The area fell into a complete silence. Although no one quite understood how Sa-na had done it, anyone with even a little sense could figure out that being able to move freely while wearing such heavy weights meant his Taijutsu skills were absolutely phenomenal.
Minato was particularly stunned. He had a great memory and recalled that Sa-na was wearing those very bracelets when he easily defeated the three Cloud Ninja previously.
In other words, Sa-na had effortlessly beaten those Cloud Ninja while weighted. His true, unburdened speed had to be even faster than what he'd seen before.
Asuma looked at the Third Hokage with a bewildered expression that screamed, "Is the Old Man trying to get me killed?"
Sa-na offered a small smile and said, "Asuma, let's form the Confrontation Seal (Rivalry Seal), shall we?"
"Ha... haha, here I come," Asuma chuckled awkwardly, trying to comfort himself internally. "It's fine, he only knows Taijutsu. As long as I weave my hand signs fast enough, he won't be able to handle me. I already know Ninjutsu, and it's the fastest kind—Wind Release!"
After forming the Confrontation Seal, Asuma shouted, psyching himself up, "Watch out! I can't hold back with my Ninjutsu!"
However, he had barely formed the first hand sign when he realized Sa-na was already right in front of him. Sa-na's right leg rose high like a sharp axe and then descended like a thunderbolt.
Asuma avoided it with a clumsy roll, followed by a tremendous BOOM! Where he had been standing, Sa-na's kick had gouged a massive fissure, splitting the training grounds almost in half as if an earthquake had struck.
"Everyone, get outside the training area!" the Third Hokage shouted, but he did not stop the fight. He could already tell Sa-na was just messing with Asuma; otherwise, Asuma wouldn't have even been able to dodge the first blow.
The crowd scrambled off the field in fear. Was this really a fight between Genin? It was terrifying.
Seeing this, Asuma's face turned pale. If he hadn't dodged, the guy genuinely looked like he was trying to kill him.
"What are you looking at?" Hearing the voice right behind him, Asuma's heart slammed shut, like he was being hunted by a ghost. His blood felt like it was freezing. He rolled to the left at the fastest speed of his life.
Sure enough, another deep crack appeared where he had been moments before.
"No way! I have to find a way to counterattack!" Asuma rolled on the ground while weaving hand signs. After rolling across half the field, he was finally about to form the last sign, only to find Sa-na standing right in front of him again. He had no choice but to abandon the Jutsu and change his escape route.
Asuma fled again and again, but every single time, just as he was about to complete the last hand sign, Sa-na interrupted him. This constant suppression was so agonizing he felt like throwing up blood. Finally, his mental state collapsed, and he yelled, "I give up!"
Seeing Sa-na stop his pursuit, Asuma finally caught his breath, but a sense of frustration followed. "Damn it! I was one step away every time! If only I could have used my Ninjutsu..."
The Third Hokage appeared right on cue. "You should thank Sa-na. He could have defeated you long ago. He only did this to make you realize that Ninjutsu is not something to brag about. Without teamwork, when facing a real enemy, you might not even get the chance to use a single technique."
Asuma froze and seriously considered the Old Man's words. He then looked at Sa-na. "Thank you, Senior. I understand."
"You understand what?" Sa-na was secretly amused. He had simply wanted to show off a little strength to see if he could catch Orochimaru's attention.
For Obito, however, the sky had just fallen. If Senior Sa-na wasn't a failure anymore, didn't that mean he was the only failure left?
Of course, despite his inner gloom, he was happy for Sa-na. In his view, given how hard Senior Sa-na worked, it would have been a shame if he couldn't become a ninja.
The Third Hokage gathered the scattered crowd and announced, "I have decided to grant Qianqiu Sa-na the title of Konoha Genin. Does anyone object?"
Looking at the field that looked like it had suffered a natural disaster, the crowd was filled with awe and respect for the Third Hokage, who had the foresight to recognize this 'ninja.' Naturally, no one objected.
The Third Hokage continued, "It is time to change the Ninja Academy's graduation rules. We should give specialized geniuses more chances to succeed, for example, by creating a Specialized Track System. Even if a student is lacking in one skill, as long as they possess another outstanding talent, they can still graduate exceptionally."
Sa-na took the forehead protector representing a Konoha ninja, his expression subtle. He realized he was essentially planting a tree for future students like Rock Lee to enjoy the shade.
Obito raised his forehead protector and cheered, "Sa-na-nii, to celebrate us both becoming ninja, let's go get some BBQ!"
Rin clapped her hands. "I'll go call Kakashi and Guy, too! It's been too long since we all got together since they graduated."
Obito mumbled under his breath, "Will that arrogant jerk Kakashi even show up?"
Sa-na didn't object. As the ultimate repeat student at the Academy, he had crossed paths with most people, but he hadn't interacted much with Kakashi, who had entered at five and graduated the same year.
Two hours later, inside the BBQ restaurant.
Obito was sprawled across the table with no sense of decorum, complaining, "Where is that jerk Kakashi? Doesn't he know punctuality is a ninja virtue?"
Just then, a slightly cold voice came from the doorway: "You're the last person who should be saying that, aren't you? You're always late for exams."
Sa-na looked in the direction of the voice. A white-haired boy, wearing a mask and radiating a 'keep-your-distance' vibe, was walking toward them.
Obito slapped the table and stared wide-eyed at him. "I'm only late for good reasons! Last time was to help an old lady get home, the time before that was to catch a thief, and the time before that was..."
Kakashi curtly interrupted, "You think my lateness is intentional? I just saw someone peeping outside the women's bathhouse on my way here."
"Peeping at the women's bathhouse!" Obito's eyes widened. "That's completely... revolting! I mean, so enviable... no, wait! That kind of pervert needs to be arrested!"
Kakashi frowned slightly. "I certainly wanted to catch him, but it turns out he was a powerful ninja and escaped from me."
Sa-na's expression was odd. The only one who would do something like that had to be Jiraiya, right? If this were later, it would be considered a fan meet-up for Icha Icha Paradise.
However, given that Kakashi didn't seem to recognize him, Jiraiya had probably just returned to the Village.
Obito looked at Kakashi skeptically. "You'd let someone slip away that easily? You know, maybe you were the one peeping at the bathhouse! You look all cold and reserved, but I've always seen through your act of fake modesty."
Kakashi's mouth twitched. "Do you think I'm you?"
Seeing the two about to start an argument, Rin quickly stepped in to mediate. "We rarely get together. Let's talk about something happier! I actually wanted to ask for some advice about being a ninja."
Kakashi nodded and took a seat. He looked across the table at the tall figure who stood out from the rest and asked, "You must be Sa-na-senpai, the one who beat Asuma?"
In his opinion, Asuma's self-proclaimed genius wasn't worth much, but based on the rumors he'd heard, this Senior's strength seemed to be quite excessive.