Konoha's Hextech Ninja

Yagami Yoruichi untied the ninja tool pouch hanging at her waist and opened it, but her gaze was fixed on the training ground ahead.

Yagami Yoruichi visited this place last month during a 'survival drill'.

At that time, Nobuyuki Imai and several other teachers brought the students of Class 1-A here to teach them how to survive in the wild.

Unexpectedly, the practical assessment for this final exam will be conducted here.

"As long as you pass, at least you'll pass?"

Yagami Yoruichi was somewhat puzzled: "However, with genin blocking the way, the difficulty has already exceeded the graduation exam in the original work. Is the ninja academy system different in this period? Or was it specifically designed for our class?"

In the original work, the graduation exam for the Ninja Academy only required a random selection of one of the Three Body Techniques.

And now, the final exam for the first semester of first grade is a 'survival exercise' conducted directly in the training ground, with official ninjas interfering and obstructing it?

Saying it's as difficult as the 'Forest of Death' challenge in the Chunin Exams of the original work is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's still several times more difficult than the Three Body Techniques test.

Yoruichi Yagami hadn't met many people and hadn't specifically looked into this matter.

However, in just over a decade, not only has the ninja academy's examination system changed, but the difficulty level has also changed so much.

Yoruichi Yagami felt something was off.

But Yagami Yoruichi didn't have time to think too much. After having the proctor check her ninja tool bag and confirming that she wasn't carrying any prohibited items, she headed towards the entrance.

"Yoruichi-kun," Kurenai said with some concern, "this exam is so difficult! I'm a little scared."

"Don't worry, there are proctors watching, nothing will go wrong. You can always give up if necessary," Yagami Yoruichi comforted her.

Teams were not allowed in this exam, so Yagami Yoruichi couldn't help Yuhi Kurenai and could only advise her to give up if she couldn't hold on.

However, if a real danger arises, even if Kurenai herself is unwilling to give up, the proctors will not allow her to force herself to continue.

In terms of safety, there's not much to worry about with Yoruichi Yagami.

The third training ground, although also themed around 'wilderness survival,' is on a completely different level of danger compared to the 'Forest of Death,' the location of the Chunin Exams in the original work.

At least there aren't any gigantic beasts or highly venomous insects here; at most, there are just ordinary wild animals.

Anyone with chakra can easily deal with someone, even a ninja academy student who hasn't become a ninja yet, at least without risking their life.

"Anyone who hasn't reached the exit by tonight will be deemed unqualified!" Nobuyuki Imai announced. "The test begins now!"

At Imai Shinichi's command, all members of Class 1-A shot out like arrows and rushed into the training field.

Central part of the training ground.

Several ninjas received the signal and exchanged glances.

"We're going to pretend to be genin, this is really..." Minato Namikaze looked helpless, holding a kunai, and said, "Then let's have some fun with these kids."

"Hehehe, I'll teach these young juniors a lesson!" Kushina Uzumaki grinned mischievously, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked.

"Yagami Yoruichi is mine, the rest are yours." Kosuke Maruhoshi, carrying a black pot on his back, slowly walked into the jungle.

……

"Kurenai, let's part ways here." Yagami Yoruichi walked a short distance ahead and said to Yuhi Kurenai, who was following behind her, "You should stay behind me and follow the route I've taken; it'll be safer that way."

Although the rules prohibit team formation, this method allows Yoruichi Yagami to minimize some of the risks that Kurenai Yuhi will face.

"Don't underestimate me." Kurenai Yuhi put on a stern face, deliberately making an angry expression: "I'm very strong! Not only will I pass the exam, but I'll also get a top-three score!"

“Yes, yes, Red is certainly very strong.” Yagami Yoruichi smiled and agreed, then immediately said, “Well then, I’ll take my leave first. Be careful.”

Yagami Yoruichi naturally wouldn't take Kurenai's stubbornness seriously, but would try her best to reduce the risks for her in her own way.

As for the idea that you absolutely must get into the top three, just listen to it and forget about it.

Yoruichi Yagami is well aware of Kurenai Yuhi's strength. With some effort and a bit of luck, there's still hope that she can make it into the top five in this class.

But the top three will always be Yagami Yoruichi, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Tetsuka, without fail.

Others have absolutely no chance.

Chapter 26 Brute Force

Yoruichi Yagami moved swiftly through the jungle, her attention extremely focused, trying her best to keep track of all movements from all directions.

However, Yoruichi Yagami is not a detective or perception type.

Even with the most meticulous sense of sight and hearing, it's impossible to grasp the situation at a distance as precisely as a sensory ninja.

"This training ground isn't very large, but even if you throw dozens of people in, it's hard to cover the entire area. The chances of finding all one hundred scrolls are almost zero. Finding a few would probably get you a good result. But to secure first place, we need to collect as many as possible."

Yagami Yoruichi was deep in thought.

This practical assessment is not just a contest of combat capabilities.

More importantly, it tests a wide range of abilities, including the ability to gather information and intelligence in the wild, as well as the ability to survive in the wild.

"Um?!"

Suddenly, Yagami Yoru's gaze sharpened, and his chakra erupted beneath his feet, instantly unleashing a powerful suction force that abruptly halted his forward momentum, causing him to stand atop the canopy of a large tree.

Dozens of meters ahead, a steel wire gleamed with a barely perceptible reflection.

If you're not careful, you might miss it.

If you step into a trap, who knows what might be waiting for you.

"A trap? I wonder what kind of trap it is. It's just a test for first-year students, so it shouldn't be too outrageous."

"They wouldn't actually use explosive tags... would they?"

Yagami Yoruichi was somewhat uncertain, but she still intended to use this trap to assess the situation of this assessment in order to decide on her next strategy.

"There seems to be no one around, but I can't be 100% sure. In that case, I'll use a clone to test the waters. A normal clone technique has no physical form and won't trigger a trap. But if someone attacks me when I enter the trap, it means there's an enemy hiding there."

Yoruichi Yagami quickly determined her strategy, hiding in a blind spot concealed by a dense canopy of trees, and sent a clone to check the location of the trap.

"Oh, the little guy is very cautious."

Not far away, within the canopy of another large tree, Kosuke Maruhoshi took in this scene and revealed a satisfied smile.

Despite the fact that Yoruichi Yagami's response had significant flaws in his eyes.

But for a first-grade student, this is already quite remarkable.

"The traps I made are about the standard level of a Chunin. Any Chunin with strong trap-making skills can easily break them. Let me see what you can do without my interference."

Kosuke Maruboshi did not rush to show himself, but silently observed Yoruichi Yagami's actions.

The two were less than twenty meters apart.

However, Yagami Yoruichi was completely unaware of Maruboshi Kosuke's existence and was completely oblivious to it.

Even when Yagami Yoruichi was observing her surroundings, her gaze swept over the tree canopy where Maruboshi Kosuke was several times, but she still couldn't find him hiding there.

This is the difference between a ninja academy genius and an elite jonin.

Talent is just talent.

But to turn that into real strength requires more than just hard work and practice.

The huge gap in experience alone cannot be easily bridged by the simple word "talent".

……

"The trap wasn't triggered and I wasn't attacked, but that doesn't mean there aren't any enemies around. It's also possible that they saw through my clone."

Yagami Yoruichi made a mental judgment, but still cautiously stepped out from the tree canopy where he was hiding and began to try to break the trap.

"Steel wire, kunai, lasso, binding net... this trap is really complicated."

Yoruichi Yagami observed carefully for a long time before determining the structure of the trap.

To be precise, this is not a single trap, but rather a 'trap array' consisting of as many as a dozen smaller traps.

If any one of them is triggered, or if a mistake is made while breaking one of the smaller traps, the entire trap array will be activated.

At that time, even if you are strong, it will be difficult to escape.

You'll have to pay a price to get away with it.

“Under normal circumstances, I could simply ignore this trap.”

Yagami Yoruichi glanced at the scroll placed on a stone in the open space in the center of the trap.

That was one of the hundred scrolls that needed to be collected for this assessment.

Even if there were traps, Yagami Yoruichi could completely ignore them and use a kunai with wire attached to it to take the scroll from a distance.

However, considering that Kurenai Yuhi was following her route, Yoruichi Yagami decided to break free from the trap.

Taking the scroll myself and then avoiding the trap certainly saved me trouble.

But Kurenai Yuhi, who follows her own path, is in danger.

Yoruichi Yagami was unsure whether Kurenai Yuhi could handle a trap of this magnitude.

"As taught in the trap course, for this kind of chain trap, you should first determine the triggering method of each link and prioritize removing the parts that will not trigger other traps."

Yagami Yoruichi observed the trap array and smiled slightly: "However, an easier way is to just sweep it across."

With these thoughts in mind, Yagami Yoruichi immediately began forming hand seals.

Chen-Chou-Mao.

Water Release: Water Chaos Waves!

Large amounts of water formed around Yagami Yoruichi, sweeping out as high-pressure water jets that shot towards the trap area ahead.

The complex and ingenious series of traps were triggered in large numbers instantly by the impact of the water flow.

Countless kunai, shuriken, stones, and pieces of wood flew everywhere, their direction altered by the force of the water.

The few that didn't trigger were destroyed by the impact of the water flow and could no longer be triggered.

Consuming 100 points of her maximum chakra, equivalent to the chakra of two standard 'Water Chaos Waves', Yagami Yoruichi violently dismantled this ingenious and complex chain trap in an almost cheating manner.

The scroll, which was protected by the traps, was unaffected and was swept back by a stream of water controlled by Yagami Yoruichi, who then took it into her hands.

"That really is an unexpected way."

Seeing this, Maruboshi Kosuke's lips twitched involuntarily: "I wanted to see how good this kid's foundation was, but he actually chose this method. Such a huge amount of chakra, it's really unreasonable!"