A genin-level exam tested far more than the Three Body Techniques and basic theory.
It included mission-role judgment, situational analysis, cultural depth, taijutsu, and even real combat.
Souma originally thought the Third Hokage would assign a chūnin instructor to oversee his test.
Instead, the Third created a shadow clone.
"For your combat assessment, I'll be your opponent. If you can force me to use anything beyond taijutsu, you pass."
The Hokage's real body took out his pipe, tapped it lightly against the desk, and refrained from lighting it — this was still the Academy, after all.
"No need to go outside?"
"No need. This room is enough."
The Third smiled.
Souma bowed slightly in acknowledgement.
He and the shadow clone formed the seal of confrontation.
Then—
Boom!
Chakra surged into Souma's fist, and he launched forward with explosive force.
The shadow clone didn't use ninjutsu; he reinforced his arm with chakra and blocked barehanded.
However—
The instant he made contact, the chakra in Souma's fist erupted outward like a controlled explosion.
In the next moment, Souma stepped in again, striking with his left hand—
while his right hand secretly formed a compressed Rasengan.
The instant his left hand drew attention, his right palm swung upward to slam the Rasengan toward the Hokage's clone.
It was a shadow clone — no need to hold back.
The clone's eyes widened.
This boy's control was astounding. Not only could he create directional chakra explosions without harming himself, he could also form a Rasengan rapidly with one hand.
Even many jōnin couldn't manage that.
What terrifying talent.
The clone deflected both attacks, then body-flickered behind Souma, sweeping at his legs.
But Souma also flickered away — his speed nearly on par with the Hokage's clone.
The Third felt a shock run through him.
Though age had dulled his physical abilities, his taijutsu was still at the level of an elite chūnin.
For Souma to match him like this…
Guy hadn't exaggerated a single word.
Several exchanges passed.
Using taijutsu alone, the clone found it surprisingly difficult to pin him down.
When the clone retreated, Souma immediately threw four or five kunai.
The clone instantly noticed—
Each kunai was attached to an almost invisible thread of chakra.
His eyes brightened.
He drew two kunai and slashed at the threads, cutting three.
But the remaining threads curved away from the attacks, guided precisely by Souma's chakra.
The kunai shot toward the clone from odd, shifting angles—
Thanks! Thanks!
In the next breath, the clone burst into smoke, leaving behind a wooden log with two kunai embedded.
A substitution.
"You've already mastered chakra threads… and can use them in actual combat. Impressive. Very impressive."
The Third's eyes were sharp with approval.
As a true scholar of ninjutsu, he immediately noticed how refined Souma's threads were — thinner, tougher, almost undetectable.
And guiding the threads around an opponent's counterattacks required fine control of a very high level.
If those kunai had been attached to explosive tags…
The Third already understood that Souma's performance greatly exceeded that of a typical genin.
A genius.
Even without nature transformation, as Souma insisted, shape manipulation alone held vast potential.
"Hokage-sama… did I pass?"
"You did," the Third said with a warm smile.
"From now on, you only need to submit a weekly study report to the Medical Division and the Academy. You no longer need to attend regular classes."
He wasn't opening early…
But he loosened the rules enough to grant Souma nearly the same freedom.
"Thank you very much."
Souma finally breathed out in relief.
Entering the Medical Division was crucial for him.
Partly for understanding anatomy—important for safe physical training.
And partly because many taijutsu-based techniques required deep knowledge of muscles and structure.
Like monstrous strength techniques — if you didn't understand the body and tried to imitate them blindly…
You weren't developing a technique.
You were committing suicide.
"You passed through your own ability. You don't need to thank me. Thank yourself," the Third said.
His eyes softened.
"What made you decide to learn chakra threads?"
"I didn't start with that goal."
Souma explained his ideas.
Condense chakra until it can break physical matter, then merge it into taijutsu as a close-combat tool.
No wonder he wanted to learn the Chakra Scalpel.
Stone sharpens metal; metal sharpens stone.
The Third understood Souma's goal instantly—
He wanted to study similar jutsu and refine his own.
His concepts were clear and well-structured.
A complicated emotion stirred in the Hokage's chest.
In this child, he faintly saw glimpses of a former student he once cherished—
a genius who eventually became one of Konoha's greatest traitors.
The Third fell silent for a long moment… then waved Souma out with a weary gesture.
Souma had no idea what the Third was thinking.
He bowed politely and left the room.
Outside, he finally let out a real breath.
There was absolutely pressure fighting the Third's clone.
He could've passed more simply — for example, using the optimized fast-release Rasengan he'd nearly perfected yesterday.
With his chakra control, he could now deploy a Rasengan in two breaths.
But that wouldn't show enough.
He needed to demonstrate range, versatility, and potential to secure the Hokage's attention—
To obtain access not merely to training, but to books, scrolls, knowledge.
In the Naruto world, for a civilian, such things were worth more than money.
He returned to class as if nothing had happened.
The teacher also said nothing — clearly, the details of the test weren't being announced.
After school, he resumed his usual habit: running laps around the village.
A while later—
"The Hokage came to your school today?"
"Yes. He found me and approved my entry into the Medical Division."
Souma answered earnestly.
"Guy-sensei, thank you. Truly. I won't forget your kindness."
"Hahahaha! Don't thank me. This is all your own ability!"
Guy laughed loud and bright, then suddenly paused.
"Wait—why are you going to the Medical Division? To learn medical ninjutsu?"
"I can't even use basic nature transformation. There's no way I can learn medical ninjutsu. I just want more comprehensive knowledge."
"Ha???"
Guy froze.
Can't learn it… so why go?
He couldn't understand.
Then he scratched his head and burst into laughter.
"Well, I don't understand any of that! You're smart, you'll figure it out! Come! The flames of youth are burning — let's go find Lee!"
"..."
And under the setting sun, the two of them ran together once more.
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