Chapter 137: The Exam Begins

Chapter 137: The Exam Begins

As she looked at the roaring crowd, Chiko Tomoe suddenly began to understand what everyone was thinking.

In that moment, all of her nervousness, insecurity, and self-doubt melted away.

What took their place was a firm and unwavering resolve. Right then and there, Chiko found her own ninja way.

Reflecting on her journey, she knew better than anyone: if Ishiro hadn't discovered her unique and unconventional talent, she would've been buried among the masses—forgotten, ignored, and never given a chance to shine.

And so, in this moment of clarity, Chiko set herself a lifelong goal:

To become like her teacher, Ishiro—someone who seeks out hidden talents buried in obscurity and helps them walk the path they were meant for.

The atmosphere was so intense that no one noticed the shift occurring in her heart.

Most of the people present had never experienced this kind of mental breakthrough.

But there was one exception: Ikura.

As a near-Kage-level shinobi, Ikura had undergone this kind of transformation twice in his life.

He instantly recognized the signs: Chiko was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Given her unfocused gaze amid the cheers, Ikura immediately summoned a few proctors and instructed them to subtly slow down the lottery drawing process.

Chiko was still standing in line. If nothing interfered, she might finish her breakthrough uninterrupted.

But if she reached the front too quickly, it could disrupt the process.

She was still far from the lottery station, but Ikura couldn't risk it.

So the line was slowed discreetly, and thankfully, completely immersed in her own transformation, Chiko didn't notice a thing.

She was in the midst of an evolution—breaking through the mental wall on the path to becoming a jōnin.

She was ten years old.

Ikura was stunned. A once-mediocre ninja academy student had, in just one year, traversed a journey that even the most elite prodigies often took several years to complete.

"Ishiro... how exactly did you do this?"

Although Ikura could tell that Chiko was breaking through, he didn't know the reason.

He assumed it was the result of Ishiro's training and resolved to ask him in detail once he returned to the village. It might help when he himself began accepting disciples.

Chiko's foundations were weak. So while she had achieved this breakthrough today, it wouldn't translate into immediate jōnin-level strength. With her current base, it would still take her two to three years of growth to reach that stage.

But precisely because her foundation was so lacking, this moment was even more significant.

Breaking through early meant accelerated growth and saved years of effort.

She had wasted a lot of time before—lost without a proper mentor.

Even though she was now on the right path, what she lacked most was time.

After a while, just before she reached the front of the line, Chiko completed her breakthrough.

Ikura let out a breath of relief. He had been more anxious about her progress than he ever had been about his own.

"It really is more nerve-wracking to protect the next generation than to grow yourself."

Signaling for the drawing to proceed normally, Ikura then realized he hadn't reported this event to Onoki, the Tsuchikage.

He quickly drafted a classified message and handed it to a proctor to deliver.

This wasn't overblown.

A genius ninja meant everything to a hidden village.

Under Ishiro's guidance, Chiko had already stepped away from mediocrity.

Her previously visible ceiling had been becoming a jōnin. If she gained further insight before reaching her peak, she might even become a elite jōnin.

But ninja insight—true willpower evolution—was the hardest thing to predict or obtain.

Now, thanks to today's breakthrough, Chiko's chances of becoming a elite jōnin had increased significantly.

Even more valuable, her growth demonstrated that she had a rare talent for "breakthrough insight"—a quality far beyond most ninja.

Every elite jōnin was a treasure to their village, especially for a place like Iwagakure, which had only one true Kage-level shinobi.

When Onoki received the report, his first reaction was disbelief.

Out of respect for Ishiro, Onoki and other senior officials had reviewed the profiles of his three disciples in detail.

He'd been puzzled when Ishiro chose Kajiyama Ri and Kawakita, but with his experience, he could at least see their potential.

Chiko Tomoe, however, had left no impression on him whatsoever.

Yet she was now the first to achieve a major result.

Onoki had the urge to visit the training field himself—but looking at the stack of paperwork on his desk, he forced himself to stay put.

Instead, he told the messenger, "I can't leave right now. Tell Ikura to bring her here once the exam ends."

"Yes, sir!" the proctor responded and quickly departed.

Still too excited to focus on work, Onoki had the news sent to the three senior advisors still in the village to share the joy.

Back at the training field, the drawing of lots resumed at normal pace.

Soon, all the candidates were divided into dozens of battle zones, each overseen by a group of proctors.

Participants were to face off according to their drawn numbers.

Kajiyama Ri got lucky—he was selected for the first round.

His opponent was a seasoned genin named Nagano Risa, a close-combat specialist.

Nagano had clearly done her research and understood Kajiyama's background.

The moment the battle began, she charged at full speed.

If this had been Kajiyama from a month ago—before his series of high-pressure missions—he might've fumbled under the pressure of a close-ranged veteran.

But his experience had grown immensely.

As he moved swiftly within the battle zone, his hands formed seals at blinding speed.

Before Nagano could close in, he cast his first C-rank jutsu:

Water Release: Water Shockwave.

Due to their proximity, Nagano failed to completely dodge.

The wave knocked her back, forcing distance between them and disrupting her balance.

From that point on, Kajiyama maintained control.

With a rapid succession of C-rank techniques, he kept Nagano off-balance until a misstep sealed her fate. She couldn't dodge the final blow and surrendered.

For most candidates, that performance would've been impressive—strong enough to merit a promotion.

But compared to the audience's expectations of a dominating "jōnin disciple," it lacked some flair.

Still, those who understood combat dynamics could see the truth:

Kajiyama's execution had lived up to his title.

Ninjutsu specialists were at a natural disadvantage in one-on-one combat during early stages.

Considering he could already control and simplify five to six offensive techniques, Kajiyama's performance was more than satisfactory.

Since each match varied in length, the proctors rotated contestants into available zones as battles ended.

Kajiyama's match wasn't the fastest, but it was respectable and drew some attention.

The second of Ishiro's students to take the stage was Chiko Tomoe—and her appearance caused another eruption in the crowd.

This time, however, there was a shared understanding.

After a brief cheer, the spectators fell quiet, eager to watch.

All eyes turned to her.

Even genin still mid-fight stole glances her way in open admiration.

"Ishiro-sensei, I won't let you down," Chiko thought.

Scanning the audience, she added silently, "And I won't betray your hopes either."

When her eyes finally locked onto her opponent, he stiffened under the pressure.

His name was Omori Shiho—two years older than Chiko and a graduate of the elite class.

He had spent the past year under a jōnin captain, carrying out real missions.

And yet, when Chiko's gaze fell on him, he felt it—that oppressive aura.

It was the kind of spiritual pressure he'd only ever felt when facing actual jōnin.

"Has she already reached jōnin level?"

His ignorance of the breakthrough process left him confused—and already half-defeated in his heart.

Both of them were ninjutsu types.

Chiko's hand seals were significantly faster, and her Wind Release overwhelmed Omori's Earth Release.

One brimming with momentum, the other weighed down by fear.

The outcome was a one-sided rout.

With just two wide-area Wind Release attacks and flawless control, Chiko forced Omori into retreat and left him no opening.

In the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

The crowd erupted.

It was as if they themselves had claimed victory—cheering as if history had just been made.

Chiko trembled with emotion.

She was no longer that girl who had nearly failed her graduation test.

Now, she was the genin all others envied.

And soon, she would be the chunin they admired—then the jōnin they respected.

Someday, people would be proud to say they knew her.

From a distance, Ikura watched with a smile.

"She's finally gained the confidence of a true ninja."

In the stands, Kotake sat beside the fearsome Kamino Tsuko, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Wow… I didn't know Onee-chan was that amazing."

Tsuko, however, was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Man, I wish I could get in there! But after this, Chiko's gonna get promoted on the spot—no need for tomorrow or the day after."

That was part of the rules.

If the chief examiner judged someone's performance to have already reached chunin level, they could be promoted immediately, without taking up a "relaxed quota slot."

Those who hadn't demonstrated sufficient strength would continue to compete over the next two days, for a total of five matches.

At the end, the strongest among them would be nominated to the Tsuchikage for official promotion.

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