Was This Seriously the Level of a Damn Genin?

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

As the flames shot toward him at high speed, Yang Cheng swiftly formed hand seals.

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

Yang Cheng had three chakra natures: fire, water, and wind. In the past, even C-rank ninjutsu had been a struggle for him.

But after sharing the other Yang Chengs' power, not only had his physical abilities improved considerably, his chakra reserves had also increased significantly.

The curtain of water blocked the dragon-shaped flames Anko breathed out.

Watching the battle from a safe distance, Ai Ling Ben and Wu Luochuan were completely dumbstruck by the ninjutsu clash before them.

As a Special Jōnin of Konoha, Anko naturally possessed this level of strength. That didn't surprise them.

But what the hell was going on with Yang Cheng? Was this seriously the strength of a damn Genin who had just graduated?

As his classmates, they naturally knew Yang Cheng.

Although Yang Cheng had always ranked near the top of their class in practical combat, they had never imagined he could be this strong.

They were all civilian-born ninja, so why was this guy so ridiculously powerful?

What? Was it because Yang Cheng had been adopted by the Yamanaka Clan?

No, no, no. It wasn't as though they didn't know Ino Yamanaka. She was an actual member of the Yamanaka Clan's main line.

And Miss Ino's strength... well, no comment.

Besides, despite being adopted by the Yamanaka Clan, Yang Cheng hadn't learned their secret techniques. The abilities he was displaying now were clearly different from the techniques the Yamanaka Clan specialized in.

So, after briefly taking stock of the situation, Yang Cheng's two newly assigned teammates reached a conclusion.

Yang Cheng was some beast raised on who knew what kind of feed... no, wait, he was what people called a Konoha prodigy.

In truth, it was simply a time of peace. Growing up in such comfortable surroundings had left the new generation of ninja far weaker than their predecessors.

Although the strength Yang Cheng had displayed was already comparable to a Chunin's, it wasn't enough to make him a prodigy, much less anything astonishing.

There was no need to even mention Kakashi, who had graduated at five, become a Chunin at six, and reached Jonin at twelve.

Even Mitaraishi Anko, standing right in front of Yang Cheng and the others, had become a Chunin at twelve.

After all, if her aptitude had been too ordinary, that snake lady, who always placed talent above everything, wouldn't have taken Anko as a student.

"Let's stop here. I, Mitaraishi Anko, always keep my word. All three of you pass.

"From today onward, Team 6 is officially formed, and I, Mitaraishi Anko, will be your Jonin instructor.

"Kid, you didn't get a chance to introduce yourself earlier, did you? Go ahead now."

After Yang Cheng successfully blocked her Fire Release Ninjutsu, Anko surprised him by announcing the end of the assessment instead of continuing.

In fact, Anko did want to continue, because Yang Cheng had caught her interest.

But she also understood that, after taking the fight that far, if she got any more serious, even she wouldn't be able to control her strength well enough to guarantee Yang Cheng's safety.

She didn't know about his genjutsu, but the ninjutsu and taijutsu Yang Cheng had just displayed were clearly beyond what a Genin should possess.

His taijutsu in particular was probably on par with that of an elite Chunin.

Other people couldn't find a student this talented even if they tried. Sending him back to the Ninja Academy to repeat his studies would be utterly unreasonable.

As for the other two students, although there was an enormous gap between them and Yang Cheng, wasn't that how ordinary Genin were? With a little instruction, they should eventually be able to hold their own.

"My name is Nanju Yang Cheng. My parents died when I was young, so I'm an orphan.

"I'm fairly good at taijutsu, and I know a little ninjutsu too. I like all kinds of interesting, novel things, and there are hardly any people or things I dislike.

"As for my dream... I want to be the future Hokage's man!"

Anko was rather surprised by Yang Cheng's fairly ordinary introduction.

She had thought this unusual kid would give a more distinctive introduction.

His dream was to become Hokage? That other kid, Wu Luochuan, seemed to have the same dream.

Anko thought Yang Cheng's dream was ordinary because she had missed the crucial detail.

His dream wasn't to become Hokage, but to become the Hokage's man!

Of course, that only applied to a female Hokage. If the Hokage was a man, he would politely decline.

And if she wasn't a female Hokage, a female Mizukage or Tsuchikage wouldn't be out of the question either...

Early the next morning, Kakashi and the others who had been assigned as Jonin instructors were summoned to the Hokage Building by the Third Hokage once again.

They needed to report back on their assignments as instructors.

Which students they had decided to keep and which would return to the Ninja Academy to repeat their studies-all of that had to be reported to the Hokage.

The Third Hokage wasn't surprised that every member of Asuma's Team 10 and Kurenai Yuhi's Team 8 had been allowed to stay.

After all, Asuma and Kurenai both had some experience in this area, and their students were children of Konoha's ninja clans. It was entirely reasonable for them to pass.

What surprised the Third Hokage was that Kakashi, whose pass rate had always been zero, had actually kept Naruto and his two teammates this time and formed Team 7.

Then there was Anko, a first-time Jonin instructor. The Third Hokage had always thought her flighty personality would lead her to botch the assignment, yet she had also kept all three of her students.

The Third Hokage breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Anko had kept Yang Cheng.

Setting Yang Cheng's own strength aside, this was the first time Inoichi Yamanaka had come to him with a request. Since the Yamanaka Clan was staunchly loyal to the Hokage, it would have been difficult to justify refusing him even that small courtesy.

Kurenai Yuhi was equally surprised that Anko had ended up becoming Team 6's Jonin instructor.

She and Anko were close friends, so Kurenai knew her personality very well.

Honestly, Kurenai really didn't think the flighty, enthusiastic, and boisterous Anko was suited to being a Jonin instructor.

Sometimes Anko was little more than a big kid herself. Asking her to look after and teach a few Genin had to be a joke.

"Anko, since you've decided to become those children's Jonin teacher, you must give it your all and fulfill your responsibilities.

"And you need to rein in that personality of yours a little..."

Faced with her friend's earnest advice, Anko began to bristle,

because she felt her friend was underestimating her.

"Kurenai, just you watch. I'll definitely train some incredibly strong students.

"When the Chunin Ninja Exams come around, they'll beat all your students to a pulp."

The other Jonin instructors present remained noncommittal in the face of Anko's arrogant declaration.

It wasn't that they looked down on Anko. She simply wasn't cut out to be a teacher. Besides, if they remembered correctly, the members of her Team 6 were all just ordinary civilian-born ninja.

"All right, all right, I know. So, no matter how talented your students are, you need to be patient with them, understand?"

Unlike the others, Kurenai spoke to Anko again as though she were coaxing a child.