The attacks came like a raging storm.
In those brief ten-odd seconds, nearly a hundred ice needles had already flashed toward him. Although their speed and power were hardly worth mentioning to a Jonin, they posed a considerable threat to anyone at the Chunin level.
A single slip that let an ice needle pierce a vital spot would certainly result in a serious injury, if not instant death!
Only because Heiji belonged to the Kaguya Clan and possessed the powerful Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai could he forcibly block most of the incoming ice needles. Those that slipped through merely inflicted flesh wounds of varying severity.
They could not truly threaten Heiji's life.
But being forced into such a passive counterattack only frayed Heiji's nerves further. His blood-red eyes were enough to show how frenzied this Kaguya Clan boy had become.
Yet even under these circumstances.
Heiji still maintained the "calm" he needed!
The "Dance of the Willow" he unleashed.
Allowed him to adjust his stance little by little as he rapidly blocked and evaded the incoming ice needles. He knew full well that he had fallen behind in both offense and defense, and he had to prepare for his opponent's next forceful attack!
This was the "combat reason" unique to the Kaguya Clan!
Unfortunately.
Young Heiji was quite clearly overthinking things.
Just as the storm of ice needles ended.
And Heiji Kaguya reset his stance, ready to face the next round of attacks.
All he saw.
Was empty space.
"Huh? Where did he go?!"
Kei, who had been standing at his eight o'clock, had long since vanished. He could not sense the presence of any living person around him, either.
He could only vaguely make out a figure speeding away in the distance.
Heiji froze for a moment, then realized what had happened, an utterly savage expression crossing his face.
"Minazuki Kei!! Don't think you can get away!!"
His furious roar rang out above the forest, as though he were putting every ounce of his strength into it.
Then he charged off in pursuit without a care, heading in the direction he had settled on!
He absolutely refused to let Kei off so easily!
Especially after being toyed with like this.
Besides, how much time had even passed?! He refused to believe Kei could have gotten far. He would definitely catch that bastard!!
"Whoosh!"
And after Heiji's figure swiftly disappeared into the distance, a slightly brilliant shimmer of refracted light appeared at the spot he had left behind.
Kei's figure materialized out of thin air.
Kei had never left this place at all. He had merely used the storm of ice needles to briefly obscure Heiji's vision, then used the refraction of light through ice crystals created with Ice Release to deceive him visually.
Then he had quietly held his breath and hidden off to one side.
As long as Heiji Kaguya did not know any sensory techniques, he could never discover him. In fact, Heiji Kaguya had proven to be thoroughly fooled by Kei's trick.
Watching the direction Heiji Kaguya had gone, Kei gently exhaled a stale breath and shook his head helplessly. "Well, that fooled him!"
Although his concealment and breath-suppression techniques were currently only the most basic kinds, they were enough to evade Heiji Kaguya's senses. In fact, even ordinary Chunin would be fooled by Kei under normal circumstances.
Only Jonin, or ninja who possessed sensory techniques, could easily detect Kei's presence.
Kei did not want to fight a lunatic like Heiji Kaguya right after entering the exam grounds. Even if his chances of winning were higher, it would be utterly pointless, and he also had to account for other unexpected factors.
Such as that fellow student, Mei Terumi.
Kei really did not want to run into her in the exam grounds!
Well, next I'll figure out where I am!
Kei looked up and scanned his surroundings. After confirming his bearings, he leaped away at speed.
Two days.
Neither particularly long nor particularly short.
For the vast majority of examinees, this was more than enough time to complete their tasks. But they had to remember that they were not alone in these exam grounds. There were more than three hundred other examinees!
As mentioned earlier.
Each examinee had a different assessment task, and some people's tasks even involved the other examinees themselves!
That made the other examinees their greatest enemies!
But that very fact.
Also meant the examinees could join forces.
This was a comprehensive assessment on multiple levels!
It was also the main reason Kirigakure had originally established this kind of graduation exam. The tasks and certain details changed each year, but the most important fundamentals never changed. Kirigakure wanted graduates with the strongest all-around foundational abilities!
As for everyone else?
They could either die during the exam.
Or go back and study properly for another two years.
So, in an exam like this, Kirigakure would not concern itself with casualties among some of the graduating examinees!
In the original story, it was only when Zabuza went so far as to slaughter every other examinee in his year that an opportunity arose for Kirigakure to change its graduation exam.
At this point in time.
Kirigakure's graduation exam still followed the old system. The proctors outside would not care in the slightest if some examinees died.
So.
Even if only to play it safe.
Kei had to avoid as many pointless battles as possible.
Winning them offered no value anyway.
He needed to get away sooner and complete his own task sooner!
Hmm, am I near that stream? Then it looks like the first target item should be at my twelve o'clock!
Kei stood at the top of the tallest tree. After confirming roughly where he was.
"Whoosh!"
He released a burst of chakra from beneath his feet.
And sped toward the location he had identified.
The assessment tasks the Ninja Academy had assigned to this year's examinees included all kinds of objectives and requirements!
Kei's assessment task was to find specified mission items within this vast forest.
Before the exam, the Ninja Academy's instructors had told the examinees assigned these tasks which areas contained those items!
What the examinees had to do was head to the designated areas within the allotted time and collect the required quantities of items!
Because this task was not assigned to him alone.
Kei had to hurry and find these mission items as quickly as possible, while also guarding against the examinees who had received the same task.
Of course, ordinary rookies were naturally not worth worrying about.
But graduates from ninja clans were opponents Kei had to be especially wary of!