While other matches continued, Kaiji stood motionless, gazing up at the sky.
Hiroshi stood beside him, "Don't worry, Kaiji" he said, trying to offer comfort. "You are not alone; I also lost."
The 2nd test, one-on-one spars, concluded.
Kaiji was still stood somewhat dazed from his last match.
Ren approached him, "Oi, Kaiji" Ren called out "Yuna Sensei has been calling us!"
Kaiji shook off his shock. He went towards where Yuna Sensei was standing.
She looked at the students. "Do your best, everyone." she encouraged them.
Yuna Sensei started calling out the trainees one by one for the next test.
Everyone had to demonstrate one E-rank and one D-rank Genjutsu.
They were to use the jutsu on Sensei Yuna. Kaiji wasn't very confident in his Genjutsu abilities.
However, thanks to the meditation he had dedicated more time to over the last two months, and some practice, he could now at least use E-rank Genjutsu.
But he still couldn't use D-rank ones.
Kaiji's turn came. First, he demonstrated an E-rank jutsu.
He made the hand signs, Boar—>Tiger. He said the name of the jutsu
"Genjutsu: Fleeting Image!"
Yuna Sensei was slightly affected by the illusion but quickly released the jutsu.
With a gentle smile, she said, "You have improved, Kaiji. Now, show me a D-rank Genjutsu."
Kaiji wasn't very sure he could do it, but he nodded. He made the hand sign. He said the jutsu name
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
Yuna Sensei shook her head. "Not good," she commented simply.
Kaiji just nodded. He went back to stand where he was beside Ren and Hiroshi.
Then came the next and final test of the day, Ninjutsu Demonstration.
Kazeo Sensei began calling everyone, one by one.
On Kaiji's turn, he used the 'Substitution Jutsu' for his E-rank demonstration. For his D-rank, he performed 'Wind Style: Gentle Breeze.'
He performed well in this test, executing both jutsu correctly and efficiently.
After they had lunch at the Academy, taking a quick munch, all trainees were instructed to prepare for tomorrow's test.
It would take place in the desert on the west side of the village.
Everyone nodded and dispersed to their respective places.
Kaiji went with Ren and Hiroshi to some food stalls to have some Takoyaki.
They chatted about how they had performed today. Ren and Hiroshi told Kaiji not to worry about a single lost spar.
Kaiji also understood. Ryu must have also been training incredibly hard.
Ryu wasn't an orphan, and it was possible that one of his parents was a shinobi.
Ryu had been an average student in their batch. Kaiji knew that Ryu must have put in significant effort as well to achieve that Body Flicker speed.
While eating Takoyaki, giving it a soft chew, his thoughts drifted to his batchmates.
He only knew Maki and now Mukade from the anime but not any others.
Even no shinobi named Kaiji existed in the anime from the Sand Village in the original timeline.
This implied that many of his batch's trainees either died during the Third Shinobi War or didn't manage to improve significantly despite their talents.
Take Taichi as an example. He had a very high affinity for Wind Nature Chakra.
But if this alone was his only talent, then in the long run, for him to definitely become a Kage-level, or even an Elite Jonin-level shinobi, wasn't guaranteed.
They then visited some other stalls as well, having Yakisoba and Dango, enjoying a casual slurp and bite.
They continued chatting before going back to their homes, their voices a comfortable chatter.
Kaiji took out his rubber ball. Even after the last few months, the second step of Rasengan training wasn't completed by him.
The power behind the chakra, the control, and the density of the spinning chakra were all crucial.
He still wasn't able to indent or rupture the rubber ball. However, there was no rush for him.
"It's not like I need Rasengan just now" Kaiji said softly to himself.
After practicing some more with the rubber ball, he meditated before going to sleep.
The next day, at 10 AM, all the trainees were present in the desert on the west side of the village.
All the Academy staff and instructors were present as well.
However, the 3rd Kazekage, Satei, was not present today.
Obviously, he wouldn't be there to babysit them anyway. He had already checked the skills of all the trainees he needed to, yesterday.
The Principal himself came to explain the rules of today's test.
The test would continue from now, 10 AM to until 2 PM. They had to fight with each other throughout this period in the desert.
It wasn't just simply fighting. It also included stealth and making sure they were in good condition after the test concluded.
All the instructors had already gone to their designated positions where they would oversee the exam from a distance.
All the students then began to scatter, disappearing into the vast desert landscape.
The test began. 'If I don't perform well,' Kaiji thought, the consequence stark in his mind, 'I might just have to accept that my next destination is the Genin Corps.'
To score better, he needed to defeat others. The best targets were the 'dead weights' of the class and those who were clearly weaker than him.
Today's exam was taking place deeper in the desert, not just the outskirts like the usual competition.
Kaiji spotted Daiki in the distance. He decided to follow him. 'Daiki,' he thought. 'My first target.'