Chapter Twenty-Five: The Jonin Examination (Part Two)

At precisely nine o’clock in the morning, the Konoha 35th year, mid-year batch Jonin Examination of the Hidden Leaf Village officially commenced.

This Jonin examination was presided over by Mito Menyan, the current head elder and advisor in charge of the Ninja Administration Office of the Hidden Leaf Village. The first item on the agenda was a speech by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to encourage and inspire the Konoha shinobi participating in the assessment.

“You nine are the newest elite ninja of the Leaf...” Hiruzen Sarutobi strode to the dead center at the front of the platform, first sweeping a stern gaze over the nine candidates below before beginning his address.

While Katō Mikaze listened to the Third Hokage’s formal speech, his attention was not on Sarutobi at all. Just as Tsunade had faith in his abilities, Katō Mikaze was confident in his own strength. In fact, he could have participated in last year’s Jonin exam alongside Tsunade and the others. However, at that time, he was deeply immersed in mastering the Katō clan’s Spirit Transformation Technique, so, to be safe, he had abstained. By now, he had even learned the far more formidable Soul Cultivation Technique, and his skills in ninjutsu and taijutsu had improved immensely.

For Katō Mikaze, this Jonin examination was simply a natural progression. What occupied his mind now was whether to reveal some of his trump cards before the village leadership.

Compared to the other eight candidates, Katō Mikaze exuded far more certainty. Outwardly, he appeared to be listening attentively to the Third Hokage’s speech, even gazing up at Hiruzen Sarutobi. In truth, however, he was using the corner of his eye to observe the other village leaders seated on the platform.

Besides the Third Hokage, several others occupied the platform: Shimura Danzō, Mito Menyan, and Koharu Utatane, all members of the council of elders; and the current Jonin representative, Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara clan, who sported a distinctive pear-shaped hairstyle.

Shikaku Nara was the “Deer” of the fourteenth generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the father of Shikamaru Nara from the original story.

Of those present on the platform, only Shikaku Nara was younger, appearing just past thirty, while the other four were all in their early forties—the prime of life for a powerful ninja.

Unlike in the original narrative where the council of elders wielded little real power, now they held actual authority, in charge of crucial departments within the village.

Katō Mikaze focused his attention on Shimura Danzō, standing in the shadow of Hiruzen Sarutobi, with much of his right face wrapped in bandages. At this time, Sarutobi and Danzō were far from the point of division depicted in the original work. Their roles merely differed, but their ultimate goals remained the same: to propagate the Will of Fire and ensure Konoha’s prosperity.

Katō Mikaze was intensely curious about Shimura Danzō’s right eye, rumored to have been injured in a battle late in the war where his comrade Kagami Uchiha also perished, his body never recovered. Was it possible that beneath those bandages hid a Mangekyō Sharingan that once belonged to Uchiha Kagami?

Were it not for the unsuitable setting, Katō Mikaze would have wanted to use his Soul Cultivation Technique’s sensing ability to confirm what lay beneath those bandages. Danzō was a figure shrouded in mystery, rarely appearing in public within the village.

As Katō Mikaze directed his attention toward Danzō, Danzō himself happened to be watching him as well, as if aware of Mikaze’s subtle appraisal. Danzō offered a faint, impassive smile.

Such keen perception, Katō Mikaze thought, quickly averting his gaze. Even if Danzō’s raw strength did not quite match the Third Hokage, Katō Mikaze estimated that the difference was minimal; at the very least, they stood on the same level.

“Danzō, among this batch, do you see any promising talents for your group?” Mito Menyan, standing nearby, quietly inquired, having noticed Danzō’s reaction.

“There’s a particularly interesting youngster,” Danzō replied.

“Who do you mean? That Katō boy who’s rumored to have mastered his clan’s secret technique? Among these Jonin candidates, he probably has the most potential—after all, he’s said to have mastered that legendary soul-related technique.” Koharu Utatane joined the conversation from the other side.

“Tsunade, you seem utterly unconcerned about that blue-haired kid. Among this batch, there’s also a member of the Uchiha, just three years our senior—Uchiha Hachidai, who should have already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.”

“Jiraiya, I have faith in Mikaze’s strength,” Tsunade replied, “Relax, let’s just watch the exam unfold. Look, he’s not the least bit nervous—he’s clearly confident in his abilities.”

“Jiraiya, you seem busy these days. Even someone like me, who only cares about my own experiments, has heard that Katō recently mastered his family’s secret technique and has grown much stronger. You might not even be his match now...” Orochimaru added.

“Really? Tsunade, are you referring to that soul-related secret technique from the stories?” Jiraiya asked.

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough...” Tsunade replied.

...

“As long as there are leaves dancing,
the fire will burn,
and the shadow of the fire will illuminate the village,
causing new leaves to bud.
In short, on behalf of the leadership of Konoha,
I wish all of you the best in this examination.”

With that, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, concluded his speech. As he turned to leave, he shot Katō Mikaze a meaningful glance.

An administrative ninja stepped forward to begin the Jonin examination draw.

The result of the draw was neither especially good nor bad for Katō Mikaze. He was fortunate to have been assigned to the outdoor examination—a task well-suited to his Soul Cultivation Technique.

Five candidates were assigned to the outdoor assessment. There were five mission scrolls, each held by a four-person team led by a Jonin, scattered in different parts of Training Ground Four.

Each scroll contained a group of codes; only two of the five codes were real and could unlock the sealed scroll in the indoor training hall. The first two individuals to unlock the seal would be the winners.

The exam would end at 5:30 p.m. that day.

The rules were simple: there were no rules, except that forcibly breaking the seal or intentionally trying to kill were forbidden. Any strategy or method could be used.

If one’s sealing skills were strong enough, it was even possible to challenge the entire Konoha Sealing Team single-handedly by directly attempting to unseal the code scroll.

Katō Mikaze’s misfortune was that he did not draw into the same group as Uchiha Hachidai, who was assigned to the indoor one-on-one matches.

It seemed Katō Mikaze’s plan to teach Uchiha Hachidai a lesson would have to wait.

The indoor matches would be conducted first. Those assigned to the outdoor test were taken by five special ANBU to random entrances around the training grounds, where they waited for the signal to enter simultaneously.

The entire training area was enveloped in a special barrier, and once the exam began, the grounds would be monitored in real time, with images transmitted to the indoor training hall for the platform and audience to observe.

...

At 10:30 a.m., Katō Mikaze received the order to enter the training ground through Entrance Six, one of ten, as determined by the draw.

Once inside, he formed hand seals and used Wind Release: Gale Light Technique, boosting his speed to the maximum as he sprinted straight towards the central training hall.

Gale Light Technique: Katō Mikaze developed this jutsu based on the wind nature of chakra—lightness, swiftness, and speed—using the ninja system to simulate it. Its effect was to grant himself or his teammates an agility buff, which would continually consume his chakra.

If cast on teammates, they could not be too far away; the more teammates granted the effect, the greater the chakra cost, growing exponentially.

Currently, Katō Mikaze’s limit was to cast it on three teammates at once, and even then, only for a short period.

Inside the training hall, the big screen displayed the real-time situation at the five different entrances. Katō Mikaze’s sudden burst of speed was clearly much higher than the others.

On-screen, Katō Mikaze’s body flickered with a faint, light blue-green glow, like a gentle breeze swirling around him as he advanced.

While sprinting, Katō Mikaze had already pushed the soul-sensing function of his Soul Cultivation Technique to full power. Besides the central training hall, there were twenty people in the training ground, including himself.

Five three-person squads were scattered in different areas, obviously the mission targets.

Another four individuals were at the perimeter—two of them heading directly toward each other, likely having formed a temporary alliance before the exam. Of the other two, one, like Katō Mikaze, was heading straight for the central hall, albeit much slower—likely someone confident in their strength, hoping to set traps for others near the center.

The last individual was heading directly towards the nearest target; their particular strategy was unclear.

As he raced toward the central hall, Katō Mikaze observed and analyzed the situation, quickly forming a nearly complete picture of the training ground.

From his soul-sensing observations, including the mission targets and other candidates, his own strength was the greatest; in single combat, he was confident of victory.

Of five possible codes, to guarantee passing, the worst case would be to obtain four different ones. Katō Mikaze instantly formed his plan.

Sprinting at full speed, he sensed a mission target team just ahead, near the training hall. Without pause, he swiftly formed seals, channeled his chakra, and performed another technique—Wind Breath.

On the big screen in the training hall, not only were the candidates and mission targets displayed, but a map showed everyone’s position and name.

As spectators saw Katō Mikaze racing directly towards one of the mission targets, the room erupted in murmurs.

“Is the first fight about to break out already?”

“That blue-glowing kid, is he really going to charge in like that?”

“Who’s that pale blue-haired ninja—he’s so fast!”

“Katō’s speed keeps increasing...”

Just as the audience expected the first outdoor battle, on screen, Katō Mikaze formed seals and then disappeared. On the map, his marker passed straight through the mission target.

“He’s... gone?”

“Genjutsu?”

“Invisibility? Doesn’t seem like it... It’s too far to tell...”

PS: New author humbly requests your support, recommendations, and follows.