NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: The plot officially begins
Chapter
21: The Plot Officially Begins
The assessment of theoretical
knowledge ended as early as yesterday. It was mostly a formality. The highlight
was today's practical skills assessment, with the Three Basic Techniques (三忍術) being the
most important part. Generally speaking, as long as the candidates could
successfully master the Three Basic Techniques, they could graduate, because
this meant they had begun to possess the strength to become Genin.
To put it bluntly, such beings, even
if they were less capable, could still become qualified cannon fodder in times
of war. Even on the battlefield, facing terrifying enemies at the Kage level,
they could still consume a person's chakra or physical strength. The famous
Third Raikage, Ay, was dragged to death by Iwagakure's crowd tactics. Of
course, in that war, the Third Raikage also inflicted heavy casualties on the
Iwa Ninjas, numbering over four figures.
From this point of view, even Genin
at the lowest level still played a certain role. Theory was one thing, but
ninjas ultimately depended on their immediate combat capabilities.
Menma had always been at the top of
the class for six years. Whether it was yesterday's theoretical knowledge test
or today's practical skills test, he excelled, showing the best performance.
Unless something unexpected happened, Menma would still graduate successfully
at the top of his class, or even his grade. Iruka, who already treated Menma
like a brother, was naturally very satisfied.
"As expected of Menma-kun, who
has been number one in the class for six years. This time, it seems that he'll
be number one among the graduates. Right, Iruka-sensei?" A young man
standing beside Iruka said with a gentle smile. This young man, also a staff
member of the Ninja Academy and the person in charge of this graduation
assessment, was Mizuki—the first mini-BOSS character to appear in the original
work.
At the moment, Mizuki seemed like a
moderate teacher just like Iruka, but Menma knew of his dark side. Speaking of
Mizuki, Menma had successfully mastered the Clone Technique (分身の術, Bunshin no
Jutsu) years ago, but he regretted it soon after easily demonstrating it in
front of Iruka. He had subconsciously ignored an important plot point during
his graduation: the theft of the 'Scroll of forbidden jutsu ' (封印の書, Fūin no
Sho).
Menma realized he could have gained
extra benefits from the Scroll of forbidden jutsu . Unfortunately, he had
already mastered the Clone Technique and couldn't pretend otherwise. He could
only regret missing this plot. The Scroll of forbidden jutsu might not have been genuine, or even if it
was, he might not have seen all its contents. Menma didn't believe that
'Naruto' in the original work could easily steal the Scroll of forbidden jutsu without Sarutobi Hiruzen's acquiescence.
Everything was under their control, including Mizuki.
There might be minor accidents, but
there was no chance of a major mishap. Otherwise, it would insult Sarutobi
Hiruzen's intelligence. Therefore, the true value of that Scroll of forbidden
jutsu remained questionable. As for the
Shadow Clone Technique (影分身の術, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu), it was
still necessary for Menma. With his exaggerated chakra levels and the
Nine-Tails' chakra as a base, the Shadow Clone Technique was tailor-made for
him, perfect for multiplier training. There was no way he would miss learning
it.
But with Kakashi and even future
opportunities with Jiraiya, Menma didn't worry about acquiring the Shadow Clone
Technique.
"Haha, this also depends on the
assessment results of other students. Here, Menma, this is your forehead
protector. Remember to attend the graduation ceremony tomorrow. There are some
arrangements that need to be notified later," Iruka chuckled and shook his
head before handing Menma a forehead protector.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. Thank
you," Menma said, bowing slightly as he accepted the forehead protector.
He saluted Iruka and Mizuki before turning and leaving the classroom.
Although curious about what Mizuki,
determined to fall for Orochimaru, might do without him, Menma wouldn't waste
much thought on it. Mizuki was just a small fry. In the original book, Naruto
had needed multiple shadow clones to overpower Mizuki. Menma didn't need such
tactics; his pure personal strength was enough. Not to mention, he had the
power of the Nine-Tails.
Bluntly put, if Menma didn't care
about consequences, he might even confront Konoha's higher-ups. Naturally,
someone like Mizuki couldn't concern Menma.
What Menma didn't notice was the
faintly strange look Mizuki gave his back as he left.
Other candidates who came in one
after another also successfully passed the graduation examination. Almost no
one made obvious mistakes or failed. In recent years, almost no candidates
failed the graduation examination, and Menma's class was no exception. Except
for a few unlucky ones, the remaining candidates all passed successfully.
Although a true highlight was the
separate examination by leading Jonin and Chunin, failed ones would still be
sent back. The original work showed that some leading ninjas, including
Kakashi, had indeed sent graduated students back to the academy. Kakashi's
record was the most extreme; for several consecutive years, all teams he led
failed his tests. While his special identity allowed him such autonomy, this
practice wasn't an exception but a default rule.
Most students, unaware of this, were
ecstatic after receiving their forehead protectors. After the examination, they
went to dinner to celebrate. As the undisputed core of this year's graduates,
Naruto called on his classmates to celebrate together. Thanks to Naruto's
status, most accepted the invitation, but a few did not. Menma was one of them.
Naruto and the other classmates
didn't mind. After all, they had known each other for six years. Everyone knew
each other's personalities. Sasuke also refused the invitation. The young
master of the Uchiha family wasn't interested in such a petty party. His goal
was always unique and firm.