"In my opinion, Nagano Yuichi could already defeat most shinobi with taijutsu alone."
"That level of physical power… and combined with Wood Style? No wonder Orochimaru was defeated, with his fate still unknown."
Even with that declaration, Homura remained composed, his tone flat, as if he had expected nothing less.
Koharu, however, turned her gaze toward the next trial already forming in the distance.
This time, Yuichi's opponent was—
Hatake Kakashi.
"First he faces Might Guy in a taijutsu battle… and now a ninjutsu match against Kakashi."
"This arrangement is outrageous! Yuichi is strong, but he's still just a child."
It no longer felt like a promotion exam for a jōnin candidate.
It felt like cruel spectacle.
Might Guy—the strongest in taijutsu, Konoha's proud Blue Beast.
Kakashi—the man of a thousand jutsu, Copy Ninja, the very definition of mastery over ninjutsu.
Taijutsu test against Guy.
Ninjutsu test against Kakashi.
If this were called a "jōnin exam," it was an exam forged in hell.
Even most veteran jōnin, at their peak, would not be able to stand against either of those two in their respective fields.
The spectators exchanged uneasy glances.
Was this truly meant to test Yuichi… or break him?
What was Shikaku, the Third Hokage's most trusted strategist, really thinking?
Yuichi, however, stood calmly across from Kakashi, showing no hesitation.
"Do you need rest?" Shikaku asked.
Yuichi shook his head. "No. I'm not tired."
After that devastating fight with Might Guy, he didn't even look winded.
Shikaku went quiet for a moment. His stamina really is absurd… is this the Senju constitution at work? Chakra like a tailed beast, stamina without end… truly enviable.
Kakashi's eye twitched slightly. If Guy knew Yuichi wasn't even tired after that match, he'd probably run screaming in frustration.
Shikaku laid out the rules.
"Same as before. Wood Style is prohibited. This is a ninjutsu trial. You may only use taijutsu three times in close combat."
Then he stepped back, leaving the match to the two.
Yuichi and Kakashi faced one another at the edge of the crater carved out from the last battle.
Kakashi analyzed quickly.
If he can't use Wood Style, his strongest element is Water Style. I'll need to rely on Earth Style to counter him.
But before Kakashi could even begin to weave signs—
Clap!
Yuichi brought his hands together, inhaling deeply, cheeks swelling slightly.
Kakashi's face hardened. What? A single seal? Has he refined his control to that degree?!
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Whoosh!!
A massive torrent of water burst from Yuichi's mouth, surging forward like a flood.
Kakashi froze. The sheer speed—no hand signs, no buildup. Just a single clap, then overwhelming force.
This kid… he starts the match with that?!
A simple Earth Wall wouldn't be enough. The sheer mass of water would obliterate it.
Kakashi's teeth clenched. Is Shikaku trying to set me up here?
Even Shikaku himself looked unsettled. He hadn't known Yuichi could cast ninjutsu with such terrifying simplicity.
For them, weaving a jutsu meant precise hand signs, careful chakra shaping. For Yuichi—it seemed as natural as breathing.
The gathered jōnin gawked in silence.
Kakashi darted aside just in time, moving fast enough to escape the brunt of the torrent. His speed saved him, a reflex honed through years of rivalry with Guy.
But as he prepared to weave signs, he heard it again.
Clap!
His eye shot back toward Yuichi.
"Water Style: Raging Torrent!"
A second flood of water roared forth, layered upon the first.
Kakashi inhaled sharply. This pace…! He's not giving me a single breath.
If it were any other opponent, Kakashi wouldn't have worried.
Throwing jutsu at this rate would drain their chakra within moments.
But this was Yuichi.
The boy's chakra pool was practically bottomless, rivaling the tailed beasts. Exhaustion was not an option.
The strategy Kakashi had prepared—to suppress Yuichi with ninjutsu combinations and then finish with taijutsu—was crumbling.
Suppress him with ninjutsu? Impossible.
Another crash of water surged forward. Kakashi leapt backward, skidding across the surface, body barely steady against the overwhelming current.
The Great Waterfall still raged behind him, and now a second tide was crashing in.
He doesn't even care if one fails—he'll just unleash another. Relentless…
From the waves, Yuichi's silhouette burst forth.
Splash!!
A clone leapt from the water, striking directly at Kakashi.
Kakashi's eye narrowed. A water clone? He created it mid-technique, hidden within the torrent itself…
It wasn't just raw ninjutsu power.
Yuichi's timing and combinations were seamless, each jutsu flowing into the next without pause.
And the way he achieved it—by simplifying hand seals down to a single clap—was monstrous.
Even Kakashi, the Copy Ninja who prided himself on speed, could only stare in envy.
This boy… even without Wood Style, he wields power on another level.
And the duel had only just begun.