Kizaru didn't hold the shuriken behind his back like the students before him. Instead, he raised it to his mouth and lightly pressed it against his lips.
The moment he did that, most of the watching students tilted their heads in confusion. Only a very small handful seemed to guess what he was about to do.
"This guy is too much…of a menace."
Nara Shikaku was one of those few. The instant Kizaru had asked that question about "paying for damages," he'd already guessed this guy was up to no good again.
Yamakawa Seiji also sensed something was off.
Based on Kizaru's earlier comment, and knowing the boy's usual lazy attitude, he had a bad feeling this "normally lazy" student was about to pull something huge.
However, Yamakawa Seiji didn't call out to stop him. Instead, he subtly tensed his muscles and raised his guard, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"That stance…"
Hidden outside the Academy grounds, Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly saw Kizaru's movement from the tree branch. He couldn't help turning his head to look at his old friend beside him.
"This kid is really going all out," Hiruzen muttered.
Danzō, however, showed no sign of displeasure.
There was not a trace of anger on his face—if anything, he looked faintly pleased.
Hiruzen swallowed back the question he'd been about to ask, refocused on the training field below, took a slow drag on his pipe, and calmed his breathing.
Wind-natured chakra, tinged with a clear change in properties, surged out from Kizaru's mouth and wrapped tightly around the wooden shuriken.
Under the influence of the Wind Release chakra, the shuriken began to spin—faster and faster—its rotation speed climbing sharply.
As the speed increased, Kizaru casually lowered his right hand, moving it to the side of his body while still maintaining control.
A ring of transparent, razor-thin wind chakra—no more than half a meter across—formed around the rapidly spinning shuriken. It was almost invisible, but the killing intent it gave off made the air prickle.
Everyone present stared, stunned. They could only gape at Kizaru's "demonstration," mouths hanging open.
"T-This is… Lord Danzō's technique…"
Yamakawa Seiji finally recognized what he was seeing—Wind Release: Vacuum Shuriken.
He swallowed hard on instinct, then snapped back to his senses and shouted quickly:
"Everyone, step back five meters! Now!"
His loud command jolted the students awake.
They hurriedly scrambled backward, putting distance between themselves and Kizaru.
"Is he really… that strong?"
Uchiha Inari, who had just returned to the crowd, was being dragged back by his classmates.
Even so, he kept his eyes locked on Kizaru, muttering in disbelief.
Kizaru himself looked completely relaxed. His right hand still controlled the spinning shuriken wreathed in wind, while his left hand stayed stuffed casually in his pocket. He even turned his head slightly to glance back, checking that his classmates had retreated to a safe distance before continuing.
Only then did he lightly swing his right arm forward.
The Wind Release: Vacuum Shuriken shot out, spinning at high speed as it flew straight toward the target in front of him.
Boom!!
The moment the wooden target made contact with the wind-cloaked shuriken, it was shredded into countless fragments, exploding into splinters.
But the Vacuum Shuriken didn't stop there. It continued to roar forward, cutting into the ground several meters behind the target.
A second, louder impact followed.
Chunks of dirt, stone, and debris blasted into the air, and within seconds, a cloud of gray dust rose up in front of Kizaru, obscuring the view.
Standing between the class and the impact zone, Yamakawa Seiji felt cold sweat trickle down his back as he watched.
He slowly turned his gaze to Kizaru's back, taking in the boy's relaxed posture and easy smile. Then he looked back at the crater in the field and exhaled deeply.
This kid's level might already be higher than mine…
The thought rose unbidden, along with a faint, bitter frustration.
The existence of geniuses really was a heavy blow to ordinary people.
Does a child like this… really need to stay in school?
Yamakawa Seiji couldn't help but wonder silently.
He wasn't the only one thinking that.
Most of the ninja who had been secretly observing the exam from outside the Academy grounds were coming to the same conclusion.
A monster like this was nothing but crushing pressure for the other students.
A Hyūga branch family jōnin was also hiding outside the school, having opened his Byakugan to watch the field more clearly.
With the Byakugan's penetrating vision, he could see the extent of the damage caused by Kizaru's ninjutsu—and more importantly, the dense, terrifying chakra swirling inside Kizaru, comparable to that of a high level Shinobi.
"Monster… this kid is an absolute monster," the Hyūga jōnin muttered under his breath.
His voice was extremely soft, but on the distant tree branch, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō heard him clearly.
Danzō's brows twitched into a faint frown. He clearly didn't like how that Hyūga ninja had phrased it.
Only we of the Shimura clan get to call him a 'monster' in that sense. Since when is a Hyūga branch member qualified to label him like that?
"It was just a slip of the tongue," Sarutobi Hiruzen said lightly, glancing over at his friend and speaking as if he were excusing the Hyūga ninja on his behalf.
Danzō's frown slowly eased, the tension leaving his face as a small smile appeared instead.
"Oh? In that case, the Shimura clan will take responsibility for repairing the training field,"
Hiruzen said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Once the exam is over, I'll have to give that kid a good talking-to. He really went way overboard just now."
He brought his pipe to his lips again, took a leisurely puff, and let the smoke drift out between his teeth.
"Danzō… let this child graduate early. There's nothing left for him to learn at the Academy."
Danzō's expression shifted, turning faintly troubled.
"This child is doted on by the clan elders. His personality is… too willful. He refuses to graduate early, and I don't intend to force him too hard," Danzō replied.
Knowing his old friend's nature, Hiruzen couldn't help blinking in surprise.
Since when were you this soft-hearted? he complained inwardly.
Almost as if he'd read Hiruzen's thoughts, Danzō continued,
"I've already made an agreement with him: he'll graduate early—within three years at the latest."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and didn't press the matter further.
His gaze returned to the training field.
Thanks to Kizaru's "spectacular" display, every throwing target had been destroyed. The area behind them had also been turned into a large crater, the earth blown open and scarred.
When the dust finally settled, Yamakawa Seiji walked over to Kizaru with a complicated expression.
He glanced at the crater, then at Kizaru, who still looked calm and all smiles, and the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitched.
"Ahem."
He coughed a few times, drawing the eyes of the entire class back to himself before he spoke.
"Due to the… severe damage to the training area—" Yamakawa Seiji paused, his gaze flickering briefly toward Kizaru again.
Feeling his teacher's eyes on him, Kizaru responded with a perfectly rehearsed "apologetic" smile, his face full of feigned remorse.
"…Due to the serious damage to the venue, the ninja tool throwing test will be temporarily suspended," Yamakawa Seiji continued. "We'll move on to the next part of the exam: actual combat sparring."
"Yes…"
The students, still not fully recovered from the shock of Kizaru's performance, responded half-heartedly, their voices lacking energy.
"Everyone, head to the front training field and get into pairs. The matches will begin shortly."
After giving his instructions, Yamakawa Seiji watched the students begin to move off, then reached out and lightly stopped Kizaru, choosing to walk at the very back of the group with him.
"Kizaru-kun," he said quietly, "please refrain from using overly dangerous ninjutsu during the sparring matches."
"Don't worry, sensei. I know how to hold back~," Kizaru replied in a calm, relaxed tone.
Hold back? You?
Yamakawa Seiji screamed internally.
If that's what you call "holding back," I don't even want to imagine what you'd do if you got serious.
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