Chapter 443: You Are the Challenger
Chapter 443: You Are the Challenger
Obito, having entered the Fire Style Chakra Mode, gave Miyukimura Leaf a rather extraordinary feeling.
Before entering this mode, Obito had already displayed his genius, but Leaf was still able to keep up.
However, once Obito activated his Fire Style Chakra Mode, Leaf got the impression that he was the examiner and Obito the examinee.
It wasn't surprising that Leaf would have such an absurd thought, as Obito's prowess far exceeded his understanding.
Even without using hand seals, Obito could unleash the Phoenix Flower jutsu while simultaneously blocking Leaf's escape routes with shuriken, and he could even coat his body in flames to perform fire-style ninjutsu that Leaf had never seen before.
"Fire Style: Blazing Fist!"
As Leaf looked on in confusion, Obito's fist ignited with a profusion of flames as he charged forward, then punched the tree next to Leaf, causing it to splinter.
At this point, Leaf was completely unable to counter Obito's fire jutsu.
The two of them released fireballs simultaneously, but Obito's fireball devoured Leaf's and continued to pummel him, forcing Leaf into a desperate dodge.
"What's going on? Was he not using his full strength before?" Leaf was utterly bewildered.
Just moments ago, their fire jutsu had been evenly matched, but now Obito's had suddenly become stronger.
"I'm running low on chakra," Obito said, seeing that Leaf was still putting up a resilient fight. "I'll have to use my ultimate fire jutsu now."
After all, Leaf wasn't an ordinary jonin; if this continued, he really would lose his combat effectiveness due to chakra exhaustion.
"Uncle, be careful from here on out. I'm about to use my secret technique," Obito warned kindly before executing the move.
He wasn't very proficient with this jutsu yet and couldn't control it as skillfully as he could with the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Leaf's face contorted in surprise. How could Obito be this strong and still not be using his full strength? Who was the real jonin here? Who was the real examinee?
"Fire Style: Grand Flame Regulation – Flame Emperor!"
Obito unleashed all his chakra, raising his hands. Rings of fire appeared at his feet, rapidly forming a spiral sea of flames.
Then, the flames from the sea on the ground rushed towards Obito's hands, forming a fireball that continued to expand and grow until it became a super-giant fireball over ten meters in height, an awe-inspiring sight.
Obito liked to call this jutsu the Super Fireball jutsu Max; it was all about sheer power and destructive force.
The dazzling light emitted by the massive fireball illuminated the entire examination area, bathing everything in a fiery hue. Leaf and the spectator ninjas alike watched in shock at the terrifying display of power.
"How is it possible to cultivate nature transformation to such a level in such a short time?" Sakata Genji felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.
Compared to Obito, the jutsu he had cultivated for over a decade seemed like a joke.
"What a powerful fire jutsu," thought Hyuga Aoe. "If it were me, I'd probably be burned to death." She imagined herself fighting Obito and realized she had no chance of winning.
There were indeed differences among examinees; some were being examined by the proctors, while others were examining the proctors themselves.
"It all comes down to this one jutsu," Kakashi said, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
After releasing the Flame Emperor, Obito had exhausted most of his chakra. If he couldn't defeat Leaf now, he would lose his combat ability and the fight would end.
"No wonder he told me to be careful," Leaf said, his forehead beaded with sweat as he looked at the ridiculously large fireball.
The scorching heat waves that washed over him like ocean waves seemed to silently proclaim that this fireball was no ordinary Fire Style jutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Leaf first gathered a large amount of chakra and performed an earth-attribute nature transformation to manipulate the ground, creating a tall and solid wall of earth.
Then, he quickly retreated. He wasn't confident in his Earth Flow Wall and didn't think it could withstand the formidable giant fireball.
Even though Leaf tried to overestimate the power of the Flame Emperor, when the giant fireball approached, he realized he had still underestimated it.
Boom!!
The moment the fireball touched the Earth Flow Wall, it violently exploded, sending sparks and a deafening blast throughout the area, along with a cloud of dust and debris.
Leaf had never thought that a single Earth Flow Wall would be enough to block the attack, but he also hadn't expected that the wall he had exerted all his strength to create would crumble so easily, like a block of tofu being crushed.
"Jonin of the Hyuga clan, it's time for us to intervene, or Leaf might suffer serious injuries," the referee Jonin said to Hyuga Hyuga, as he gathered his chakra.
There weren't many Jonin from Konoha present, and it would be troublesome if one of them were to be severely injured just because of an exam.
Hyuga Hyuga nodded and prepared to perform the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm technique by extending his hands in a specific stance.
"Water Style: Water Barrier Wall!"
The referee Jonin performed hand seals and spat out a stream of water to weaken the terrifying flames of the Flame Emperor.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Seeing this, Kakashi also stepped in to help, gathering his chakra to raise an earthen wall to help deflect the fireball.
With the combined efforts of the three Jonin, Miyukimura Leaf was successfully rescued from the path of the Flame Emperor, avoiding a devastating outcome.
After releasing the Flame Emperor, Obito panted heavily, his chakra now depleted to the point where he could only manage one more use of the technique. Coupled with the chakra he had expended earlier, he was practically drained.
"Phew, Uncle, what now? Do I still need to keep fighting for the full fifteen minutes?" Obito asked Miyukimura Leaf as he adjusted his breathing.
Obito was truly spent; if the fight were to continue, he could only lie there and let Miyukimura Leaf have his way.
"The battle ends early, and you win," Miyukimura Leaf sighed, his expression a mix of emotions.
With even the examiners and the referee intervening, how could the fight possibly continue? Miyukimura Leaf wasn't that shameless.
As an examiner being defeated by a ten-year-old Chunin examinee, Miyukimura Leaf's feelings were complicated.
Fortunately, the Jonin examination didn't attract as much attention as the Chunin exams, where crowds gathered to watch. Otherwise, he would have felt too ashamed to show his face in the ninja world.
"Alright! Does that mean I can go home now?" Obito asked excitedly, pumping his fist in the air. With the successful completion of his mission, he had taken a significant step towards becoming a Jonin.
"Yes, you can all leave now. Come back at 2 p.m. this afternoon for the written test," Miyukimura Leaf nodded.
Hearing Miyukimura Leaf's confirmation, Obito sprinted home to begin his revision.
"It's a bit too late to start panicking now," Kakashi said, watching Obito's retreating back as he ran with all his might.
Although Kakashi had never taken the Jonin examination himself, he knew without a doubt that its difficulty was incomparable to the Chunin exam's written test.
The answer was simple: Jonin and Chunin were entirely different concepts, and the gap between a Chunin and a Jonin was several times greater than that between a ninja academy student and a Chunin.
Typically, ninja academy graduates could advance to the rank of Chunin within eight years, but most Chunin would not become Jonin, even Special Jonin, in eighteen years.
"Even if I don't pass the assessment, it's still worth it to witness the strength of a true genius," Sakata Genji thought to himself.
Obito and Kakashi were so talented that he couldn't even bring himself to feel envious. They were almost a whole generation younger than him, yet their strength far surpassed his own. How could he even begin to catch up?
"It would be great if I could learn the Hiden and the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm," Hyuga Aoe thought, her eyes reflecting her desire as she recalled Kakashi's fight with Hyuga Hyuga.
Although the Gentle Fist style's chakra-severing effect was powerful, the lack of long-range attack options put her at a disadvantage in battles. Additionally, due to the Branch House's "Caged Bird" custom, there was a tiny blind spot in their Byakugan, which the absolute defense of the Hiden could largely compensate for.
...
Upon returning home, Obito locked himself in his room and began to study intensively.
Of course, Obito wasn't truly immersing himself in his studies; he was forcing himself to read and memorize the material.
For him, studying wasn't enjoyable; it was a tedious and dull process that required immense patience.
The only books that could truly capture Obito's interest were ninja novels, especially those where the protagonist was an ordinary person or a dead-last with no ninja talent, who then went on to become the savior of the ninja world.
Those novels often had classic tropes: the protagonist would discover ancient secret techniques that others couldn't find in the library, buy broken ninja tools in a ninja tool shop that turned out to be legendary artifacts of the Sage of the Six Paths, and, of course, the inevitable rescue of a princess.
"But rescuing a princess usually happens in the middle of the story, followed by saving the world. Come to think of it, I've saved a princess too. When will it be my turn to save the world? It feels like the world is like a giant ninja novel," Obito's thoughts drifted to ninja novels as he read.
"Wait, I'm supposed to be studying!" Obito snapped back to reality, running his hands through his hair.
When the alarm Obito had set went off, he got up confidently. After several hours of studying, he felt incredibly prepared.
"Obito, good luck on your exam," his grandmother said with a smile as he was about to leave.
"I'll pass," Obito replied confidently, patting his chest.
With his Sharingan, he had revised the material, and he felt extremely confident.
"When the exam is over, you can play more with Rin. Remember to balance your training and studies. I'm getting older, and I don't know if I'll live long enough to see you have children of your own," his grandmother sighed.
Obito's face turned slightly red at the mention of having children, as it would involve doing 'that' with Rin. It was something to look forward to... no, it was unhealthy to think that way!
"Grandma, you're thinking too much. I'm only ten years old. Also, you'll definitely live a long life," Obito replied, his face still flushed.
"Grandma, let's not talk about this now. I have to go to the exam," Obito said, eager to escape before his grandmother could say anything else to embarrass him further.
The written exam was held in the same training field as the morning session, but instead of being outdoors, it was conducted inside a simple wooden house.
"From now on, those whose names are called will follow their respective examiners. For the written test, you will be separated into individual rooms to take the exam," the examiner announced after Obito and the others entered the wooden house.
"Huh?" Obito was taken aback by the rules. He hadn't expected that each person would have their own room, rendering his Sharingan useless.
The former Obito had thought that the Sharingan was far superior to the Byakugan, but now he wished he had the Byakugan's ability to see through objects.
"Uchiha Obito, do you have any questions?" the examiner asked, noticing Obito's confused expression.
"No, I'm just a little surprised. It seems like a waste of space to have a separate room for each person," Obito said after a moment's thought.
"Alright, Hatake Kakashi, you're up," the examiner said, glancing at the roster in his hand.
Hearing his name, Kakashi followed the examiner to his designated exam room.
"Hyuga Ao."
"Uchiha Obito."
The other examiners also called out the names of the genin they were responsible for and led them to their respective exam rooms.
"It's a good thing I went home to review. If I had relied solely on my Sharingan, I wouldn't have passed this exam," Obito thought to himself, grateful for his earlier effort.
However, when Obito received his exam paper, he immediately began to sweat as he found the questions rather challenging.
[You are a jonin leading a team on a confidential S-rank mission. Although you have successfully obtained the required confidential documents, you find yourself surrounded by enemies. Based on Map Example 1, plan the best route of action and breakthrough tactics, providing justifications for your choices.]
Obito studied the map example for a while but hesitated to start writing. The map seemed complex, and he couldn't quite understand it.
"Forget it, Teacher Mu Yue said to skip questions I don't know and not waste time," Obito recalled her advice and moved on to the next question.
[There are two tasks, Task A and Task B, to be completed by Ninja Teams A and B respectively. On a sunny day, Team A takes 12 days to complete their task, while Team B takes 15 days. On a rainy day, Team A's work efficiency decreases by 50%, while Team B's efficiency decreases by 25%. If both teams start and finish their tasks simultaneously, how many days of sunshine will there be during the completion of the tasks?]
Obito's eyes widened at the sight of the second question; it was his weakest subject, mathematics. He might be able to defeat a jonin in a fight, but mathematics was a different story. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't solve this problem.
Obito quickly moved on to the next question, only to be stumped again. Compared to the others, the second question was actually the simplest math problem.
As Obito skipped through the questions, he finally reached the sixth one, a history question, and his expression lit up. This was a subject he excelled in.
Obito had never found history questions so endearing. He wished the entire exam was just history questions.
But his moment of happiness was short-lived. As he moved on to the following questions, his heart sank. This exam was not going to be easy.
"Sage Mu Yue, bestow upon me the supreme wisdom to answer these questions," Obito closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in a sincere prayer.
"Examinee, no strange movements. Focus on the exam," the examiner knocked on the table, interrupting Obito's prayer.
(End of Chapter)
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