Looking at the dust cloud rising in front of him, Kizaru bent his knees, leapt into the air, and swept out another glowing kick.
A golden slash tore free and split the smoke in two, then continued straight into the patch of woods where the shuriken had come from.
Another explosion erupted.
More smoke billowed up at once, swallowing the trees and the grassland to Kizaru's right.
"Uncle... are you still hiding in there?"
Kizaru called out lazily after landing.
The answer came immediately.
Two Wind Release shuriken burst out of the smoke, cutting toward him from different angles.
Kizaru kept both hands in his pockets. He simply raised his glowing right leg and kicked again.
The golden slash shot out and intercepted both Wind Release shuriken head-on.
After that exchange, Kizaru glanced at the smoke-filled area in front of him, clearly finding it annoying. His hands moved through seals, and he unleashed another Wind Release technique.
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
A massive transparent sphere of wind, nearly as tall as a person, blasted out from Kizaru's mouth and roared forward. As it advanced, it tore apart the smoke and kept going without slowing.
Like a giant grinder, the compressed wind sphere crashed into the woods, ripping up roots, snapping trunks, and smashing through everything in its path.
Faced with such a wide-range attack, Danzō, who had been hiding in the trees, was forced to reveal himself.
His vision had only just begun to recover. He immediately leapt aside to evade the wind sphere, landing on a patch of churned-up dirt.
He looked thoroughly battered.
His breathing was heavy, his arms were injured, his eyes were still irritated, and his clothes had been torn into a miserable state.
From the sidelines, Hiruzen and the Sannin were all visibly shaken by Kizaru's performance.
"That brat... he didn't even use his full strength against me last time."
A bitter smile tugged at Jiraiya's face.
Until now, he had kept telling himself he only lost because he had underestimated Kizaru, restrained himself to hide his identity, and never used his signature ninjutsu properly.
But seeing this fight, he finally had to admit it.
Kizaru had held back against him too.
For a moment, Jiraiya felt genuinely moved.
This nephew-kun is really is terrifying.
Orochimaru and Tsunade, standing beside him, were no less amazed.
The sheer force behind those kicks.
The level of his Wind Release.
That strange and overwhelming Light Release bloodline, unlike anything seen before in the shinobi world.
Could someone using techniques like these really be only six years old?
That same thought surfaced again in everyone's mind.
This was absurd.
No—worse than absurd.
It was monstrous.
Unlike his three disciples, Hiruzen saw even more in Kizaru's display.
The child was not merely using a Bloodline Limit.
He was perfectly integrating Light Release into taijutsu, blending raw speed, killing power, and ninjutsu talent into one seamless fighting style.
This was talent worthy of being compared to the First Hokage.
As Hiruzen recalled the golden slash Kizaru had kicked out moments ago, he found himself marveling yet again.
If this child grew up properly... if he matured without losing his way... if he inherited the Will of Fire...
Then Konoha would have nothing to fear for the next fifty years.
At that thought, Hiruzen's heart filled with anticipation—for Kizaru, and for the village's future.
And along with that anticipation came pressure.
A prodigy like this, a once-in-a-century seedling, absolutely could not be allowed to grow crooked under his guidance.
Just as Hiruzen was lost in thought, Danzō finally spoke and ended the battle.
"That's enough."
Looking at Kizaru, who still stood there with both hands in his pockets and that same easy smile on his face, Danzō had to admit it inwardly.
The child's performance tonight had genuinely startled him.
What a surprise.
Keeping his face stern, Danzō walked back into the training ground and stopped in front of Kizaru.
He looked up at the boy's carefree smile.
Then, for once, the corners of Danzō's mouth lifted slightly.
A rare smile appeared on his face.
"Shimura Kizaru."
He deliberately emphasized Shimura, clearly for certain people standing off to the side.
"You performed very well tonight. You've passed my assessment."
"Then thank you very much, Uncle," Kizaru replied with a smile of his own.
Danzō raised a hand and lightly patted Kizaru on the shoulder.
"Your performance tonight truly surprised me."
It was rare enough for Danzō to praise anyone so openly that even Kizaru looked mildly surprised.
Then Kizaru's eyes shifted down to Danzō's injured arms, the blood on his clothes, and those reddened, tear-stung eyes.
He turned toward the sidelines.
"Tsunade-neesan~ could you please treat my uncle's injuries?"
Tsunade had no particular desire to help Danzō.
Still, this was the first request her new little junior brother had made of her.
After a brief pause, she finally said, "Have him come here."
"Thank you, Tsunade-neesan~," Kizaru said brightly.
Then he turned toward Danzō, who already looked reluctant.
Kizaru, naturally, paid no attention to that reluctance. He simply grabbed Danzō by his uninjured arm and started dragging him toward the sidelines.
"Let go!" Danzō barked at once, thoroughly embarrassed.
Kizaru ignored him completely.
Relying on his superior strength, he pulled Danzō all the way over before finally releasing him.
"Please," Kizaru said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it," Tsunade replied irritably as she stepped forward.
Her gaze fell on the bloodstained strips of cloth wrapped around Danzō's right arm.
Without hesitation, she reached out and tore the tattered wrappings away in one go.
The moment the cloth came off, the full extent of the injury was exposed.
"Tch."
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
"It's a bit worse than I thought."
Hiruzen stepped forward as well. Looking at the wounds on his old friend's arm, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
"That's a dangerous technique," he said with feeling.
Then, naturally, he added another line.
"Looks painful too, doesn't it, Danzō?"
"Shut up," Danzō snapped, glaring at him.
"I'm showing concern for you," Hiruzen defended himself with a smile.
"Both of you, be quiet."
Tsunade's voice cracked like a whip as she began the treatment.
The entire group went silent on the spot.
Even Hiruzen and Danzō immediately shut their mouths.
Once she was satisfied neither old man would start bickering again, Hiruzen shifted his attention away from Danzō's injury and turned toward Kizaru.
"I heard you want to challenge a jōnin of the Uchiha clan during the graduation exam."
"They were too noisy," Kizaru replied mildly. "It was irritating, so I figured I should shut them up."
Hiruzen nodded.
He did not question it any further.
"As Hokage, I approve your request," he said. "For your graduation exam, I'll arrange a shinobi from the Uchiha clan."
Now that Kizaru was officially his disciple, Hiruzen's perspective had naturally changed.
He had seen the child's talent and strength with his own eyes tonight.
And those Uchiha still had the nerve to question him.
What were they trying to do?
They really were a bunch of fools who had no sense of the bigger picture.
"Thank you very much, Sensei," Kizaru said, sounding quite satisfied.
"On the day of the graduation exam," Hiruzen continued, reaching out to pat Kizaru on the shoulder, "I'll announce to the entire village that I've taken you as my student."
Kizaru gave a small nod to show he understood.
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