Chapter 13: First exam begins
Having trained for three consecutive days, Ryo had elevated his level of physical combat. On the third day of the week, both he and Sae stopped training with each other as ordered by Kenji.
- Today, since there are still three days left until the exam, you two will practice with me. - Kenji announced.
Upon hearing this, a spark lit up in Ryo's eyes. "Training with an experienced Jounin, and furthermore, an Uchiha? I didn't expect this, but if he thinks it's necessary, it means I'm already on Sae's level, and we won't gain anything by training with each other for now." Both Sae and Ryo nodded in agreement with the instructor's decision.
- I want each of you to come at me one by one. Let's start with you, Ryo. Attack me, - Kenji commanded.
Without waiting for confirmation, Ryo immediately lunged forward, delivering a punch to Kenji's left side. However, Kenji effortlessly blocked it and followed up with a lateral kick, Ryo jump sideways to reduce the impact. Despite his efforts, Ryo felt as if a mountain had collided with his right side, even though he had crossed his arms to block and jumped away to lessen the blow. He was thrown back, hitting and bouncing off the wall before landing on the ground, coughing up a handful of blood and then coughing a few more times.
- Ryo, tell me, what do you think you could have done differently in this situation? - Kenji asked, walking over to help Ryo up as he seemed a bit dazed.
Still breathing heavily and in considerable pain, Ryo resisted the urge to curse Kenji, refraining from speaking out loud. -- I... There wasn't much I could do differently, at least not without using ninjutsu. So, I jumped in the opposite direction to minimize the impact while in contact with the ground, -- he replied.
Raising an eyebrow, Kenji noted that Ryo had a good analysis of the brief exchange they had. - That's correct. You understand well. The kick was meant to test your limits, reflexes, and judgment in a critical situation. Every ninja must possess this acute judgment; one mistake in judgment, and you could die, or worse, someone near you could die because of your error. - Kenji explained.
He then gave Ryo a pat on the shoulder before turning to Sae. - You're up next, miss. Get ready. Ryo will take a half-hour break, and then we'll continue the training with you. -
Exhausted and unable to stand any longer, Ryo collapsed to the ground, sitting down. He was in pain all over his body, but fortunately, nothing seemed to be out of place or broken. "Damn, kicking a kid like that should send you to jail. Who does that? If I weren't naturally more resilient than average, I think I would have broken at least one arm!" he thought to himself.
Despite that, he knew Kenji had done it to test him. Ryo wasn't yet capable of defeating a ninja like him, but if he could at least defend against a blow, he would have an opportunity to escape and hide, as direct combat wasn't ideal for him.
"Of course, with the Golden Coin, I could catch someone off guard, but only if they underestimate me. I could throw the coin at him, making it look like a desperate move, and then, as it passes by his face, I could make it strike with full force at his temple. I don't think anyone would survive that, except maybe someone on the level of a Hokage or with vast experience," Ryo mused.
Fortunately or unfortunately for Ryo, while he contemplated and watched Sae's training session, his rest period came to an end, and once again, he would fall into the clutches of this ungentle trainer.
The next three days were grueling for Ryo, but he managed to survive it all. Now, he was in the academy, seated as the first test lay before him. Ryo had some scratches on his arms and a slightly bruised cheek, but nothing serious.
Looking at the written test, he realized it was simple, much like the entrance exam. Iruka hadn't increased the difficulty level, and there wasn't any incentive to score 100% on this test either, unlike the previous exam. "I remember someone mentioning that there hadn't been any rewards for being at the top of the class for years because someone had asked Hiruzen for something outrageous expensive." Ryo recalled, not knowing the details and not caring much about it.
He decided to approach the test as he did the entrance exam, not aiming for a perfect score. He deliberately answered only 75% of the questions correctly and left the rest incorrect.
Moving on to the second test, Ryo knew he could top this one as well. However, the throwing shuriken exam was straightforward; they had to hit six shurikens on six different targets, either while moving or standing still. Moving scored more points for hits, while standing scored less. However, hitting all six targets while stationary accounted for 80% of the score, and Ryo chose to go for that option.
Clearly, there was a winner in this test already: Uchiha Sasuke. He managed to hit all six targets while running and even made two shurikens change direction mid-air, colliding with each other and hitting two of the more challenging targets, earning him extra points.
"He's quite the show-off, but it's all because he wants to be like Itachi still. I remember something similar in a filler episode where they trained together," Ryo thought to himself.
With the time already taken up by the first two tests, it was finally time for the one Ryo wanted to ace: the taijutsu test. Iruka explained once again that no ninjutsu was allowed in this test, only pure physical combat. He divided the class into two groups, with each half paired off for sparring matches.
Some students quickly gave up upon seeing who their opponents were. Among them was Shikamaru, who, upon realizing he would face Sae, he promptly decided to lie down in a corner, cursing his luck.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Ryo and Sae were in different groups, and if both won all their matches, the final fight would be between them. On Sae's side were Naruto and Sasuke, so if they both won their first match, they would face each other in the second round.
As the matches commenced, Iruka supervised, with two matches happening simultaneously. Ryo found himself against a boy named Tengi, who didn't stand out much but had a solid Konoha-style taijutsu that might make him a good Chunnin in the future.
The duel began, and Ryo didn't expect Tengi attack first. but Ryo reacting quickly, Ryo launched a spinning kick towards Tengi, who stop the atack and attempted to block it upon seeing it coming. Unfortunately, Ryo's strength had increased considerably in the meantime. When the kick connected, Tengi felt his arms strain, and he was thrown backward with a cry of pain.
Iruka swiftly declared Ryo the winner and rushed over to assist Tengi. Fortunately, there were some medical ninjas present who could verify that Tengi didn't have any fractures, just significant bruising and swelling from the impact.
"There's no way I could kick someone here with the force I was kicking Kenji-san. I don't want to really hurt my classmates," Ryo thought to himself.
Glancing to the side, he noticed that Naruto had also won against another boy. Unfortunately, Ryo couldn't recall the names of all those who weren't in the anime, at least not those with whom he didn't commonly interact.
With the first round quickly concluding, the second round began. Sae and Sasuke also emerged victorious on their side. Ryo won on his side, as did Kiba. The next round promised an exciting match between Naruto and Sasuke, with the winner facing Sae. On Ryo's side, it was him against Kiba. Unfortunately, most had given up without fighting, leaving only those confident in their physical abilities.
"Kiba, Kiba, is he going to fight with Akamaru? I don't think Akamaru can fight at this age," Ryo wondered. However, Kiba promptly placed Akamaru on the ground near a tree. The small puppy still looked as if it had been born recently, which relieved Ryo.
"No way am I going to hit a dog. Trying to kill someone eventually, yes, but a dog? No way. I had some in the other world, Possibly I would feel worse killing a dog than a human. So there's just no way."
Ryo thought to himself. Kiba glanced at Ryo with his usual confident expression, his smile resembling the one from the manga, ready to cut someone's throat, although perhaps not to that extent yet, considering Kiba was only six years old or something like that.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone