Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment and realized that the people he could truly choose from were very few.
For now, though, his attention returned to the training grounds of the Ninja Academy.
Sarutobi Enjun was on the verge of defeat.
With the help of the oil, his fireballs had been able to hold against Uchiha Gen's for a few breaths at first. But he could only keep a single mouthful of oil ready. Once that was exhausted, the power of his flames plunged, and his technique was quickly swallowed up by the Great Fireball.
In the distant stands, just as Mokumo Kodo was about to step in and rescue Sarutobi Enjun, Uchiha Gen took the initiative to tighten his control over the technique and deliberately reduced the power of the Great Fireball.
That alone was enough to show how deeply he had mastered this ninjutsu.
After crushing through the Flame Bullet, the fireball shrank slightly under Gen's control before dispersing. The remaining shockwave blasted Sarutobi Enjun backward, and in the same instant several shuriken trailing elastic steel wires shot out and pinned him in place, binding his torso, arms, and legs to the side.
"You lost, Flame Falcon," Uchiha Gen said with a smile as he walked over.
The rewards for this graduation assessment would definitely be far better than anything from previous monthly exams or final tests. If nothing unexpected happened, the experience from this one mission alone might be enough to push him to the next level and earn him another card draw.
From what he had seen before, the first-place finisher in the graduation assessment always received significantly more experience than second or third place.
"How is your Fire Release so strong?" Sarutobi Enjun asked, his face full of disbelief.
"Practice, obviously. What, did you think the Sage of Six Paths comes to teach me in my dreams every night?"
Gen bent down, removed the wire restraints, and reached out a hand to pull Enjun back to his feet.
He really had practiced hard. It was just that his training came with cheats.
Sarutobi Enjun scratched his head, frustrated beyond words.
He had worked hard too. So why couldn't he do the same?
When he got home, he was definitely going to make his father - the Hokage himself - show him some real tricks.
"The live-fire practical exercise has concluded! Both participants, form the Seal of Reconciliation!"
As Chunin Mengna's voice rang out across the field, Uchiha Gen raised his hand and completed the reconciliation seal with Sarutobi Enjun. After that, the two of them walked side by side toward the crowd.
"Gen! That move was amazing!"
"As expected of Gen - the second most handsome guy in class after me!"
"Shigeya, have you really thrown away every last shred of shame?"
...
The moment the two boys stepped down, a crowd surged around them.
For a bunch of academy students who hadn't even become genin yet, the two battles today had been more than enough to leave many of them dazzled.
"You learned that ninjutsu by yourself?" Uchiha Inahisa asked, forcing his expression into calmness. Even so, the look in his eyes was complicated.
The gap was too obvious. Gen's mastery of ninjutsu was clearly on a level above both his and Sarutobi Enjun's. If even Enjun, who had resorted to tricks, couldn't win, then Inahisa stood even less of a chance.
"Not entirely."
Gen shook his head.
For an instant, Uchiha Inahisa was stunned. Then he heard Gen continue.
"My father left behind a notebook of spiritual practice before he died. There's still a lot in it I can't understand yet, but even so, it's helped me a great deal."
Seeing the emotion in Gen's eyes when he said that, Inahisa felt a stab of guilt. Even so, he stubbornly refused to back down.
"Next time, my ninjutsu will be stronger than yours. So don't disappoint me then."
"Then I'll be waiting."
Gen raised a hand toward him.
Inahisa hesitated for a moment before finally lifting his own hand and slapping Gen's palm with a crisp high five.
If it had been anyone else, he would have snorted and walked away. But Gen was different.
"Next time, you'll have to get past me first, Inahisa," Sarutobi Enjun said, casually throwing an arm over the other boy's shoulder.
"Hmph. You know perfectly well how you beat me this time. Oil might not be one of the tools banned in the assessment, but if you want to become a true powerhouse, you can't keep relying on little tricks like that."
"Uh... you've got a point. But I'll definitely win next time."
Sarutobi Enjun scratched his head and answered perfunctorily, but his attention had already been stolen by Uzuki Ruri, who was walking toward them. He immediately drifted in her direction like a hopeless admirer.
Not far away, Mengna had already finished arranging the final ranking according to the scores recorded on the form.
"This graduation assessment has concluded successfully. All students in this class have passed. Next, please come forward according to your ranking to receive your ninja headbands after the results are announced."
"First place: Uchiha Gen. Written test, 100. Practical assessment, 100. Overall score, 100."
"Second place: Sarutobi Enjun. Written test, 97. Practical assessment, 99. Overall score, 98."
"Third place: Uchiha Inahisa. Written test, 98. Practical assessment..."
After Mengna finished reading the results, Uchiha Gen was the first to step forward and accept his ninja headband.
"Congratulations, Gen. You'll definitely become an outstanding ninja and contribute to the village in the future."
"I will, Ms. Mengna."
Gen nodded slightly, accepted the headband with both hands, then stepped down from the platform and tied it around his forehead.
From this moment on, he was officially a registered shinobi of Konoha.
On the system panel, the exclamation mark in the task bar changed from white to a rich, gleaming gold.
[Special E-Rank Mission: Graduation Assessment (Completed)][Submitting mission... Settlement in progress...]Settlement Rating: S[Experience points awarded...]Current character level: 9Available card draw attempts: 1
...
Seeing the updated information on the panel, a smile slowly spread across Uchiha Gen's face.
Great. He could draw cards again.
At the same time, inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage watched Sarutobi Enjun receive his own Konoha headband after Gen through the crystal ball, a gratified smile appearing on his aged face as well.
Even though he hadn't taken first place, Hiruzen could still see how outstanding his son was.
Perhaps, under his guidance, Sarutobi Enjun might one day grow into a Kage-level powerhouse. And if fate favored him, who was to say the boy wouldn't have a chance to inherit the title of Hokage someday?
Hiruzen Sarutobi reached up and touched the Hokage hat resting on his head, then looked toward a standing photo frame on his desk.
The picture inside showed him alongside his three disciples when they were still young.
Orochimaru was still his preferred candidate for the position of Fourth Hokage. But if Enjun could one day contend for the Fifth...
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to the form lying on his desk, the one concerning the selection of jonin instructors for the newly graduated genin teams. Without hesitation, he crossed out the name Koto Mokumei from the first line.
"Yorin, go and call Orochimaru over."
"Yes, Lord Third!"
From the shadows, an ANBU wearing an animal mask appeared for a single instant, then vanished just as quickly before the Third Hokage.