Uesugi Toru looked up and out the window. Towards the Ninja Academy, crowds could already be seen gathering.
The graduation exam was about to begin.
How effective would this brand-new Substitution Jutsu be in actual combat? The answer would come soon enough.
And on today's exam grounds, who would be the first to witness this new technique?
Uesugi Toru closed the window, and the light screen in the room faded away. He changed into a simple set of training clothes and carefully tied his Ninja tool pouch behind his waist, every movement performed with textbook precision.
When he arrived at the Ninja Academy's graduation examination grounds, the place was already packed and bustling with activity.
The examination ground was a wide open space, separated by high fences. Outside the fences, parents who had come to watch the ceremony crowded together, their faces filled with anticipation and nervousness as they cheered for their children.
Inside, the graduates who were about to take the exam gathered, the atmosphere clearly divided into several small groups. With Uchiha Sasuke at the center, there was always an empty circle around him; his cold aura made it so no one dared to approach easily. Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, was jumping up and down in the crowd, loudly announcing that he would definitely become the Hokage, drawing a wave of good-natured laughter.
Uesugi Toru did not join any group. He walked alone to an inconspicuous corner, leaned against the wall, and quietly closed his eyes.
He was executing the AI's preset program.
[Environment scan initiated...]
[Collecting site data: Length 70 meters, width 48 meters, ground is hardened soil, no obvious cover...]
[Performing personnel information identification...]
[Scanning examiner's seats: Three Special Jonin, identities confirmed as Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and another unknown Jonin...]
[Error. Data correction.]
[The identities of the three at the examiner's seats are: Chunin Ibiki Morino, Special Jonin Gekkō Hayate, and Chunin Ebisu.]
[On the watchtower 130 meters away from the examination grounds, a high-level Chakra reaction has been scanned. Identified as Jonin Kurenai Yuhi. Conclusion: External observers are present for this exam, responsible for recording special circumstances.]
Uesugi Toru's eyelids twitched slightly.
Kurenai Yuhi? The elite Jonin of Konoha famous for Genjutsu. It seemed this graduation exam was more highly valued by the higher-ups than it appeared on the surface.
At this moment, on the watchtower, Kurenai Yuhi was looking down at the grounds with boredom. The mission she received today was to act as the eyes of the Third Hokage, observing whether there were any promising prospects worth special attention among this year's graduates.
But from what she had seen so far, the results were somewhat disappointing.
"The exam begins!"
With a command from the chief examiner, Chunin Ebisu, the graduation combat examination officially kicked off.
The exam content was simple: a graduate would engage in a one-on-one combat confrontation with a Chunin examiner. They would pass if they could hold out for one minute without being defeated, or if they demonstrated competent application of the Three Basic Jutsu during the fight.
The first to take the field was Inuzuka Kiba and his Ninja dog, Akamaru.
"Kiba, good luck!"
"Akamaru, go!"
With a loud shout from Inuzuka Kiba, the pair attacked the Chunin opponent from two directions with perfect synchronization.
Their coordination was good, but in the eyes of the Chunin, their attack patterns were full of openings. The Chunin examiner easily dodged their joint attack with just a few simple side-steps.
"Now! Clone Jutsu!"
Inuzuka Kiba seized an opening and quickly formed hand seals.
With a "poof," a slightly illusory clone appeared beside him.
[AI Analysis: Hand seal gestures are standard, but Chakra output is unstable, resulting in a 34% fluctuation in the clone's energy structure. Estimated duration not to exceed 15 seconds.]
Cold data flashed through Uesugi Toru's mind.
Sure enough, the examiner merely made a feint, and Inuzuka Kiba's clone vanished in a flicker.
"Damn it!"
Seeing that time was almost up, Inuzuka Kiba used the Substitution Jutsu in his desperation.
His figure instantly disappeared, leaving a log in his place. He himself appeared behind the examiner, raising a Kunai to strike.
This was a standard tactic.
But in the dynamic vision of a Chunin, this movement was too slow.
The examiner didn't even turn around, simply striking back with a knife-hand chop that landed precisely on the back of Inuzuka Kiba's neck.
Inuzuka Kiba's vision went black, and he slumped to the ground.
"Inuzuka Kiba, exam passed." Ebisu made a mark on his clipboard and signaled the Medical Squad to carry him off.
Although he was knocked out, he had successfully demonstrated the Three Basic Jutsu during the confrontation, which met the passing criteria.
On the watchtower, Kurenai Yuhi shook her head gently.
"Too green," she muttered to herself. "His combat instincts are decent, but his understanding of Ninjutsu is still stuck at the stage of just releasing it, not yet at the level of true application."
The examinees who followed were mostly the same.
Shino Aburame used his bugs to interfere and successfully stalled for the full minute. Hyuga Hinata summoned her courage to activate her Byakugan and Gentle Fist, but in the face of a Chunin's strength, she was easily subdued within a few moves. Everyone passed the exam, but no one could make Kurenai Yuhi's eyes light up.
Their performances were all qualified, but lacked any innovation.
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke!"
As soon as this name was called, the entire field instantly went silent. Even Kurenai Yuhi on the watchtower sat up straight.
Sasuke walked onto the field with a cold expression.
His opponent was Gekkō Hayate, who looked sickly and was always coughing.
"*Cough, cough*... Let's begin."
Before the words had even faded, Sasuke moved. His speed was significantly faster than the previous students. Three shuriken flew in a triangular formation, blocking Gekkō Hayate's evasion routes.
[AI Analysis: Throwing angles are precise, power control is reasonable; it's a standard textbook attack.]
Gekkō Hayate drew the Katana from his back, and with three crisp "ding-ding" sounds, the shuriken were all knocked down.
But Sasuke's figure had already rushed in front of him, using the shuriken as cover.
A swift kick, accompanied by the sound of whistling wind, swept towards Gekkō Hayate's lower body.
Gekkō Hayate's eyes narrowed, and his body leaned back at an incredible angle, dodging the kick.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke quickly formed seals mid-air, and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth, instantly enveloping Gekkō Hayate.
"Oh!" The audience outside the field let out a cry of surprise.
As expected of the Uchiha genius!
A flash of approval also crossed Kurenai Yuhi's eyes. It was truly rare to be able to use a C-rank Ninjutsu so skillfully at this age.
However, as the flames dissipated, only a charred log remained on the spot.
It was the Substitution Jutsu.
Sasuke's reaction was extremely fast; the moment he detected something was wrong, he immediately leaped back while simultaneously forming hand seals.
But he was still a step too late.
Gekkō Hayate's figure appeared behind him like a ghost, the cold glint of his blade already held against Sasuke's neck.
"That's enough," Gekkō Hayate coughed lightly. "Uchiha Sasuke, exam grade: Excellent."
Sasuke's body was stiff, his eyes filled with frustration.
This duel brought the atmosphere on the field to a small climax. But soon, as student after student took the field, the atmosphere became dull again.
The chief examiner, Ebisu, looked at the list; only a few people were left. The continuous testing had made him feel somewhat impatient, especially since the performance of these students was almost entirely within his expectations.
"Next, Uesugi Toru!"
He called out the name.
Uesugi Toru stepped out from the corner and made his way to the center of the field without haste. His expression was calm, as if he were just going for a stroll, quite different from the tense atmosphere around him.
Ebisu picked up the file in his hand and glanced at it.
[Uesugi Toru, Chakra quantity assessment: Low-Mid. Taijutsu grades: Average. Ninjutsu theory: Average. Comprehensive evaluation: No special talents, recommended for clerical work after graduation.]
Ebisu's brow furrowed.
Another very mediocre student. To think someone of this level would dare to participate in the combat exam.
He had already wasted too much time today and didn't want to dawdle with this kind of student any longer.
"Let's settle this quickly."
Ebisu handed the clipboard to a nearby assistant and stepped onto the field himself. He decided to give this student a bit of a lesson to make him understand the cruelty of the Ninja world.
He didn't even bother to use Ninjutsu, simply striking a standard Taijutsu starting stance.
"Are you ready?" he asked perfunctorily.
Uesugi Toru didn't answer, just nodded slightly, looking at him calmly.
Ebisu felt that this calmness of his was only due to ignorance.
"Well then, here I come!"
Ebisu's feet suddenly exerted power, and his body instantly crossed the ten-meter distance, rushing towards Uesugi Toru.
His speed far exceeded the reaction limits of all the previous students.
He wanted to use speed to end the battle in the very first second!
On the watchtower, Kurenai Yuhi saw this and sighed helplessly. She recognized this student, Uesugi Toru, a child with zero presence in school. Facing a Chunin who was getting serious, the outcome was already decided.
She was already prepared to look away.
Everyone's hearts jumped into their throats. In their eyes, Uesugi Toru was paralyzed with fear, standing frozen on the spot.
Uzumaki Naruto even closed his eyes, unable to bear to watch.
Only Sasuke stared intently at the field. He keenly sensed that something was not quite right.
There was no fear on Uesugi Toru's face.
None at all.
Just as Ebisu's fist was about to smash into Uesugi Toru's face.
In Uesugi Toru's mind, the AI's prompt sounded calmly.
[Threat approaching, initiating Substitution Jutsu: Modified emergency plan...]
[Calculating opponent's attack trajectory... wind speed... power...]
[Locking optimal substitution coordinates: Three meters behind...]
[Executing Chakra output timing... 3... 2... 1...]
Time in the outside world seemed to slow down.
The wind from Ebisu's punch blew back the bangs on Uesugi Toru's forehead.
He could even clearly see the undisguised contempt in Ebisu's eyes.
At this critical moment, Uesugi Toru moved.
No, perhaps using "moved" wasn't accurate.
His right hand, with a speed almost impossible to capture with the naked eye, performed an extremely concise single-handed seal.
No smoke, no delay.
The chief examiner's fist, carrying the sound of wind, was about to smash into Uesugi Toru's face under everyone's gaze.