Chapter 43: Jonin Promotion Examination

Yuto walked through the streets, eating from a box of takoyaki.

It had been ten days since he returned to Konoha.

The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense.

Even in the streets of Konoha, one could see fully armed shinobi, many dressed in gray armor—gear usually seen only in large-scale wars, rarely during peacetime.

Three days ago, Konoha implemented a "lockdown policy," prohibiting all external shinobi from entering. Even within the village, masked ANBU operatives would periodically check the identities of suspicious individuals.

However, Yuto was never stopped. His pure white eyes served as a passport in Konoha; there had never been a living Hyuga traitor in the shinobi world.

At least, not yet.

After finishing his takoyaki, Yuto stretched and continued walking.

At this time of day, he would usually be sparring with Tsunade in the Senju clan grounds, but today his destination was different.

Konoha's Jonin Promotion Examination was to be held today.

Unlike the "public, large-scale" Chunin Exams, the Jonin promotion exams were rarely seen by ordinary shinobi. They were usually conducted in secret, with witnesses and examiners being significant figures in the village, including the Hokage.

Not just in Konoha, but in other shinobi villages as well, Jonin examinations were not public. The reasons were numerous, but the most important was to "protect the information about Jonins."

Jonin are the elite of a shinobi village, responsible for training new blood, leading teams in battle, commanding large-scale wars, and researching jutsu. From team leaders fresh out of the academy to advisors or even candidates for the position of Kage, the number and quality of Jonin are crucial indicators of a nation's strength.

After living in Konoha for thirteen years, Yuto was very familiar with the village. Following the map Tsunade had given him the previous night, he quickly found his way to the end of a certain street.

Activating a mechanism, a hidden door slowly appeared. Yuto entered and descended through a passageway, soon arriving in a small room with steel walls.

'Ah... such a cliché mechanism...' Yuto mentally complained as he entered.

Boom!

An iron gate fell behind him, and the steel walls flipped, revealing countless kunai and shuriken. The mechanism activated, launching them all at Yuto.

The young Hyuga tilted his head, and in the next moment, his body spun rapidly, creating a spherical chakra shield with no gaps.

Clang, clang, clang...

All the kunai and shuriken were deflected, none breaking through his defensive circle.

—Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!

This secret technique, passed down orally in the Hyuga main house for generations, was known as the "perfect defense." Branch family members had no chance to learn it. Years later, Neji Hyuga would also comprehend it through sheer talent.

Similarly, Yuto also mastered "Revolving Heaven" through his own talent.

Training in Chakra Enhanced Strength had deepened his understanding of "punches." After mastering the Yin Seal, his control over his body and chakra became terrifying. Plus, having read about Revolving Heaven in manga during his previous life, he already understood its basic principle. Mastering this secret technique was only a matter of course.

After the storm of projectiles, Yuto stopped "Revolving Heaven" and saw the floor littered with broken and deformed kunai, and the steel walls pockmarked from deflected projectiles.

The young Hyuga raised his foot, ready to search for an exit, when he noticed several papers stuck to the ground.

They were explosive tags!

"Ha... now this is a bit more interesting." Yuto chuckled. Without hesitation, he used the Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing by a wall. He twisted his waist, raised his elbow, and punched out in one smooth motion.

Boom!

A tremendous force blasted out, creating a large hole in the steel wall and the thick concrete behind it. Ignoring the exploding tags behind him, Yuto continued smashing through the hole.

Boom, boom, boom... Yuto began to understand why his teacher Tsunade liked to break rocks and trees with her fists. Watching everything shatter under his punches was quite stress-relieving.

This fierce "tunneling" didn't last long. Soon, Yuto felt the resistance ahead disappear, and he finally broke through the thick concrete wall into a spacious underground plaza.

There stood Kakashi Hatake, with his white hair and half-mask.

He seemed a bit surprised by Yuto's entrance, pointing at the large hole and asking in bewilderment, "Yuto, why did you destroy the examination site?"

"Examination site?" Yuto tidied his clothes, smoothing out every wrinkle. "I thought the test was to evaluate our sustained destructive capabilities."

"Of course not," Kakashi replied, somewhat annoyed. "That was just an appetizer, akin to a preliminary test, meant to assess our comprehensive skills as shinobi. It was actually a pretty clever design. After passing that trap room, we were supposed to find a scroll. Following the route marked on it, we would face several more challenges, testing our information-gathering skills, reaction under pressure, speed, endurance, and the variety of jutsu we know..."

"Oh," Yuto apologized with a smile. "Sorry, Kakashi. I passed it too easily... But I believe, as shinobi, we should have no restrictions when completing a mission."

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at Yuto's initial comment, but he widened his eyes in admiration at the latter half.

"As shinobi, we should have no restrictions... Yuto Hyuga, you can still come up with such profound words occasionally..."

Kakashi shrugged. "You're right. As shinobi, to complete our missions, we must be prepared to do anything."

Yuto, only a year older than Kakashi, was essentially a peer. Waiting around was boring, so the two chatted aimlessly to pass the time, keeping the atmosphere from becoming awkward.

Gradually, more people arrived. Unlike Yuto and Kakashi, these were men in their twenties to thirties, seasoned shinobi who had completed nearly a thousand missions.

Normally, the average age for Jonin promotion was around twenty-eight. Yuto and Kakashi being promoted at their age was already "astonishing." If not for the looming war and other factors, they would never have advanced so quickly.

After waiting a while longer, no one else appeared.

Click, click.

The sound of unhurried footsteps echoed as several prominent figures of Konoha arrived one by one.

Among them were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade Senju.

(End of Chapter)