Kyuushin stood on the stage, looking at the examinees below, roughly estimating there were close to two hundred people.
Since two assessments had already been conducted, there was no need to re-draw examination numbers. When the time came, Kyuushin, without any stage fright, walked directly to the podium and said to the examinees below:
"Everyone, I am the examiner for today's practical assessment. During the assessment, no methods are forbidden. Please approach it with the mindset of killing me. I will grade you based on each of your performances.
Now, please form five queues according to your examination numbers to facilitate the upcoming assessment."
These senior students were already considered a reserve force of shinobi, so they didn't act too slowly after hearing Kyuushin's command. After a short while, five vertical columns were formed.
Kyuushin nodded, and without any visible movement from him, five shadow clones suddenly emerged from behind him. In a flash, these shadow clones appeared in front of each vertical column.
Seeing Kyuushin act in such a way, the examinees below couldn't help but stir in an uproar. They hadn't expected Kyuushin to assess them with just one shadow clone. Their faces immediately flushed red, as if they had been insulted.
"Hey! This is too arrogant, isn't it? Does he think he can defeat us with just one shadow clone?"
"Exactly, I can even spar with our teachers. No matter how powerful he is, he's still just a chunin."
"Hmph! I think he's just famous in name only, afraid to face us with his real body, probably worried about losing face if we defeat him."
Even the teachers responsible for maintaining order on the side were whispering, thinking that Kyuushin's actions were too overconfident. The strength of a shadow clone was at most one-tenth of the real body's, and it would shatter with a single touch. Moreover, Kyuushin had created five of them simultaneously.
Even Yota, who was standing by, wanted to speak up and remind him, but before he could act, Kyuushin, standing on the high platform and seeing the chaotic order among the examinees below, unleashed the chakra within his body with a roar.
Immediately, a faint blue chakra flame seemed to appear around Kyuushin, and the high platform he stood on seemed unable to withstand this pressure, developing cracks. The surrounding air temperature noticeably dropped by several degrees.
The examinees below were even worse off. Almost all of them knelt on the ground, as if a thousand-pound weight had been pressed upon them. Some of the weaker students had even collapsed onto the ground, with only a few managing to stand precariously.
"Do not presumptuously speculate on the strength of the strong with your ignorance." At this moment, Kyuushin's voice suddenly boomed in their ears:
"Even my shadow clones possess the strength of a chunin. Even if you can last one minute against my shadow clones, you can achieve a score of seventy points or more.
Remember, the longer you last, the higher your score will be. If you can defeat a shadow clone, you will receive a score of ninety points or more. Everyone, begin!"
Kyuushin retracted the chakra around him, and the examinees on the scene immediately felt the pressure on them ease. They all stood up, but no longer dared to say anything more.
They had heard of Kyuushin's name in the Ninja Academy before, but most students were skeptical, and many ignorant students even thought they could do it too.
But now, they were slapped in the face, making them realize the reality. Those conceited students couldn't even withstand the chakra unleashed by Kyuushin, and immediately dared not be arrogant anymore.
Many who hadn't participated in the discussion earlier looked at Kyuushin standing on the platform, their eyes filled with admiration and longing, with a majority of them being girls.
The teachers responsible for maintaining order on the scene were also full of shame. Before, they thought that given Kyuushin's age, even if his strength surpassed theirs, it would be by a limited margin.
But after Kyuushin unleashed his chakra, although they could barely stand, they didn't even dare to move. If they were on the battlefield, they would be no different from lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
They were both chunin rank, but the strength Kyuushin displayed far exceeded their imagination. They no longer dared to underestimate Kyuushin and began to maintain order with greater diligence.
This world is like that; no matter how much you say, it's all empty words. Only strength is real. Kyuushin looked at the now obedient examinees and gave himself full marks for his performance just now.
And far away in the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage also smiled and moved his gaze away from the crystal ball on the desk. Although Kyuushin's method was a bit crude, the results achieved were good.
From this moment on, the assessment officially began. But as Kyuushin expected, most of these students were only genin level, and it was difficult for them to even last one minute against his shadow clones.
This was even with Kyuushin not actively attacking, and was the result only after the examinees had used all their techniques. Otherwise, it might have ended even faster.
However, the Ninja Academy has this advantage: most civilian students, as long as they study hard and train diligently, can basically meet the genin standard.
This is the superiority of the Ninja Academy system. The Second Hokage's innovation was indeed epoch-making, and it ensured that Konoha still had a reserve force even after experiencing so many wars.[5]
As for students from ninja clans, there's even less to say. Genin is just their baseline, and many are capable of reaching even higher levels.
For example, shadow clone number one encountered a student from the Uchiha Clan who managed to last more than three minutes against the shadow clone. Such a performance would easily earn a score of eighty points or more.
Soon, the sixth-grade examinees finished their tests. As Kyuushin expected, most sixth-grade examinees were able to score sixty points or more, with only a small number failing.
However, there weren't many examinees with scores of seventy or above. Most of them were students from ninja clans, and the most outstanding was the Uchiha Clan examinee mentioned earlier.
Kyuushin had actually heard of this examinee before. He was in the same class as Nawaki, and for a long time, Nawaki had competed with him for the top student position.
But now, Nawaki had clearly pulled ahead of him. The current Nawaki was among the most exceptional chunin, having long surpassed the level of Ninja Academy students.
Next was the assessment for fifth-grade examinees. Since both fourth and fifth graders applied for early graduation, the passing rate was slightly higher than that of the sixth graders.
However, that was all. There were far fewer examinees who scored seventy points or more, and as for those above eighty points, there were none.
After that were the fourth-grade examinees, who were in the same grade as Kyuushin. Due to Kyuushin and Minato's early graduation, and many ninja clan students not participating (Kushina wanted to come, but was held back by Mito),
the number of fourth-grade examinees was the lowest, and their quality was not as good as the previous two batches. However, Kyuushin did discover a hidden gem.
"Hello, Examiner-sama, my name is Nonou Yakushi. Please guide me."
Shadow clone number two was somewhat surprised looking at the small, yellow-haired girl in front of him. He hadn't even known that this future "Walking Miko" was a classmate of his.
However, the current Nonou Yakushi was still just a little girl, and her eyes held admiration for him. Shadow clone number two nodded without speaking, simply gesturing for her to attack.
After Nonou Yakushi took her combat stance, she didn't rush forward. Instead, she continuously swung her hands, launching multiple waves of projectiles, one after another.
These projectiles not only covered all of Kyuushin's shadow clone's vital points but also blocked his evasion routes.
Kyuushin's shadow clone couldn't help but show surprise. He had only seen such projectile skills from a few Uchiha Clan examinees before, and he hadn't expected Nonou Yakushi to be able to do this.
Among genin, those who could use ninjutsu were still a minority. For mid-range enemies, projectile throwing was the most effective method, and this skill often best reflected a shinobi's fundamental training.
In Kyuushin's opinion, the Nonou Yakushi in front of him was undoubtedly excellent in this regard. However, this kind of attack was not enough of a threat to Kyuushin's shadow clone.
"Clang, clang, clang--"
Seizing the opportunity, he directly caught the first kunai that flew towards him. He then used this kunai to deflect the remaining ninja tools one by one.
Seeing this, Nonou Yakushi showed no signs of frustration. Instead, she continuously changed the attack trajectory of her ninja tools, trying to find a weakness in Kyuushin's shadow clone.
However, facing such straightforward ninja tool throwing, it was not difficult for Kyuushin to block them. After a while, she also realized this and proactively stopped this behavior.
She then held a kunai in a reverse grip and actively attacked Kyuushin's shadow clone. Her speed wasn't particularly fast, only at the average genin level, and Kyuushin easily dodged her attacks.
However, as her attacks repeatedly failed, Nonou Yakushi's expression remained unchanged. She maintained a consistent rhythm, and her movements didn't deform, which indicated her excellent psychological control ability.
In this aspect, she was stronger than many examinees Kyuushin had seen before. Even the relatively excellent Uchiha Clan examinee appeared quite flustered after failing to break through for a long time.
But the Nonou Yakushi in front of him remained very stable emotionally, showing no signs of impatience or panic. This made Kyuushin sigh with emotion, realizing that shinobi who were given titles in the original storyline truly had their merits.
However, compared to her emotional control, Nonou Yakushi's taijutsu level was inferior. It was even less impressive than her earlier ninja tool throwing.
So, after discerning Nonou Yakushi's level, Kyuushin's shadow clone suddenly burst with speed, directly grabbing the kunai in her hand and placing it, along with her arm, against her neck.
"It's over."
"Thank you for your guidance, Examiner-sama!"
After letting go, Nonou Yakushi didn't appear dejected. She bowed to Kyuushin's shadow clone before leaving.
Pulling out his notebook, Kyuushin thought for a moment and gave her a score of seventy-five. Although Nonou Yakushi's mental fortitude was good, he was there to assess practical combat ability.
And clearly, in actual combat, apart from her impressive ninja tool throwing, her taijutsu was only at an average genin level. Therefore, giving her such a score was reasonable.
However, Kyuushin remembered that Nonou Yakushi's true strengths were actually Medical Ninjutsu and intelligence gathering, but intelligence gathering was probably out of the question.
With her kind personality, becoming a dedicated medical-nin should also be very good. He could recommend her to Tsunade then.