The scene fell into dead silence. Although no one understood exactly how Setsuna had done it, anyone with a bit of intelligence could grasp that moving so naturally while wearing such heavy weights meant Setsuna's prowess in Taijutsu was absolutely not weak.
Minato was even more astonished inwardly. His memory was excellent, and when Setsuna had killed those three Kumogakure's Ninjas before, he recalled he had been wearing these exact bracelets on his wrists.
In other words, Setsuna had easily defeated those three Kumogakure's Ninjas even while burdened with weights. His maximum speed would only be faster than what Minato had seen last time.
Asuma looked at the Third Hokage with eyes full of confusion, 'Does the old man want me dead?'
Setsuna smiled slightly and said, "Asuma-kun, let's form the Seal of Confrontation."
"Hah... haha, here I come." Asuma forced a laugh, comforting himself inwardly, 'It's fine, he only knows taijutsu. As long as I form my hand seals fast enough, he definitely won't be my match. I already know Ninjutsu, and it's the fastest Wind Release Ninjutsu at that.'
After forming the seal of confrontation, Asuma loudly psyched himself up: "Be careful, I might not be able to hold back with my Ninjutsu."
However, as soon as he started forming the first hand seal, he found that Setsuna was already in front of him.
Setsuna's right leg rose high like a sharp axe, then descended like a thunderbolt.
Asuma rolled away like a donkey dodging, hearing a loud boom. Where he had just been standing was now split by a huge fissure from Setsuna's strike, as if an earthquake had occurred, almost splitting the training ground in two.
"Everyone, retreat outside the training ground!" The Third Hokage shouted loudly, but he didn't stop the fight because he could already tell that Setsuna was just toying with Asuma.
Otherwise, Asuma would never have been able to dodge.
The crowd fled in terror to the outside of the training ground, 'Was this really a fight between Genin? It was too frightening.'
Seeing this scene, Asuma's face turned even paler, 'If I hadn't dodged, the other party would really have killed me.'
"Where are you looking?" Hearing the voice coming from behind him, Asuma felt as if he had been targeted by a vengeful spirit. His heart contracted violently, his blood almost freezing. He rolled to the left at the fastest speed of his life.
Sure enough, another fissure appeared where he had just been.
'No, I have to find a way to counterattack!' Asuma formed hand seals while rolling on the ground. After rolling across most of the training ground, he was finally about to form the last seal when he found Setsuna already standing in front of him. He had no choice but to abandon the seal and change his escape route.
Asuma tried to escape again and again, but each time he was interrupted by Setsuna just as he was about to form the last seal.
This suppression made him so frustrated he almost wanted to curse out loud. Finally, with his mentality shattered, he shouted loudly: "I admit defeat!"
Seeing Setsuna stop his pursuit, Asuma was finally able to gasp for breath, but immediately afterward, unwillingness set in: "Damn it, it was only the last step each time. If only I could have used my Ninjutsu..."
The Third Hokage appeared at the right moment: "You should thank Setsuna. Actually, he could have defeated you long ago. He just wanted you to understand that Ninjutsu is not your capital for showing off. Without the cooperation of comrades, you might not even be able to use Ninjutsu when facing an enemy."
Asuma was taken aback, seriously pondering the old man's words, then looked at Setsuna: "Thank you, Senpai. I understand."
'What do you understand?' Setsuna felt amused inwardly. In fact, he just wanted to show a bit of strength to see if he could attract Orochimaru's attention.
However, for Obito, it felt like the sky had fallen, 'If Setsuna-senpai wasn't the dead-last, then wasn't I the only dead-last left?'
Of course, although he felt depressed inside, he was still happy for Setsuna. In his view, it would be a real shame if someone as hardworking as Setsuna couldn't become a Ninja.
The Third Hokage gathered the scattered crowd and announced: "I have decided to bestow upon Chiaki Setsuna the title of Konoha's Genin. Does anyone object?"
Looking at the training ground that seemed to have experienced a natural disaster, everyone felt awe and even greater respect for the Third Hokage, who had the discernment to recognize a 'Ninja'.
Naturally, no one objected.
The Third Hokage continued: "The graduation regulations of the Ninja Academy are also due for a change. We should give more opportunities to try for some specialized geniuses. For example, we could establish a special talent system. Even if someone is lacking in a certain skill, as long as they possess other outstanding talents, they can still graduate as an exception."
Setsuna received the forehead protector representing a Konoha's Ninja, his expression quite subtle.
He had, in a way, planted the tree, allowing future students like Lee to enjoy the shade.
Obito raised his forehead protector and cheered: "Setsuna-san, to celebrate both of us becoming Ninjas, let's go eat barbecue!"
Rin clapped her hands: "I'll go call Kakashi and Guy. It's been a long time since we all gathered together after they graduated."
Obito pouted: "Will that stuck-up guy Kakashi even come?"
Setsuna didn't object.
As the super repeater of the Ninja Academy, he had crossed paths with most people. Only Kakashi, who had enrolled at age five and graduated the same year, hadn't interacted much with him.
…
Two hours later, inside the barbecue restaurant.
Obito lay sprawled unceremoniously on the table, complaining: "Why isn't that bastard Kakashi here yet? Doesn't he know that punctuality is a Ninja's virtue?"
Just then, a somewhat cold voice came from the entrance: "You're the last person qualified to say that. You're even late for regular exams."
Setsuna looked in the direction of the voice. A white-haired boy exuding an aura of 'keep away' walked towards them, wearing a mask.
Obito slammed the table, glaring straight at him: "I always have reasons for being late! Last time it was to help an old lady home, the time before that was to catch a thief, the time before that was..."
Kakashi rudely interrupted: "And you think I'm late on purpose? On my way here, I found someone peeping outside the women's bathhouse."
"Peeping at the women's bathhouse!" Obito's eyes widened. "That's so enviable... I mean, despicable! That kind of perverted degenerate must be caught!"
Kakashi frowned slightly: "I did try to catch him, but I didn't expect that guy to be a skilled Ninja. He escaped from me."
Setsuna's expression turned strange, 'The one who would do such a thing was probably Jiraiya, right? Well, if this were in the future, it could almost count as a fan meeting for the Icha Icha Paradise.'
'However, judging from the fact that Kakashi didn't recognize Jiraiya, Jiraiya had probably just returned to the village.'
Obito said suspiciously: "You'd let someone get away that easily? Could it be that the person peeping at the women's bathhouse was actually you? Even though you seem cold and aloof, I've long seen through your pretending-to-be-reserved nature."
Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly: "You think I'm like you?"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Rin quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "It's rare for us to gather like this. Let's talk about something happier. I happen to want to ask about some precautions after becoming a Ninja."
Kakashi nodded and took a seat, looking at the tall figure seated opposite him who stood out from the crowd. He asked, "So you're the Setsuna-senpai who defeated Asuma?"
Although in his opinion, Asuma's self-proclaimed genius status was not worth mentioning, from the rumors he had heard, this Senpai's strength seemed excessively powerful.