Chapter 66: The True Ninja Prodigy
Chapter 66: The True Ninja Prodigy
The next day, the practical exam was once again held in the training field, just like before.
After all the students had drawn their lots, Mu Yue announced the start of the practical examination.
"Examinee number one, Gang Zitie, and examinee number two, Feng Xingzi, please enter the examination area."
Gang Zitie knew that, as number one, he would definitely be the first to be tested, so he had already warmed up in advance.
"I'll take the lead, and remember to cheer me on." Gang Zitie bade farewell to his two close brothers and stepped into the exam arena.
"Zitie, don't lose in the first match," Shen Yue Yun encouragingly said, giving Gang Zitie a friendly face.
Feng Xingzi and Gang Zitie entered the field together. Without much exchange, they formed the opposing hand seals and waited for Mu Yue's signal to begin their battle.
Although the goal was to drive away the taijutsu teacher, it wasn't about acting during the practical exam but rather showcasing their actual abilities to let the proctor see the disparity between the students' ninja techniques and taijutsu levels.
At the start of the engagement, both participants employed taijutsu to spar and test each other's abilities.
In the first wave of probing attacks, Gang Zitie temporarily suppressed Feng Xingzi with his greater strength.
Then, Feng Xingzi started employing tactics. He first used the Body Replacement Technique to confuse Gang Zitie and create distance, then created two clones to distract and look for an opportunity to attack.
Feng Xingzi's Three Shadow Clone Technique was fairly well-practiced, but Gang Zitie had more tricks up his sleeve.
Gang Zitie first created a clone of a chair, then followed up with two normal clones.
He used the regular clones to distract Feng Xingzi, then canceled the chair clone and created another normal clone, finally using Transformation Technique to turn himself into a chair.
Naturally, Feng Xingzi wouldn't be wary of a weird chair that could walk, and Gang Zitie seized the opportunity to capture and defeat him in one strike.
"Hey, isn't this the Gang Zitie who was one of the three ninja prodigies that the school has been buzzing about? I never thought the Confusion Technique could be used in such a clever way." Ueda Aya marveled at Gang Zitie's battle prowess.
"And his Clone Technique and Transformation Technique are already so proficient; he's even better than the students in my class." Ueda Aya exclaimed.
She taught ninjutsu to the second-year students, and even the best student in her class wasn't as skilled as Gang Zitie.
Solely based on his Clone Technique, Ueda Aya believed that Gang Zitie had already reached a level sufficient for graduation.
It was indeed a very standard Clone Technique.
Feng Xingzi, Gang Zitie's opponent, also performed admirably and could easily defeat most of Ueda Aya's students.
As Ueda Aya praised their performance, she also scored Gang Zitie's exam. For ninjutsu, she gave him a perfect score of 10.
Such a level of ninjutsu among first-year students deserved a perfect score; as for taijutsu, she gave him a 7.1, which was just above average compared to his ninjutsu skills.
Feng Xingzi's taijutsu score was even lower, earning a 5 from Ueda Aya.
Both of them performed averagely in shuriken throwing, so Ueda Aya gave them a 5 for that category.
However, their hand seal formation speed was quite impressive. Gang Zitie received an 8, while Feng Xingzi got a 7.5.
Finally, Ueda Aya tallied up the total scores. Gang Zitie's score was an impressive 30.1.
This score was already considered a high achievement. The ninja school's practical exam scoring was very strict. Generally, a score above 20 indicated excellent proficiency, and a score above 30 was considered outstanding.
"Zitie works very hard in his studies," Mu Yue nodded in agreement.
Although she didn't know if Gang Zitie practiced at home, she was sure that he studied diligently. When collecting his exam paper, she had glanced at it and knew that he would score highly.
"The second exam is about to begin. Examinee number three, Shen Yue Yun, and examinee number four, Kozumi Yuki, please prepare for your exam," Mu Yue announced after finishing the scoring.
"Now it's my turn to shine.
Kamizuki Izumo fought with a steadier style compared to Gang Zitie. Instead of disguising himself as a chair, he waited for the right moment and used the Confusion Technique to create a three-meter-tall, green-faced, fanged monster that scared Yuki Koizumi and won him the fight.
"Kamizuki Izumo, he's also one of the three ninja prodigies, right? He's indeed a talent," Ueda Aya commented, feeling that both Gang Zitie and Kamizuki Izumo were indeed talented individuals.
Kamizuki's display of ninjutsu was equally impressive. Ueda Aya gave him a perfect score of 10 for ninjutsu, and his total score was 30.5, slightly higher than Gang Zitie's due to his faster hand seals.
Ueda Aya had initially thought that the first two students were of exceptionally high quality. However, as the exam progressed, she realized she was wrong. By the fifth match, she hadn't given any student a score lower than eight for ninjutsu.
All the students' taijutsu performances were commendable.
"Examinee number eleven, Mitaharashi Anko, and examinee number twelve, Shima Keisuke, please get ready for your exam," Mu Yue announced.
"Watch closely, I'll show you what true Confusion Technique is!" Anko boasted, claiming that Gang Zitie and Kamizuki Izumo's Confusion Techniques were inferior.
"So what if it's a chair? As long as you win," Gang Zitie retorted, unconvinced.
"Could your illusion be scarier than my monster?" Kamizuki also chimed in, confident that his strategy was the best.
Anko didn't respond to their banter; she knew that her performance would speak for itself.
Shima Keisuke's taijutsu was no match for Anko's, and he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
Capitalizing on her lead, Anko swiftly formed the necessary hand seals and created seven or eight clones of Shima, including herself, using the Transformation Technique to turn herself into Shima as well.
In an instant, the exam venue was filled with running Shima clones, and Anko's original body had disappeared from sight.
"Teacher Mu Yue, your student is truly a talent," Ueda Aya exclaimed, her mouth agape. She had been a teacher for several years and had proctored countless exams, but this was the first time she had witnessed such a scenario.
"Her way of thinking is extraordinary," Mu Yue agreed, after some thought.
Shima Keisuke was bewildered by the multitude of his clones running around, and despite his caution, he was unable to prevent Anko from landing the winning strike.
Anko's ninjutsu deserved a perfect score, and Ueda Aya felt that the only reason it wasn't higher was that the maximum score was ten. Anko's ninjutsu skills were evidently superior to those of Gang Zitie and Kamizuki Izumo.
In the end, Anko achieved an impressive score of 36, with perfect scores in all categories except taijutsu and shuriken throwing.
Ueda Aya felt like she was proctoring an exam for third or fourth-year students instead of first-year students. The level of ninjutsu displayed by these students far exceeded her expectations.
The last time she proctored for Class 1-A, the students had performed exceptionally well, but it wasn't as extraordinary as this class.
Back then, she had even commented that Class 1-A's level was almost on par with her second-year students. Now, she felt that her own class didn't measure up.
"Teacher Mu Yue, your class's ninjutsu level is truly remarkable. All the teachers in the ninja school should learn from you how to teach ninjutsu," Ueda Aya praised.
One or two outstanding students could be attributed to their natural talent, but for an entire class to excel, it was a testament to the teacher's skill. There couldn't be that many geniuses in a single class.
"It's all thanks to the students' hard work. I'm just doing my best to teach them," Mu Yue humbly replied.
With her Proficient-level three-body technique and teaching skill, not only was she superior to the other teachers in the school, but there might not be anyone in Konoha who could teach these three ninjutsu techniques better than her.
"Examinee number thirty-eight, Uchiha Itachi, please get ready for your exam..."
Upon hearing Itachi's name, Ueda Aya straightened up. This was the student she had been most anticipating, the one who had previously displayed prowess comparable to that of Kakashi Hatake, his peer.
(End of Chapter)
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