"Chisuke, it's time. You should take your medicinal bath."
Tasakabe Makoto glanced at the moon in the night sky and called a halt to Chisuke's relentless sword training.
Chisuke wiped the sweat from his face, placed his long blade back onto the rack, and silently walked toward the room where the medicinal bath had been prepared.
He was too exhausted to even speak.
"You've been training at an intense pace lately. Be careful not to leave yourself with hidden injuries."
Watching his son step into the large wooden tub, Tasakabe Makoto warned him with concern.
Chisuke leaned comfortably against the edge of the tub and lazily nodded.
"Master said I can't learn her Scorch Release, so I have to work even harder."
Some time ago, Chisuke had trained under Pakura, attempting to learn Scorch Release, but he had made no progress.
As a highly active shinobi, Pakura was often away on missions. For now, Chisuke continued studying at the Academy, receiving guidance only when she returned to the village.
Meanwhile, Kyōsuke's request for early graduation had been approved. He needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible—especially his Taijutsu and shurikenjutsu—so Chisuke and the others had been pushing themselves relentlessly in physical training.
At the Academy, Kyōsuke had only learned the Three Basic Techniques, simple Taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu. That meant those were the only areas he could demonstrate during the graduation examination. As a result, Chisuke had temporarily set aside his own Ninjutsu training.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the five of them, Kyōsuke's strength had improved rapidly, and the day of the examination had finally arrived.
Two days beforehand, Kyōsuke reduced his training volume to adjust himself into peak condition. Then, on the day of the exam, he and Kakashi were led by Takahara Naoyasu to one of the training grounds.
"I am your examiner, Saitō Toshio, a Chūnin of Konohagakure. Your task is to fight me. In the coming battle, you must attack with the intent to kill. I will judge whether you are qualified to graduate based on your performance."
The shinobi in his thirties delivered the explanation expressionlessly.
Kyōsuke was somewhat surprised to hear that a Chūnin would be evaluating them. He had assumed that the graduation test would involve defeating a Genin.
Still, having a Chūnin serve as examiner was not a bad thing.
A Chūnin possessed richer experience, allowing for a more comprehensive evaluation of a student's abilities. At the same time, it reduced the risk of seriously injuring a candidate by accident.
"So we don't need to defeat him—just demonstrate sufficient ability. He'll likely be evaluating our Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, combat will, and tactical awareness. I'll focus on showcasing those aspects."
Based on Saitō Toshio's words, Kyōsuke quickly extracted the key information and formulated his battle plan.
He glanced at Kakashi and noticed that Kakashi showed no surprise. His expression remained calm and composed.
Saitō Toshio looked at the two of them.
"Who's first?"
Kakashi and Kyōsuke exchanged a glance. Kakashi stepped forward.
"I am Kakashi Hatake. Please instruct me."
"Do your best, Kakashi."
Takahara Naoyasu and Kyōsuke stood at the edge of the field as Kakashi and Saitō Toshio began their fight.
Kyōsuke watched silently, analyzing every detail of their movements.
Saitō Toshio was quite capable. His Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were solid, his hand seals were swift, and every movement was controlled and efficient. His fundamentals were clearly strong, and his combat experience was evident.
Kyōsuke guessed that Saitō was likely a civilian-born shinobi. Though talented and hardworking, he probably lacked clan inheritance, high-level guidance, and abundant resources. As a result, he had remained a Chūnin. With enough accumulated merit and a bit of luck, he might one day become a Special jōnin.
That already qualified as an excellent shinobi—after all, many remained Genin their entire lives.
While observing the match, Takahara Naoyasu offered Kyōsuke some advice.
"Saitō Toshio is an experienced shinobi. When you fight him, discard any clever tricks. Tactics that fool students won't work on him. You have no chance of winning this battle. What you must do is unleash everything you have and display your strength before defeat or exhaustion. If you do that, you should have a chance to pass."
"I understand."
Kyōsuke kept his eyes locked on the battlefield. To his surprise, Kakashi was fighting Saitō evenly. A surge of excitement rose within him—he wanted to deliver the best performance possible.
If Kakashi can do this well, then with the efforts of the five of us, why can't I?
The fight was intense and fast-paced.
Kakashi wielded a short blade, while Saitō used a kunai. Sparks flew as steel clashed against steel.
Perhaps because this was only a graduation exam, Saitō restricted himself to the Three Basic Techniques and Taijutsu. Kakashi, whether due to limited skill or the intensity of the fight, also relied solely on kenjutsu.
From Kyōsuke's perspective, Saitō was clearly superior overall. After prolonged high-intensity combat, Kakashi began to show signs of fatigue.
But Kyōsuke knew Kakashi well—he would never surrender easily.
Sure enough, at the moment when he seemed most exhausted and on the verge of defeat, Lightning Release chakra suddenly burst from Kakashi's legs. His speed skyrocketed as he lunged straight into Saitō's guard, his short blade slashing sharply toward Saitō's throat.
"What?!"
Caught off guard by Kakashi's sudden surge, Saitō's rhythm faltered. He had no time to defend properly and instead thrust his kunai toward Kakashi's neck.
In the end, Kakashi's blade and Saitō's kunai both stopped at each other's throats.
"Excellent. Your performance was outstanding. I will report it honestly."
Saitō withdrew his kunai and offered praise. Kakashi replied,
"My strength is still inferior to yours, senpai."
He spoke the truth. Kakashi had used everything he had, while Saitō, though not holding back, had clearly not gone all out either.
"I didn't expect you to know the chakra stimulation method. Truly impressive."
Takahara Naoyasu praised Kakashi enthusiastically as he returned.
After a modest reply, Kakashi turned to Kyōsuke.
"Do your best. You should be fine."
Kyōsuke smiled confidently.
"Of course. Get your wallet ready to treat us to yakiniku."
Kakashi's expression darkened.
"Why am I the one paying?"
"Someone has to celebrate," Kyōsuke replied matter-of-factly. "And I'm broke. So it's you."
With that, Kyōsuke stepped forward at Saitō's signal.
Although Saitō had just finished a battle, he had not expended much stamina. Kyōsuke's examination began immediately.
Kyōsuke threw two shuriken at once and charged forward.
"Confident in your Taijutsu?"
After deflecting the shuriken, Saitō did not retreat. Instead, he directly engaged Kyōsuke in close combat.
"So fast. Such power. Have you been specializing in Taijutsu?"
From the very first exchange, Saitō felt the weight and force behind Kyōsuke's strikes. Though Kyōsuke used only basic Academy Taijutsu, his movements were smooth and well-connected, leaving Saitō momentarily without an opening to counterattack.
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