As Ryun channeled chakra into the test paper, it first wrinkled up and then instantly burned to ashes.
"Lightning and fire dual affinities. Not bad..."
Ryun smiled with satisfaction.
Almost every member of the Uchiha Clan possessed the fire affinity. Many also had dual affinities, with lightning and fire being the most common combination, and few exceptions existed.
Ryun having dual affinities meant his initial talent was quite good.
From now on, he would focus on mastering ninjutsu of these two elements.
For fire release, the Great Fireball Technique and the Phoenix Flower Jutsu were mid-range and long-range group attack techniques, respectively. These two fire techniques were sufficient for now.
What he currently lacked was a close-combat technique with enough power. Thus, the "Lightning Release: Chidori" became his top choice.
As for defensive techniques? The best defense was a strong offense, so he didn't need any for now...
Creating the "Lightning Release: Chidori" from scratch wouldn't be easy, as it was, after all, an A-rank technique.
If he knew the complete hand seal sequence, he could probably learn it quickly with the help of shadow clones. But the creator of Chidori, Hatake Kakashi, hadn't even been born yet...
With only a conceptual understanding of the technique, developing it independently would inevitably require a massive amount of time and effort.
"For now, I'll have my shadow clone attend school. Once I develop Chidori, I'll return."
With that thought, Ryun summoned his shadow clones and began his research.
Though he didn't know the initial steps of Chidori, he assumed that generating electricity in the palm was the first stage.
After spending half a day with his main body and three shadow clones straining to produce even a spark, the only result was his main body letting out a loud fart...
"It seems I'll have to rely on hand seals to guide the chakra conversion into electricity..."
Ryun had initially wondered if he could skip hand seals altogether and use his strong mental focus to convert chakra directly. But now, it seemed he had overestimated himself.
Using hand seals to guide chakra conversion was a method taught at the Ninja Academy. For example, Ryun knew which seals to use to convert chakra into fire release and exhale it from his mouth.
His foundational knowledge in ninjutsu was decent, so he also knew which seals would convert chakra into electricity.
Just generating electricity from his palm required six hand seals...
"I'll memorize this feeling first and try simplifying it later."
Chidori supposedly only required three hand seals, but knowing those three wouldn't help Ryun much right now.
Those three seals were the simplified version used after fully mastering the technique. Trying to perform Chidori with just three seals without prior mastery was impossible.
Days passed, and after completing his daily physical training, Ryun spent most of his time relentlessly practicing lightning release and developing Chidori.
Half a month later, prolonged exposure to electricity had damaged his hands. Worried about potential long-term injuries, Ryun was forced to pause his Chidori development.
Additionally, the Ninja Academy's final exams were approaching, followed by a long summer break.
Two days later, Ryun's main body attended the Ninja Academy to take his final exams.
Today would involve a series of tests. After this, when he returned to school, he would officially be a sixth-year student...
On this day, the Third Hokage set aside his busy schedule to personally oversee the examination process at the Ninja Academy.
As the academy's principal, he didn't always need to be present, but he was required for major events like final exams and entrance ceremonies.
The Third Hokage brought his three disciples with him today. They now sat in the principal's office, gathered around a crystal ball, observing the graduation exams of the sixth-year students.
Graduation exams typically tested one of the three basic transformation techniques. As long as a student's ninjutsu talent wasn't abysmal, graduating from the Ninja Academy was usually straightforward.
"Orochimaru, where are you going?"
Jiraiya, who had been watching the crystal ball, called out as Orochimaru suddenly stood up and left.
"It's a bit boring. I'll take a walk around..." Orochimaru replied without turning back, waving his hand dismissively.
Shortly after Orochimaru left, Tsunade also stood up and walked out of the principal's office.
"Tsunade, what are you—"
Before Jiraiya could finish, Tsunade snapped impatiently, "None of your business!"
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence fell between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya.
"I'll go see what those two are up to..."
Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya's retreating back but said nothing.
Orochimaru wandered aimlessly through the Ninja Academy before stopping by the window of Class 5-1.
His snake-like eyes carefully observed Ryun, who was intently working on his exam.
Sensing the gaze, Ryun suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Orochimaru through the window.
An interesting Uchiha brat...
Orochimaru smiled meaningfully.
"What are you doing here?"
Tsunade suddenly appeared beside Orochimaru.
"Nothing. Just observing an interesting little one..." Orochimaru replied in a low, raspy voice.
Both kept their voices quiet to avoid disturbing the students inside.
"An interesting little one? You mean Kushina?"
Tsunade was surprised. She knew Class 5-1 was Kushina's class.
She had come to check on Kushina and her little desk neighbor.
At the moment, neither Kushina nor Ryun seemed to notice her presence, both absorbed in their exams.
"No," Orochimaru answered.
"No? Then who—"
Tsunade paused, then seemed to realize something and hesitantly uttered a name:
"Uchiha... Ryun?"
"Oh? You know him too?" Orochimaru was now the surprised one.
"Hey! What are you two doing, sneaking around like this?"
Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, Jiraiya's arrival made them frown.
His loud voice even disturbed some of the students inside.
Instructor Koda stepped out to check and gestured for them to be quiet.
"Idiot!"
Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by the collar and dragged him away.
"You moron! Don't you know not to disturb the examinees?"
Thirty minutes later, the written exam ended, and all students of Class 5-1 gathered in a corner of the training ground.
The final exams still included shurikenjutsu, a subject considered even more important than the three basic transformation techniques.
Whether in fifth or sixth year, instructors placed great emphasis on weapon throwing.
Students who couldn't properly throw kunai or shuriken would only be dead weight on the battlefield, wasting precious supplies. Such individuals didn't even deserve to wear Konoha's forehead protector.
If a student lacked talent in ninjutsu but excelled elsewhere (like Might Dai, Gai, or Lee), Konoha might still allow them to graduate.
But if they couldn't even pass shurikenjutsu... Konoha wouldn't give them a second glance.
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