Chapter 7: Guard Team Assessment, Showing Their Talents
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Konoha Police Force assessment grounds were already filled with many clan members watching.
Three Uchiha Jonin sat in the chief examiner's seats. Captain Tekka was among them, and in the very center sat an old man with a serious face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's: Uchiha Yatsushiro, a hawk faction elder, highly respected within the clan and known for his strictness and impartiality. The other was Uchiha Setsuna, a formidable Uchiha Jonin.
"Silence!"
Captain Tekka spoke in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the three applicants below. "Today is the special recruitment assessment for the Konoha Police Force. Three of you have applied, but the Guard never harbors idlers; only true elites can remain!"
"The assessment consists of three parts: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and practical combat simulation. Each section will be scored, and the one with the highest overall score, or who performs exceptionally well, will be selected. Understood?"
"Yes!" Akira and the other two youths responded in unison.
The other two, Uchiha Kyoichi and Uchiha Kaede, were both fifteen or sixteen years old and had some reputation within the clan, possessing the strength of average Chunin. Their gazes toward Akira held a dismissive disdain. After all, Akira was too young, just having graduated. Even with some rumors, they didn't believe a twelve-year-old could be that strong.
"First up, Taijutsu assessment!"
A lean and capable Uchiha Chunin stepped onto the field. Uchiha Kyoichi was the first to go forward. The two exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks. Although Uchiha Kyoichi's offense was sharp, he still appeared somewhat naive in front of the experienced Chunin. After a dozen or so rounds, his weakness was exploited, and he was pinned to the ground.
"Uchiha Kyoichi, score: Average," Captain Tekka calmly announced.
Next was Uchiha Kaede; his performance was slightly better than Uchiha Kyoichi's, but he still couldn't gain an advantage, and his final score was also Average.
Finally, it was Akira's turn.
"Brat, show me what you've got; don't waste everyone's time," the Uchiha Chunin grinned, a hint of disdain in his tone.
Akira said nothing, merely bowing slightly and adopting a standard Uchiha-style Taijutsu starting stance.
"Begin!"
With Tekka's command, the Uchiha Chunin attacked first with a swift straight punch, whistling through the air, aimed directly at Akira's face. He used seventy percent of his strength in this punch, enough to make an average Chunin flustered.
However, in Akira's eyes, the trajectory of this punch was clearly visible. He didn't even need to activate his Sharingan. He slightly shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the punch with an incredibly subtle movement. At the same time, his right foot shot out like a venomous snake, quickly, accurately, and fiercely kicking toward the opponent's supporting leg's knee joint.
"Hmm?" The Uchiha Chunin was startled, not expecting Akira's reaction to be so quick. He hurriedly changed his move, retracting his punch to defend while simultaneously raising his knee to block.
"Thud!"
A dull thud sounded. A surge of immense force came from his knee, causing the Uchiha Chunin to involuntarily take half a step back.
"Such powerful strength!" he thought to himself, shedding his disdain.
Akira, failing to land a hit, continued his assault without pause, his offensive like an endless tide. The Uchiha Chunin became increasingly alarmed as they fought. He found that his proud experience and strength were utterly useless against Akira. Akira's movements didn't seem fast, but he always managed to dodge or block with minimal effort at the last possible moment before an attack landed, then counterattacked from an even more tricky angle. It felt as if his every move was completely seen through by his opponent.
Outside the ring, Uchiha Kyoichi and Uchiha Kaede were now dumbfounded. They had initially thought Akira was just a brat seeking attention through rumors, but they never expected his Taijutsu to be so solid, even subtly suppressing the Guard Chunin.
At the chief examiner's seat, a flicker of imperceptible light flashed in Uchiha Yatsushiro's cloudy old eyes.
"This brat certainly didn't disappoint me," Tekka said, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched the two fighting.
In the arena, the battle had entered a fever pitch. Akira seized a momentary gap when his opponent was catching his breath, suddenly closing in and delivering a precise hand chop to the side of his opponent's neck. The Uchiha Chunin was greatly alarmed and tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
"Whack!"
A crisp sound. He grunted, his body went limp, and he nearly fell to the ground. Akira retracted his hand chop and took a step back. The victory was decided.
"Uchiha Akira, Taijutsu assessment, score: Excellent!" Captain Tekka announced loudly.
Whoosh!
A low gasp rippled through the crowd. Excellent! This was an extremely high evaluation. Uchiha Kyoichi and Uchiha Kaede's expressions turned somewhat grim. They were completely overshadowed by Akira's performance this time.
"Second up, Ninjutsu assessment!" Captain Tekka continued, "Demonstrate your most proficient Fire Release Ninjutsu, attacking the target in the distance. We will score based on the Ninjutsu's power, range, and the precision of your Chakra control."
Uchiha Kyoichi and Uchiha Kaede stepped forward one after another, performing the Great Fireball Technique. The power was acceptable, and their scores were both Upper Average.
Then it was Akira's turn. He walked to the designated spot and took a deep breath. The Chakra within his body began to circulate at an unprecedented speed.
Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger!
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of fist-sized fireballs shot out from Akira's mouth. These fireballs did not scatter like typical Phoenix Sage Fire, but instead arced precisely through the air, like a dense downpour, all striking the target a hundred meters away, which was only the size of a washbasin.
Boom boom boom—!
A series of dense explosions rang out, and the target was instantly shattered into splinters, with wood chips flying everywhere.
Silence! The entire field was silent. Everyone was stunned by this perfectly executed Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. The Phoenix Sage Fire Technique isn't top-tier in terms of power, but its difficulty lies in precise Chakra control and the simultaneous manipulation of multiple fireballs. The Phoenix Sage Fire performed by Akira, whether it was the number of fireballs, their flight trajectories, or the accuracy of their landing points, reached an incredible level. This could no longer be simply described as "mastery." He had practically turned the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique into an art form.
"This... this is Phoenix Sage Fire?" Uchiha Kyoichi muttered, his face filled with disbelief. He also knew Phoenix Sage Fire, but compared to Akira, the difference was not just a little bit.
Captain Tekka abruptly stood up from his seat, his eyes filled with shock and ecstasy.
"Monster! This kid is a monster!"
Uchiha Yatsushiro's perpetually stern face now showed a rare hint of emotion. He had lived for so long and seen countless Uchiha geniuses, but Akira was the first to wield a C-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu with such mastery at the age of twelve.
"Uchiha Akira, Ninjutsu assessment, score: Special!"
Special! Akira listened calmly, no hint of smugness on his face. This level, for him, was merely a warm-up. Possessing "Fire Release Ninjutsu All-System Mastery (Beginner)," his understanding and control of Fire Release already surpassed most Jonin.
"Final item, practical combat simulation!" Tekka took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions. "Uchiha Akira, your opponent is me!"
What?!
At these words, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar. Uchiha Tekka, a long-renowned Jonin and Captain of the Guard, was actually going to personally step in and conduct a practical combat simulation with a twelve-year-old boy? This was no longer an assessment; this was simply a one-sided crushing.
"Tekka, are you serious?" Uchiha Yatsushiro frowned.
"Elder, I know what I'm doing," Tekka grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This kid is a good prospect; I need to personally gauge his true capabilities!" He looked at Akira, his fighting spirit soaring. "Kid, show me your full strength. Let me see just how much potential you truly have!"
Akira's gaze also sharpened slightly. Fighting a Jonin? Perfect; he also wanted to see what level his current strength had reached.
"Please guide me!"
A powerful aura surged from Akira. A bloody light quietly emerged in his eyes.
One-Tomoe Sharingan, activated!