Perched once more on that barren tree branch beneath the fading sunset, Shiki couldn't shake off a sense of loneliness.
In all four examination areas, the exams had basically concluded.
"Today's assessment ends here. As for the final battle, that will be left for tomorrow."
As the proctor of the Fourth Examination Area finished speaking, the crowd around him had already dispersed. Some children went to watch battles from other examination areas, while others simply headed home.
Shiki was feeling bored and wanted to leave as well when suddenly he heard sounds of astonishment from nearby.
"Hyuga Ao is so strong!"
"This fight didn't even offer any challenge!"
"Kiba Inuzuka was also strong, but unfortunately, he faced the Hyuga Clan's genius."
Looking over, Shiki saw Akamaru already lying on the ground, while Kiba stood there gasping for breath.
Standing opposite him was Hyuga Ao, his expression indifferent.
"Cursed! I must defeat you today!" Kiba shouted through heavy breathing.
Generally, in a fight against someone from the Hyuga Clan, you absolutely couldn't let them land even a single hit. Because once they struck you, your chakra flow would be obstructed, which would gradually weaken your combat ability.
"Then say those words after you actually defeat me!"
Hyuga Ao suddenly leapt forward, pale blue chakra appearing in his palm.
For members of the Hyuga Clan, their control over chakra usually exceeded that of ordinary people. But to be able to gather such an impressive amount of chakra at this age was still worth admiration.
"That child from the Hyuga Clan seems pretty good too," Hayate Gekko remarked suddenly.
Another jonin, whom Shiki didn't recognize, said, "Of course, after all, he's from Konoha's second most powerful clan."
"No, we should now call them the number one clan," someone corrected.
The Uchiha Clan now only had one child left—Sasuke Uchiha. Though four years had passed, many jonin in Konoha still seemed unable to believe what had happened.
For anyone who had seen the Uchiha at their peak, it was still hard to believe they were wiped out overnight.
In the next moment, Kiba Inuzuka was struck powerfully and sent flying.
The children who had just watched Shiki's fight couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"This attack from Hyuga Ao resembles Shiki Uzumaki's fighting style!"
"They're both so direct and brutal!"
Shiki shook his head—his style was nothing like Hyuga Ao's. The reason he could unleash such fierce attacks was due to his own strength and speed. Whereas Hyuga Ao depended entirely on chakra.
What truly surprised Shiki was Hyuga Ao's speed. Though Qing Mu's speed hadn't yet reached Shiki's level, he was practically keeping up with him now.
"Pity I can't use chakra. Even without using the Eight Gates, my speed has dropped significantly."
After sighing helplessly, Shiki had no choice but to acknowledge this reality. That's exactly why even non-ninjas valued chakra so much.
With chakra, one could maintain a much stronger physical state.
Not being able to use chakra normally had definitely slowed him down a bit.
Tomorrow's battle would demand even greater focus and effort.
"Hyuga Ao wins!"
The proctor announced the result. Even though Kiba wanted to force himself back up, he couldn't manage it.
Actually, Shiki thought it was quite impressive that Kiba had managed to fight at this level. After all, Akamaru was still very young.
After hearing of his victory, Hyuga Ao simply turned and walked off without a word, totally missing the kind of flair Shiki would've shown.
Shiki walked over, picked up Akamaru, then carried him over to Kiba and gently handed him back his partner.
"Shiki, thanks," Kiba muttered, not taking his glare off Hyuga Ao for a second.
"Forget it. Just train harder next time—you're not saying you can't beat him, are you?" Shiki said.
Then, he pulled Kiba back to his feet.
Just at this moment, an announcement echoed through Examination Area Three: "Shino Aburame wins!"
Shino?
Shiki genuinely felt delighted that his friend—who usually lacked presence—had actually won.
He couldn't help but glance over and see Shino reaching out to help his opponent up.
But the girl across from him shouted, "Don't come near me! Creepy bug freak!"
Once again sensing the world's deep hostility toward him, Shino withdrew his hand and simply said, "Sorry."
Shiki couldn't help imagining how Shino advanced—girls scream, opponents surrender, move on to the next round.
Most of the girls in the Ninja Academy hadn't truly become qualified ninjas yet.
They could have relied on strength, but instead won by intimidation.
Meanwhile, the match in Examination Area One had also ended. Without question, Sasuke Uchiha emerged victorious.
Looks like my opponents will be these three—Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, and Hyuga Ao.
Seems like they're all tough ones.
"Huh? Were the matches here already finished?" Tenten's surprised voice reached Shiki's ears.
"Shiki, both I and Tenten came especially to cheer you on. Do you know how much—I skipped my daily 1000 kicks just for this! Later, I'll have to punish myself with 500 one-armed pushups. If I can't finish them, I'll do 1000 frog jumps. And if I fail again…"
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