Chapter 441: The Byakugan and the World of Transparency
Chapter 441: The Byakugan and the World of Transparency
Once Obito's injuries had fully healed, he embarked on an intense training regimen, spending every waking moment either eating, sleeping, or honing his skills. He felt a little spurred on by Might Guy's recent achievements.
When Guy forcibly opened the sixth gate and entered the Rock Lee Chakra Mode, Obito could sense the immense power emanating from him, and he knew their gap had widened even further.
Although Guy had been pushed to his limit and forced to resort to such desperate measures, Obito was aware that with Guy's diligence, he would soon transform this extreme burst of power into his regular strength—a matter of mere months.
Obito felt that even if he made some breakthroughs in the next few months, he would still likely fall short of Guy's strength when he combined the Sixth Gate with the Rock Lee Chakra Mode.
The Sixth Gate, on its own, augmented one's power tremendously, and when coupled with the Rock Lee Chakra Mode, which also enhanced the body significantly, the result was a terrifying, inhuman level of power.
Thus, Obito redoubled his efforts, determined not to be left too far behind. At the very least, he wanted to surpass Kakashi in the upcoming civil war.
As for Guy, Obito decided to let him hold on to the title of the strongest genin for another year. After that, who would be stronger was anyone's guess.
Obito's self-imposed hellish training regimen was soon cut short as Kakashi had also fully recovered from his injuries, and they were to undergo the Jonin exams together.
This caught Obito a little off-guard, as he had assumed they would wait for Guy to recover as well, and then the three of them would take the exam together.
Upon arriving at the designated training ground with the exam proctors, Obito scanned the area and noticed two other ninjas undergoing the Jonin exam, neither of whom he recognized. However, he could tell from the white eyes of one of them that he was a member of the Hyuga clan.
Not only were there other examinees, but Obito was surprised to find that one of the proctors was also a member of the Hyuga clan.
"Every official Jonin of Konoha possesses both strength and wisdom. The Jonin exam consists of two main parts: ninjutsu prowess and theoretical knowledge. This morning, we will assess your ninjutsu, and this afternoon, we will test your theoretical knowledge." Hiashi Hyuga, the proctor in charge of the practical exam, explained the general arrangement in a calm and composed voice.
He was responsible for evaluating the examinees' use of ninjutsu and taijutsu in a real combat setting.
However, Hyuga Hiashi only had the authority to score and evaluate; the final decision on who would become a Jonin rested elsewhere.
In name, only one person in Konoha had the qualification to appoint Jonin—the Hokage.
Even for Special Jonin, the Hokage's signature and seal were required for the promotion.
"What? We have to take a theory test as well to become a Jonin? Surely we won't have to do an exam paper," Obito said, his expression turning sour.
He had assumed that becoming a Jonin was solely dependent on one's combat prowess and was surprised to find that theoretical knowledge was also a requirement.
"That's correct. There will be a written exam," Hyuga Hiashi nodded in confirmation.
While he was in charge of the practical exam, he was aware that the theory portion involved a written test.
Obito's heart sank as he glanced at the other ninjas beside him, only to find that they all seemed calm and unaffected by this news.
"Even if the questions are difficult, I can always use my Sharingan to cheat," Obito muttered to himself, taking comfort in his ability to copy others' answers with his Sharingan if need be.
After all, even if he didn't know the answers, he could always copy the actions of those who did.
"The ninjutsu assessment will take the form of a simulated battle. You may use any means at your disposal to attack the proctors. Try to incorporate various ninjutsu and taijutsu into your fighting style while maintaining your combat effectiveness. Doing so will result in a higher evaluation," Hyuga Hiashi explained the scoring rules.
Konoha placed great emphasis on the well-roundedness of its Jonin, and proficiency in multiple chakra nature transformations was a significant bonus during the Jonin exam. Balanced development in ninjutsu and taijutsu was also highly regarded.
On the other hand, if one was too specialized, even an impressive performance in the combat exam might not be enough to secure a Jonin rank.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
For example, ninjas from clans like the Hyuga, who possessed unique bloodline limits, could largely ignore the rules mentioned above. They only needed to demonstrate exceptional performance in the practical exam to pass that portion.
After all, it would be unreasonable to expect a Hyuga ninja to be well-rounded when their clan's heritage and bloodline limit were inherently tied to specific taijutsu styles.
"The examinees whose names are called out should step forward and prepare for their exam. The total combat time is fifteen minutes. Losing your ability to fight before the time is up will result in a penalty," said one of the proctoring Jonin, acting as the referee.
"Hyuga Hanabi."
Hearing her name, Hyuga Hanabi quickly stepped into the designated combat area and respectfully greeted Hyuga Hiashi, "Clan Head."
Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
He was familiar with Hyuga Hanabi, a talented member of the Hyuga branch house, known for her high-purity Byakugan.
"Begin!"
Hyuga Hanabi immediately activated her eye-based chakra, opening her Byakugan, causing the veins around her eyes to bulge prominently.
She then gathered chakra in her palms and feet and rushed towards Hyuga Hiashi, engaging him in a battle of Gentle Fist techniques.
"Gentle Fist is such a treacherous taijutsu style," Obito thought to himself as he watched the exchange, his heart filled with disdain.
While the physical contact between Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hanabi seemed gentle and lacking in force, Obito knew from experience that being struck by the Gentle Fist was no less painful than being punched by Might Guy.
During the first semester of his fourth year, he had suffered greatly at the hands of Hyuga Hiashi's Gentle Fist, so he did not underestimate the power of the Hyuga clan's signature style.
Due to the nature of the exam, Hyuga Hiashi refrained from using his full strength and instead used the opportunity to assess Hyuga Hanabi's skill with the Gentle Fist, testing her level of mastery.
After the allotted fifteen minutes had passed, the proctoring Jonin declared the battle over.
However, Hyuga Hanabi did not leave but instead stayed to observe the other examinees' performances, particularly those of Kakashi and Obito, whose rising reputations in Konoha had piqued her interest.
"Sakata Genji." The proctoring Jonin continued to call out the names of the examinees, one by one.
As Sakata Genji stepped forward, one of the proctoring Jonin from Konoha replaced Hyuga Hiashi.
"So, it's not the same proctor for everyone," Obito realized, his expression clearing as he understood why there were no breaks in between exams. Otherwise, if a proctor had to face Might Guy, the next examinee would essentially get a free pass.
"He doesn't seem very strong," Obito thought to himself after observing Sakata Genji's performance for a while.
"The battle is over. Next, we'll take a twenty-minute break," announced the Jonin examiner in charge of the assessment after the allotted fifteen minutes had passed.
Due to the war, there weren't many Jonin left in Konoha, and most of them had their own protective duties, so there were only three Jonin examiners for this assessment, with a special Jonin acting as the referee, who didn't qualify to be a practical examiner and could only rotate with the other examiners during the battles.
"Kakashi, don't you also think that the examiners aren't very strong?" Obito whispered to Kakashi out of boredom.
Kakashi glanced at Obito indifferently, "Are you referring to the Hyuga clan head or the beautiful Jonin, Murakami?"
Obito was surprised. It seemed that Kakashi actually knew both of them.
"How do you know them?" Obito asked curiously, wondering about Kakashi's source of information.
It was one thing for Kakashi to know about well-known strong ninjas, but Hiashi Hyuga and Murakami weren't as renowned as Yaku Frost Demon and Minazuki Cyan.
"I'm surprised that you don't know them. The Byakugan is a bloodline limit that is renowned alongside the Sharingan, and Murakami is also a somewhat famous Jonin in Konoha who has been featured in the Konoha News." Kakashi replied with a look of exasperation.
He wasn't the intelligence-gathering Kakashi, but Obito was truly clueless.
Kakashi usually only knew about Jonin from other villages if they were famous, such as the Sand Village's hero, Yakku, or the Fog Village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
As for Jonin from Konoha, Kakashi knew most of them, after all, there weren't that many ninjas in a ninja village, and the number decreased even more when considering only official Jonin.
Obito smiled awkwardly. If it weren't for people related to him making it into the newspaper, he wouldn't have been interested in reading it at all, it was too boring.
"I was talking about Murakami. I feel like his Fire Style is weaker than mine." Obito continued the previous topic.
Although Obito didn't recognize any of the examiners, there were only two practical examiners, and one of them had the Byakugan. Through process of elimination, Obito could tell that the Jonin using Fire Style was the Murakami that Kakashi had mentioned.
"There are two reasons for that. First, Murakami is holding back during this examination-focused battle and isn't using his full strength." Kakashi explained.
"Second, you don't think your Fire Style is weak, do you?"
Although Obito often lost miserably during the civil war, that didn't mean his Fire Style was weak, it just meant that the others had stronger overall strength.
Kakashi believed that if Obito's Fire Style was enhanced by the Flame Chakra Mode, very few people in Konoha could surpass him in that area.
Of course, this was just about the power of their Fire Style and didn't refer to their actual combat abilities. It didn't mean that Obito had become one of the strongest Fire Style users in Konoha, because when using the Flame Chakra Mode, Obito would quickly tire himself out.
"Hehe, so you're saying that my Fire Style is considered strong and excellent among Jonin?" A proud smile appeared on Obito's face.
It wasn't easy to earn a compliment from Kakashi, and Obito couldn't remember the last time Kakashi had praised him.
This made Obito a little proud, and he felt that his Fire Style was indeed strong since even Kakashi acknowledged it.
"It's only because Mu Yue taught you well. If it weren't for her Flame Chakra Mode, how could your Fire Style have such power?" Kakashi saw that Obito was becoming a little too proud and quickly added.
"Of course, I know that. So I'm very grateful to Teacher Mu Yue." Obito readily acknowledged.
Before Mu Yue appeared, he was the laughing stock of the Uchiha clan, but after becoming her disciple, he gradually became the Uchiha genius that he was today.
"Also, your Fire Style is strong, but your brain is holding it back. If you were smarter, your overall strength would be even stronger, and you wouldn't have lost so many times." Kakashi felt that he hadn't said enough and added another jab.
Kakashi knew Obito too well. If he criticized Obito's ninja talents, Obito would just laugh it off, but if he criticized his intelligence, Obito would truly feel embarrassed.
Obito's face stiffened, and his cheeks gradually turned red, as if a voice was whispering "warning" in the air.
"Damn Kakashi!" Obito shouted in his heart. If they weren't in the middle of the Jonin exam, he would have wanted to gather chakra and punch Kakashi in the face with an Inferno Fist.
Kakashi's previous statement was too harsh. Not only did he mock Obito's intelligence, but he also reminded Obito of his memories of losing the civil war and doing paperwork, which was like rubbing salt in the wound.
"Break time's over. Hatake Kakashi, get ready for your battle," the referee Jonin called out Kakashi's name.
Kakashi quickly stepped forward to the designated battle area, and from the examiners' team, Hyuga Hizashi also stepped forward.
"I wonder how the World of Transparency compares to the Byakugan," Kakashi thought to himself as he looked at Hyuga Hizashi's pure white eyes.
The Byakugan could see through objects, and the World of Transparency could also see through objects, but both of them had other special effects as well, so they could only be said to have partially similar abilities.
Hyuga Hanabi and Sakata Genji quickly turned their attention to the battle area, curious about how Kakashi, the little White Fang, would perform.
"Begin!"
As soon as the referee Jonin shouted, Kakashi immediately focused his breathing and entered the state of the World of Transparency.
Actually, the rules of the Jonin exam were a little unfavorable for Kakashi and the others because they were more skilled in fast-paced battles, using powerful bursts to catch their opponents off guard. For them, a fifteen-minute battle was a little too long.
But Kakashi was clear that this was a simulation of actual combat, and he didn't need to think about the fastest and most effortless way to defeat his opponent. Instead, he needed to showcase all of his excellent abilities.
The amount of chakra Kakashi consumed was different from the amount Obito consumed. Obito consumed a lot of chakra because of the Flame Chakra Mode, while Kakashi consumed a lot of chakra because the Lightning Attribute chakra activated his body, and it wasn't because the World of Transparency consumed a lot of chakra.
If Kakashi used his ultimate Lightning Flash God Speed, his chakra would still be sufficient.
Since the opponent was a ninja from outside the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hizashi didn't immediately activate his Byakugan.
However, after exchanging a few moves with Kakashi, Hyuga Hizashi's face changed slightly, and he felt a strange sensation.
Usually, he would see through his opponent's attacks, causing them to miss and then seizing the opportunity to strike them, but the opposite had just happened. His palm strike had missed, and Kakashi's punch had solidly landed on his body.
Hyuga Hizashi couldn't believe that a ten-year-old child like Kakashi would have more experience in taijutsu than him, so he tried again without activating his Byakugan.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Kakashi didn't hold back and used the Whirlwind Leg, sending Hyuga Hizashi flying back three meters.
At that moment, the entire place fell silent, and Hyuga Hanabi stared at the scene in shock.
(End of Chapter)
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