January 12th.
This is the second day of the Ninja Academy graduation ceremony.
It was also the first day that the graduates of Kirigakure in Konoha 41 officially became ninjas. At a time when almost 99% of the graduate teams were either resting at home for a day or two under the orders and leadership of their captains, or going to carry out some lowest D-rank missions that were definitely within the village.
Kei, Mei Terumi, Kisame Hoshigaki from Team 7 had already packed their necessary luggage and equipment, and arrived at the village gate early that morning.
Without any formalities, the three simply exchanged greetings and then stood still, quietly waiting for their Jonin to arrive.
Not a minute too early, not a second too late.
Ao, who was perfectly punctual, arrived at the main gate of Kirigakure at the agreed time yesterday. Seeing that the three of them, including Kei, were all ready to go, a faint look of satisfaction appeared in Ao's eyes.
After completing the necessary registration for leaving the village at the gate guard.
"Out!"
Ao walked straight up to Qi and the other two. With a wave of his right hand, he leaped out of the main gate of Kirigakure. Chakra and the other two followed without hesitation, their chakra exploding as they quickly caught up with Ao.
Unlike yesterday's slow progress, Qing clearly intended to test the three of them today, leading the way at a relatively fast pace throughout. The information displayed on the data was ultimately somewhat inaccurate, and Qing wanted to test the upper limit of the three's strength in front of them using his own methods.
The first test is a test of speed and endurance!
At first, Qi and the other two didn't realize what was happening, but as Qing deliberately increased his speed little by little, even the most clueless among them could see that this was Qing's first test for them.
'That's really efficient and decisive.'
Qi looked at Qing's back in the seat in front of him, silently thinking to himself, while also unleashing his Chakra to catch up.
Young people are all concerned about their image. This is not only about proving themselves in front of their peers, but also a competition among teammates.
Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki shared similar ideas.
No one wants to be second best.
Especially the shark-faced kid, after glancing at Qi out of the corner of his eye, his shark-like eyes also revealed an extremely sharp light.
This assessment.
He is determined to win against Qi!
"Whoosh!"
"Swoosh"
"Whoosh!"
The three figures, each rushing forward, were giving their all at that moment, speeding ahead.
As Qing, who was at the very front, moved forward, he silently observed the condition of the three people behind him, and was prepared to make adjustments at any time.
After all, even assessments need to have certain limits; they can't be done haphazardly.
It is obvious that even if the three are geniuses, they are still only eight or nine years old. The oldest, Kisame Hoshigaki, is only ten years old. Their physical development is far from reaching its limit; they haven't even fully formed yet!
While the three of them could reach speeds comparable to any Chunin, such high-speed travel also placed the heaviest burden on their bodies, resulting in an astonishing consumption of Chakra and stamina!
Just a few hours later.
That's obvious.
The three of them were already showing signs of giving up, but as long as they saw that Qing ahead of them showed no sign of stopping, they gritted their teeth and forced themselves to keep going. They didn't want to fall behind here!
At first, the three seemed to be about the same level, but as they approached their limits, the difference became apparent. Mei Terumi had been progressing at the same pace, gradually fell behind.
Kisame Hoshigaki is perfectly in the lead.
In this test that was simply a contest of speed and endurance, Kisame Hoshigaki truly held an absolute innate advantage. In the original work, he was known as a human-shaped Tailed Beast. Although he was only ten years old, his total Chakra was still a far cry from his peak level in the original work.
However, compared to her peers like Kei and Mei Terumi, her advantages are still quite obvious.
At a time when the two were on the verge of collapse.
Kisame Hoshigaki was clearly still clenching his teeth, saving his last bit of strength.
"Stop!"
When Ao saw that Kei Mei Terumi were about to give up, she finally stopped. The word she uttered softly at that moment sounded like heavenly music to Kei's ears.
He barely managed to stop himself from staggering, only managing to do so by instinct. He was lucky to have reacted quickly, otherwise he would have fallen face-first into the mud.
However, the sweat pouring down his face and his increasingly rapid and erratic breathing were enough to prove that Qi was truly being pushed to his limit in this special extreme rally run.
He was still just a teenager.
Kisame Hoshigaki, whose mentality was not yet mature enough, felt a sense of pleasure when he saw Kei's exhausted appearance.
Regardless of the form of the competition, I ultimately came out on top.
The boy was very competitive.
Since losing to Kei in the graduation exam a few days ago, and having to retreat in order to graduate smoothly, it has become a thorn in Kisame Hoshigaki's heart. He is determined to find an opportunity to defeat Kei again in the future to get revenge.
Although this competition wasn't a real battle, it was enough to make Kisame Hoshigaki feel a little happier.
"Well, it's about time. Let's rest here for a bit, and then continue our journey after lunch. I'd also like to briefly explain our mission for this trip!"
Qing looked at Qi and the other two, a rare faint smile appearing on his face, and said softly.
"Yes, Teacher Qing!"
The three of them responded in unison.
The four of them went directly to an open space. While resting, Qing told the other three about the mission that their Team 7 needed to carry out this time.
As expected.
Their first mission is C-Rank Mission, which is highly likely to involve bloodshed. From a purely difficulty standpoint, it's almost impossible for newly graduated rookie Genin to directly accept C-Rank Mission. They usually need a period of adaptation, and after laying the groundwork with D-rank missions, they will then be able to accept C-Rank Mission. This process can take anywhere from several months to ten days, depending on the overall level of the team and the judgment of the team leader, since the authority to grant mission approval rests with the leader.
Qing clearly felt that there was no need for Qi and the other two to take on any more transitional missions; a C-level mission was the most suitable first mission for his team!
This is Qing's judgment.
Moreover, the task he chose was one that allowed him to comprehensively assess the three of them, making it an ideal task, at least in Qing's opinion.