The Strongest of Today vs. the Strongest in History!

The reason Asuma and Nara Zhenyuan joined forces was not because they thought they could not handle Mikami Yu one-on-one.

Rather, they were considering the objective of the exam. Kaimon Hyuga's Byakugan, with its 360-degree field of vision, held greater value for the team. They could not let him waste time on meaningless fights, so the three of them had decided to join forces, eliminate Mikami Yu first, then attack the platform together and secure victory early.

Of course...

Asuma and Nara Zhenyuan also had selfish motives. They wanted to prove that Mikami Yu's first-place ranking had been inflated. He had merely gotten lucky during the previous exam because he had not encountered the two contenders with the strongest and second-strongest historical records.

But now...

What was with that Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu?

Wasn't Mikami Yu only supposed to know the Three Techniques?

"...The intelligence was wrong. Stick to the original plan and take him down quickly! He's already used one C-Rank Ninjutsu, so he shouldn't have much chakra left!"

Nara Zhenyuan spoke at a rapid pace.

Asuma immediately understood and lunged forward once more.

Nara Zhenyuan split his shadow into several strands, spreading them out to force Mikami Yu's movements. Asuma searched for chances to engage Mikami Yu in close combat. The three figures darted back and forth across the dirt slope, exchanging blows as the sounds of fists and kicks colliding rang out from time to time.

Finally...

Mikami Yu was forced into a dead end.

"Got him!"

Asuma's hands flashed through seals. "Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

A scorching fireball shot forward with a roar!

The moment Asuma attacked, Nara Zhenyuan had already shifted his gaze elsewhere, locking onto several positions and stretching his shadow toward them. Once Mikami Yu used the Substitution Technique to evade the Flame Bullet, he planned to restrain him immediately and end the fight.

However...

Mikami Yu did not use the Substitution Technique as Nara Zhenyuan had expected. Instead, he used another Ninjutsu. "Water Style: Water Release: Water Shockwave!"

Whoosh—!

A mass of clear water surged into existence from midair and collided head-on with Asuma's Fire Style. The blazing flames were extinguished, producing vast clouds of steam that spread in every direction and blocked everyone's vision.

White mist filled the air.

Nara Zhenyuan heard footsteps. He hurriedly drew a wooden kunai and stared tensely at the blurry figure in the mist. The instant someone lunged at him, he charged forward and thrust his kunai ahead, stabbing it into the other's chest.

However—

Splash—!

The stabbed "Mikami Yu" dissolved into a phantom and vanished.

"The Clone Technique?!"

Nara Zhenyuan's eyelid twitched.

Just as he turned to search for Mikami Yu's real body, a white figure had already appeared behind him. Before he could turn and strike back, a swift hand chop landed on his neck. Nara gave a muffled groan and collapsed into sleep.

"Phew..."

Mikami Yu let out a long breath.

His chakra really was running low.

A normal Genin, even one born into a Ninja Clan, could generally only cast two or three C-Rank Ninjutsu in succession at this age. That was why Mikami Yu had not used a Water Clone, which consumed ten percent of his chakra at minimum. Instead, he had used the most ordinary E-Rank Phantom Clone and combined it with taijutsu to take that guy down.

After doing all that,

Mikami Yu looked at Asuma, whose form was gradually emerging as the mist dispersed, and took a deep breath. "Come on. We've both used two C-Rank Ninjutsu already. From here on... let's settle this with taijutsu."

"...Fine. Let's go!"

Sarutobi Asuma also drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch. After a brief moment to steady his breathing and focus himself, he charged forward!

A piercing clash rang out.

Even the wooden kunai threw off sparks as they collided!

On the rooftop of the school building.

Namikaze Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost track of how many times they had been surprised.

"...This is truly astonishing."

Namikaze Minato said, "That child named Mikami Yu is only nine this year, right? Yet he has already learned multiple Ninjutsu, the Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu and Wild Water Wave, and can use them proficiently... It isn't strange for Asuma to manage that, but for him to as well..."

"He probably learned them from his father."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and spoke slowly.

The children who entered the Ninja Academy had basically all been screened for two or three generations of family history. Hiruzen Sarutobi had long known that Mikami Yu's father was Mikami Tajima, the man who had voluntarily requested deployment to guard the border two and a half years ago.

The latter was a Fire Style ninja. The Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu was one of the few C-Rank Ninjutsu he had mastered, so teaching it to his son was perfectly reasonable.

As for Wild Water Wave and Water Clone...

Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent Anbu to investigate and confirmed that they had come from Nohara Hiroshi, Nohara Rin's father.

However, Nohara Hiroshi had only provided the scrolls, while Mikami Tajima had only learned the Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu after applying for border duty. He had spent most of the past two years at the border and rarely returned to the village. Therefore, Mikami Yu had most likely taught himself, which made it particularly remarkable.

Moreover...

"Not only is his Ninjutsu impressive, his explosive power in taijutsu is also formidable. He was able to defeat Kaimon Hyuga head-on, and even now, he still has enough stamina to fight Asuma. Even more remarkable is his tactical thinking..."

Namikaze Minato continued his assessment. "The instant he noticed the Shadow Imitation Technique, he used the Substitution Technique. He used Fire Style to counter Wind Style, Water Style to counter Fire Style, then created a foggy environment to eliminate the more immediately threatening Nara Zhenyuan before dealing with Asuma... It was as if he had planned everything in advance."

"Even if..."

Even if Mikami Yu lost to Asuma and was eliminated here, no one else had performed better in this match.

Not to mention that Namikaze Minato believed Mikami Yu had a high chance of defeating Asuma and accomplishing the feat of taking down all three by himself!

For a child from a civilian background, that record was exceptionally dazzling. Even if he lacked the talent to learn the Flying Thunder God, he at least possessed the potential and aptitude to grow into a Jonin.

"It seems that among this year's children, another genius like Kakashi has emerged."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and exhaled thick white smoke. His gaze turned profound. "Born a civilian, yet possessing such cultivation talent, and with such an unusually deep understanding of the Will of Fire... Perhaps this child has the potential to become one of Konoha's pillars."

On the training field.

The battle between Mikami Yu and Asuma continued.

Honestly, Asuma's overall abilities were quite strong. His Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and combat instincts were all among the best for his age. He had nothing particularly outstanding, but he had no weaknesses either—a well-rounded fighter.

Mikami Yu tried to seize the initiative twice, but failed to defeat him and instead wasted some stamina. He no longer rushed to attack, choosing instead to trade moves with Asuma while honing his taijutsu and waiting for an opening.

With both sides nearly exhausted, victory or defeat might be decided by a single move.

Asuma also knew that this was the critical moment. Gritting his teeth, he wanted to defend the dignity of being the Hokage's son.