Izumo Kamizuki stepped forward quickly, eting Kotetsu Hagane as he walked back. The two exchanged a smile and lightly bumped fists.
"Izumo, I've done it. Now it's your turn," Kotetsu said, his face glowing with barely contained excitent.
The battle replayed in his mind—how, as a First-Grade student, he had defeated a Fourth Grader. Calmly seizing an opening despite being at a disadvantage and ending the match in one decisive move… that was a true ninja's victory.
Kotetsu was certain that the Third Hokage would rember his na. Kotetsu Hagane.
Still, there was one regret.
It's a pity I couldn't spread the na of Ebisu-nii-san this ti, he thought.
Ebisu had been clear—no unnecessary antics during the match. Kotetsu had complied, but he still felt his senior was far too modest, unwilling to let others see how capable he was.
After watching Izumo's bout for a short while, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already ford a rough impression of the special training's results.
The gains were obvious—students who used to score fifteen points were now scoring twenty-four, and First-Grade students like Kotetsu could now go toe-to-toe with upper graders.
Leaving aside the peculiar ninjutsu that had caught his attention, Kotetsu's overall performance far exceeded what was expected from his grade. Izumo, in the current match, was showing similar strength.
The students' strength has clearly improved across the board, Hiruzen thought.
Scores alone made the improvent apparent, but practical combat results could be subjective. That was why Hiruzen preferred to see it firsthand.
"Enemy Confusion Technique!"
On the battlefield, several attractive won appeared again, each striking a suggestive pose.
Izumo struck in that mont of distraction, bringing his opponent down and claiming victory.
Hiruzen felt the bridge of his nose grow warm. Coming to watch this test has been full of… surprises.
"Mugetsu-sensei, your students are certainly… creative," Ikeya Yu said after a pause, his face faintly red as he searched for the right words.
"Izumo and Kotetsu have always been like that," Mugetsu replied with a small smile.
"Actually, it's not just the two of us," Kotetsu said as he sidled up to Mugetsu.
"Mugetsu-sensei, that ninjutsu was developed by Izumo, Ebisu-nii-san, and . To be precise, Ebisu-nii-san led us," Kotetsu declared loudly, unwilling to let Ebisu's contribution go unacknowledged.
"Tanaka-sensei, isn't Ebisu in your class? If I recall, his grades are quite good," Hiruzen asked, glancing at the other teacher.
"Yes, he's in my Fourth Grade Class Six," Tanaka replied with a slightly awkward smile. He had never imagined that one of his most serious, proper students would be tied to such a… unique ninjutsu.
"Ebisu…" Hiruzen murmured, committing the na to mory.
Kotetsu then slipped away as quietly as he had arrived, like a hero who had accomplished his mission and left without seeking glory.
"How was my performance?" Izumo asked eagerly when he returned.
"Very strong. I saw Hokage-sama watching you intently," Kotetsu said, throwing an arm over his friend's shoulders.
"That's great! The two of us are really making a na for ourselves now!" Izumo pumped his fist in triumph.
"It's not just us—it's Ebisu-nii-san too," Kotetsu said proudly, recounting how he had made sure to credit their senior.
"No words can describe it. Ebisu-nii-san will definitely treat you to a al when he hears this," Izumo said with a thumbs-up.
Sneaking into the teachers' group to drop that line had taken courage.
"We'll tell him after the test ends," Kotetsu said, grinning.
anwhile, over in Group A, Ebisu felt a sudden tickle in his nose and sneezed. Why do I have a bad feeling…?
Shaking off the thought, he focused on the match ahead. This is my chance to perform in front of Hokage-sama.
---
After two more matches, the other Chunin instructors realized that the improvents weren't isolated cases—every student had shown clear, significant progress.
"How exactly are they being taught? It's only been five weeks, yet the growth is incredible. Do they really train every single day without distraction?" one teacher wondered aloud.
Many Chunin had heard of Mugetsu's skill as an instructor. Still, most assud that even the best teaching could only help so much. Practical combat, they believed, was decided by talent—and the difficulty of ninjutsu wasn't sothing that could be bypassed.
But the results before them were undeniable. Students once considered average, or even weak, had risen to a solid standard in just over a month.
"Let's take a look at the other groups," Hiruzen said after the fifth match. He had now seen ten different students fight and had a solid grasp of Group C's overall level.
"This way to Group B," Mugetsu said, leading them toward the riverside.
When they arrived, two students were already locked in fierce combat on the water's surface.
"The Group B students have all completed chakra control training," Mugetsu explained. "They're proficient in tree climbing and water walking, and their taijutsu and ninjutsu progress is faster than Group C's."
"All of them can walk on water?" one Chunin asked skeptically.
Tree climbing was a skill most top Fourth Graders could learn, but water walking was another matter—it required far more refined chakra control, a skill even many Genin lacked.
The teacher scanned the area and was stunned. Group B's numbers weren't small, and yet every single one of them was fighting on the river's surface—and doing it with confidence.
"These students could graduate right now and be fine as Genin," one instructor remarked.
"If they showed this level of Clone Technique during the graduation exam, they'd score full marks," another agreed.
So spotted their own students among the fighters and felt a pang of discomfort.
"This kid wasn't this strong before… how did he improve so much?"
For a mont, they weren't sure if they had underestimated their students, or if the students had simply never shown their true ability before.
Watching Group B's performance, Hiruzen's anticipation for Group A began to grow.
"This way to Group A," Mugetsu said after a few more matches, leading them to the final testing grounds.
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