Chương 16: The Assessment

Three days later, noon. Konoha's Third Training Ground. The hot sun hung high in the sky, baking the flat, yellow ground. Shuji arrived on time. He wore a standard dark green shinobi uniform with his forehead protector fastened straight. Two figures already stood silently in the center of the open training grounds. Both wore the standard dark gray, high-collared ANBU uniforms. Featureless animal masks covered their faces, concealing their identities and emotions.

The taller of the two had a posture carrying an almost imperceptible laziness. Strands of silver hair stubbornly poked out from the edges of his mask, catching the hot sunlight. The other was slightly smaller, perhaps a year or two younger than Shuji. He stood perfectly straight like a javelin, completely silent, blending in like a piece of the background.

"Special Jonin promotion assessment. Subject: Shuji." The tall, silver-haired ANBU spoke. His voice came through the mask with deliberate flatness, yet that unique, slightly dragging cadence carried a hint of familiarity.

"The two of us will conduct the evaluation. The objective is to demonstrate your mastery of ninjutsu. Evaluation criteria include power, control, efficiency, and combat adaptability." His gaze locked onto Shuji through the eyeholes of the mask.

"Begin when ready." No unnecessary pleasantries. The ANBU style was clean and direct. The moment the words landed, the silver-haired ANBU's figure blurred without warning. Shuji's pupils shrank. He shifted his body hard to the right. A blinding flash of blue lightning tore through the air where he had just been standing, leaving behind a scorched black trail and the sharp stench of ozone. The silver-haired ANBU appeared instantly at that spot. Leaping arcs of lightning wrapped around his right hand.

Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter! He had clearly held back the deadly power, but the explosive speed and biting killing intent perfectly demonstrated an elite ANBU's oppressive presence.

"Combat reaction time, passing." The flat voice came from behind the mask. His attack did not stop. His left hand blurred through hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive, scorching fireball roared forward, sealing off Shuji's evasion routes. Shuji's eyes narrowed in focus. His hands wove seals like fluttering butterflies.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" A thick, condensed barrier of water rose from the ground, perfectly intercepting the fireball. A violent hiss erupted. Steam exploded outward, instantly blanketing the area in a dense white fog that blinded the battlefield. Using the vapor as cover, Shuji retreated rapidly while shifting his hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" A powerful gale blasted outward with him at the epicenter. It scattered the thick fog in an instant and carried a piercing howl as it swept toward the silver-haired ANBU, aiming to disrupt his rhythm. The silver-haired ANBU moved like a ghost, weaving through the violent winds with a fluidity that suggested he could predict the exact trajectory of the air pressure. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He formed another seal.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" A solid wall erupted from the dirt, blocking the brunt of the gale. However, the very second the wall rose, several sharp wind blades whipped around the blind spots from the sides in a brutal angle. A very faint click of the tongue sounded behind the mask. The silver-haired ANBU twisted his body at a near-impossible angle, narrowly evading the wind blades. The corner of his cloak was silently sliced away.

"Wind Release control, excellent." He evaluated. Right then, the shorter ANBU who had been observing quietly finally moved. He clapped his hands together rapidly in front of his chest. His chakra surged. His movements were precise and controlled.

"Wood Release: Silent Strangling Jutsu!" Thick, durable vines burst from the ground beneath Shuji's feet like awakened snakes, lashing toward his ankles with incredible speed. Shuji felt a chill. Wood Release? Yamato?

"Earth Release: Rock Avalanche!" The solid ground centered around his feet instantly fractured and caved in, forming a shallow crater. The emerging vines were crushed and blocked by the shifting jagged rocks, stalling their momentum for a fraction of a second. Seizing that brief window, Shuji launched himself into the air. Mid-jump, his hands finished another sequence.

"Lightning Release: Ground Flash!" Blue electrical arcs webbed out like a net, racing along the fractured earth straight toward the shorter ANBU. The shorter ANBU did not panic. He clapped his hands together again.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!" A row of thick, perfectly curved wooden pillars arched out of the ground, sealing him inside a flawless dome. The lightning crackled and slammed against the dark brown wood, leaving black scorch marks but failing to shake the structure at all. The silver-haired ANBU silently approached from the side. He held a kunai wrapped in dense, scalp-numbing static, striking like the fangs of a venomous snake. The blade let a sharp screech as it thrust toward Shuji's exposed ribs.

Suspended in mid-air with nothing to push off, Shuji remained completely calm. He rapidly snapped out two seals.

"Wind Release: Gale!" A powerful burst of air blasted out, the recoil violently shoving Shuji to the opposite side. He landed on the dirt, his breathing slightly rushed, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. The silver-haired ANBU landed nearby.

"Practical ninjutsu application is proficient. Chakra reserves are... abundant." He gave an objective assessment. Based on the level Shuji just displayed, his qualification as a Special Jonin was unquestionable. But the test was not over. The silent, shorter ANBU took a step forward. The hollow eyeholes of his mask locked onto Shuji. He clapped his hands together once more.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!" The earth shook violently. Countless massive, twisted roots and tree trunks tore through the surface like ancient pythons. They grew and spread with insane frenzy. The open training ground was instantly swallowed by a rapidly expanding, miniature forest overflowing with primal vitality. The lush green canopy swayed in the sunlight, radiating a terrifying, crushing pressure as the wood closed in from all sides to strangle Shuji at the center.

The silver-haired ANBU stepped back, his gaze fixed on the center of the chaos. Facing this massive scale, Shuji took a deep breath and split off a Shadow Clone. At the same time, his internal chakra refined and converted at unprecedented speeds. His main body's hands moved so fast they became a blur, leaving afterimages.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" A highly condensed crimson fire dragon burst from his mouth, radiating terrifying heat and immediately setting the timber ablaze. Beside him, the Shadow Clone finished its seals. A massive current of air whipped up. Wind feeds fire. The crimson fire dragon, supercharged by the violent gale, instantly expanded much larger. The scorching temperature spiked to its absolute limit, the color shifting from crimson to a blinding, incandescent white.

An apocalyptic tornado of white-hot flame roared forward, slamming brutally into the right side of the vast forest where the regeneration was slightly slower and the structure weaker. A deafening explosion shattered the training ground's silence. Wherever the white-hot fire dragon passed, the incredibly resilient Wood Release branches were torn apart and burned to nothing, leaving a sky filled with swirling ash and embers.

A scorched tunnel of destruction, reeking of acrid smoke and lethal heat, was forcefully punched straight through the suffocating wooden cage. Shuji shot out of the hellish tunnel right behind the fading fire dragon, landing steadily on the cleared, charred ground. He panted softly. Multiple spots on his uniform were scorched and curled from the heat. Soot covered his face. Through the shimmering heat waves, his calm eyes remained firmly locked on the two ANBU. The training ground was a total wreck.

A huge smoking crater had been violently blasted through the terrifying miniature forest, with its jagged edges still burning. Broken branches crackled in the flames. The smell of burned wood filled the hot air. The fire gradually died down, leaving behind only twisting trails of smoke and a field of charcoal. The silver-haired ANBU looked at the path torn open by sheer brute force, and at the figure standing at its end.

"Ninjutsu coordination... timing, power, and control are excellent." He put away his lightning-infused kunai. His voice returned to its deliberate flatness.

"Assessment complete. Special Jonin qualification, granted."