Clang—clang!
The earthen waves smashing through the ground rang out with harsh, grating sounds.
Standing at the very front of those waves, Yakushi Nono smiled faintly.
"Not moving?"
Just as Hirata Shinichi leapt out of the pit and was about to reach her, he saw it—
The smug grin on the blonde girl's clone as it looked up, and beneath her feet, a talisman clearly visible: black frame, white background.
BOOM—!!!
The power of a C-rank Fire Release erupted violently.
Uchiha Mikoto hadn't expected even this to fail to deceive a jōnin. She clicked her tongue, and at the same time, Nono's head emerged from the ground beside her.
"A jōnin really is something else. Our tactics really do look like child's play."
The explosive shockwave blasted straight toward Hirata Shinichi. He crossed his arms and was blown backward.
Midair, he flung out two kunai. Using wire to wrap around a tree trunk, he redirected his momentum and landed firmly atop a thick branch, looking down at the three of them.
"Not bad. You two could already be considered chūnin."
"But unfortunately—an exam is still an exam."
"Next, I won't give you any chance to catch your breath."
Hirata Shinichi's hands blurred like afterimages as he swiftly completed a jutsu.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Whooosh—
A crushing gale descended from above, slamming into Uchiha Mikoto and Yakushi Nono head-on. The sheer pressure of the wind pinned them in place, leaving them unable to move.
Endless Wind Release chakra poured from Hirata Shinichi's mouth, forming a wide zone of oppressive wind pressure.
To resist it, the two girls would have to continuously burn chakra just to struggle. Once their chakra ran dry—it would be over.
Might Dai clenched his teeth.
Opening the Eight Gates twice had already drained him heavily. Without the Eight Gates, he didn't have enough chakra—or the physical power—to reach Hirata Shinichi and stop him.
"I…"
"…Sorry, Bai Xing."
Before the exam, he had promised Bai Xing that he would never damage his body by using the incomplete Eight Gates.
"Eight Gates…"
"Third Gate—Gate of Life, open!"
Crack—crack!
Even though it was only the Third Gate, an aura no weaker than a jōnin's burst from Might Dai. The ground and the surrounding area were swept by the shockwave.
"Youth will never retreat—youth will never retreat. This is—"
Hirata Shinichi's eyes widened slightly. On a genin's body, he saw speed that surpassed even an ordinary jōnin's Body Flicker taijutsu.
"——This is my ninja way!!"
Too fast.
So fast that Hirata Shinichi had no choice but to cut off his Wind Release early.
BOOM—!!!
A flash of blue light streaked past the treetop—
With a thunderous crash, the thick trunk snapped in two.
Hirata Shinichi executed a perfect Substitution, reappearing on the ground some distance away.
"Ah… I remember now. You're that guy called Might Dai."
"Looks like your efforts finally paid off."
Appearing behind him at extreme speed, Might Dai clenched his fist.
"Of course they did!"
In the next instant, a thick wall of earth erupted straight up behind Hirata Shinichi.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A simple earthen wall—no dog heads.
The next moment, a fist filled with youthful spirit smashed brutally into the solid wall.
That was the limit of Might Dai's 'cheat.'
Without the support of the Eight Gates, his vision blurred.
"…Still not enough."
Hirata Shinichi appeared, catching the unconscious Dai as he fell. From his assessment, the technique Dai had just used had consumed an enormous amount of energy—there was no way he could continue the exam.
—If a medical ninja were present, they would find that several of Dai's muscles had ruptured. At minimum, he would need a long period of rest to recover.
"Not even close, kid."
"Ninja combat isn't just hot-blooded taijutsu."
"There are also countless unpredictable ninjutsu."
Calmly, Hirata Shinichi laid Might Dai's body flat on the ground.
The two girls, who had finally recovered enough to move, saw this and shouted at the same time:
"Dai!" ×2
...
Central Tower — Rest Area
Seven hours into the exam, the second stage had already ended completely.
There was no need for the full twenty-four hours.
Only three teams remained.
At this moment, Akimoto—the proctor in charge of the second stage—entered the rest area and looked at the nine people present.
"This stage—only you three teams passed."
"For the sake of fairness, you will rest overnight in the Central Tower. Tomorrow, the third stage combat exercises will begin—"
"Wait!"
Bai Xing interrupted. "May I ask—did Team Eleven also fail?"
He had long known that this stage progressed quickly, but he hadn't expected it to be four hours faster than last time.
What confused him was that his team hadn't passed either.
—Don't tell me it's like last time… accidentally provoking the jōnin squad playing enemy ninja again…
"Well…" Akimoto hesitated.
"Might Dai used a forbidden nin-taijutsu and lost consciousness."
"The medical ninja stationed at the tower rushed over immediately."
"There were seven or eight cases of muscle rupture—"
"Who did it?"
Bai Xing's voice was calm—but the pressure that erupted from him instantly cut Akimoto off.
Akimoto swallowed hard.
Didn't you say you were out of combat power and withdrawing from the third stage?
Why does it feel like you could beat several of me right now…
Bai Xing noticed it too. The pressure vanished at once. His face turned deathly pale as he started coughing violently.
"Sorry. I got emotional."
"Please explain, Akimoto-jōnin. They're my students, after all."
Akimoto: "..."
I think you're the jōnin here.
The other ninja present also felt the oppressive pressure just now. That kind of aura was absolutely not something a genin should possess—
It was something only elite jōnin—or even Kage-level figures—had.
Shimura Yūko narrowed her eyes.
This must be that 'six-year genin' my clan mentioned…
But why would a genin have such pressure?
The others fell into thought as well. Even Shiranui Kumo and Yūhi Liuyun wondered if Bai Xing was secretly playing dumb.
But soon, the same three words surfaced in everyone's mind:
Impossible.
If Bai Xing really had that level of strength, how could he fail the Chūnin Exams year after year and remain a genin for so long?
Once Akimoto steadied himself, he continued.
"They ran into Jōnin Hirata. Similar to what happened to you last time, Bai Xing…"
Bai Xing: "..."
Damn it—it's that clingy uncle again!
Bai Xing immediately sat back down, accepting it.
Muscle tears were serious—but at worst, Dai wouldn't be able to train or go on missions for a month or two.
And with Tsunade at the hospital, there was nothing to worry about.
—After all, Akimoto hadn't said Dai could no longer be a ninja. That meant the injuries were severe, but not fatal.
After the exam, he was definitely going to complain to Miss Rin properly…
As night fell, Bai Xing left the Simulation Forest for the village hospital, deep in thought, shaking his head slightly.
Miss Rin is pregnant… I can't tell her this…
Damn it! If I don't tell her, how am I supposed to explain two months in the hospital?!
Dai, you idiot—your hot-bloodedness is exactly why you deserve to be a genin for life!
Konoha Hospital
On a white bed lay a young man wrapped head to toe in white bandages.
Other injured patients occupied the ward as well—also candidates from the second stage of the Chūnin Exams, though with much lighter injuries.
"Huh?! Is he okay? Why would a genin go provoke Uncle Shinichi?"
In the neighboring bed, a Konoha genin with the surname Hirata—his torso lightly wrapped in bandages from minor burns—spoke animatedly.
"Uncle Shinichi is usually super strict. I really admire your courage for daring to challenge him."
Uchiha Mikoto and Yakushi Nono, their clothes still covered in grass, dirt, and scrapes from moving through the forest, twitched at the corner of their mouths.
We didn't want to provoke him either…
Click.
The door slowly opened.
Standing there—noticeably cleaner than the two girls—was Bai Xing.
"I told you already. When you see ninja acting as enemy forces, go around them."
"And now look what happened."
"Sensei!" ×2
"This is a hospital—no loud noises!"
A nurse holding a file glared at them from behind Bai Xing, making the two girls instantly lower their heads in shame.
The nurse then closed the door. She and Bai Xing spoke quietly in the hallway amid the constant bustle of people passing by.
She glanced at the file and looked up at Bai Xing.
"You already know about Genin Might Dai's condition, right?"
"Yes. I have a general idea."
"His injuries aren't something ordinary doctors could handle."
"Fortunately, Lady Tsunade is currently at Konoha Hospital and personally performed the surgery. If it were another medical ninja, the outcome might not have been nearly as good."
"So as his teacher, you should properly thank Lady Tsunade."
"Absolutely. I'll go see her later."
The nurse rolled her eyes and slapped Dai's report into Bai Xing's hands.
"Take a look around you first."
"Lady Tsunade is extremely busy right now."
"Maybe once the frontline situation improves, she'll have time to accept your thanks."
Hearing this, Bai Xing glanced down the hospital corridor.
At this hour, the number of patients hadn't decreased at all.
"I see. Thank you for taking such good care of him."
The nurse rolled her eyes again—but after a full day of exhaustion, she finally noticed Bai Xing's face properly. Her tone immediately softened.
"You're welcome~ By the way, ninja handsome, do you happen to have a girlfri—"
Bang—
The door slammed shut in front of the nurse, leaving her standing there alone, utterly stunned.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker