Chapter 3: The Beginning of a Legend
This exam is anything but ordinary. Besides the Hokage's summoning, just the presence of the ninjutsu scroll is likely something extraordinary.
For an ordinary civilian ninja, reaching the level of a Chūnin is usually enough to stand out. After all, when compared to the notable clans of prestigious ninja families, it's quite a difference.
Without any special bloodline limits, without the ancestral collection of ninjutsu scrolls and the experience of training, and even lacking some unique secret techniques, it's clear that solely relying on one's own training is simply not enough compared to these others.
Kudo Ryoufan does not know whether his parents have enough "treasures." With the mindset that having even one more ninjutsu scroll can make a difference, Ryoufan feels that it is time to showcase his true strength in this assessment!
Soon, under the urging of the Chūnin teacher Tsushima Saburo, the first test begins: shuriken throwing. Indeed, in "Naruto," it seems every ninja must possess this skill.
Some may think that shurikens are merely ornamental, but in genuine competition, shurikens can truly be one of a ninja's best companions.
Not everyone is a main character! Not everyone possesses a vast amount of chakra to eliminate their opponent before their limited reserves are depleted. It's not just about having a jutsu with tremendous destructive power; using shurikens in conjunction with explosive tags can deliver damage equivalent to a C-rank Fire Style Jutsu.
"First, Mochizuki Kouki," called out by Chūnin teacher Tsushima Saburo, a character so ordinary that he is practically a background character, steps up to prepare for shuriken throwing.
With a "whoosh," several shurikens are quickly thrown, but only four out of ten hit the target.
"Next, Mizu Hekitai…" Soon, it was Might Guy's turn. His accuracy didn't change much, hitting about half.
"Next, Kudo Ryoufan."
Is it finally my turn? Seeing Might Guy's supportive glance as he just finished his turn, Ryoufan smiled and softly said, "Don't worry," before stepping up.
To everyone's surprise, Ryoufan achieved an impressive accuracy rate of 80%. This was worlds apart from the original Kudo Ryoufan.
"Is it really just this ordinary ability to tap into the strength within the bones and skin that allowed him to achieve such results?" If it were the old Kudo Ryoufan, hitting that rate would have been impossible, but after undergoing modifications from the Huang-level martial arts 'Golden Bell Shield (Remnant),' his body had become stronger.
Ignoring the shocked gazes from the little kids, Ryoufan returned to his spot and threw a knowing glance at Might Guy.
Once the final person completed their assessment, they moved on to the most enjoyable and intense portion: the actual combat session. While this section is the most anticipated for the novice ninjas still "playing with sand" at the ninja academy, for Yuyta Mizuno, a Jonin and a member of the Hokage's Anbu, it was pure agony.
Indeed, as the highest-level exam before graduation from the ninja academy, even though Hokage was paying close attention, there were simply too many matters for him to address, so he had to delegate the responsibility to his Anbu to observe any promising candidates.
Of course, the students and Chūnin teacher Tsushima Saburo had no idea that there was a ninja secretly observing them. At that moment, Tsushima Saburo was in a dilemma.
As the only member of a major clan in the class, Uchiha Qian undoubtedly carried a sense of pride. The number of students turned out to be odd.
However, the matches were conducted in pairs, meaning one student would randomly advance to the next round without participating, and this selection left Tsushima Saburo feeling troubled.
Uchiha Qian seemed to notice the teacher's dilemma and said directly, "Teacher, why don't we just let the student at the bottom advance? Even if he enters the second round, he will likely be eliminated, which won't greatly affect the overall results of the assessment."
Unfortunately, in any world, in any classroom, the existence of the underperformer holds no rights. This was true even now. After Tsushima Saburo announced that Kudo Ryoufan would advance directly to the second round, the other classmates looked enviously at Ryoufan for the first time. After all, some of the students would not be able to smoothly advance to the second round.
Just as everyone was feeling envious, Ryoufan spoke a line that shattered everyone's perception of reality: "Uchiha Qian, since you look down on me as the underperformer, why don't we go up and spar?"
At this moment, Uchiha Qian finally looked directly at Kudo Ryoufan, and without a hint of anger on his expression replied, "Since you want to lose so badly, I'll grant you that."
Ryoufan wasn't trying to show off. It was just that the reward from the system was incredibly tempting. Divination techniques could allow him to predict fortunes for three people a day.
This was a major game-changer, as he would no longer need to fear inadvertently divulging plot points and being captured for research. This would be Kudo Ryoufan's special bloodline limit!
Soon, both moved to the center of the arena. According to the rules, they made opposing hand seals and then took a large step back simultaneously.
Although Uchiha Qian didn't activate his Sharingan, as a member of the Uchiha clan, he naturally possessed an advantage in Fire Style techniques. He wished to quickly eliminate this "arrogant" commoner in battle.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!" As a C-rank Fire Style Jutsu, it wasn't extremely potent, but for a group of kids who hadn't yet left the ninja academy, just knowing a jutsu made someone feel invincible.
Uchiha Qian revealed a cruel smile, wanting to see the charred body of this little brat. In Kudo Ryoufan's eyes, several flaming fireballs had already launched at him.
Without any hesitation, he declared, "Yin-Chou-Chen-Yin-Chen-Wei, Water Style: Water Chaos Wave Technique!" This was Ryoufan's best response to Uchiha Qian!
The fireballs collided with the waves of water, creating a mist that slowly rose toward the sky. For Ryoufan, it was fundamental to move swiftly as a martial artist; it is often said that speed is paramount in martial arts.
While Uchiha Qian was still momentarily dazed, Ryoufan had already dashed through the mist, hurling a wooden kunai towards Uchiha Qian.
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