Elite Genin

Ding ding ding...

At Training Ground Forty-Four, the alarm rang, signaling the end of the Survival Trial.

Masayo was tied to a wooden post. To keep him from forming hand seals and using Wind Attribute chakra, Kakashi had made sure even his fingers were bound.

Masayo puffed out his cheeks and glared at Kakashi in displeasure. He could still trade a few moves with Kakashi when the Sharingan was not activated, but now...

"Heh..."

That look of utter mockery and disdain made Kakashi lazily scratch his head.

"Don't be so angry. Of all the graduates I've met, you're the first one who made me activate my Sharingan."

Under Masayo's intensely resistant and struggling gaze, Kakashi kept rubbing his head, turning his messy black hair into a bird's nest.

"Ah! Don't touch my head, Kakashi-sensei!"

Masayo pouted unhappily. Inoue Mura and Matsumoto Kei sat dejectedly on the grass, though unlike him, they were not tied up.

"Kakashi-sensei, was that the Shadow Clone Jutsu? It looks so useful. Teach me!"

Masayo naturally knew this cheating technique for training. The Shadow Clone Jutsu was not the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique that Naruto Uzumaki would later have classified as a forbidden technique. Ordinary Shadow Clone Jutsu was generally used for intelligence work; once a shadow clone was dispelled, its memories, fatigue, energy, and so on would return to the original body.

"Sure, I can teach you. But wait until you truly become a Genin."

After letting Masayo go, Kakashi turned to Inoue Mura and Matsumoto Kei.

"Masayo, while you have the strength a ninja needs, your awareness of teamwork is far too poor. Still, after gathering intelligence, you understood the true purpose of the test. Whether it was real or fake, you knew how to make up for it. But you, Inoue Mura, have always been too self-centered. There has only ever been yourself in your heart. Even if you were given another chance, I'm afraid you would still act the same way."

Kakashi lightly pressed a hand to his forehead. Masayo had passed; even ordinary Chunin might not necessarily be his match. But Inoue Mura and Matsumoto Kei had completely failed. That was what gave him such a headache. What should he do?

"For this Survival Trial, you two have failed!"

After thinking for a long time, Kakashi finally announced the final result of the Survival Trial.

"So... so that's how it is?"

Matsumoto Kei nodded in disappointment. The genjutsu Kakashi had cast on her and Inoue Mura had shown them the most terrifying scenes in their hearts.

Terrifying!

That was what Matsumoto Kei and Inoue Mura thought. Upon hearing Kakashi's verdict, they could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. They would never have to see something so terrifying again.

"Sigh..."

Masayo tilted his head, looking utterly bewildered. It was not until Matsumoto Kei and Inoue Mura said goodbye and left that he came back to his senses. He mechanically turned to look at Kakashi.

"Then, Kakashi-sensei, does that mean I passed?"

Kakashi pulled the novel Icha Icha Paradise from his ninja tool pouch and untied Masayo's ropes as he explained, "Actually, I had planned to test all of you further. But after those two were hit by my Hell Viewing Technique, they developed a fear of being ninja. Their mental fortitude was too poor, so I eliminated them directly."

Genjutsu—the Hell Viewing Technique was a genjutsu that allowed its victims to see scenes that stirred up the fear in their hearts. Speaking of such things, one had to mention an energy: chakra.

Chakra was the energy created by combining the spiritual energy controlled by the human body with physical energy. Ninja extracted chakra from their bodies, then used techniques through hand seals. Thus, chakra did not exist out of thin air; it had to be extracted. Physical energy was a ninja's stamina.

Any step that was not mastered precisely resulted in waste. This required skill, and forming hand seals also required skill. More importantly, when both stamina and chakra reached zero, a ninja would die. So ninjutsu could not be used carelessly.

That was why Masayo had devoted most of his foundation-building to honing his physical stamina, though he was nowhere near as extreme as Might Guy or Rock Lee.

His Wind Attribute chakra nature transformation, combined with the Clone Technique from the Three Basic Techniques, had formed the Wind Clone. Wind Body Flicker, meanwhile, combined the original Body Flicker Technique with Wind Attribute chakra nature transformation.

That was also why Kakashi had not eliminated Masayo along with the others. Masayo's strength had already met the requirements, and he had deliberately investigated Kakashi while gathering intelligence. It was the first time Kakashi had encountered a graduate who knew to gather intelligence.

More importantly, once Masayo understood the intent of the test, he knew what to do. In every respect, he fully met the requirements.

"That's how it is. Besides, you're the first person to successfully graduate under me. It would be a shame to eliminate you like this. Come with me to the Hokage Building. I'll explain your situation to the Third Hokage."

Kakashi took Masayo away from Training Ground Forty-Four and arrived before the Hokage Building.

Masayo remained below the Hokage Building, gazing at the four carved heads on Hokage Rock, from the First Hokage to the Fourth Hokage.

More than ten years ago, the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, who should have already retired, returned to serve as Hokage once more, shouldering the burden of Konohagakure after the turmoil caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Now that I've graduated, how will I be assigned? What's with me being alone? Kakashi isn't going to put me in some other ninja team, is he?"

Masayo thought maliciously. Would they send him somewhere like the Anbu? He had heard that the work there was strict, and they operated in darkness. But whether he did things the proper way or the opposite way, he had always liked being surrounded by light. Darkness did not suit him very well.

"Right, right. When I get the chance, I should try looking for the Akimichi Clan. That Partial Multi-Size Technique is pretty useful. Hehe... Wait, I don't need to find them. I can use that ninjutsu already!"

Inside the Hokage's Office, Kakashi reported the entire situation to the Third Hokage and explained the reasons.

The Third Hokage lightly adjusted the Hokage hat on his head. Its white body was edged in red patterns. His appearance was ancient and aged, but his eyes remained bright and sharp as he considered what Kakashi had said about Masayo.

"Chunin need more than strength. They also need experience, the corresponding knowledge, and leadership. Without passing the proper assessment, one cannot become a Chunin. Besides, none of the current ninja squads have openings."

The Third Hokage thought of a solution for Masayo being alone.

"Kakashi, let Masayo follow you under the title of Elite Genin!"

An Elite Genin was still a Genin, merely one who could carry out missions independently without being restricted to the usual squad-based format.

When Masayo learned that he was an Elite Genin, he was completely dumbfounded. When Kakashi told him, it took him a long while to come back to his senses. But after thinking carefully, it seemed that many Genin in Konoha could carry out missions on their own.

Thus, after Kakashi's explanation, Masayo understood what an Elite Genin was: a rookie whose abilities stood out too much to form a squad with others. In other words, he was still a Genin.