Leaning against the railing, Bai Xing glanced at the girl beside him. When he turned his eyes back to the battlefield, the surging water had already passed straight through the three clone phantoms.
Only then did Mitomon Hayate realize—he'd fallen for it.
As the white smoke dispersed, a black, long-curly-haired girl charged straight toward him. Her hands flew through seals at lightning speed.
"Your chakra's almost gone, right?"
"Then—this is where my genjutsu comes into play~!"
"Demonic Illusion: Cherry Blossom Season!"
The moment Yūhi Liuyun's mental attack landed, Hayate's vision filled with drifting cherry blossoms. Liuyun's figure scattered into petals, and even the surrounding ground transformed into a land carpeted with falling blossoms.
Hayate snapped out of the beauty almost immediately and began forming seals.
"Release!"
But he'd just used a C-rank ninjutsu, draining a large chunk of his chakra. Trying to break a genjutsu that nearly exhausted all of Liuyun's chakra was far easier said than done.
All he could see was something strange emerging within the sea of petals.
In his vision, a wreath of cherry blossoms flew toward him—
In reality, it was two shuriken connected by a wire. Liuyun didn't dare assume he could fully break her all-out genjutsu, so she opted for a ranged attack.
Hayate's right hand twitched, a kunai shooting toward where he perceived the wire to be. But in the illusion, the "wreath" looked large—while in reality, the wire was thin.
The kunai barely brushed past in Hayate's vision—
—and in the next instant, it was already upon him.
Click!
The wire looped around his body, the two shuriken pinning it firmly to the ground.
The sharp pain from landing on his backside accelerated the genjutsu's collapse.
When the illusion finally shattered, Hayate saw the bright arena ceiling above him. Lowering his head, he discovered himself bound tightly to the ground by two wires.
"Winner: Yūhi Liuyun."
From Bai Xing's analysis, this had essentially been a contest of chakra quality. If Hayate had maintained his initial state, it would've been extremely difficult for him to fall into that genjutsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other jōnin all nodded in approval of Liuyun's tactics—she knew exactly what she excelled at and struck decisively.
The remaining matches continued.
Over the next few bouts, Bai Xing quietly picked up two more elemental techniques.
Unfortunately, Shiranui Kumo was unlucky enough to run into Shimura Yūko—the girl standing beside Bai Xing earlier.
She possessed Wind Release affinity and solid taijutsu. Even Kumo's usual trick—ambushing with mouth-held senbon during close combat—was extremely hard to pull off.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Ninja Art: Senbon Rain!"
The clash between Wind Release and senbon had already been answered in the original canon by Tenten—besides, Kumo wasn't rich. The senbon were blown straight back, grazing his face.
"Give up," Shimura Yūko said calmly, lowering her hands.
"Failure is your destiny."
By now, Kumo had nearly exhausted all his options. His fatigued body sagged as he collapsed to the ground, pounding it with his fist.
"Damn it… I came this far, and yet—!"
Proctor Hirata Shinichi wasn't surprised. Chūnin slots were limited. Those lacking in too many areas simply weren't suited to wear the title.
"Victory: Shimura Yūko."
A few more matches followed.
By the end, Bai Xing had fully grasped three C-rank techniques:
Fire Release: Great Fireball TechniqueWater Release: Wild Water Wave Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
The final match ended quickly, right before Bai Xing's eyes.
An Inuzuka clan boy defeated Shimura Yūko, claiming MVP of the exam.
Bai Xing couldn't help but complain inwardly: Ninjutsu users always look down on taijutsu users—yet in the end, it's the taijutsu types who last longer.
In this exam, aside from Shiranui Kumo and one civilian genin, all others were promoted to chūnin.
Kumo was thoroughly depressed.
As they left the arena, Yūhi Shinku came out to offer a few words of comfort, and also invited Bai Xing to join them for a meal—both to celebrate Yūhi Liuyun's promotion and to console Kumo.
After dinner, Bai Xing and Shiranui Kumo parted ways with Uncle and niece from the Yūhi clan.
On the road, Bai Xing looked at the dejected Kumo beside him and patted his shoulder.
"Just try again next year. I'll come with you."
"Bai Xing…" Kumo said in a low voice.
"Do you think I'm just not cut out to be a ninja?"
Bai Xing fell silent for a moment.
Plenty of people can't even master the Three Basic Techniques. They miss their throws with their dominant hand. Those dead-last types still become genin.
And you, my friend—what you lack is just a cheat.
They walked in silence until they reached a children's playground. Slides, sand, and play equipment were filled with laughing kids.
Bai Xing patted Kumo's shoulder again and pointed toward the children.
"Remember?"
"When we were kids—we all went through this."
"Even if we weren't the same age… you've had moments like this, right?"
"…Yeah," Kumo replied, still subdued.
Bai Xing's eyes flickered. That constant feeling of being watched made him grumble inwardly—
You old man, don't you have anything better to do? Why do you keep staring at me? Is this payback because you wanted to talk after the exam and I refused to comfort my teammate?
"Do you remember your childhood dream?"
"Becoming Hokage," Kumo answered without hesitation.
Bai Xing smiled—not at Kumo, but at the countless ordinary people, himself included, who dream of standing at the top without a cheat, only to be struck quickly by reality.
"The Hokage's son has better odds of becoming Hokage. It's not just birth—it's talent and aptitude."
"I was the same."
"But I know my talent is limited. Compared to real geniuses, the Hokage is far too distant a goal. So I chose to move forward step by step."
"So."
"Don't slack off from here on. Even if you can't become a powerful ninja—being an ordinary ninja who can protect family, comrades, and the village isn't a bad thing. Right?"
Bai Xing swept his gaze over the children's laughter. The kids pointed at the two of them, whispering:
"Look! It's a ninja big brother!"
"So cool! I'm gonna be a ninja too!"
Bai Xing waved back at them and continued to Kumo:
"See?"
"The kids trust us."
"As a senior, don't lose to them."
Hearing this, Kumo's expression gradually firmed. He nodded hard.
"I understand."
"So even if I never become a chūnin… or even if—"
His voice grew heavy.
"My future caps out as just an ordinary chūnin—I should still hold onto my belief, grow stronger, and use that strength to protect the juniors who trust us."
"That's what you mean, right?!"
Bai Xing nodded.
Alright. That should finally reduce that old man's attention, right?
—Little did he know, when he later joined this year's Team One, he would be completely dumbfounded.
In that instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen—peeping on Bai Xing through the Crystal Ball—felt his middle-aged, weathered eyes blur with moisture.
In his ears, he faintly heard echoes from the First Shinobi War—his teacher's final words.
"Monkey."
"Protect those who admire the village and place their trust in you."
"And then nurture them…"
"From tomorrow onward—"
"You are the Hokage."
—Bai Xing, it seems this old man underestimated you.
If not for the shadows left by your past teams…
By now—
You should have been a jōnin.
What a pity that Jōnin Yazaki can no longer see it…
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