As Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice fell, Senju Hikaru and Weasel moved at almost the exact same moment.
They turned into streaks of light, ripping through the air—then sparks burst from metal-on-metal impact as both men appeared locked together, kunai pressed against kunai.
Fast.
So fast that even the eye struggled to keep up.
Senju Hikaru was famous for speed.
But Weasel was also a speed-type shinobi.
A clash like this was guaranteed to be dizzying.
"Hm?"
While their kunai pinned each other and their strength silently pushed back and forth, a sudden alarm rang through Senju Hikaru's instincts.
He immediately sensed something off about Weasel.
In the next instant, Senju Hikaru sprang sideways—just as a cold, sinister blade-light slid past his clothes.
With his perception already active, Senju Hikaru caught every subtle shift.
Weasel's blade work was no joke.
"Crescent Moon Dance?"
Landing, Senju Hikaru's gaze swept over the attacker.
A shadow clone.
Crescent Moon Dance was rumored to be a sword technique created by Senju Tobirama. Senju Hikaru wasn't sure whether that origin story was true, but he did know the technique itself:
At the moment of attack, the user creates shadow clones, then the clones and the original coordinate—blitzing from the left, above, and right to strike vital points.
But Weasel had modified it into something more suited to ANBU assassination.
His clone didn't appear at the start of the assault.
Instead, it emerged after the original initiated contact—then followed up in sequence.
And perhaps to conserve chakra—or because this was only probing—Weasel had formed just one clone.
"Interesting."
Senju Hikaru noted it inwardly, then moved again.
Because Weasel's original and clone were already closing in—shadowing him like a pair of blades.
Senju Hikaru tapped the ground with his toes and drifted backward. In a flash of motion, his ninjatō slid free.
He swung hard toward Weasel—
And Weasel stepped in to block.
Senju Hikaru's smile deepened.
At the moment their blades met, a streak of deep-blue light flashed along Senju Hikaru's sword.
A razor-thin Water Release—compressed to the extreme—burst into life along the edge.
Senju Hikaru's blade cut clean through Weasel's sword, severing it at the hilt with no resistance at all.
Then Senju Hikaru's Body Flicker fully detonated.
Wrapped in blue brilliance, he drove his ninjatō straight toward Weasel's chest!
"That kid's using the sensei's technique well," Hiruzen said as he watched the blue-lit blade, a faint smile appearing. "He's pushed Water Blade Slash to a very high level. He must have put in serious work."
"Agreed," Koharu nodded, expression sharp. "At this level, he's already beyond most users of that technique."
"Hmph. He's from that clan," Danzō said coldly, still irritated. "Not embarrassing the teacher is the bare minimum."
Homura stayed silent.
Minato also didn't join the older generation's conversation—he simply watched.
Senju Hikaru's showing was excellent, but one or two techniques didn't prove enough.
He still needed to win.
Minato—who had been neatly cornered by the Third Hokage—knew he had no room left to retreat.
He could only hope Senju Hikaru succeeded.
More than that, he hoped Senju Hikaru wouldactively request a theory exam afterward—only that could slightly soften the political trap Hiruzen had set.
Bang!
Senju Hikaru's thrust landed—and a muffled burst followed as thick smoke bloomed in front of him.
A shadow clone.
He had struck the clone, not the real body.
Which made sense—few people would sacrifice themselves to protect a clone unless they were running a deliberate bait.
The instant the clone dispersed, Weasel's real body surged in, swinging a brutal downward slash at Senju Hikaru.
But Senju Hikaru had already locked onto him with perception.
His response was instant.
As Senju Hikaru settled his footing, his sword rotated and caught Weasel's blade.
Then Senju Hikaru twisted his torso and drove a kick at Weasel.
Unfortunately, Weasel wasn't ordinary either.
His reaction speed wasn't quite Senju Hikaru's—but his combat experience was solid. He raised his left arm, blocked the kick, and used the impact to throw himself back out of range.
Even while flying backward, Weasel's hands were already flashing through seals.
He wasn't going to give Senju Hikaru a chase window.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Chakra surged—
And a massive earth dragon erupted from the ground, lunging straight at Senju Hikaru.
Senju Hikaru didn't bother countering with ninjutsu.
This kind of technique simply wasn't a problem for him.
He rolled once—clean, efficient—and slipped past the dragon with ease.
The movement looked almost casual.
Elegant.
As if the giant earth dragon existed only as a stage prop to make his evasion look even more dazzling.
That alone drew sharp reactions across the ANBU ranks.
Dodging a ninjutsu strike that cleanly had never been easy.
Weasel's Earth Dragon Bullet was fast, and its coverage wasn't narrow—evading it "lightly" required absurd reaction speed and body coordination.
Yet Senju Hikaru did it—without relying on a counter-technique.
That spoke volumes.
"Nightingale Captain is young, but he's… beyond expectations."
"That reaction speed and coordination—ridiculous."
"If you draw him as your opponent later, you'll have a bad time. He's clearly not easy."
"Enough. Don't cross the line—Captain matters are not ours to judge."
Whispers spread.
Not only among ANBU—even Hiruzen and Danzō gave him a second look.
Danzō in his youth might have done the same.
But now, he would more often default to countering with ninjutsu.
That kind of coordination and reflex wasn't something you trained into existence.
It was talent.
Rare, unfair talent.
Hiruzen's eyes flicked—almost casually—toward Minato.
Now he understood a little more clearly why Minato had chosen this boy, and why he seemed to be teaching him personally.
This kind of talent…
It suited a certain technique Minato had mastered.
And if the boy truly learned it—
Then the boy's value would become impossible to measure.
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