The next morning, after confirming that his parents' injuries had improved, Sanada Aran immediately made his way to the Ninja Academy.
Today was the day of the graduation exam.
If he wanted to be placed in the same squad as Naruto, the first step was passing this test.
Aran remembered all too well how he had failed in every previous assessment. Today was the very last one—the combat evaluation.
But things were different now. With the Burning Codex System in his hands, victory in this test was already assured.
Although the only ninjutsu he had mastered so far was Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb, with the system's power he could now absorb any ninjutsu. That meant ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu alike were useless against him.
Even his basic strikes carried the destructive power of the Xuanhuang Flame. A casual punch could inflict devastating damage.
With advantages like these, Aran didn't even place the Academy students in his eyes anymore—he wouldn't be afraid even if he faced a genin or a chunin.
This combat evaluation was not only about graduation. He intended to use this battle to make everyone look at him in a new light.
At that moment, Iruka stepped forward into the center of the crowd.
"Everyone, the final part of the graduation exam will now begin. The first match is Sanada Aran versus Katō Saburō!"
"Katō Saburō? What's the point? If I want to make a name for myself, I need to fight the strongest," Aran thought.
Without hesitation, he called out to Iruka:"Sensei, I want to fight Sasuke instead!"
The class burst into laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me! The dead-last challenging the genius Sasuke? He's going to get humiliated!"
"Hah! Sanada Aran is definitely going to be beaten into the ground!"
But Aran only smiled to himself.
He had two reasons for choosing Sasuke as his opponent.
First, defeating Sasuke would shock everyone and force them to see him in a different light—after all, Sasuke was the strongest in the Academy.
Second, by fighting Sasuke, he could use the Burning Codex to absorb his taijutsu and refine it into an even higher-level style.
Right now, Aran only had one ninjutsu at his disposal, Dragon Flame Bomb. He needed more techniques as quickly as possible.
"Uchiha Sasuke, will you accept Aran's challenge?" Iruka asked.
Sasuke, as cold and aloof as ever, gave a faint shrug.
"I don't mind fighting the class failure," he said as he walked to the center stage."But I don't hold back. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life in the hospital, you'd better think twice."
Aran smirked."Is that so? Then by all means, don't hold back against me."
Gasps echoed from the crowd.
"No way… Aran isn't backing down?"
"He was always such a coward—does he really dare to fight Uchiha Sasuke?"
From below the platform, Sasuke's fangirls immediately raised their voices in ridicule.
"Who do you think you are, you dropout? You don't deserve to fight Sasuke-sama!"
"Sasuke-sama, please teach that loser Sanada Aran a lesson!"
Sasuke's eyes glinted sharply. "Fine. Since you insist—Leaf Shadow Dance!"
His body blurred. In an instant, he appeared right in front of Aran. With a sharp upward kick, he launched Aran into the air.
"It's not too late to beg for mercy now," Sasuke called out coldly."Anyone who takes my taijutsu head-on ends up half-dead."
But Aran only glared back at him."I, Sanada Aran, have never begged for mercy!"
Unbeknownst to Sasuke, Aran's Burning Codex System had already absorbed the force of his attack.
The famed Leaf Shadow Dance, a technique that could cripple an ordinary opponent, hadn't harmed him in the slightest.