"Is this training hard, Itachi?"
Upon hearing Aozora's question, Itachi politely stepped forward and shook his head. "Not at all! It's very simple!"
The Flying Tigers were enraged at being questioned by such a young child.
"What? Daring to speak so arrogantly!"
"Have kids these days become this insolent?"
"Even the Clan Leader's son has no right to act like that!"
"..."
Ryoichi frowned and, as an elder, reprimanded, "Itachi, don't talk nonsense and ruin the Clan Leader's reputation."
Itachi seriously replied, shaking his head, "It really is simple."
As Ryoichi prepared to scold him further, Aozora stopped him with an outstretched hand. "Words alone won't settle this. Coincidentally, I've recently taught Itachi some [Ninja Tool Throwing] techniques. Just let him demonstrate it."
Aozora had originally brought Itachi here to show off his disciple. Now that Ryoichi had challenged them outright, there was no reason not to take the opportunity.
The members of the Flying Tigers present there sneered when they heard this, feeling deeply insulted.
"Letting a seven-year-old kid take the test?"
"So arrogant!"
"He's the Clan Leader's kid after all—maybe he can hit seven or eight targets."
"Who knows? He might just be a clueless little brat."
"..."
As doubts spread among the crowd, Itachi gave Aozora a slight nod and slowly walked toward the center of the training ground.
As he walked, he moved his head from side to side like a radar, memorizing the positions of every target.
Arriving at the center of the training field, Itachi closed his eyes and steeled his focus.
The Flying Tigers watching below began whispering among themselves. Suddenly, Itachi pushed off with his chakra and launched himself high into the air.
At the height of his jump, he twisted midair and started his descent. The weapons pouch tied around his waist had somehow opened without anyone noticing, letting the kunai fall one by one.
Catching the falling kunai midair, Itachi fired them off with lightning speed, his hands a blur.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of blades slicing through air followed by impacts echoed continuously. The Flying Tigers below instinctively activated their Sharingan eyes and started counting the number of targets Itachi hit.
"One, two, three... eleven, twelve, thirteen..."
As each kunai struck the bullseye of its respective target, both the nearby Flying Tigers members and instructors like Ryoichi and Hachidai all stared in shock.
"Eighteen!"
"Actually eighteen!"
"There are only two left, both in blind spots. There's no way he can hit those!"
As the Flying Tigers members stared in shock, they watched two of Itachi's kunai collide mid-air, each redirecting toward optimal targets.
One predictably pierced the target hidden behind the rock. The other continued flying, tracing a strange arc through the air, circling around a tree trunk before striking the final target at an impossible angle.
In an instant, silence fell across the entire training ground. The Flying Tigers members looked dazed, too shocked to utter a word.
"Am I dreaming? This seven-year-old kid has this level of skill in throwing ninja tools?"
"Just this alone—he hasn't even graduated yet? Even if he couldn't do anything else, just this one skill alone would make him equal to a Chunin!"
"None of us ever scored full marks, yet this kid just did?"
"..."
Hachidai also wore a stunned expression, but he quickly regained his composure and clapped enthusiastically.
"Itachi, well done!"
Ryoichi looked displeased but clapped as well. "No wonder you're the Clan Leader's son!"
The other Flying Tigers members felt somewhat reassured after hearing this — after all, it made sense for the Clan Leader's son to achieve such results.
Hachidai turned to Aozora. "Aozora, it seems you've trained Itachi quite well!"
Yet Aozora remained expressionless, instead scolding Itachi, "This is the ninja tool throwing I taught you? Flashy and useless!"
Though directed at Itachi, Aozora's words instantly devastated everyone else.
If Itachi, who had perfectly hit all twenty targets, was still called flashy and useless, then what would their kunai throws be considered?
Ugly and useless?
Itachi quickly bowed and apologized respectfully. "Teacher, I was only trying to imitate the techniques of these senior officers earlier!"
"What's there to learn?" Aozora replied. "It's a waste of time!"
Itachi respectfully responded, "Yes."
Curious, Hachidai asked, "So you're saying Aozora, you don't teach the Uchiha ninja tool throwing style?"
Aozora answered, "The Uchiha technique is fine for training the Sharingan's perceptiveness, but not very practical in actual combat. Itachi can just figure it out on his own."
After pondering briefly, Hachidai nodded. "That actually makes sense."
Seeing that the throwing technique he himself taught had been easily exposed, Ryoichi glared at Itachi and said, "Then please demonstrate the ninja tool throwing you learned from Aozora and show us the difference!"
Itachi glanced toward Aozora, who gave a slight nod.
With Aozora's permission, Itachi faced Ryoichi and nodded. "Alright."
Quickly, the targets were reset, and Itachi retrieved his kunai.
This time, he didn't jump or turn around — he simply focused his chakra onto each kunai silently.
Swish! Swish! Swish! —
Thud! Thud! Thud! —
Each kunai flew straight without any flair whatsoever; the only difference was their incredible speed — so fast that the human eye couldn't even trace their flight path before they pierced through the targets.
As for the obscurely positioned targets, Itachi's kunai didn't make unnecessary turns either.
They didn't even aim around the trunks — they just pierced straight through them and struck the targets beyond.
All twenty targets were struck again, but this time, each target was completely shattered into pieces.
"Hisss —"
Instantly, silence fell over the scene, broken only by gasps of shock.
The Flying Tigers exchanged glances, feeling like they'd wasted their entire lives until now.
Two tests. Two different techniques. And Itachi scored a perfect twenty both times.
Clearly, the reason Itachi's score was capped at 20 was because the maximum possible score was only 20. His mastery of ninja tool throwing far exceeded anything any of them had ever seen.
If Itachi — only his student — could reach this level, how impossibly skilled must Aozora himself be?
Hachidai snapped out of his shock but struggled to hide his disbelief. "Itachi, your skill in ninja tool throwing is already comparable to most Jonin!"
Both power and technique had reached an extremely high level.
Itachi glanced at Aozora and replied, "I'm still far from good enough."
"Not bad at all!"
Aozora beckoned Itachi forward and patted his head, saying, "That's how you're supposed to throw ninja tools. Cut out the flashy nonsense from before.
After playing with those tools so long, you couldn't even pierce a target… Are you trying to join a circus or something?"
After finishing with Itachi, Aozora casually asked Ryoichi, "Didn't I send Lord Kintai a training plan earlier? I clearly mentioned this part and even got his exclusive method for it. Did you miss it, or just not feel like sharing it with everyone?"
Though spoken lightly, Aozora's words still reached every single Flying Tiger present.
Under the weight of their questioning stares, Ryoichi had no choice but to avoid accusing Aozora outright—it involved Lord Kintai himself after all.
Thinking it over, Ryoichi replied, "Lord Kintai gave it to me, but between all our training sessions, I didn't have time to read it yet. I'll go check it right away."
Aozora shrugged. "Do what you want. You are the instructor, after all."
Then turning toward Hachidai, he added, "I was kinda hoping to show Itachi something cool today. Ah… Such a shame."
At Aozora's disappointed tone, Ryoichi flushed deep red, while each Flying Tiger looked as though they wished the earth would just swallow them whole.
Hachidai shook his head gently and said, "Sorry about that. Well then, come on—I'll give you a tour. Training Ground 35 has gotten pretty interesting after our upgrades."
Aozora sighed, "Hachidai Uncle, let Itachi explore on his own. I've already checked the place out."
Understanding that Aozora wanted to talk in private, Hachidai nodded. "Alright then. Mukashi, you take Itachi along for a walk."
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