Three days later, at noon.
Konoha's Third Training Field lay under the blazing sun. The flat ochre ground radiated heat, air warped with shimmering mirages, cicadas' cries strained the fevered atmosphere.
Shuji arrived punctually, clad in standard dark-green shinobi attire, forehead protector straight. In the empty field's center stood two figures.
Both wore Root's dark-gray, high-collar uniforms and expressionless animal masks that erased identity and emotion. One was taller, his stance lazily poised, silver hair escaping the mask edges and shining in sunlight. The other was slight and younger than Shuji by a year or two, standing rigid as a spear, silent as the backdrop.
"Evaluation for Special Jōnin promotion: candidate, Shuji." The tall Root operator's masked voice issued flatly, though a subtle drawl lent it familiarity. "We will assess you. Criteria: display your ninjutsu skills. Metrics: power, control, efficiency, adaptability."
His gaze pierced Shuji through the mask's eye holes. "Begin when ready."
No further preamble. Root's style was concise.
At once, the silver-haired operator flickered—an imperceptible blur!
Shuji's pupils snapped tight as he moved sideways.
"Sizz—!"
A blinding blue arc shredded the air where Shuji had stood, leaving scorched rock and the stench of ozone. There the masked shinobi appeared, lightning coiling his right hand—Lightning Release: Chidori! Though restrained in power, its speed and murderous intent radiated elite pressure.
"Reaction: combat-worthy." His flat voice declared as he continued his assault. With his left hand, he swiftly formed seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive, scorching orb roared forth, boxing in Shuji's escape route.
Shuji's eyes sharpened as he formed his own seals in a flurry.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" A solid wall of water shot up precisely, intercepting the fireball.
"Shhh—!" Steam erupted as the collision boiled into dense white mist, obscuring much of the battlefield.
Using the mist as cover, Shuji slipped back and reshaped his seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" A fierce gust burst from him, blasting the fog aside and shrieking toward the silver-haired shinobi to disrupt his rhythm.
The masked operator flickered through the wind like a phantom, moving as if he anticipated the gust's currents.
He formed seals again. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" A sturdy earthen barrier shot up, bracing against the wind's charge.
Yet as the wall rose, razor-sharp wind blades whistled from the flanks!
"Tsk." A soft click of tongue behind the mask. The silver-haired shinobi twisted impossibly to evade, the corner of his cloak sliced silently.
"Wind control: excellent." He nodded.
At that moment, the shorter Root observer moved for the first time. He pressed his hands together, chakra surging—
"Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique!"
Sturdy, sinewy vines burst from beneath Shuji's feet like awakened serpents, lashing at his ankles with lightning speed!
Shuji's heart jolted as he recognized a Wood Release user—Daichi?
"Earth Release: Rock Collapse!" Centered on Shuji's feet, the ground shattered and sank, forming a shallow pit.
The emerging vines were crushed or halted by the broken earth, their advance momentarily stalled.
Seizing the moment, Shuji leapt skyward, hands already sealed mid-air.
"Lightning Release: Ground Pierce!" Crackling arcs webbed along the fractured ground, surging toward the shorter shinobi who had just acted.
Unfazed, the masked shinobi stood firm and again pressed his hands together. "Wood Release: Wood Pillar Wall!" A row of curved, sturdy wooden columns sprang up, encasing him seamlessly. The lightning struck, sizzling black scorch marks across the dark wood but leaving it unshaken.
From the flank, the silver-haired shinobi closed in silently, kunai crackling with deadly lightning like venomous fangs.
The kunai's shriek sliced in toward Shuji's ribcage. Suspended midair with nowhere to brace, Shuji remained calm, swiftly sealing two more hand signs—Serpent-Tiger.
"Wind Release: Gale!"
A powerful blast of air propelled Shuji to one side.
He landed lightly, breath quickening, sweat beading at his temple. The silver-haired shinobi also touched down.
"Ninjutsu application… timing, power, control: excellent. Chakra reserves… abundant." He offered a cool appraisal. Shuji's performance proved his unassailable fitness for Special Jōnin rank.
Yet the evaluation was not complete.
The silent smaller operator stepped forward, mask eyes fixed on Shuji, hands joined again.
"Wood Release: Forest Emergence!"
Rumble!
The earth convulsed as countless massive, gnarled roots erupted like ancient serpents, growing and spreading madly across the field. In moments, the open ground became a burgeoning micro-forest, its vibrant branches swaying in sunlight yet exuding a crushing, confining force as they closed in on Shuji from all directions!
The silver-haired shinobi retreated a few steps, mask gaze locked on the new threat.
Facing this, Shuji inhaled deeply and spawned a shadow clone. At once, his chakra refined and flowed faster than ever, while his real body sealed signs in a blur!
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" A mid-sized but razor-focused scarlet dragon roared forth, exhaling scorching flames that incinerated the wood.
Simultaneously, the clone formed seals, generating a fierce gust from itself.
Wind feeding the fire!
Boom—!!!
Infused by the gale, the scarlet dragon ballooned in size, its heat peaking as its hue shifted from red to blinding white-hot.
A raging, fiery wind dragon screeched, tearing into the forest's slower regrowth on the right flank, cleaving a path of destruction!
Ka-rak—!!!
The thunderous roar shattered the field's chaos into echoing silence.
Where the white-hot dragon passed, the once-tenacious wood snapped and burst into flame, reducing branches to flying ash and embers! A charred corridor, smoking and smoldering, sliced through the living yet lethal woodland!
Shuji shot through the corridor's trailing inferno, landing firmly on the scorched earth left behind.
He panted lightly; his shinobi garb bore charred curls at many seams, soot dusted his face, but his steady eyes locked on the two masked evaluators ahead.
The training ground lay in ruin.
The forest's ring had been torn open by sheer force into a massive, still-burning fissure. Splintered, burning limbs crackled; the smell of scorched wood clung to the blistering air. As flames died, twisted smoke and blackened charcoal littered the ground.
The silver-haired shinobi regarded the rift and Shuji standing defiant at its end.
"Ninjutsu coordination… timing, power, control: outstanding." He sheathed his lightning-etched kunai and spoke through the mask's void, "Evaluation complete. Special Jōnin qualification: confirmed."
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild