"An assessment?"
Kiyohara raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of assessment?"
"The final assessment for an Anbu squad leader."
The man who called himself Fire Ape, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, spoke in a calm tone, yet there was a strict, businesslike seriousness in his voice.
"The Third Hokage believes that, based on your achievements and strength, you already possess the qualifications to serve as a squad leader. However, the Anbu has its own rules. Your capabilities must be confirmed through a practical combat assessment."
Kiyohara was somewhat surprised.
He had indeed considered applying for a promotion to squad leader after the war, but he had not expected the Hokage to proactively arrange an assessment for him.
Was this the treatment reserved for geniuses?
Or rather, was this an attempt to draw in a special talent like him?
"Understood."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Where will it take place?"
"There is a forest on the eastern side of the camp. It is secluded enough."
Shinnosuke turned around.
"Follow me."
Kiyohara followed his steps. The two of them passed through the busy camp and arrived at an open area far from the main camp.
The terrain here was flat, with sparse trees surrounding it, making it a suitable place for sparring.
Shinnosuke turned to face Kiyohara.
He did not attack immediately. Instead, he slowly removed his mask.
Beneath the mask was a somewhat rugged male face. His features were upright, and there was a resemblance between his brows and eyes and those of a younger Hiruzen, though his lines were sharper.
"I am Sarutobi Shinnosuke, captain of the First Anbu Squad."
He introduced himself.
"There were people in the camp just now, so I used a codename."
Kiyohara understood.
So the Third Hokage had sent his own son to assess him.
He nodded in acknowledgment.
"I am Kiyohara, Jonin, assigned to Team Six. Please guide me, Captain Shinnosuke."
Kiyohara gave a formal self introduction.
Although he knew Shinnosuke was already fully aware of his background, this was part of the ritual, much like a salute.
"Good."
Shinnosuke hooked his mask onto his waist and began loosening his wrists.
"Your performance on the front lines has been observed by the Hokage. Capturing Pakura alive is a great achievement, but an Anbu squad leader requires more than strength. Leadership, judgment, and adaptability are equally important."
He paused before continuing.
"Today's assessment is simple. Defeat me, or hold out against me for three minutes without losing, forcing me to go all out. Either condition counts as passing."
"You may use any means, except for large scale destructive ninjutsu. This place is too close to the camp."
"Just a spar?"
Kiyohara raised his brow slightly.
This Shinnosuke was quite confident.
After all, Kiyohara had captured Pakura alive.
Did Shinnosuke think he was stronger than Pakura?
Confidence at its peak?
Still, thinking about how in the original story Shinnosuke had only appeared as background, Kiyohara was curious about what abilities he possessed.
Judging from Konohamaru's birth timeline, he and his wife must have lived past the Nine Tails incident, which meant his strength could not be weak.
The weaker ones would have ended up like Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, who unfortunately died in the chaos.
"Just a spar."
Shinnosuke confirmed.
"But I will take it seriously. Are you ready?"
Kiyohara's Sharingan quietly activated.
Within his crimson pupils, three tomoe slowly rotated.
"I can start at any time."
Kiyohara said.
He intended to fight a bit more slowly.
Every time he encountered an opponent, he would try to extract as much as possible from them.
Any ninjutsu he could learn, he would learn. Gaining anything was a profit.
In a world where access to ninjutsu was limited, this aspect relied heavily on relationships and opportunities.
Otherwise, one could only exchange for techniques through military merit or rely on luck to loot them on the battlefield.
"I'm coming."
Shinnosuke reached into his shinobi tool pouch and threw out a string of shuriken.
Six shuriken spun through the air toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara only threw three in response, the very ones he had won from Uchiha Tekka.
With high quality shuriken and his solid mastery of the Uchiha shuriken technique, he directly knocked down all six of Shinnosuke's shuriken.
Shinnosuke's brows lifted slightly.
Solid fundamentals.
That was his judgment.
In the next moment, Shinnosuke had already rushed in front of Kiyohara.
"Fire Release: Flame Fist!"
His right fist was wrapped in scorching flames as it shot straight toward Kiyohara's face.
This was not a ninjutsu formed through hand seals, but rather a taijutsu technique that condensed fire nature chakra onto the fist, making it incredibly fast.
The Sarutobi clan, like the Uchiha clan, was skilled at wielding flames.
Within their clan, there were many fire release techniques.
Kiyohara tilted his body, and the flames brushed past his cheek.
But his movements did not stop. His left hand grabbed Shinnosuke's wrist, while his right hand drove a kunai toward Shinnosuke's ribs.
Shinnosuke twisted his wrist, using flexible joint techniques to break free from the hold. At the same time, his left elbow pressed down, deflecting the kunai.
The two engaged in close quarters combat, their fists and kicks colliding in rapid succession.
This was the strength of a seasoned elite jonin.
Kiyohara could feel that Shinnosuke's raw stats were inferior to his own, but his rich experience made up for it.
Seeing this, Kiyohara immediately used his Sharingan to absorb everything like a starving man.
Any opponent who could not defeat him would only make him stronger.
Shinnosuke felt this as well. At first, he was able to handle things with ease, but after a few exchanges, it became evenly matched.
Then it began to tilt into a disadvantage for him.
Acting on battle instinct, Shinnosuke immediately created distance and leapt into the air.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
A torrent of fierce flames erupted from his mouth, roaring toward Kiyohara.
The three tomoe in Kiyohara's eyes spun as the Sharingan instantly captured the subtle gaps within the trajectory of the flames.
He pushed off the ground, using the repulsive force of Magnet Release to accelerate away from his original position, dodging the flames while forming hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gust surged from his mouth. Under the pressure of Kiyohara's wind, the flames were diverted, brushing past the edge of his clothes.
A hint of approval flashed through Shinnosuke's eyes.
To make such precise judgments and responses in such a short time truly demonstrated the legendary dynamic vision of the Sharingan.
But he did not stop.
His hand seals changed again, this time forming an earth release.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
The ground trembled violently as dozens of sharp earthen spears burst upward from beneath Kiyohara's feet, their speed comparable to bullets.
Kiyohara leapt into the air. In the moment he turned midair, he caught a glimpse of subtle movements within Shinnosuke's sleeve.
He was forming hand seals with one hand.
That meant it was a trap.
Sure enough, Kiyohara in midair became the perfect target.
"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"
Electric currents surged along the earthen spears on the ground, instantly spreading across the entire clearing within the forest.
Kiyohara was suspended in midair, with no point of leverage.
Seeing this, he simply rose higher into the air.
Under the influence of magnetic force, Kiyohara floated steadily.
"Magnet Release…"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke muttered in a low voice.
"Just as the intelligence reports said."
He stopped holding back. Biting his thumb, he pressed one hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A burst of white smoke exploded outward, and a figure leapt out from within it.
It was a monkey roughly two meters tall, its body covered in brown fur, muscles bulging, its eyes sharp and intelligent.
"Enro, I'll leave it to you."
Shinnosuke said.
"Another newcomer assessment?"
The monkey's voice was rough. It looked toward Kiyohara, a trace of curiosity flashing in its golden pupils.
"This kid has quite a lot of chakra."
"Enro, I'm counting on you."
Shinnosuke repeated.
"Leave it to me."
The summoned beast called Enro spoke in human language as it rushed toward Kiyohara.
Clang!
Kiyohara drew his shinobi blade to block.
He looked at Enro.
This monkey should also belong to the Monkey clan, which had maintained a close relationship with the Sarutobi clan for generations.
In the future, Konohamaru would even sign a contract with a monkey named Enra.
Enro grinned.
"Kid, not bad strength."
He looked at Kiyohara.
Although their clan had humanoid forms, they were not human at all, but extremely powerful summoned beasts.
By nature alone, they had an advantage.
Yet Kiyohara, as a human, could match his strength.
This made Enro think of their clan leader.
"Transform into the golden staff."
Shinnosuke ordered.
Enro nodded. In a burst of white smoke, his body transformed into a long staff about two meters in length, with golden bands at both ends.
Shinnosuke grasped the staff, and his aura changed instantly.
The staff spun in his hands, producing a sharp whistling sound.
Stepping forward, Shinnosuke extended the staff, sweeping it horizontally toward Kiyohara's waist.
Kiyohara leapt to avoid it, but Shinnosuke suddenly changed direction, swinging upward from below.
At the critical moment, Kiyohara twisted his torso midair and narrowly evaded.
When he landed, he had already created distance.
He stared at the black staff that could extend and retract freely, recalling information about the Monkey clan.
Their greatest strength was their ability to transform into weapons. Sarutobi Hiruzen could even use the golden staff to push the Nine Tails out of Konoha with a single strike.
"Two against one…"
Kiyohara murmured.
"You can use any means."
Shinnosuke said.
"Anbu missions never emphasize fairness."
Hearing this, Kiyohara nodded.
That made sense.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
The gourd at his waist trembled as black iron sand surged out like a fountain, forming countless fine needles in the air.
In the next moment, the iron sand needles poured down like a torrential rain, covering a wide area where Shinnosuke stood.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
Shinnosuke formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground, raising a curved earthen wall.
The iron sand needles struck the wall, producing a sharp hissing sound.
However, Kiyohara's attack did not end there.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
He opened his mouth and spat out three fire dragons, which circled around the earthen wall and lunged at the target from three directions.
At the same time, his hands formed seals to control the iron sand.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Binding!"
The iron sand needles embedded in the earthen wall suddenly softened and extended, turning into black tendrils that coiled toward Shinnosuke and Enro.
An attack from both front and back.
Shinnosuke snorted coldly, spinning the golden staff into a blur that shattered both the fire dragons and the iron sand tendrils.
But in the instant he was distracted, Kiyohara's figure suddenly appeared behind him.
When did he get there?
Shinnosuke was startled, but his rich combat experience allowed him to react almost instinctively as he lunged forward.
Kiyohara's blade grazed his back, slicing through his uniform and leaving a cut on his skin.
As Kiyohara prepared to strike again, Shinnosuke barely managed to turn around and block with the golden staff.
At the moment the blade collided with the staff, Shinnosuke felt his hands go numb. The immense force pushed him back three meters, his feet carving deep grooves into the ground.
This guy has such strength?
Shinnosuke frowned.
Realizing this, he increased the speed of his attacks.
Kiyohara's Sharingan saw through Shinnosuke's movements.
Although the golden staff's attacks were fierce, Shinnosuke himself was not purely a taijutsu specialist. There were subtle gaps in the transitions between his staff techniques and ninjutsu.
Now.
At the moment Shinnosuke brought the staff down, Kiyohara did not dodge, but instead stepped forward.
Through their earlier exchanges, he had already gauged the approximate power of the staff.
The conclusion was that, in Shinnosuke's hands, it could not break his defense.
Steel Release.
Earth Release: Earth Spear.
A black sheen spread across his skin.
Kiyohara raised his left hand and forcibly grabbed the descending staff.
At the same time, lightning crackled along the blade in his right hand.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
A sharp, piercing chirp echoed as the lightning surged along the blade, thrusting straight toward Shinnosuke's chest.
If this strike landed, the battle would end.
But Shinnosuke's combat experience was immense. The moment the staff was seized, he had already released it, leaning his body backward to narrowly avoid the thrust.
At the same time, his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Fire Release: Ape Dragon Flame Technique!"
From his mouth, a flame shaped like the head of a monkey burst forth, roaring toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara shifted the direction of the lightning in his hand, forcefully tearing open a gap through the flaming ape dragon.
At the very moment the fire passed through, he had already completed his next set of hand seals.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Iron sand surged out from the gourd, splitting into countless fine needles that shot forward like a torrential downpour toward Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
A look of surprise flashed across Shinnosuke's eyes.
He had no choice but to abandon his offense. The golden staff spun rapidly in front of him, forming an impenetrable defensive barrier.
The iron sand needles struck against the staff with a constant clattering sound, sparks flying everywhere.
And at that very moment, Kiyohara's figure vanished.
It was not the Body Flicker Technique, but pure speed.
He appeared behind Shinnosuke, his blade silently thrusting toward his opponent's back.
Yet the tip of the blade stopped just an inch from the skin.
Because from the surface of the golden staff, a thick monkey arm extended outward, gripping Kiyohara's wrist that held the blade.
"Beautiful tactic."
Enro grinned.
"Unfortunately, the coordination between me and Shinnosuke is not so easy to break."
Kiyohara smiled as well.
"Is that so?"
At some point, his left hand had already pressed against Enro's abdomen, and a wave of heat was spiraling within his palm.
"Fire Release: Microwave Flame Flow."
Kiyohara simply swept out a stream of fire, then heated it further with microwave energy.
At a glance, it looked as though a stream of white liquid followed the motion of his palm.
Enro's pupils shrank abruptly. He could sense danger from it.
Almost instinctively, he released Kiyohara's wrist and retreated backward.
But it was already too late.
The stream of fire was launched outward, swirling into a sphere midair before exploding violently.
Enro and Shinnosuke retreated out of the blast radius at the last moment, but the scorching heat wave still caused their skin to burn painfully.
As the white light faded, Kiyohara stood in place, currents of wind release chakra swirling around his body, shielding him from the heat.
That previous attack could be considered a scaled down version of the Microwave Fire Bomb. Its power was not particularly great.
Enro let out a muffled grunt, clearly burned.
"Kid, you've angered me."
A flash of anger appeared in Enro's eyes as his body suddenly expanded.
The golden staff also grew thicker and longer, emitting a dangerous aura.
"Enro, calm down."
Shinnosuke pressed a hand against the staff.
"The assessment ends here."
"What?"
Enro turned his head in dissatisfaction.
"That's enough."
Shinnosuke shook his head and looked at Kiyohara.
"The three minutes have long passed, and you forced me to use my summoned beast. That already exceeds the requirements of the assessment."
Kiyohara relaxed his stance, and his Sharingan returned to normal.
"You flatter me, Captain Shinnosuke."
"A pass is a pass."
Shinnosuke dismissed Enro and put his mask back on.
"I will submit a report to the Hokage. Your appointment as a squad leader should arrive within three days. However…"
He paused before continuing.
"The Anbu has a standard structure of seventy members. You will become the leader of a newly expanded squad. Some shinobi will be reassigned from other teams to serve under you."
"Of course, most of them will likely be reserves. They may be new recruits or shinobi who, for various reasons, do not yet have a formal position. You will need to lead them."
"I understand."
Kiyohara nodded.
This worked out perfectly. Once Kabuto officially became a shinobi, he could be placed directly under him.
As for becoming a chunin, that would not be difficult for Kabuto at all. In the original story, he had only delayed it intentionally.
"Then, farewell."
Shinnosuke's figure blended into the shadows, disappearing almost immediately.
Only after reaching a secluded place did he finally pull back his sleeve.
His hand was already blistered, the skin reddened from burns.
The reason Shinnosuke had ended the fight so quickly was because he felt that if it continued, he would lose.
The new generation was truly terrifying.
Shinnosuke bared his teeth in pain.
There was still a large cut across his back as well.
He hurried toward the front to find a medical shinobi for treatment and to stop the bleeding.
If he had delayed even a few more seconds, he feared his image would have been completely ruined.
On the other side, Kiyohara, with the perception of his Sharingan, could see far into the distance.
Even if it was not as far as the Byakugan, it far exceeded normal vision.
And so he saw Shinnosuke awkwardly clutching his hand one moment and touching his back the next.
It was completely different from the elite Anbu demeanor he had displayed just moments ago.
Kiyohara felt that Shinnosuke and Asuma were entirely different in personality.
At the same time, he looked at the battlefield they had just fought on.
Anbu squad leader.
That had come faster than he expected.
Hiruzen's eagerness to promote him was, on one hand, recognition of his strength, and on the other, likely an attempt to bind him more firmly to Konoha's war machine.
However, that suited him just fine.
"Hmm, I also managed to copy Fire Release: Ape Dragon Flame Technique, Fire Release: Great Flame Technique, and the Sarutobi clan's staff techniques."
Kiyohara felt that the gains from this battle were quite satisfactory. It was worth spending extra time in the fight.
Otherwise, he could have ended it within just a few exchanges.
The only reason he had dragged it out was to copy more ninjutsu.
Asuma had also used Fire Release: Great Flame Technique before, but at that time Kiyohara's Sharingan had not yet reached three tomoe, and his ocular power was not as strong as it was now.
After completing Uchiha Kiyohara's second last will, he had obtained the three tomoe Sharingan along with a significant boost in spiritual energy.
"I am about to become an Anbu squad leader."
Kiyohara called out to his Anbu self.
The spiritual body of his Anbu persona floated out.
"So fast?"
The Anbu Kiyohara looked surprised.
Was this version of himself really this capable?
(End of Chapter)