The graduation exam schedule was clear.
The first day included several tests. First was Shuriken Throwing, overseen by Instructor Yuji.
Then followed one-on-one spars using only Taijutsu and Kunai, overseen by Instructor Takeshi.
Next came the Genjutsu demonstration, overseen by Instructor Yuna.
Last was the Ninjutsu Demonstration, overseen by Instructor Kazeo.
The second day would be a spar in the desert among all trainees.
It would be similar to the competition held earlier in the Academy, but with no empty scrolls to collect.
They would fight each other from morning to afternoon.
All instructors would oversee each trainee and score them based on their individual performance.
Now, everyone had taken their positions in front of the boards, Shuriken in their hands.
On the signal from Instructor Yuji, everyone began throwing.
Kaiji's evening training after the Academy on Shuriken Throwing with Ren and Hiroshi was paying off well.
He was able to hit all ten throws at the target with precise focus. Out of his ten Shuriken, six hit the center.
While everyone was throwing Shuriken, Instructor Yuji keenly focused on each trainee.
He was recording their scores in a notebook held in his hand.
Hiroshi and Ren were also able to hit all their throws on the board.
The top students performed exceptionally well. Renji and Kohaku each hit nine out of ten Shuriken at the center.
Taichi and Maki hit seven and eight Shuriken at the center respectively.
Kaiji smiled, knowing that he had also performed very well in Shuriken Throwing compared to his past performance.
Afterwards came Takeshi Sensei.
He announced the names of the trainees for the Taijutsu and Kunai spars.
One by one, everyone came forward to showcase their skills.
Satei, the Kazekage, sat watching every trainee intently.
After all, many in the future might be chosen for the Anbu department.
This test was not just about winning, but also about demonstrating your performance level.
Matches were announced.
Renji vs Taichi; Renji won.
Kohaku vs Maki; Kohaku won.
Ren vs Yuki; Ren won.
Hiroshi vs Sayo; Sayo won.
Then, it was Kaiji's turn. Kaiji's opponent was Ryu.
Kaiji stood in front of Ryu, Kunai ready in his hand.
He inwardly thanked his luck. 'At least my opponent is one that I have defeated before.' he thought.
However, once the spar began, Kaiji was stunned. Not only him, but Takeshi Sensei and the other trainees were also stunned.
Ryu directly used Body Flicker Technique. He covered the five-meter distance between them in an instant, leaving after images, faster than Kaiji's eye could follow.
Ryu's speed with Body Flicker was equal to that of a seasoned Chunin.
This was truly surprising for all of them present. Even the top student, Renji, didn't possess that much speed with Body Flicker.
Satei and Yuto, standing behind him, were also surprised.
They had found another talented young ninja who might work in Anbu for the village in the future.
Kaiji was unable to react in time. He was punched by Ryu in the gut.
Despite his training and improved physical strength, Kaiji didn't have much battle experience outside of Academy spars.
The speed shown by Ryu, which surpassed a normal Genin and equaled a Chunin, was obviously something Kaiji couldn't react to yet.
Kaiji quickly took a few steps back after being hit.
'Looks like others also focused on training and improving themselves as well,' he thought.
Ryu's speed in the last Team spars had not been this fast.
Kaiji's current normal speed without his body weights was fast, and with Body Flicker, it became even faster than an average Genin.
But Ryu's new speed was becoming hard for Kaiji to counter.
After taking a few more hits, Kaiji thought rapidly. 'If it wasn't about only Taijutsu and Kunai' he considered, 'and more importantly, if it wasn't just a spar, I might have been dead by now.'
Though Ryu was using full force behind his strikes, Kaiji wasn't getting many significant scratches.
'Looks like Ryu only focused on improving his speed,' Kaiji thought. 'His strength hasn't improved from last time.'
Then another thought came into his mind. 'Does that mean his endurance also hasn't increased much?'
With this thought, Kaiji decided to attack him blindly, focusing on overwhelming him.
Kaiji also used Body Flicker. Their spar became a blur of speed and movement.
Kaiji was able to land a few strikes. The power behind them was high as Kaiji blindly attacked.
And just as Kaiji expected, Ryu's endurance had not kept pace with the improvement in his other physical aspects aside from his speed.
Kaiji allowed himself a slight smirk. However, Ryu didn't let Kaiji continue fighting back.
He quickly used his Kunai to attack him. Kaiji was hardly able to block it because of his brief distraction.
Ryu then kicked him, which Kaiji managed to block. But when Kaiji was about to strike him back, Ryu used Body Flicker again.
He instantly appeared behind Kaiji. He put his Kunai against Kaiji's neck.
Takeshi Sensei announced, "Ryu won!"
Kaiji remained stunned for a moment.
After continuous training for the last six months, he had believed that unless it was one of the very top students, he could defeat others in his batch.
But the result of this spar showed him there was still much more to improve.
Kaiji just sighed. He went back to his spot and watched the other spars continue.