Final Test

"Incredible! Not only did he hit the center with every throw, but he also managed to throw two shuriken at the same time. Asuma really lives up to being the Hokage's son."

"I really envy Asuma. Having a father like the Hokage surely makes everything easier for him. If it were me, I'd also achieve outstanding results."

"Asuma really has talent…"

Throwing two shuriken at once was a technique Asuma had recently learned. Seeing that his execution was perfect filled him with pride, but as soon as he heard the comments behind him, his enthusiasm instantly faded.

'I achieved this through my own effort! Why do they always think everything is because I'm the Hokage's son?' With clenched fists, he felt a mix of emotions—frustration and anger—as he silently returned to the group.

Gen, who was talking with Kurenai and Shizune, noticed the change in Asuma's expression. His eyes lit up for an instant, but he quickly regained his composure.

After Asuma, the test continued with the other students going one after another, including Kurenai and Shizune.

Both demonstrated their natural talent. If they didn't have it, they would hardly have reached the level of ninjas in the future.

Although they didn't manage to throw multiple shuriken like Asuma, each of their throws hit the target, earning excellent marks.

"Gen Uchiha!"

The instructor's voice rang out, marking Gen's turn. A brief murmur spread among the students as he calmly walked toward the red line.

He received the ten shuriken from the instructor's hands and, instead of throwing them immediately, he held them carefully, slightly spinning them in his palms.

"Is he calculating the weight…?" one of the instructors murmured, squinting.

"How meticulous…" the other responded, observing each of his movements with a glint in his eyes.

To any inexperienced observer, what Gen was doing might seem like an exaggeration, but to the teachers, it was a clear display of his skill. The shuriken, though standardized, were never identical.

Small differences in weight and balance could exist between them, imperceptible to most, but not to someone with enough experience.

Even so, those variations were minimal, almost insignificant in a real fight. However, for Gen, evaluating each weapon before using it wasn't just a whim—it was a habit from his training.

Once satisfied with his assessment, he lifted his gaze toward the targets set at ten and twenty meters away.

Without changing his expression, without a trace of tension or anticipation.

And then, he moved his fingers.

His hands moved with impressive speed, blurring in the air. To the spectators, his figure seemed to multiply for an instant, leaving residual images in place.

!

In the blink of an eye, the ten shuriken left his hands. They weren't thrown one by one but in two groups of five.

They were swift shadows, and their trajectory showed not the slightest deviation.

"Thock! Thock! Thock!"

The dry sound of the shuriken embedding in the wood echoed. In less than a second, the ten training dummies were pierced.

Each shuriken had hit the mark, embedding precisely in their centers, as if they had been placed there by hand.

"What the hell?! Did he just throw all the shuriken at once and hit every target?!"

"That was so fast! I only saw a slight movement of his hands, and suddenly all the figures already had shuriken stuck in them. How did he do that?!"

"Five shuriken thrown at the same time… This is ridiculous. How can he do something like that?"

For a moment, the training field fell silent. Most of the students still hadn't processed what they had just witnessed. Some blinked, trying to understand what had happened, while others simply stood there, mouths agape.

The impact took a few seconds to settle in, but when those who managed to grasp what had happened began explaining it to the others, the silence broke.

It was simply absurd.

The technique of throwing multiple shuriken simultaneously was far beyond the level of academy students.

For many, throwing one with accuracy was already a challenge.

Even Asuma, who had managed to throw two shuriken at once after weeks of intense practice, was completely stunned.

He had to train relentlessly, repeating the same movement over and over until his body memorized it. He knew firsthand how difficult it was to coordinate two shuriken without losing precision. But five… that was another story.

The comparison was inevitable. His own achievement suddenly felt insignificant.

The instructors, who had remained relatively calm until now, also looked at Gen in surprise.

"We know the Uchiha clan is talented with tools, but this is too much. How the hell can a nine-year-old do something like this?"

The other nodded with a frown, not taking his eyes off the targets.

"His shuriken-throwing skills are outstanding. I didn't expect someone his age to execute a technique of this caliber."

After throwing the shuriken, Gen looked at the instructors, who had yet to announce the result. "Masters, what is my score?"

The two men blinked, clearly still processing what had just happened.

"Eh… right…" The instructor in charge of announcing the results cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Gen Uchiha, excellent!"

It was true that the highest grade in the test was "excellent" and that other students had received it, but this was different.

The others had barely reached that level. In contrast, for Gen, "excellent" seemed like the minimum evaluation.

Throwing five shuriken with such precision was not something an academy student could do. It wasn't even common among Chūnin.

Until now, Gen had always been one of the best in the tool-throwing exams. But this time… his performance had crossed the line of what he had previously demonstrated.

After the results were announced, he returned to the group with the same calmness with which he had taken the test, showing only a slight smile when Kurenai, Shizune, and some classmates congratulated him on his achievement.

What he had just done had a purpose beyond the recognition of his peers. It was a simple demonstration, a means to obtain more resources.

The morning evaluation didn't allow him to show much, but these two afternoon tests would be different.

Shuriken-throwing was just the beginning.

With the completion of this test, the time had come for the final exam: a real combat test.

Unlike the previous tests, which were limited to each class, this evaluation included all students of the same generation.

The list of opponents for the test was not organized randomly; instead, two people with similar scores were paired together.

After all, the evaluation result was only secondary and depended primarily on battle performance. If the difference in strength was too great, it would be impossible to accurately showcase the actual combat abilities of both sides.

"Jeremy Kōta versus Ryo Namase!"

In a training area, after clearing the field, the instructor began announcing the matchups. The two students whose names were called stepped forward, performed the "Seal of Confrontation," and then the fight began.

When one of the two was defeated, both performed the "Seal of Reconciliation," and the instructor announced the next round of matches.

The fights continued one after another, and time passed silently.

"Gen Uchiha versus Yuta Hyūga!"

After who knows how long, Gen heard his name and immediately stepped forward.