Chapter 6: Test

Uchiha Natsu swung the door open, casting a glance at the group of boys and girls in the classroom, only a few years younger than him. He spoke calmly, "Uzuki Yugao."

"Yes," Uzuki Yugao promptly replied, getting up from her seat.

"Follow me," Uchiha Natsu said casually, then turned and left the classroom.

Inside the room, the girls wore dull expressions, and some boys started discussing, "Isn't that Natsu Uchiha, a ninja from the Uchiha clan?"

"What? Natsu Uchiha?" Several others chimed in, "Isn't he considered the weakest ninja in the Uchiha clan? I heard he's a medical ninja in the corpse disposal class. How did he end up as a Jonin instructor?"

"He's just a Chunin, guiding the new graduates. My mother mentioned he got a special promotion three years ago after some mysterious mission and hasn't undergone an assessment."

"Poor Yugao, getting stuck with him."

Listening to the students' discussions, Uzuki Yugao couldn't help but be surprised. She knew of Uchiha Natsu, and the rumors about him being the weakest in the clan were disheartening.

Assigned alone and to a seemingly incompetent Chunin, Uzuki Yugao felt her luck had taken a turn for the worse. Sighing softly, she rose quietly and left the classroom.

Uchiha Natsu, leaning against the school gate, saw Uzuki Yugao following and said, "Come with me."

On the way, Uzuki Yugao hesitated before gathering the courage to ask, "Teacher, where are we going?"

"Outside the village," Uchiha Natsu replied casually, contemplating whether Uzuki Yugao could be of assistance.

If she proved to be a burden, he would have to discard her quickly. He was already struggling to protect himself, and involving others could hinder the recovery of corpses.

However, if she showed potential, having an assistant could expedite the task of collecting corpses.

"Okay," Uzuki Yugao responded, taking a few quick steps to walk alongside Uchiha Natsu.

She glanced at him and then lowered her head, disappointment evident in her eyes.

Though Uchiha Natsu noticed, he remained expressionless. He had overheard the classroom discussions and couldn't claim indifference.

Passing through the Uchiha clan's territory, Natsu Uchiha led Uzuki Yugao to the area where he had previously trained with Big Grey.

In the open space, the massive pit created by Big Grey had been smoothed out, leaving traces of mud turning.

Observing this, Uchiha Natsu felt a sense of relief.

He stopped, turned around, and said, "Alright, let me introduce myself. I am Uchiha Natsu. You've likely heard of my name, and it's not accompanied by the best rumors."

"However, what you hear may not be what you see, and what you see may not necessarily be true. You must judge for yourself. Since you're part of my team, I must understand your full strength."

Saying this, Uchiha Natsu raised his right hand and formed an opposition seal, declaring, "Use all your abilities to attack me. If I deem you unqualified, I have the right to send you back to the ninja school for further training."

Earlier at the school gate, Uchiha Natsu had employed the shadow cloning technique, creating a shadow clone with 30% of his chakra.

This precautionary measure stemmed from the potential danger of dealing with a recent graduate. Even with a high likelihood of average talent, Uchiha Natsu believed the shadow clone would suffice.

Upon hearing these words, a surge of anger inexplicably welled up in Uzuki Yugao. The reputation of being the "tail" of the crane irritated her.

Despite her top performance in class, she felt disheartened by the suggestion of repeating the ninja school. Focusing, she formed the opposition seal and swiftly pulled a kunai from her ninja bag.

Simultaneously, Uchiha Natsu's main body, hidden nearby, activated Sharingan to scrutinize the flow of chakra in Uzuki Yugao's body.

"I apologize," Uzuki Yugao said, a determined expression on her face, as she mobilized the chakra in her body and lunged forward.

Kunai drew an arc, targeting the arm of the shadow clone due to the height difference.

Uchiha Natsu's figure flickered, effortlessly evading the kunai. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

Anticipating potential danger, Uzuki Yugao swiftly formed seals and executed the substitution technique.

Her main body vanished, replaced by a piece of wood about to fall.

"Ha!" The piercing sound of air being sliced rang out as Uchiha Natsu, holding a kunai, pierced the wood before it could fall.

The speed was astonishing, seemingly instantaneous, and impossible to follow with the naked eye.

"The proficiency in Taijutsu is commendable, and the reaction time is impressive," Uchiha Natsu murmured, standing upright and scrutinizing the location where Uzuki Yugao had concealed herself.

Watching from a distance, Uzuki Yugao broke into a cold sweat. Although aware that Uchiha Natsu would have stopped in advance had she not dodged, the speed was still unnerving.

Easy detection of her clone, astonishing attack speed, and lethal considerations—Uzuki Yugao now regarded Uchiha Natsu as a genuine Chunin, surpassing the rumored incompetence.

Realizing she had been discovered, Uzuki Yugao contemplated her next move. Raising her hand, she drew the samurai sword from behind her.

While kunai and shuriken were standard tools for ninjas, her expertise lay in swordsmanship.