Hyuga Yuto strolled down the street, munching on a box of takoyaki.
Ten days had passed since he returned to Konoha.
The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense.
Even on the streets of Konoha, one could see fully armed ninja, many of whom wore gray armor, a high-quality piece of equipment only seen during large-scale wars, rarely in ordinary times.
Three days ago, Konoha began implementing a "closed-door policy," prohibiting all foreign ninja from entering. Even within the village, masked ANBU would occasionally check the identities of suspicious individuals.
However, Hyuga Yuto had never been questioned. His pair of innocent Byakugan eyes were a free pass in Konoha. There had never been a living Hyuga traitor in the shinobi world.
—At least not yet.
Hyuga Yuto finished his takoyaki, stretched, and continued walking.
Usually, at this time, he would be sparring with Tsunade at the Senju Clan compound. But today, the Branch House boy had a different destination.
The Konoha Jonin Promotion Exam was being held today.
Unlike the "open and large-scale" Chunin Exams, the Jonin promotion was rarely witnessed by ordinary ninja. It was usually conducted in secret, with witnesses and examiners being important figures in the village, including the Hokage.
Not only in Konoha, but Jonin exams in other ninja villages were also not public. There were many considerations behind this, the most important being "protecting the Jonin's information from being leaked"!
Jonin were the elite of a ninja village. They nurtured new blood, led teams in battle, commanded large-scale wars, and researched ninjutsu. From newly appointed squad leaders to advisors and even candidates for the "Kage"... It could be said that the quantity and quality of Jonin were important indicators of a nation's strength.
Having lived in Konoha for thirteen years, Hyuga Yuto was familiar with the village. Following the map Tsunade gave him last night, he turned left and right, quickly arriving at the end of a certain street.
He pressed a hidden mechanism, and a secret door slowly appeared. Hyuga Yuto entered, descending into a tunnel, and soon arrived at a small chamber with steel walls.
"Eh... Clichéd trap..." As soon as he entered, Hyuga Yuto couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Clang!
An iron gate slammed shut behind him, blocking the tunnel. The steel walls instantly flipped, revealing countless kunai and shuriken. The mechanism activated with a roar, launching them all towards Hyuga Yuto.
The Branch House boy tilted his head. The next moment, his body spun at high speed, a spherical chakra shield appearing, leaving no gaps.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...
Kunai and hidden weapons from all directions were deflected and knocked down, none breaching his defenses.
—Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!
This was a secret technique passed down orally through generations of the Hyuga Main House. It was a high-difficulty taijutsu and ninjutsu technique known as the "perfect defense." The Branch House had no chance to learn it. Years later, Hyuga Neji would awaken it through his own talent.
Similarly, Hyuga Yuto could also master "Revolving Heaven" through his talent.
His Super Strength training had deepened his understanding of the "fist." After practicing the Yin Seal, his control over his body and chakra became even more terrifying. Moreover, from reading the manga in his previous life, he already knew the general principles of Revolving Heaven. Mastering this secret technique was only natural.
After the torrential rain of hidden weapons subsided, Hyuga Yuto gently waved his hand, stopping "Revolving Heaven." The ground was littered with broken and deformed kunai, and the steel walls were riddled with dents from the deflected projectiles.
The Branch House boy lifted his foot, about to search for an exit, when he saw several pieces of paper stuck to the ground.
Explosive tags!
"Ha... Now this is a bit more creative." Hyuga Yuto chuckled, not hesitating in the slightest. He activated the Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing beside a wall. He twisted his waist, raised his elbow, and threw a punch, all in one fluid motion.
Boom!
Immense power surged forth, creating a large hole in the steel wall and the thick concrete behind it. Hyuga Yuto completely ignored the exploding tags behind him and continued to smash his way forward through the hole.
Rumble, rumble... Hyuga Yuto understood why Tsunade-sensei enjoyed destroying rocks and trees with her fists. It was truly stress-relieving to watch everything crumble under his own power.
This ferocious "hole-punching" didn't last long. Soon, Hyuga Yuto felt the resistance disappear. He finally broke through the thick concrete wall and arrived at a spacious underground plaza.
Hatake Kakashi, with his snow-white hair and half-face mask, was already standing there.
He seemed a bit surprised by Hyuga Yuto's method of entry. Pointing at the large hole, he said blankly,
"Yuto, you... Why did you destroy the exam site?"
"Exam site?" Hyuga Yuto straightened his clothes, smoothing out every wrinkle.
"I thought that was a test of our sustained destructive capabilities."
"...Of course not." Kakashi was a bit dejected.
"That was just an appetizer, a preliminary test to assess our overall qualities as ninja. It's actually a rather ingenious design. After passing through that hidden weapon chamber, we would receive a scroll. Following the route depicted on it, we would need to go through several more trials to reach here. The process would test our intelligence gathering, on-the-spot reaction, speed and endurance, and the diversity of our ninjutsu..."
"Oh." Hyuga Yuto smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Kakashi. I passed too easily... But I believe that as ninja, we should be unrestrained when carrying out missions."
Kakashi's brow twitched upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but his eyes widened in admiration at the second half.
"As ninja, we should be unrestrained... Hyuga Yuto is still the same as before... Occasionally saying such profound things..."
The white-haired Kakashi shrugged.
"You're right. As ninja, we must have the resolve to do anything for the mission."
Hyuga Yuto was only a year older than Kakashi, practically the same age. They were quite familiar with each other. It was boring to just wait, so they chatted idly, the atmosphere not awkward.
Gradually, a few more people appeared. Unlike Hyuga Yuto and Kakashi, these were young adults between twenty and thirty years old, mature in their demeanor, experienced ninja who had completed nearly a thousand missions.
Normally, the average age for Jonin promotion was around twenty-eight. For Hyuga Yuto and Kakashi to become Jonin at their age was considered "astonishing." If it weren't for the impending war and other factors, they would never have been promoted so quickly.
After waiting for a while longer, no one else appeared.
Tap, tap.
Calm footsteps echoed as several important figures of Konoha appeared one by one.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade Senju were among them.