Chapter 14: Test Over
Konoha's assessment for Jonin is extremely strict; it can be said that none of Konoha's Jonin have any obvious weaknesses.
From intelligence gathering to Ninjutsu combat, Konoha's Jonin already possess considerable influence within the village, serving as its backbone, and can even offer suggestions on village policies.
Although Hyuga Mirai and the two others immediately went into hiding, none of them could use Ninjutsu, so if they wanted to probe, they could only do so with Shuriken and Exploding Tags.
Moreover, Kaminari Kaede didn't give them a chance to set traps, so it seemed that even with their full strength, it would be difficult for them to make Kaminari Kaede take them seriously.
'If I want to improve my score with Kaminari Kaede, it will depend on Kurenai Yuhi's Genjutsu.'
Hyuga Mirai thought from his hiding spot. He didn't believe that Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist could threaten a Jonin. Instead, it would be better for them to create an opportunity for Kurenai Yuhi; as long as the Genjutsu took effect, Hyuga Kiyomi would still have a chance to counterattack.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Numerous Shuriken and Kunai flew out from the forest, blocking all directions for Kaminari Kaede from all sides.
'The Shuriken throwing is good, just a bit rushed.'
Kaminari Kaede looked left and right and found that, besides retreating, all other dodging directions were sealed off; for someone their age, that Shuriken throwing level already surpassed that of an average Genin.
However, it wasn't a significant threat to Kaminari Kaede, a Jonin.
He was a Jonin; if students throwing a few Shuriken made him retreat, where would the Jonin teacher's dignity be?
Kaminari Kaede quickly pulled a Kunai from his ninja pouch, then 'clink, clank' blocked left and right, deflecting the Shuriken aside.
Then, Kunai immediately came at Kaminari Kaede again, but his sharp eyes suddenly noticed that these three Kunai seemed off.
The handles of the Kunai were smoking!
Boom!
Exploding Tags suddenly detonated, a burst of smoke and fire covering Kaminari Kaede's location.
However, a figure then jumped out from the smoke and fire of the Exploding Tags. It made sense; how could three Exploding Tags so easily defeat a Jonin? Although Hyuga Mirai had arranged the Exploding Tags very subtly, wrapping them around the Kunai and then covering them with black paper.
However, before exploding, Exploding Tags would always emit smoke and fire, which was probably the only flaw.
'Behind me!'
After Kaminari Kaede jumped out of the Exploding Tag's blast radius, he instantly sensed someone approaching him from behind.
He tilted his head and saw that it was Hyuga Mirai.
"Go!"
Shuriken mixed with smoke bombs flew towards Kaminari Kaede. The smoke bombs were used to block Kaminari Kaede's vision, and the Shuriken forced Kaminari Kaede not to be distracted by the smoke bombs.
With two members of the Hyuga Clan in the three-person squad, using smoke bombs actually gave them a great advantage.
This boy from the Hyuga Clan is a qualified ninja!
Kaminari Kaede thought to himself, then quickly formed hand signs, releasing his Ninjutsu in an instant.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."
A pillar of water spewed from Kaminari Kaede's mouth, instantly knocking away the Shuriken and smoke bombs, while simultaneously striking towards Hyuga Mirai.
Bang!
Smoke covered a distance of several tens of meters nearby, and Hyuga Mirai, taking advantage of the smoke bomb obstructing vision, used the Corpse Body Technique to evade Kaminari Kaede's Ninjutsu.
"He's clearly proficient in Fire Release and Earth Release Ninjutsu, yet he used Water Release."
Hyuga Mirai thought with a slight smirk, then threw a Shuriken as a signal to Hyuga Kiyomi's hiding spot.
Smoke bombs could obscure the vision of ordinary people, but for the Hyuga Clan, they were the best aid.
Hyuga Kiyomi's veins bulged around her eyes as she swiftly charged into the smoke.
Under the Byakugan, Kaminari Kaede's figure was clearly visible to Hyuga Kiyomi.
However, the commotion was too great. Hyuga Kiyomi charging in like that completely ruined Hyuga Mirai's intention; even if Kaminari Kaede, the Jonin, couldn't see, he could hear Hyuga Kiyomi's movements.
Hyuga Mirai frowned slightly and shook his head. What he could do was already his limit; from now on, he just needed to play along.
Bang, bang bang, bang!
Sounds of fists and feet colliding continuously came from within the smoke. Hyuga Mirai, under the observation of his Byakugan, clearly saw their exchange.
Although Hyuga Kiyomi's Gentle Fist had considerable power, with each punch and kick generating gusts of wind, Kaminari Kaede's Taijutsu was also not weak. Even with his vision obscured by smoke, Hyuga Kiyomi still didn't gain an advantage in the surprise attack.
By the time the smoke bomb dispersed, Hyuga Kiyomi had already fallen into a disadvantage. Although her Taijutsu was good, there was still a gap compared to a Jonin, even if Kaminari Kaede specialized in Ninjutsu.
With Hyuga Mirai joining in, Hyuga Kiyomi felt a bit more relaxed; however, she immediately sensed something was off. The person beside her was definitely not Hyuga Mirai.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Two Kunai flew from a distance. Kaminari Kaede, with his sharp eyes, saw smoke and fire coming from the handles of the Kunai. He was startled and glanced at Hyuga Kiyomi and Hyuga Mirai not far away.
'Does he want to blow up his teammates too? Or does he simply not care?'
In an instant, Kaminari Kaede made his decision, flashing to prepare to deflect the incoming Kunai.
But this exposed a weakness.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
A voice entered Kaminari Kaede's ear, and he immediately realized something was wrong. As the scene before him changed, Kaminari Kaede saw Kurenai Yuhi in the distance waving at him, her expression identical to Hyuga Mirai's when he introduced himself earlier.
After the test ended, Kaminari Kaede's expression improved significantly.
The combat assessment just now gave him some surprises, especially Hyuga Mirai's grasp of tactics. Although it was their first time working together, they were sufficient to deal with most Chunin.
"I am quite satisfied with the test just now. To be able to cooperate so well on your first joint effort, most Chunin are no longer your opponents; besides completing village missions, I will also conduct special training based on each of your characteristics."
Kaminari Kaede said calmly, then pointed out the shortcomings of each person in the previous exchange, Hyuga Mirai included.
His offensive methods were too few, and he stopped fighting after Kurenai Yuhi activated her Genjutsu, which was very childish; before Kaminari Kaede, their captain, called a halt, Hyuga Mirai's action could be said to be a complete failure.
Hyuga Kiyomi and Kurenai Yuhi simply lacked experience, but this could be corrected in subsequent missions and training, so Kaminari Kaede said no more.
"That's all for today. Gather at the front of the Hokage's office at nine tomorrow."
After saying that, Kaminari Kaede used the Corpse Body Technique and left directly.
After Kaminari Kaede left, Hyuga Mirai spoke, "So he was a real Jonin. I thought it was a Shadow Clone. It seems our cooperation just now was pretty good."
Kurenai Yuhi smiled upon hearing this, "Yes, this is my first time successfully using Genjutsu on a Jonin, even if it only lasted for two seconds." Her eyes curved into crescents, showing how happy the result made Kurenai Yuhi.
"But we still didn't win," Hyuga Kiyomi said with some reluctance.
Hyuga Mirai heard her and comforted her, "Kiyomi-sama, that's a Jonin. It's already amazing that we managed to gain a slight advantage."
Kurenai Yuhi suddenly suggested, "How about we celebrate the formation of our squad with a barbecue?"
"Barbecue?"
Hyuga Mirai's mouth watered upon hearing this. He used to say he would treat himself to something good from time to time, but because training took up so much time, and Hyuga Mirai ate a lot, he always focused on filling his stomach rather than the taste.
It had been over half a year since he had truly savored a meal.
Hyuga Kiyomi was also very tempted. After thinking for a moment, she agreed, "Okay, let's go together." Then she saw Hyuga Mirai's somewhat conflicted expression and added,
"I'll pay for your share."
"Thank you, Kiyomi-sama!"
"Call me Kiyomi in the squad from now on. You can go back to the formal address when we're back in the clan."