Was that really all there was to it?
Yechen felt something was off. This would inevitably weed out some of the weaker students, which went against the higher-ups' intentions.
In peacetime, they might really be sent back to the academy to repeat a year, but that seemed unlikely now!
Or would those who failed still have to face the war, only without a teacher to guide them at this stage? In other words, they would lose out on that benefit.
What a cunning scheme!
Imagine how those eliminated students would react if they heard they had another chance to become ninja. They would be so excited and grateful that they would do anything they were told. Their fate would be even worse than cannon fodder's.
Yechen dared not gamble. He needed time to grow.
Ding! A new mission has been generated: pass the team assignment assessment and officially become a member of Team 7. Reward: one graduation gift pack.
A mission!
Yechen was delighted. He had waited so long, and good news had finally arrived at the last moment. He would have to give this assessment everything he had!
"Take your time discussing it."
The moment Nakagawa Ichirō finished speaking, he vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already a hundred meters away, standing calmly with his eyes half closed as though he were asleep.
"Let's go!"
Before they could even discuss tactics, Ito Miyuki charged forward, with Abe Rō close behind. Left with no choice, Yechen followed, but instead of attacking rashly, he watched Nakagawa Ichirō's movements.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Ito Miyuki and Abe Rō attacked first, sending several shuriken flying from different angles.
Some cut off Nakagawa Ichirō's escape routes, while only three flew straight toward his eyes, throat, and heart.
Those two were ruthless. They had no intention of holding back.
That suited Yechen just fine. He could watch Nakagawa Ichirō's movements, find an opening, and launch his own attack.
An ordinary genin might have been thrown into a panic by such a vicious attack, but Nakagawa was different. He casually drew a kunai and flicked it a few times.
Clang, clang, clang!
Every incoming shuriken was knocked away.
That gave Yechen an opening. With a burst of speed, he reached Nakagawa Ichirō's back and hurled a kunai without hesitation.
Sensing the cold gleam of a blade behind him, Nakagawa Ichirō's lips curved slightly. He shifted his left foot, twisted his body, and dodged the kunai outright.
Yechen's eyes narrowed. He had dodged even that. With no time to think, Yechen formed hand seals with his right hand as he charged forward, launching a flying kick straight at the right side of Nakagawa Ichirō's head.
Nakagawa Ichirō was an experienced fighter. Landing such a simple kick on him was no easy feat. He leaned back slightly and avoided the side kick.
At the same time, he extended his right hand and reversed his kunai, intending to seize the opening and eliminate Yechen with a single strike.
Just as he was about to hit Yechen, he sensed something wrong. A puff of smoke rose behind him, and another Yechen suddenly appeared.
This kid...
The Yechen he struck turned into a wooden log and fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Yechen behind him had already reached for the scroll.
Just as Yechen was about to succeed, Nakagawa tossed the scroll into the air and caught it with his other hand. At the same time, he raised his foot and kicked at Yechen.
Not good!
Yechen hurriedly raised both arms to block the kick.
Thud!
A dull impact rang out, and Yechen was sent flying like a cannonball. His arms went numb in midair, but fortunately, he reacted in time, twisting his body and landing on his feet. He slid several meters before regaining his balance.
"Yechen!"
Ito Miyuki and Abe Rō ran over, drew their kunai, and stood protectively in front of him.
Nakagawa Ichirō also glanced at Yechen, a little surprised. The Substitution Technique Yechen had just used had actually fooled him, prompting that kick afterward.
The force of that kick had already exceeded the genin level. An ordinary genin probably would not have been able to get back up, yet this kid was fine. His physique likely surpassed that of most genin.
Naturally, he had read Yechen's file. He had assumed the boy was a bottom-ranked student with little combat ability, merely riding on the Uchiha Clan's name. This was quite a surprise.
"Yechen, are you all right?" Ito Miyuki asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Yechen shook his head.
A short distance away, Nakagawa Ichirō put away his kunai and resumed his languid stance, looking over at them with a smile.
"Yechen, you're pretty good, but you won't be able to steal the scroll on your own."
With that, he half closed his eyes again, paying the three of them no mind.
"Let's go."
Yechen pulled the other two away. A few leaps took them into the distant woods, where they stood on a tree branch and watched Nakagawa Ichirō remain motionless in the clearing.
"Yechen, what do we do? Teacher Nakagawa is too strong."
By now, Ito Miyuki had run out of ideas. She had wanted to be the leader of their trio, but after seeing Yechen's strength, she knew he was stronger than she was.
Besides, snatching the scroll from Nakagawa Ichirō would be no easy task. Fighting was her forte, but strategy was not.
With that in mind, Yechen stopped holding back and looked at the other two.
"Since this is an assessment, our lives won't be in danger. From here on, we need to give it everything we've got. Tell me about your abilities and the ninjutsu you know."
"I'll go first..." Abe Rō spoke up before the others.
"I know Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall and Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. Just those two."
"I know Fire Release: Great Fireball and Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique."
Hearing their answers, Yechen was inwardly surprised. Children with parents really did have it good. They did not have to worry about learning ninjutsu.
Among civilian ninja, probably very few even mastered a single ninjutsu. That was the difference in their starting points.
"All right, let's work out a battle plan first."