A gust of wind swept through the arena, lifting leaves and dust into the air. The atmosphere was thick with tension and killing intent.
In the stands, murmurs rippled through the crowd as they observed the two figures locked in a silent standoff in the center of the field.
Team Eleven was far from an unknown entity within Konoha's ninja community.
On the contrary, most ninjas were deeply curious about this team, which had remained on the same mission for three years.
"Hey, why aren't they fighting yet? Hurry up and start already!"
Impatient voices buzzed through the crowd.
Meanwhile, many of the observing ninjas frowned as they focused on the center of the arena.
They could feel the overwhelming killing intent radiating from Rii.
"This girl... such heavy killing intent. Just how many people has she killed to have this kind of aura?!"
"No idea, but it must be a lot. I heard Team Eleven was responsible for wiping out Kusagakure!"
"Kusagakure?! Are small villages really that weak?"
"You don't get it. Even the smallest hidden village isn't something a mere Genin team could typically destroy!"
"So, what are you saying?"
As two ninjas whispered to each other, Rii, standing below, spoke coldly:
"One move?"
Hearing this, A's lips curved into a grin as he nodded firmly.
"One move."
Then, in unison, Rii and A shouted:
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, activate!"
In an instant, both of their bodies lit up with crackling blue lightning.
In the VIP section, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Rinjin, who was yawning lazily, and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
This was absurd!
Hiruzen could already imagine what Rii's future would look like.
Spitting on the ground, swinging bricks, setting things on fire, and punching people with electrified fists while cursing loudly.
It was bad enough for a man to have such a chaotic style, but Rii was a cute and pretty little girl!
This wasn't just absurd—it was absurdity's mother opening the door to absurdity itself!
In the field below, the two combatants were charging up their energy.
At that moment, Rii, who had been staring at A, suddenly smiled—a radiant smile, like a hundred flowers blooming. Her red lips parted slightly as she whispered:
"Third Gate of Life, open!"
In an instant, blue lightning mixed with green chakra surged around Rii, scattering fierce winds that made her hair dance wildly.
"Here I come!"
With a sharp cry, Rii vanished from her spot.
At the same time, A's eyes widened, his brows furrowing as he reacted.
The next second, both of them roared simultaneously:
"Lightning Plough Hot Knife!"
With a thunderous boom, the two figures collided in the center of the arena.
Their electrified arms, slightly bent, struck at each other's necks, sending gales of wind swirling around them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless.
Absolutely speechless.
At that moment, the muscles in Rii's slender arm, hidden beneath her black sleeve, slightly bulged. Power surged from every part of her body, instantly overwhelming the fifteen-year-old A.
"Boom!"
With another deafening crash, A's body flew like an arrow shot from a bow, slamming into a thick wall not far away.
The wall exploded into a large crater, trembling violently.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Rii, standing proudly in the center of the field, he was utterly at a loss for words.
Are you kidding me?!
This... this... this... she actually won?!
Your whole family really is full of absurd monsters!
The audience was equally stunned. In their minds, ninjas should defeat their opponents with elegant and flashy jutsu.
But these two contestants? One was a brute, and the other was a muscle-bound Barbie—absolutely ridiculous!
After half a minute of stunned silence, the dazed crowd finally erupted into thunderous applause for Rii.
The second match concluded, and Rii, under the odd gazes of many ninjas, returned to the viewing platform, smiling as she high-fived Teuchi and Fugaku.
The subsequent battles became increasingly dull.
When Fugaku Uchiha took the stage, Orochimaru had barely announced the start of the match when Fugaku's opponent collapsed, looking utterly drained. The audience immediately cried foul, accusing the match of being rigged.
However, this incident left Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other high-ranking officials deeply shocked.
It was clear that Fugaku's opponent had fallen under a genjutsu—a terrifyingly powerful one at that.
After all, those eerie, blood-red eyes of his weren't just for show.
This development sparked interest among several individuals, including Danzo Shimura.
But as soon as they remembered that Fugaku was Rinjin's student, those thoughts were quickly abandoned.
After all, while most of Konoha's villagers might not know Rinjin's name, to the higher-ups, he was someone best left unprovoked.
It was the perfect example of the old saying:
"The less someone desires, the more untouchable they become."
Soon, after a morning of battles, the third round of the exam came to an end.
There was no grand "strongest champion" tournament. As long as you won one match, you could go home and wait for HR's notification.
The villagers left the arena in high spirits, chatting excitedly about what they had witnessed.
Though the event hadn't lasted long, they had seen a variety of ninja combat styles. It gave them plenty to talk about for the next six months.
Of the six ninjas who advanced, three were from Konoha, earning the village considerable pride.
For a time, the names of Rii, Teuchi, and Fugaku began to spread among the villagers.
Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower
Sitting alone in his office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was focused on reading a report scroll.
The scroll detailed information about the three members of Team Eleven.
Holding his pipe, Hiruzen silently refined his impressions of them.
Teuchi: Born into a civilian family, with both parents alive. He's the eldest son, with one younger brother and one younger sister.
From a young age, he was cheerful, helpful, and deeply loved the village. He had a strong sense of compassion.
His grades in the Ninja Academy were average—not outstanding, but not poor either.
After joining Team Eleven, under Rinjin's guidance, he successfully mastered the first three gates of the Eight Gates Technique. He excels in Konoha-style Taijutsu and is suspected to have mastered some form of space-time ninjutsu.
Overall, he's a very, very good kid.
But! He's incredibly stubborn!
Since childhood, his dream has been to open a ramen shop, and he remains unwavering in this goal.
Overall Evaluation:
Loyalty: S
Strength: A
Utility Value: C (But his ramen tastes pretty good!)
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Hiruzen took a deep puff from his pipe, nearly choking himself.
Rinjin's teaching abilities were beyond comprehension.
He had taken a child with average ninja talent and turned him into a battle-hardened Taijutsu expert. From this perspective, Rinjin's teaching skills were exceptional.
But what the hell was with this kid's obsession with ramen?
Was he planning to save the world with ramen?!
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