In the afternoon, Shinji sent three Shadow Clones to the competition events. His main body, however, waited near the final training ground.
The first event, naturally, was still the Extreme Rally.
One of Shinji's Shadow Clones was rapidly traversing a towering giant tree, observing the speed and reactions of his disciples.
In the dense forest, Naruto was leading the charge.
Sasuke followed closely behind him. As soon as Naruto accelerated slightly, he would immediately catch up.
However, Shinji was more concerned with the actions of Shikamaru and the others.
After all, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino had actually coordinated, surpassing their usual speed to follow behind them.
Good, not only did they know how to cooperate, but they also managed to catch up to Naruto and the others with even greater speed than before.
Among these disciples, only Ino had not participated in such a rally.
Shinji's Shadow Clone nodded with satisfaction, then was dispelled.
The second event was not far ahead.
Naruto, who was the first to burst out of the dense forest, was stunned when he saw the river before him.
Shinji's Shadow Clone, standing on the opposite bank and in charge of the second stage, spoke, "The second stage is swift water walking."
"Everyone can start once they arrive. Naruto, you have a chance to rest now."
Naruto looked at his teacher's Shadow Clone on the opposite bank with a hint of suspicion, feeling that something was off because it was too simple.
Before Naruto could think further, he heard sounds from behind him and turned to look.
Shikamaru and the others, along with Sasuke, burst out of the dense forest at the same time, though all of them were panting heavily.
Naruto quickly went forward to ask Shikamaru, as Shikamaru was more likely to figure out such things.
Shikamaru asked, "Sensei, will there be any other interference?"
Shinji's Shadow Clone nodded approvingly, saying, "That's right. This river is only about ten meters wide, so I will set up a little interference."
"Now, begin!"
After Shinji's Shadow Clone finished speaking, he quickly formed hand signs and then slammed his hands onto the river surface.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
Due to Shinji's technique, the entire river surface began to churn, and as one layer of wave just started to ripple, higher waves immediately covered them.
Naruto stared blankly at the river surface before him. This level of interference was even more turbulent than being on the sea, though he had never actually seen the sea.
Shikamaru's lips twitched uncontrollably, he knew it.
"Everyone must move within one minute, or it will be considered a failure." Shinji's Shadow Clone said.
Maintaining this technique did not require too much Chakra. But this Shadow Clone could only last for a maximum of one minute.
"Alright."
Naruto slapped his fist into his palm and shouted, then immediately gathered Chakra at his feet.
Shikamaru, seeing this, quickly said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Naruto, don't be reckless."
"No, Shikamaru, Shinji-sensei is just testing the results of our training."
After Naruto finished speaking, he looked at Shinji on the opposite bank and then rushed forward.
Shikamaru was momentarily stunned by these words, then he understood.
Whether or not they could complete it within the time limit, ultimately, Shinji wanted to see their control over Chakra.
During these past few months of training, Shinji had always been strict about Chakra control training.
"Shikamaru, I'm going ahead too."
Ino also took the lead. As the one with the best Chakra control among them, she had no fear of such an assessment.
As soon as Naruto stepped onto the river, the already churning waves rushed towards him.
"Hahahaha, straight ahead!"
As if encountering something fun, Naruto burst Chakra from his feet and leaped up. With just a few jumps, he reached the opposite bank.
"Speed eighty points, stability seventy points, excellent." Shinji immediately made his judgment.
Naruto grinned when he heard this and quickly headed to the next stage.
Ino followed closely, and Shinji announced her score, "Speed fifty points, stability ninety points, excellent."
Although Ino took a bit longer to cross the river, her Chakra control stability was excellent.
Don't think that standing still allows one to observe the trajectory of the waves. The longer one stands on the river surface, the more waves will sweep over them.
"Hehe, sensei, I'm going ahead."
Ino chuckled lightly and then stepped forward to catch up with Naruto, who had already gone far.
"You still have forty seconds."
Shinji's Shadow Clone said to Shikamaru, Sasuke, and the other two on the opposite bank.
— — —
Next to the training ground, Shinji received the information fed back after the last Shadow Clone was dispelled, and then slowly opened his eyes.
"These little guys are all pretty good."
As soon as his words fell, several figures gradually approached from not far away.
Naruto and the others were all covered in dust and sweat, looking completely dirty.
The stage they had just experienced was an obstacle course. It involved traversing a field filled with moving wooden stakes, sand pits, and moving targets. This obstacle course required both taijutsu skills and ninja tool techniques.
When Naruto and the others arrived in front of Shinji, he extended his hands to clap, saying, "You all did very well, whether it was your stamina, Chakra control, taijutsu skills, or ninja tool usage, you all almost passed, and although there were slight flaws, I am still very happy."
"After all, your growth during this period was all demonstrated in today's competition."
Naruto and the others smiled at each other upon hearing this.
The training over these past few months, to earn praise from their teacher, felt worth it just thinking about it.
Ino rubbed her loose hair and said, "Sensei, why were some of the wooden dummies filled with water?"
Just now, Choji had used his clan's secret technique, Human Bullet Tank, to crush all the surrounding wooden dummies.
As a result, Shikamaru and Ino, who were standing not far away, were drenched by the water that exploded out.
"Ninja battles often involve many uncertainties. This is also to let you prepare well during a battle. What if the wooden dummies weren't filled with water, but with explosive tags?"
After Shinji finished speaking, he quietly watched the group.
Upon hearing his words, Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others, who had been looking rather smug, all quieted down.
Indeed, if the wooden dummies had been carrying explosive tags just now, they might not even have their lives anymore.
Shikamaru stroked his chin, realizing that he had been careless just now.
Seeing Choji resolve it directly, he hadn't thought much about it.
"I understand, sensei." Shikamaru responded with a serious expression.
Shinji nodded at this.
Although it was a competition, he also wanted his disciples to understand more.
While it was gratifying to see results from training, they needed to be able to apply what they learned flexibly. Moreover, they needed to have a clear understanding of ninja combat.
After all, 'anything goes' could be said to be synonymous with ninja combat.
Otherwise, a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives, because even Nawaki could die from explosive tags, so who was more noble than whom?