Chapter Twenty-Three: Jonin Examination (Part One)

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was Tuesday of the following week.

This day marked the mid-year of the thirty-fifth year since the founding of Konoha, the date set for this batch's Jonin examination in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kato Mikaze had already arranged with Tsunade that morning to pick her up before heading together to the examination site, Training Ground Four in the Forest of Death, adjacent to Konoha.

As for Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Kato Mikaze’s other friends, they would arrive at the training ground on their own before the assessment began.

Training Ground Four was not particularly large, but it had been specially constructed by the village for Jonin promotion exams. Within its boundaries lay a variety of terrains—forest, grassland, lake, desert, mountain—covering all the major landscapes.

It was designed to accommodate all manner of ninja tactics and fighting styles.

There was also an artificial arena within. The specifics of the exam were determined by drawing lots: some would be tested indoors, others outdoors.

Typically, half of the candidates would undergo the indoor assessment, and the other half would face the outdoor challenge.

The indoor examination consisted of paired, one-on-one combat. Aside from the prohibition on deliberate killing, there were few restrictions. If a candidate were so capable, in front of the Hokage and the village leadership, they could unleash a jutsu powerful enough to tear apart the indoor training ground.

The outdoor assessment was more complex, usually set in scenarios such as infiltration, assassination, intelligence gathering, and so forth, also decided by lot.

Regardless of whether the test was indoors or outdoors, it was conducted solo. The former was a pure trial of personal combat strength, while the latter, in addition to combat prowess, tested tactical and strategic ability.

The Jonin exam was scheduled to begin at nine in the morning.

Kato Mikaze and Tsunade arrived at the indoor training facility a little past eight. They first went to the office, found the administrative ninja responsible for organizing the exam, and completed the necessary registration procedures.

Afterward, the two made their way to the lounge to await the start. Upon entering, Kato Mikaze noticed several Konoha shinobi already waiting—presumably candidates for the exam as well.

These shinobi were older than Kato Mikaze, seasoned veterans by appearance, likely graduates from earlier classes. Some faces were familiar to him; he even recognized two among them.

After greeting those he knew, Kato Mikaze and Tsunade took seats in a quieter corner to wait.

Kato Mikaze busied himself with final preparations for the Jonin exam, while Tsunade showed no concern whatsoever for his prospects.

Her presence today was simply to accompany him through this important milestone. For a ninja, promotion to Jonin was a significant moment in life.

Tsunade’s confidence in Kato Mikaze’s success stemmed from their recent bouts; she was well aware of his current strength.

Especially with his newly mastered Soul Nurturing Technique—if he drew the outdoor challenge, he would pass with ease; even indoors, it would be little more than an exercise for him.

At that moment, Kato Mikaze was quietly conversing with Tsunade about the exam, while simultaneously inspecting the ninja system within his soul consciousness.

Ninja System

Name: Kato Mikaze

Ninja Rank: Jonin (unverified)

Affiliation: Hidden Leaf Village

Physical Attributes: Stamina 61, Strength 59, Spirit 75, Speed 64

Chakra Attributes: Wind 65, Lightning 43, Earth 39, Water 0, Fire 0, Yin 75, Yang 59

Ninjutsu: Wind Style [Wind Blade, Wind Breath, Light Wind, Great Breakthrough, Thousand Wind Needles]; Lightning Style [None]; Earth Style [Swamp, Earth Wall]; Three Body Technique [Transformation, Substitution, Clone]

Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Swordsmanship, Shuriken, Kunai

Secret Technique: Soul Nurturing Technique

Remaining Attribute Points: 0

Recently, Kato Mikaze had spent accumulated attribute points from missions, bringing them down to zero.

Only by converting points into strength could he face the Jonin exam with confidence.

During these last few days, aside from occasional moments with Tsunade, Kato Mikaze focused on refining his ninjutsu.

The attribute points were not many, so after consideration, he decided specialization was better than spreading them thin—he invested them all into improving Wind Style, since he aspired to be a man as swift and free as the wind.

The wind chakra attribute rose from sixty-two to sixty-five. The Wind Style jutsu list now included Great Breakthrough and Thousand Wind Needles.

Great Breakthrough was a common C-rank Wind Style jutsu that Kato Mikaze already knew but had not mastered enough for the system to recognize.

Thousand Wind Needles was developed from memory fragments absorbed from a Rain Ninja, inspired by Rain: Thousand Needles. By blending his own ninjutsu traits and expending attribute points, he created this B-rank Wind Style jutsu.

Thousand Wind Needles manipulated wind, transforming wind chakra’s sharp nature into invisible needles to strike down the enemy.

Used singly, it was deadly and covert; en masse, it became a wide-area attack.

Combining Great Breakthrough with Thousand Wind Needles greatly enhanced the latter’s power.

Additionally, his speed attribute had increased by two points thanks to over a month of rigorous training.

...

Suddenly, a voice dripping with arrogance reached Kato Mikaze and Tsunade’s ears: “Ah, isn’t that the gambling-addicted Princess Tsunade? Didn’t you become a Jonin last year? What are you doing here—did you lose your proof of rank in a bet and need to retake the exam?”

Kato Mikaze looked up at the newly arrived ninja. On his sleeve was the fan emblem—red above, white below—the crest of the Uchiha clan of Konoha.

He soothed the clearly irritated Tsunade beside him and spoke up: “Uchiha Hachidai, you’re as obnoxious as ever. If you’d just keep your mouth shut, we’d still be classmates. I heard your Sharingan just evolved to three tomoe—feeling powerful, are you?”

“Looking for trouble? You’d better hope you don’t draw me in the exam, or you’ll be waiting for the next chance.”

Thanks to Kato Mikaze’s intervention, Tsunade refrained from escalating, though she flashed a fist at Uchiha Hachidai, glaring fiercely—a threat in every gesture.

This newcomer was Uchiha Hachidai, scion of the foremost noble clan of Konoha, the Uchiha.

Three years older than Kato Mikaze and Tsunade, he had never gotten along with Tsunade since their days at the academy, and their rivalry often turned physical.

Truth be told, Hachidai was not a bad person, merely possessed an inexplicable pride stemming from his Uchiha heritage, which made his words abrasive.

His animosity toward Tsunade was simply because she was the princess of Konoha, born of the Senju clan.

And Tsunade, ever quick-tempered, would never tolerate such provocation.

Thus, Kato Mikaze had often joined in the fun of putting upperclassmen in their place.

Hachidai, perhaps forgetting the lessons of their fists, had grown overconfident since his Sharingan had advanced to three tomoe.

He was here for the Jonin exam, and upon entering the lounge, could not resist provoking Kato Mikaze and Tsunade.

He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.

He wasn’t young anymore, and he knew full well the strength of Kato Mikaze and Tsunade—why had he spoken so rashly?

Most of the Uchiha in Konoha were reasonable; it was only a select few who exhibited that peculiar, prideful arrogance that grated on others.

Now, confronted by Kato Mikaze’s warning and Tsunade’s threatening fist, Hachidai recalled some unpleasant memories and regretted his impulsiveness.

He wanted to slink away, but could not forsake his Uchiha pride; neither leaving nor staying seemed right, leaving him awkwardly stuck.

Fortunately, his companion noticed his predicament, swiftly came over to smooth things out, and the two retreated to a more distant corner of the lounge to await the start of the Jonin exam.

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