Uchiha Kaien reached for the bracelet on his wrist and summoned a massive Fūma Shuriken.
(Fūma Shuriken are large, four-bladed projectile weapons possessing pre-eminent sharpness and lethality.)
The stark contrast between his small frame and the enormous weapon was striking.
Thanks to the dynamic visual acuity of his Sharingan—outwardly appearing as two tomoe, but secretly three—Kaien quickly locked onto Uchiha Kagami. At the same time, Kagami had already set his sights on Kaien.
The Fūma Shuriken, a unique ninja tool originating from the Fūma clan, remained compact in storage, appearing as a ring with a single blade. But once deployed, it unfolded into a fixed, four-bladed weapon of considerable size.
Back in the Warring States Period, the Fūma clan had been subordinate to the Uchiha. Naturally, all their weapon-forging techniques and usage methods were handed down without reservation.
For this graduation exam, Kaien had gone all out—he even dipped into his personal collection. Normally, he wouldn't dream of using such a rare and valuable weapon.
Kagami's lips twitched when he saw what Kaien had pulled out. This kid really had some confidence in himself. Was he so sure he wouldn't get hurt?
Had he given Kaien too much of an overwhelming impression in the past? Was that why the boy was now trying to show off every bit of his strength?
"In that case," Kagami said with a smile, "I suppose I'll have to take this seriously."
With a smooth motion, he drew a short blade from behind his back.
The best way to deal with a ninja tool... was with another ninja tool.
Kaien twisted his thumb, and the Fūma Shuriken instantly expanded—its four exaggeratedly long blades held together by the central ring.
Steadying his stance with his left leg back, Kaien hurled the weapon with all his strength. The massive shuriken tore through the air with a deafening screech, the slicing wind howling like wailing spirits.
Kagami focused, slashing through the air with his blade, unleashing a series of fiery arcs to slow the projectile's momentum.
By the third fiery slash, the force behind the Fūma Shuriken had been fully neutralized. But Kagami didn't stop—he swung again behind him.
Minato Namikaze, who had been preparing to strike from behind, was forced to use the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.
At that moment, Kaien closed in from the front, summoning a short blade from his bracelet and launching into close-quarters combat with Kagami.
This was a graduation exam, after all. He'd already shown off his ninjutsu and genjutsu—now it was time for taijutsu!
Thanks to a full year of guidance from Hatake Sakumo—and the boost from his [Blade Mastery] trait—Kaien's blade work was impressively well-formed.
Meanwhile, Minato performed two hand signs and suddenly accelerated, his speed boosted sharply by Lightning Release stimulating his cellular response.
Steel clashed against steel. Blades met kunai. Sparks flew in every direction, yet none of the three lost focus. Kaien and Minato coordinated their attacks seamlessly, working together to pressure Kagami.
Kagami, choosing to test their raw taijutsu ability, refrained from using the powerful nin-taijutsu he had shown earlier. Instead, he simply coated his blade in chakra to reinforce its durability.
It didn't take long for Kagami to notice something strange about Minato's kunai.
Ordinary kunai would've snapped from the repeated impacts by now, but Minato's remained pristine—untouched.
That could only mean one thing: this kunai wasn't made from ordinary materials. Its chakra conductivity confirmed it—it had to be infused with chakra metal.
And it was. The kunai had been a birthday gift from Kaien earlier that year, forged from a blend that included a chunk of rare chakra metal from his family's collection.
Kaien had sought out the best blacksmith in the village to specially craft it. The kunai was slightly longer than normal, making it easier for Minato to counter larger weapons and increasing its versatility.
Despite the intense assault, Kagami held his ground with practiced ease.
He was a seasoned, battle-hardened shinobi—a Kage-level veteran. There was no way he'd lose in a simple genin graduation exam. But he had to admit: these two were full of surprises.
First, their coordinated ninjutsu. Then, a genjutsu strong enough to affect even his three-tomoe Sharingan—he had been forced to rely on ocular power beyond that level to dispel it instantly.
And now, this incredibly fluid and synchronized taijutsu offensive—one attacking, the other supporting—was enough to impress even Kagami and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
With another sweep of his blade, Kagami pushed both boys back, then used Flame once more—this time marking a ring of flame on the ground to signal the end of the battle. He sheathed his blade.
Clap, clap, clap.
Applause rang out from Sarutobi Hiruzen's direction.
"Your graduation exam... is complete."
"That's right. Even a pair of chunin would struggle against the two of you. With your level of coordination, even a jōnin caught off guard could be taken down."
Kagami had held back, of course. He'd wanted to say even jōnin might not be able to block their attack—but he didn't want the boys getting cocky. So he settled for a more modest assessment.
"In short, you've passed."
"From this moment on... you're officially genin of Konohagakure."
Hiruzen reached into his robes and pulled out two Konoha forehead protectors, handing them personally to Kaien and Minato.
Minato's eyes lit up as he accepted his forehead protector. He cradled it in his hands, staring at it with reverence.
Starting today... he was a genin!
He had taken his first step on the path to becoming Hokage.
Next was chunin, then jōnin, and after that...
Hokage!
Kaien, by contrast, didn't seem particularly excited. His expression remained calm, almost indifferent. Only changes in affection could stir his heart.
Still, on the surface, he wore a faint tsundere-like air—chin slightly raised, cheeks faintly flushed. It was clear he was proud, even if he pretended not to care.
Hiruzen chuckled at the sight of Konoha's new seedlings receiving their protectors, and he couldn't help but think back to the day he became a genin himself—how full of dreams he'd been.
Now, that childish dream—once little more than a joke—had become reality. He had achieved the title of Hokage.
This... this was the future of the village.
Young shoots bursting with life, carrying the Will of Fire from generation to generation.
A thought came to him—something he'd struggled to phrase for a long time, but that now came to him effortlessly:
"Where the leaves dance... the fire lives on."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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