had already turned and returned to his assistant instructor's position, as though nothing had happened.

Hong quietly slipped her hand into her knee pad and felt the note. Resisting the urge to open it immediately, she took a deep breath and walked toward the center of the examination grounds.

Uchiha Aoki was already waiting there.

"War orphan." Aoki sneered in a voice only they could hear. "I heard genjutsu is all you know. Too bad the Uchiha Clan fears genjutsu least of all."

Hong bit her lip and said nothing.

"The exam begins!"

Aoki instantly leaped back and rapidly formed hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Though it was only the most basic Fire Release technique, an eight-year-old being able to perform it completely was already quite impressive. A blazing fireball rushed toward Hong.

Hong did not take it head-on. She dodged to the side while forming hand seals.

"Genjutsu: Vision of Hell!"

An invisible wave of genjutsu spread outward.

Aoki sneered, and his eyes instantly turned crimson—One-Tomoe Sharingan!

The genjutsu was broken the instant it touched the Sharingan.

"That's it?" Aoki mocked. "I haven't even tried yet."

A few snickers came from the sidelines.

Hong's face flushed bright red, and her fingers turned white from clenching too hard. She instinctively touched her knee pad and remembered Xiao's words.

Her mother's genjutsu notes... page three, line seven...

What had that page said?

Hong suddenly remembered. It was a sentence her mother had marked: "The essence of genjutsu is deception, but the finest deception is making the other person deceive themselves."

What did that mean?

Her gaze fell on Aoki. Xiao-sensei had said he needed to inspect her protective gear... the note!

Taking advantage of the gap while Aoki formed hand seals, Hong quickly pulled out the note and unfolded it.

There was only one line of small writing on it:

"His left shoulder has an old injury. Use genjutsu to create the illusion of crushing weight on his left shoulder."

Hong's heart jolted.

She looked at Aoki—the boy's left shoulder did indeed move half a beat slower than his right when he formed hand seals. Every time he raised his arm, he unconsciously frowned slightly.

It was true.

"Still spacing out?" Aoki had already rushed forward, throwing a punch at Hong's face.

Hong hurriedly leaned backward to avoid it, then formed hand seals once more.

This time, rather than using conventional genjutsu, she condensed her chakra into extremely fine threads and silently wound them around Aoki's left shoulder.

This was an obscure technique recorded in her mother's notes—Localized Genjutsu. It did not require completely controlling the opponent's mind. It only needed to affect local perception.

"Genjutsu: Binding Weight!"

Aoki's left shoulder suddenly sank.

It was not physical weight, but an illusion sent by his nerves—as if a massive boulder weighed down his shoulder. The muscle memory of his old injury was awakened, and real pain intertwined with the pain created by the genjutsu.

"Urgh!" Aoki groaned, and his left arm instantly went limp.

Now!

Hong seized the opening and dashed forward. Her right hand formed into a blade, striking precisely at the acupoint on Aoki's right shoulder.

Gentle Fist Method: Acupoint Strike!

Though it was not a secret technique of the Hyuga Clan, Ninja Academy taught the basic chakra acupoint-striking techniques.

Aoki's right arm went numb, and he lost his balance and fell.

"The winner has been decided!" the examiner promptly declared.

The sidelines fell silent for a moment before scattered applause broke out.

Hong stood where she was, breathing heavily. She had won? She had really won?

Uchiha Aoki climbed to his feet, his face ashen. He glared viciously at Hong, but the sharp pain from his left shoulder left him unable to utter a single mocking word.

"Exam passed." The examiner made a checkmark in his record book. "Kurenai Yuhi, qualified."

When Hong walked off the field, her steps were still unsteady.

She had won. Not only had she won, she had not been mocked.

That note...

Hong instinctively looked toward Xiao.

The white-clothed boy was recording the examination results with his head lowered. His profile was calm and unreadable, as though none of what had just happened had anything to do with him.

But Hong knew otherwise.

After the exam ended, the students gradually dispersed. Hong searched for Xiao amid the crowd, only to see that he had already packed his things and was heading toward the academy gates.

"Xiao-sensei!" Hong jogged after him.

Xiao stopped and turned toward her. "Is something wrong, Hong?"

"Um... thank you." Hong lowered her head, her voice tiny. "About the note..."

"What note?" A trace of perfectly timed confusion appeared on Xiao's face. "Hong, outside tools are not permitted during the exam. If you used one, I'll need to report it."

Hong froze.

"However," Xiao's tone softened, "the Localized Genjutsu you used today was very clever. Your tactical thinking in targeting your opponent's old injury deserves praise."

He paused, then added, "If your mother saw it, she would definitely be proud of you."

Hong's eyes suddenly reddened.

"I... I was actually very scared," she said softly. "Scared I would disgrace my mother's name."

Xiao fell silent for a moment.

"Hong," he said, "remember this: if war orphans want to survive in this village, if they want to live well, they must be smarter and more ruthless than everyone else."

His voice was very soft, yet it struck Hong's heart like a hammer.

"You did very well today. But not well enough." Before Xiao turned to leave, he left her with one final sentence. "If you want to become stronger, Third Training Ground, five tomorrow morning."

Hong watched his back disappear around the street corner and clenched her fists.

She did not know why this assistant instructor from the Hyuga Clan had helped her, but she knew this—over the past eight years, this was the first time she had felt that someone was truly looking at her, rather than looking through her at the dead "hero's daughter."

As Xiao walked back toward the Hyuga Clan Grounds, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Successfully intervened in Kurenai Yuhi's Fate Node: Graduation Exam Genjutsu Failure Incident]

[Interception Progress: 100%]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Destiny Points obtained: 300]

[Special reward obtained: Genjutsu Resistance +15%]

[Kurenai Yuhi's Favorability increased to: Trust (Beginner)]

[Warning: Leaf Village higher-ups' attention toward host +5%]

Xiao's steps did not pause in the slightest.

Genjutsu resistance was a good reward. As for the increase in the higher-ups' attention... he had expected it the moment he chose to approach Hong.

War orphans, especially those whose parents had once been Elite Ninja, were always subjects of close observation and cultivation by the Leaf Village's higher-ups. His involvement in Hong's growth would inevitably draw certain people's attention.

But that was fine.

A faint curve touched Xiao's lips.

That was precisely the effect he wanted.

The removal progress of the Caged Bird Seal was only 0.1%. To completely free himself from the Curse Mark, he needed more bargaining chips, more "value." Someone who could influence a future Elite Ninja and enter the higher-ups' field of vision was clearly more valuable than an ordinary Branch House ninja.

When Xiao returned to the Hyuga Clan Grounds, he encountered Tokuma Hyuga at the entrance.

"Xiao." Tokuma stopped him, his expression complicated. "Word came from the Main House. They want you to visit the Elder Council tomorrow."

"The reason?"

"They didn't say." Tokuma lowered his voice. "But I heard it has something to do with your conduct at the Ninja Academy. Someone saw you instructing that Kurenai Yuhi..."

Xiao nodded. "Understood."

Tokuma hesitated, then finally sighed. "Xiao, I know you want to climb higher. But there are some lines you cannot cross."

"Senior Tokuma," Xiao said calmly, looking at him, "where do you think the line between the Branch House and the Main House should be?"

Tokuma opened his mouth but could not say anything.

Xiao smiled and turned to enter the clan grounds.

Moonlight fell upon the forehead protector on his brow, and the Caged Bird Seal beneath it faintly burned.

A line?

Sooner or later, he would tear apart that line along with the entire rotten cage.

And Hong was only the first step.

Five tomorrow morning, Third Training Ground.

He would give that girl what she truly wanted—power. In return, Hong would become the first chess piece he placed in the Leaf Village.

Very fair.

Xiao pushed open the door to his room, sat down in the darkness, and began refining chakra.

The ability to see through things granted by six-percent Byakugan purity allowed him to more clearly "see" the chakra flowing within his body. Those tiny chakra pathways, those nodes sealed by the Caged Bird Seal...

One day.

He would use these eyes to see through every truth in this world.

Then he would seize fate in his own hands.