This sudden turn of events came out of nowhere.
It was almost beyond everyone's expectations.
Obito instantly activated his Sharingan and rapidly retreated, but the front of his clothes was still sliced open by the edge of that kunai. A thin line of red blood could faintly be seen appearing on his chest. As he reached into his ninja pouch for tools, he couldn't help shouting loudly:
"Hey, hey, what's going on?! Have these hostages gone crazy? They're attacking us?!"
"Idiot. They're members of the examiner team!"
Mikami Yuu said coldly. At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning and locked around the wrist of the young man attacking him.
But the instant the two made contact, Yuu instinctively sensed something was wrong. So first, with a crack, he dislocated the other party's wrist joint, followed it with a hand chop to the neck, and as the other party's body went limp, he pulled away and brought his hands together.
"Release!"
This was the hand seal for dispelling genjutsu.
The next moment,
the surrounding air rippled, like the surface of water after a stone had been tossed in.
As the ripples faded, the scene around them changed in an instant. The two attackers who had suddenly erupted into action disappeared. Obito was still engaged in a battle of wits and courage with empty air; Rin had not yet noticed that she was caught in a genjutsu. Only Yuu noticed the unfamiliar figure appearing across from him—
Yūhi Shinku.
This man had probably been hiding among the four hostages all along, only now undoing his Transformation Technique and revealing his true appearance.
"As expected…"
Yuu let out a slight breath of relief.
In truth, he wasn't completely sure whether everything just now had been genjutsu. But knowing that the captain of the examiner team was Yūhi Shinku, no matter what, casting a genjutsu release first was definitely not wrong. Now, it seemed things had indeed gone as he suspected.
Across from him,
Yūhi Shinku was also looking at Yuu with a somewhat surprised expression. He spoke in a low voice.
"When did you notice my identity?"
"Probably after we encountered that lizard."
Yuu said.
"…That early?"
Yūhi Shinku was a little doubtful.
He had some confidence in his Transformation Technique. And as one of the few non-Uchiha Konoha ninja famous for genjutsu, Yūhi Shinku's mastery of genjutsu was no lower than that of the original timeline's jōnin Kurenai. That made his disguise practically perfect in most cases.
Usually, only members of the Uchiha or Hyūga clans—and even then, they had to possess at least two-tomoe Sharingan or be proficient in genjutsu—could quickly see through his identity.
But…
A genin without dōjutsu could do that too?
"Because you were too 'professional,' Shinku-senpai."
Yuu smiled and said.
"…Professional? How so?"
Yūhi Shinku frowned slightly.
Yuu explained in a steady voice.
"It's simple. These hostages are not real ordinary people. They're Konoha ninja disguised as civilians. Most candidates can easily judge that.
"Disguising as a civilian while being a ninja seems like a very simple mission, but the simpler something is, the harder it is to do well. It's like the Three Basic Jutsu every ninja student knows. Most people stop paying attention to them after passing the graduation exam and instead focus more on higher-level ninjutsu.
"The same goes for Great Fireball, Wild Water Wave, Healing Technique… and others."
[Clone Technique: Yuu, you… are you using sweet words to coax us again?]
[Transformation Technique: Wuwu… I knew little Mikami would never abandon us.]
At this moment,
Yuu felt a little guilty.
To be honest, he also held some utilitarian thoughts toward these techniques. After their affection reached max, the number of times he practiced them had decreased, unless a new skin appeared. However, he still used them in battle, and he chatted with them when free.
Compared with ninja who barely practiced the Three Basic Jutsu after becoming genin—especially Clone Technique—he could already be considered very devoted.
Across from him,
Yūhi Shinku felt Yuu had wandered off-topic and couldn't help asking, "And?"
"So, when the mission is to 'play civilians,' the people who look most like civilians are actually the most suspicious."
Yuu continued, "When that giant lizard appeared, I observed that the others all more or less showed subconscious behaviors like tensing their muscles, adjusting their breathing, preparing to defend themselves… things like that. Only you maintained fear, helplessness, and confusion from beginning to end, as if you really were an ordinary person. There were no traces of acting at all.
"A disguise at that level isn't something an ordinary genin or chūnin can do. But using a jōnin to play a hostage feels a little too extravagant. So I began suspecting that the examiner might be hidden among the hostages we rescued.
"When that series of bells rang just now, I had been secretly observing you all the whole time. Although your movements were hidden, I still caught the faint chakra fluctuation when you formed your seals. That detail became the final piece of the puzzle and completed the entire chain of evidence."
Mm… actually, there was one more critical point.
Yuu had long since noticed that Yūhi Shinku had used Transformation Technique.
After all, he himself was a "master" in Transformation Technique.
If the goal was only to play a hostage, using one's real appearance or not didn't matter. Unless the other party's intention went beyond that.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Yūhi Shinku quietly listened to the end and couldn't help applauding softly. The surprise on his face gradually turned into appreciation.
"What a brilliant analysis, Mikami Yuu.
"Your performance exceeded my expectations. Whether it was the combat quality you showed along the way, your adaptability, or your observational analysis and logical reasoning ability, all of it far exceeds the standard for promotion to chūnin. This exam is more like a talent show for you."
"Thank you for the praise."
Yuu nodded slightly.
Yūhi Shinku smiled. "However, as an examiner, I have a duty to let you experience what a true jōnin is like. This is also the final lesson arranged for young people like you who are about to step onto a higher stage."
"…Then please make your move, Shinku-senpai. My blade has long been thirsting."
Yuu's right hand gripped the hilt of the short sword protruding behind his back. The corners of his mouth lifted into a battle-hungry smile.
This scene
made Yūhi Shinku appreciate him, but at the same time, he unconsciously recalled the image of his own daughter taking the initiative to serve this brat food at the dinner gathering. For some reason, his heart felt a little blocked.
"Hmph… Let strength do the talking!"
Before his words had even fallen, Yūhi Shinku's figure shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The long blade in his hand traced a cold arc beneath the moonlight, carrying a sharp whistle as it tore through the air and slashed straight toward Mikami Yuu's face.
Konoha-style swordsmanship!
~~~
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