Clang—clang!
The crashing sound of soil exploding upward echoed through the forest.
Ahead of the rising earth wave, Yakushi Nonō lifted her chin with a faint smile.
"Didn't move, huh?"
Just as Hirata Shinichi was about to reach her, a figure leapt out from a pit in the ground—another Nonō. At the same moment he landed, he caught sight of the blonde girl's clone poking its head up with a smug grin… and the explosive tag clearly pasted under her foot.
—BOOM!!!
The C-rank Fire Release talisman erupted.
Uchiha Mikoto clicked her tongue—she hadn't fooled a jōnin, after all. Beside her, the real Nonō's head emerged from the soil.
"As expected of a jōnin… our little tricks really are child's play."
The blast wave of fire roared outward. Shinichi crossed his arms, letting the force throw him backward. Mid-air, he flicked out two kunai, hooked their wires around a nearby trunk, and slingshotted himself up to land on top of a tall, thick branch.
Looking down at the trio, he said calmly:
"Not bad. The two of you could honestly qualify as chūnin already.
Unfortunately… an exam is still an exam."
"From here on, I won't be giving you any openings."
His hands blurred like afterimages as he completed a rapid sequence.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoooosh—!
A powerful downburst of wind slammed downward, pinning Mikoto and Nonō in place.
The sheer force of the wind made movement nearly impossible.
Shinichi continued to exhale an endless stream of wind-chakra, maintaining a crushing pressure zone around them. If the two girls wanted to resist, they had no choice but to burn their chakra continuously—once they ran dry, it would be over.
Meanwhile, Might Duy gritted his teeth. Activating the Eight Gates twice had drained most of his stamina. Without them, he had neither the chakra nor physical strength to match a jōnin long enough to stop him.
"I…"
"Forgive me, Kaito."
Before the exam, he had promised Kaito he would never activate unfinished Gates again and risk irreparable harm.
But right now—
"Eight Gates…
Third Gate—Gate of Life, OPEN!"
Crack—crack!
Even just the third gate unleashed a pressure not inferior to an elite jōnin. Air exploded outward as dust blasted away from his feet.
"Youth will NEVER retreat! That is—!"
Shinichi's eyes widened.
In that instant, the boy before him surpassed even many jōnin in raw instantaneous speed.
"—MY NINDO!!"
The speed was so overwhelming that Shinichi had to cancel his Wind Release instantly.
BOOM!!!
A blue streak blitzed across the treetops. A massive trunk split in half with a thunderous crash.
Shinichi used a perfect Substitution Technique, appearing safely on the ground some distance away.
"Oh yeah… I've heard of you. Your name was Might Duy, wasn't it?"
"Looks like your hard work finally paid off."
Duy flashed behind him, fist clenched tight. "Of course it did!"
But a thick earthen wall surged upward between them.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A solid wall—without the usual dog head motif.
A heartbeat later, the fist of burning youth smashed into it.
And that was it.
Duy's burst of power ended.
Without the Gates, his vision blurred.
"Still… not enough."
His consciousness slipped away. Shinichi caught the collapsing boy, instantly sensing the problem—Duy had pushed himself too far. His condition made it impossible for him to continue the exam.
—If a medical-nin had been present, they would have discovered multiple torn muscle groups. It would take weeks—possibly months—to fully recover.
"You're still far off, kid."
"Ninja battles aren't just hot-blooded taijutsu. There are countless unpredictable ninjutsu as well."
Shinichi laid Duy gently on the ground. The two girls, finally recovering from the wind pressure, rushed toward him at the same time.
"Duy!" x2
…
Central Tower – Rest Area
Seven hours into the exam.
All teams had already finished the second test—far earlier than the allotted twenty-four hours. Only three teams remained.
Proctor Akimoto entered the room, looking at the nine remaining examinees.
"This time, only your three teams passed."
"For fairness, you'll rest here in the tower tonight. Tomorrow, we begin the—"
"Wait a second! Did Squad Eleven fail?" Kaito cut in, frowning. He had expected the test to move quickly, but this was four hours faster than last time.
Yet his squad wasn't among the survivors.
Unless…
Don't tell me they ran into a jōnin squad pretending to be enemy ninja again?
"Well… Might Duy used a forbidden taijutsu and passed out," Akimoto explained.
"The tower's medical staff examined him immediately."
"He has seven or eight torn muscle groups…"
"Who did it?" Kaito's voice remained calm—but the killing intent bursting out of him froze the entire room. Akimoto's explanation died in his throat.
Akimoto swallowed hard.
Didn't this man claim he had no combat ability and wanted to withdraw from the third test?
Why does he feel like he could beat me into the floor right now?
Realizing the atmosphere, Kaito quickly suppressed his aura. His face went pale and he coughed violently.
"Apologies… I overreacted. Please continue, Akimoto-jōnin. They are my students, after all."
Akimoto: "…"
I'm starting to think you are the jōnin here.
Everyone in the room had felt it—the pressure wasn't something a genin could emit.
Only elite jōnin… maybe even Kage-level ninja had that kind of presence.
Shimura Yūko narrowed her eyes.
That should be the "six-year genin" her clan elders mentioned…
But why would a genin possess such terrifying aura?
Others also fell silent—Shiranui, Yuhi, everyone.
Could Kaito be pretending to be weak?
No. Impossible.
If he were truly that strong, how would he fail the chūnin exam for six straight years?
After calming himself, Akimoto resumed.
"They encountered Jōnin Hirata. Same as your previous experience, Kaito."
Kaito: "…"
Damn it.
That clingy uncle again?
He slumped back into his chair, fully understanding the situation.
Torn muscles were serious, yes—but with Tsunade in the village hospital, recovery was guaranteed.
Akimoto hadn't said Duy was crippled, so the injury was treatable.
Once this exam ends, Kaito thought grimly,
I'm absolutely complaining to Rin-san about this…
Night fell.
After requesting permission to leave the mock forest and escorting his team back to the hospital, Kaito exhaled deeply.
Rin was pregnant.
He couldn't tell her about Duy's condition…
Damn it!
But if he doesn't tell her, how is he supposed to explain a month-long hospitalization?!
Duy, you hot-blooded idiot! No wonder you're destined to be a genin for life!
Konoha Hospital
On a white hospital bed lay a young man wrapped from neck to toe in bandages.
Other injured examinees shared the ward—though their wounds were minor enough to leave in a few days.
"What?! He picked a fight with Uncle Shinichi? Why would a genin provoke him?"
In the next room, another Hirata—a genin with several layers of bandages from mild burns—spoke animatedly.
"Uncle Shinichi is super strict! You guys actually challenged him? I respect your courage!"
Mikoto and Nonō's expressions twitched.
They didn't want to provoke anyone!
Click.
The door opened.
Kaito stepped inside—clean and spotless compared to the two girls covered in dirt, leaves, and scratches.
"I told you: if you see a jōnin playing 'enemy ninja,' turn around and walk away. Look what happened now."
"Sensei!" x2
"No shouting in the hospital!"
A nurse holding documents scolded them from behind Kaito.
The girls lowered their heads instantly.
The nurse closed the door and spoke quietly to Kaito in the hallway, where the noise of passing staff filled the air.
"About Duy's condition—you're aware, right?"
"More or less."
"His injuries can't be handled by regular doctors.
Fortunately, Lady Tsunade is currently in Konoha Hospital. She performed the surgery herself. Anyone else wouldn't have been nearly as effective."
"So as his teacher, you'd better go thank her properly."
"Of course, of course. I'll visit her shortly."
The nurse rolled her eyes and slapped Duy's report against his chest.
"Take a look around."
"Lady Tsunade has no time right now."
Kaito glanced down the hall.
Even at this hour, the hospital was crowded.
"I see. Thank you for taking care of them."
The nurse rolled her eyes again—but at that moment, after a full day of exhaustion, she finally looked at Kaito's face properly.
Her tone suddenly softened.
"It's no problem at all. By the way, ninja-kun… do you happen to have a girlfri—"
FWUMP—
The door shut in her face.
She froze, left standing in the hallway, utterly bewildered.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
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