One less

But as always, among them, there were unique individuals.

These individuals, when climbing, did not compete for the scarce footholds. Instead, trusting in the strong gripping power of their fingers, they transformed their hands into claws and drove them forcefully into the rock.

And so, they themselves created footholds to climb quickly.

Amid the chaos, Gen remained at the back, neither being attacked nor rushing to climb the wall like the others.

He did not react immediately, as if he were a second behind everyone else, observing every movement before acting.

Only when most had already started climbing did he finally set off. His eyes analyzed those who jumped and climbed, measuring every detail.

Then, he bent his legs and, upon jumping, unleashed an explosive force.

Boom

That explosive force deformed the ground beneath his feet, leaving two deep, one-inch footprints.

His figure rose straight up, not only surpassing the people ahead of him but instantly reaching nearly ten meters into the air.

But as he jumped, at the front, someone else had also leaped high near him.

Just as he passed behind that person, he took advantage of having jumped slightly higher and, at the moment of overtaking them, used that guy's head as a springboard, delivering a kick that struck the top of his victim's head, propelling himself even higher.

Crack

The unfortunate one barely had time to react before his neck gave way with a snap.

His entire structure collapsed instantly—his chest caved in, his eyes widened in shock, and blood spurted from his nose, mouth, and ears.

His body plummeted, spinning out of control until it crashed into the ground.

Boom

When his body struck the ground, the impact was so strong that the surface cracked, and the one who fell died on the spot.

Gen not only used that person as a springboard but also, with his kick, killed him in a single blow.

When the dust settled, the distinctive protector on his forehead revealed the fallen one's identity: a ninja from Kumogakure.

The fact that this young man was participating here already proved that his talent and skill placed him among the geniuses of his village's new generation.

But unfortunately for him, he encountered Gen and didn't even have the chance to forfeit the exam or use his chakra to defend himself before losing his life in this trial.

Before this, although some had attacked others, due to the prohibition of chakra use, the victims were only injured—no one had died.

Therefore, this Kumogakure ninja became the first fatality of this Chūnin Exam.

Realizing the situation, both Buziyi, the examiner, and the Cloud ninjas supervising the exam immediately displayed grim expressions.

Allowing attacks between participants was an established rule, meaning that Kumogakure intended to encourage killing among ninjas from different villages. However, they had never imagined that the first death in the exam would be from their own village.

"Damn it! That Konoha brat is a damn arrogant bastard...!"

"It's Gen Uchiha. According to Konoha's reports, he is their greatest prodigy in this exam. To have this kind of strength without even using chakra... If we don't eliminate him now, he'll be a damn nightmare for our village in the future."

"Damn bastard! I'd give anything to crush him with my own hands!"

The Cloud ninjas were furious and stunned. Some didn't even try to hide their bloodlust.

Just as the other villages gathered information, Kumogakure did the same.

In the intelligence they had collected about Konoha, Gen Uchiha was the individual who stood out the most—the one they most wanted to eliminate.

But now, right before their eyes, that bastard had just killed one of their own talents—without hesitation, without faltering. The impact of the murder ignited hatred in Buziyi and the others, like a fire fueled by the wind.

With each passing second, the resentment grew, twisting inside them like a beast that could not be unleashed.

And yet… in this exam, no one could act arbitrarily.

This exam was not just a test of skill; it was also a covert battlefield among the five great villages. Even if Kumogakure was the host, any violation of the rules would provoke retaliation from the other four villages.

Buziyi knew this. Even though his instincts screamed at him to tear Gen apart right then and there—even though he could feel the burning rage and thirst for vengeance in the gazes of his comrades—he had to restrain them himself.

Gen paid no attention to the reaction of the Cloud ninjas—or rather, he simply didn't care.

After propelling himself once more, he reached a height of over twenty meters and was already heading toward his second "springboard."

This time, his target was a person who was already climbing the cliff. His figure had both hands embedded in the rock, climbing agilely like a monkey.

Among all the climbers, this person was in the second row of the group, which demonstrated his outstanding ability.

This ninja also belonged to Kumogakure.

The area Gen had chosen to climb was full of ninjas from that village.

Kumogakure was not only the organizer of the exam but also had the highest number of participants.

So it seemed that Gen intended to reduce their numbers from the very start.

With his astonishing jumping strength, he propelled himself upward once again, quickly catching up to the Cloud ninja who was climbing.

This ninja turned out to be much more alert than the previous one.

The sound of Gen rapidly ascending from below was sharply perceived. He quickly lowered his head and saw Gen approaching like a bullet.

"Die!"

Although he had not witnessed the scene where Gen killed his fellow villager, this ninja acted with absolute decisiveness.

With both hands firmly embedded in the wall for support, he launched a fierce kick toward Gen's head the instant he reached his position.

But Gen reacted instantly.

Instead of trying to block or dodge directly, he struck the wall with the palm of his hand, using the impact's force to propel himself.

Thanks to this movement, he not only avoided the kick but also spun his body in midair in a 360-degree rotation, redirecting his trajectory with precise control.

Before the ninja could react, Gen was already behind him.

"Damn—!"

The ninja felt the support beneath his feet disappear and tried to regain his balance immediately. However, before he could move, Gen struck.

His gaze turned ice-cold, and without giving him a chance to defend himself, he delivered a devastating punch.

Boom

Despite not using chakra, the punch carried an overwhelming explosive force.

The fist struck the back of the ninja's head, slamming his face directly into the rock.

________

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