Chapter 44: Ninjutsu Talent
"Excellent, thank you to contestant number one for the Clone Jutsu performance. His score is eight points."
"Next, we invite contestant number two to the stage."
"Muyue-sensei, why are we watching this kind of competition? It feels like a waste of time. There are rarely even official ninja in these competitions, right?"
Asuma saw the contestant's clumsy Clone Jutsu on stage as soon as he arrived and asked, puzzled.
Muyue chuckled and said, "Asuma, have you forgotten your last battle with Shisui? Never underestimate anyone."
Asuma was immediately speechless. If Muyue hadn't comforted him in time after that battle with Uchiha Shisui, he might have become reclusive.
"It's beneficial to understand the strength of your peers in the village," Muyue casually bluffed.
Mainly, he was worried about Obito messing up, so being there to watch would make him feel more at ease.
Asuma looked around and felt like he saw some familiar faces.
"Kakashi is here too? He's not going to compete, is he? That would really be bullying." Asuma quickly spotted Kakashi and his group.
He and Kakashi were friends, and he knew how abnormal that guy was—graduating at five and becoming a Chunin at six, his talent was terrifying.
While others were still learning hand seals and practicing the Three Basic Jutsu, Kakashi had already begun various ninjutsu training and nature transformation.
Not only Kakashi, but Asuma also saw Uchiha Shisui, who had defeated him before.
Asuma was quite looking forward to Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi facing off. Let those two freaks play among themselves.
"Please welcome contestant number two, Kotetsu Hagane!" The host enthusiastically called out the second contestant's name.
Kotetsu immediately walked onto the stage after hearing his name.
"Kotetsu, go for it!" Izumo Kamizuki cheered on his good brother.
He felt his own training wasn't good enough, so he didn't participate.
Anko Mitarashi was interested in participating, but she had something to do today and couldn't make it.
"Contestant Kotetsu, may I ask which ninjutsu you wish to perform?" The host asked with a bow and a smile.
"I'm going to perform the Deception Jutsu that my friend and I developed together!" Kotetsu said proudly.
Below the stage, Izumo Kamizuki showed a smile of shared honor; he also had a part in developing this ninjutsu.
"One really can't underestimate the new generation. Don't look at how young our contestant Kotetsu is; he's already started developing new ninjutsu!" The host couldn't help but praise.
"May I presumptuously ask, contestant Kotetsu, which year are you in at the Ninja Academy?" the host asked.
Kotetsu honestly replied, "First year."
"Incredible." The host was very surprised. First-year students haven't even been studying for more than two months, and being able to use the Three Basic Jutsu is already considered good progress.
The audience below also felt it was unbelievable, especially other second and third-year students, who felt they had wasted their time studying.
And Muyue had already vaguely guessed what ninjutsu Kotetsu would perform; he just didn't know how complete it was.
The host stepped back a distance and said, "Next, please enjoy contestant Kotetsu Hagane's Deception Jutsu!"
Kotetsu quickly formed hand seals and channeled his chakra. With a puff, white smoke flashed, and a chair taller than Kotetsu appeared on the stage.
Silence—
The venue fell into dead silence.
Everyone looked at the chair next to Kotetsu, which was taller than him, with question marks on their faces, wondering what the heck it was. The host originally thought that after five years of hosting competitions, he wouldn't be flustered by any ninjutsu, but today he was defeated. He stood愣for a while, not immediately going on stage.
"Ahem, Contestant Kotetsu, your... this ninjutsu of yours..." The host didn't know what to ask for a moment.
"Isn't Clone Jutsu meant to deceive enemies? My ninjutsu mainly combines Clone Jutsu with Transformation Jutsu to achieve a better deceptive effect," Kotetsu explained the original intention of developing the ninjutsu.
"Then why is it a chair?" the host couldn't help but ask. He didn't know if enemies would be deceived, but teammates would definitely have questions in their minds.
"Because chairs are easy to transform into. I can't transform into other things yet," Kotetsu said honestly.
"Hahaha..." The audience burst into laughter. They thought a genius youth had arrived, but it turned out to be a simpleton.
"This kid is really a talent."
Asuma's mouth twitched. Just now, he was silently underestimating how many geniuses there were now, developing ninjutsu in their first year—the reincarnation of the Second Hokage, right? But in the blink of an eye, it was reversed.
"Muyue-sensei, are all the ninja academy students like this now?" Asuma couldn't help but complain.
Muyue was also a bit speechless. He told him to start by mastering the chair, so why did it turn into only being able to transform into a chair?
"Actually, in terms of mastery, a first-year student having this level of Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu is quite good." After all, he was a student in his class, Muyue objectively commented.
Hearing Muyue's words, Asuma realized that Kotetsu was just a first-year student, not a ninja, and having this level was already considered excellent.
"Muyue-sensei, you're really amazing; you weren't deceived by appearances." Looking at the laughing crowd around him, Asuma suddenly felt a sense of superiority.
Izumo Kamizuki became quiet after everyone started laughing, secretly glad that he hadn't participated. With so many schoolmates, it would definitely spread throughout the entire school, and his student life would probably be over then.
"Let's see the judges' scores. A total of twelve points. Actually, the original intention of this ninjutsu is good; if it can be further improved, it should get a high score," the host said.
"I will continue to work hard, together with my good brothers Izumo Kamizuki and Anko Mitarashi, to perfect this ninjutsu that we co-developed," Kotetsu said with a smile, specifically mentioning their full names.
"So the other two are called Izumo Kamizuki and Anko Mitarashi. I wonder if they're here."
Hearing the whispers of the people nearby, Izumo Kamizuki's face turned pale. With his reputation spread, how would he find a girlfriend?
"Next, we invite contestant number three, Uchiha Tekka, to the stage to perform."
"Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Uchiha Tekka was a man of few words but fierce action. He immediately used his best Great Fireball Jutsu, quickly formed hand seals, and spewed out a fireball the height of a person.
"As expected of a young Uchiha! He's already mastered a powerful ninjutsu like the Great Fireball even before graduating!" The host exclaimed.
"It's impressive for a Genin to master this kind of ninjutsu," a judge said, giving a high score directly.
Other judges also nodded and gave high scores.
"Twenty-six points! Contestant Uchiha Tekka has scored a high twenty-six points, temporarily taking first place!" The host shouted.
With his five years of hosting experience, as long as no overly abnormal contestants appeared, twenty-six points was a sure win for first place.
Uchiha Tekka walked off the stage with a calm expression. If it weren't for the eight thousand Ryo, he wouldn't have been interested in participating in this competition.
"Shisui, what do you think of my Great Fireball just now?" Uchiha Tekka asked.
"I can tell you've been diligently training, Tekka-bro," Shisui commented. Actually, he was planning to meet up with Obito, but he ran into Uchiha Tekka and other clan members on the way, so he joined them.
Although Uchiha Tekka's Great Fireball was decent, Shisui didn't think he could get first place, because he had seen Obito's Great Fireball.
"Next, we invite contestant number four, Uchiha Obito, to the stage to perform."