Chapter 46: Demonic Illusion Technique
In the next phase of testing, several Academy instructors led the students to a specialized section of the training grounds.
Upon arriving, the students noticed a long white line drawn on the ground, with various obstacles placed strategically ahead of it. Kaito thought to himself:
"Is this an obstacle course?"
But he quickly dismissed the idea:
"Impossible, that would be far too simple for a graduation exam."
All 64 remaining students lined up behind the white line. Then Genshu appeared and announced:
"This is the next stage of your examination. It's an obstacle course where you must traverse 500 meters in a straight line to reach the white marker at the far end."
This announcement excited all the students. They thought optimistically:
"Finally, an easy test!"
Those who had observed previous graduation exams wondered why this test hadn't been included last year.
Such a seemingly simple assessment, yet Kaito felt completely suspicious.
However, he noticed another person standing behind Genshu. When Genshu finished his announcement, he glanced at this figure and nodded subtly.
Nara Takamasa chuckled quietly as he observed the excited children, thinking:
"This test should prove quite interesting."
Unfortunately, the students didn't realize that the person standing there was an experienced jonin from the Kurama Clan—Kurama Hikari.
During previous wars, hundreds of enemy shinobi had fallen victim to his genjutsu techniques.
Genshu then announced clearly:
"On your marks... get ready... go!"
As he shouted "go," Kurama Hikari was rapidly forming hand seals. The instant he heard the signal, he unleashed his technique—Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
As his jutsu took effect, all 64 students were suddenly overwhelmed!
It felt as if someone had grabbed the entire world and flipped it upside down! Gravity seemed completely inverted! Most students panicked, desperately clinging to the ground beneath their feet.
There were only 4 exceptions among the group. A third-year girl from the Uchiha Clan activated her Sharingan the instant she sensed the disorientation.
Two fifth-year students from the Kurama Clan, both immediately recognizing this signature technique from their clan's repertoire.
The fourth exception was Kaito, who had been carefully observing Kurama Hikari and noticed him forming the hand seals.
He sensed someone attempting to manipulate his nervous system, which immediately identified it as genjutsu.
He had considered disrupting the illusion immediately, but seeing the others affected, he decided not to, avoiding drawing unnecessary attention to his capabilities.
Although Kaito recognized the genjutsu, he was genuinely impressed by Hikari's ability to cast an illusion on sixty-four students simultaneously!
Kurama Hikari observed all the students' reactions with a triumphant smile. He had employed a B-rank genjutsu on them.
During the Third Shinobi World War, he had used this technique multiple times to disorient enemy formations and enable his allies to eliminate them efficiently.
Nara Takamasa watched the students carefully, thinking:
"This test evaluates the students' mental fortitude and willpower. If they cannot complete the course despite the disorientation, there's no justification for allowing them to pass."
While all the students struggled with the disorientation, Kaito was attempting to find his balance within the illusion.
He quickly analyzed the purpose of this examination. He developed three possibilities:
"Either it's testing our ability to recognize and dispel genjutsu, or it's measuring our willpower and determination, or perhaps our adaptability in unexpected combat situations."
"Regardless, this is merely genjutsu. I should look downward and keep moving forward. If others manage to break the illusion, I'll dispel it then too."
With that strategy decided, he took his first careful step.
Besides him, only the two Kurama Clan students were moving initially.
Soon, several other determined students also took their first hesitant steps.
The Uchiha girl resisted the genjutsu's effects and broke through it completely after fifteen seconds. Then she easily sprinted through the entire obstacle course.
Kaito sensed someone moving at an extremely fast pace and observed the girl. He thought with surprise:
"Sharingan? At such a young age?"
He continued completing his course methodically. After taking the initial cautious steps, he transitioned to jogging along the track.
The other students moved considerably slower, but they quickly adapted to the situation and increased their pace.
Kaito finished fourth overall in this test.
Only 41 students successfully passed this examination in total. Of the remaining twenty-three, some had lost consciousness, and others hadn't dared to take even a single step forward!
Nara Takamasa dismissed the failures, instructing them to leave the testing grounds.
Immediately after this test concluded, the ninjutsu examination began. Nara Takamasa's reasoning was:
"These students have just been affected by intensive genjutsu, so they won't be able to perform their techniques at full capacity. That's entirely appropriate, because in actual combat, they won't receive ideal conditions for executing jutsu either."
Six Academy instructors were each assigned to observe individual students.
To maximize the psychological impact of the previous test, Nara Takamasa made this arrangement: those who had finished the obstacle course last would take the ninjutsu exam first.
The requirements for passing the ninjutsu examination were fairly lenient. Students simply needed to perform the 3 basic Academy jutsu plus any one additional technique.
Although the students struggled somewhat initially due to lingering disorientation, they had no serious difficulty meeting the minimum requirements.
But to Kaito's surprise, sixteen students performed Fire Release: Ember, and another seven students demonstrated Fire Release: Sparking Finger.
Kaito thought analytically:
"As expected from the Land of Fire's shinobi academy. It's highly likely they all possess Fire Release affinity. Observing everyone's proficiency, I suspect most of Konoha's Fire Release jonin can utilize the advanced forms of this technique series. Considering this widespread training, I think other villages must have their own elemental specialization strategies. But since they're still teaching this series to Academy students, it must remain tactically valuable."
Besides these techniques, most students performed jutsu their families specialized in.
When Kaito's turn arrived, he executed the three basic Academy techniques flawlessly. Then he performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, creating eight identical clones.
Next, he demonstrated Air Bullets, and finally, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
Of course, he only used approximately a quarter of his actual power, deliberately formed all hand seals, and performed the techniques slightly slower than his maximum speed.
Although not exceptionally outstanding, his performance was noticeably stronger than most of his classmates.
What surprised Kaito most was the young Uchiha girl's performance. She announced confidently that she would demonstrate: Fire Release: Triple Ember.
When she made this announcement, Kaito became very interested because he didn't know what this advancement of the technique could accomplish or how much more powerful it was.
As soon as she finished speaking, two Academy instructors stepped forward, each holding a metal wire taut between both hands.
Kaito felt slightly confused—wasn't this the same setup as Fire Release: Sparking Finger? Except instead of one instructor, two were participating.
After completing the hand seals, she raised both arms, extending her index and middle fingers on each hand.
Concentrated heat rays were released from the fingers of both hands simultaneously, and within several seconds, they cut cleanly through both metal wires.
Kaito thought critically:
"That's it? It's essentially identical to the Sparking Finger technique. The only difference is she can release heat rays from both hands simultaneously. The power of this jutsu hasn't fundamentally increased—only the quantity of projectiles. It's still remarkably weak for a C-rank technique. Strange! Will this series suddenly become dramatically more powerful in the later stages?"
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