Chapter 89: I'd Call You the Strongest
Today, Konoha's Ninja Academy was shrouded in an unusual atmosphere.
Despite being the weekend, the school gates were tightly shut, perimeter lines drawn around, dozens of ANBU shinobi silently dispersed among tree shadows and wall corners, prohibiting any unrelated personnel from approaching.
For all the teachers and examiners present, today was a nerve-wracking day.
Even the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, who usually played the hands-off leader, had arrived early and sat in the examiner's seat, arms crossed, expression serious. She occasionally lifted her eyes toward the entrance, gaze sharp.
The entire examination ground was silent as death, everyone waiting—waiting for a girl yet to appear, and her extraordinary graduation examination.
Standing beside Tsunade, Shikaku asked in a low voice, "That lord... approximately when will he arrive?" As the main planner of this examination, his palms slightly perspired, unable to hide the tension in his tone.
After all, the girl graduating today was that lord's most cherished sister—and that person's every move was enough to shake all of Konoha.
Tsunade shook her head, gaze still fixed on the grounds. "I only know it's this morning. However... he shouldn't break his word."
....
Yu held his sister's hand, walking slowly toward the Ninja Academy.
The surroundings were unusually quiet, completely different from the usual noisy scene.
Just then, an ANBU shinobi suddenly appeared, kneeling on one knee before him, posture respectful as he said:
"Lord Yu, please proceed this way."
Yu's brow lightly raised.
He'd clearly told Tsunade before not to make such a grand spectacle—this was completely different from when he took his graduation exam years ago.
Back then, he remembered only a chunin examiner having him demonstrate a few basic jutsu. The old man shook his head and sighed slightly before he smoothly received a D-rank evaluation and graduated as a genin.
Sasuko lightly scratched Yu's palm, murmuring quietly, "Yu, this scene... seems completely different from the graduation exam Naruko described before."
Yu smiled slightly, fingertips gently squeezing back. "Don't worry, it's just an exam. No matter the result, I'll give you a reward—I'll agree to one request from you, okay?"
Sasuko's cheeks immediately flushed with a faint blush as she nodded.
She couldn't help but recall last night when she'd tried to sneak into Yu's room, only to be gently stopped outside with "You have an exam tomorrow" as the reason. However, Yu had also promised that after the exam ended, he'd fulfill one of her wishes...
Anyway... more intimate things between her and Yu had already happened.
Thinking of this, the girl's face reddened further, gaze unconsciously drifting to the side, heartbeat quietly accelerating.
The moment Yu appeared at the examination ground entrance with Sasuko, the air suddenly froze.
The examiners who'd been conversing in low voices immediately held their breath, several scoring examiners even unable to control the slight trembling of their fingertips.
Although Lady Tsunade had already given them advance "pre-exam psychological counseling," actually seeing this legendary man who'd split an entire desert with one hand standing before them still made them involuntarily nervous.
Several Konoha higher-ups quickly stepped forward, humbly bowing to guide him. "Lord Yu, the family observation area has been prepared for you."
Yu nodded slightly, gaze turning to the girl beside him, gently stroking her hair. "Go ahead, I'll be right here watching you."
Sasuko lifted her face to look at him, fingertips reluctantly sliding from his palm.
She nodded lightly, then followed two ANBU toward the center of the grounds, steps steady yet still unable to resist looking back once.
And when Yu softly said to the girl "I'll be right here watching you," the nearby higher-ups felt their hearts inexplicably tighten.
Although they'd made thorough preparations—dozens of medical team members on standby all day, examiners repeatedly rehearsing various emergency plans, even the Fifth Hokage personally overseeing.
Yet when those words calmly emerged from that person's mouth, everyone still felt an invisible pressure permeating the air.
Heaven knew why this lord's sister insisted on taking such a basic exam.
Frankly speaking, even Konoha's Hokage succession was probably just a matter of his word—why such solemnity over a mere genin examination? Moreover, if his sister accidentally got injured during the exam...
Konoha was doomed!
Although Tsunade repeatedly emphasized they must seriously test the girl's abilities and not be perfunctory—after all, that lord was personally observing the exam.
But honestly, when they themselves became clan heads back in the day, they'd never been this nervous.
Sasuko walked slowly to the center of the grounds.
The entire practice field was empty, opened only for her; all surrounding examiners were also on standby only for her.
They each handled different areas yet were without exception experts in their fields within Konoha.
An elderly examiner stepped forward and bowed slightly to her, tone exceptionally gentle:
"Miss Sasuko, the first assessment is the Clone Technique. You may begin demonstrating at any time. The exam allows repeated attempts, so please relax... and absolutely don't injure yourself."
Sasuko nodded lightly.
For some reason, she felt this old examiner seemed even more nervous than herself.
She skillfully formed seals, movements fluid and swift. With a light "poof," a perfect clone identical to her appeared on the grounds.
The old examiner immediately applauded, face showing a relieved smile as he exclaimed excitedly, "Good, very good!"
"Miss Sasuko's clone technique—in my decades of proctoring exams, I've never seen better. I'd call you the strongest. You may proceed to the next examination."
After finishing, he quietly exhaled, as if he himself had passed an important test.
In the VIP seating, Yu sat up straight on the soft sofa, attentively watching the situation on the grounds.
Despite the distance, the conversation on the field still clearly reached his ears.
A Konoha higher-up standing nearby wiped sweat from his brow and explained in a low voice, "The examiner simply couldn't help praising her a bit more because Miss Sasuko's performance was truly excellent..."
Yu nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement.
In his heart, his sister should naturally be the best—such praise was completely deserved.
Sasuko successively completed shuriken target practice and various elemental jutsu assessments.
Whether precise shuriken technique or skillful Water Style and Fire Style, she demonstrated abilities far exceeding her peers.
Especially during the Lightning Style segment, the crackling electricity in her hands was sharp and solid, causing examiners to continuously exclaim in admiration.
"This Lightning Style control... simply incredible!"
"Miss Sasuko's Water Style is also quite outstanding!"
"This is genius!"
However, facing these compliments, Sasuko's brow remained slightly furrowed.
Initially she was fairly calm, but as the assessment continued, the examiners' increasingly exaggerated praise gradually made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
***
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