Haruto Saito's Lightning Release: Pseudo-Dark ability came from absorbing skill cards. Though his hand-seal speed was fixed, it was extremely fast, and the power of his lightning was far greater than that of an average Pseudo-Dark user.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised by this. However, such an attack still couldn't harm him.
Without even forming a visible seal, he simply raised his hand to his mouth and exhaled a flame like an arrow. Though the fire's power wasn't immense, it directly collided with the Pseudo-Dark attack, dispersing it upon impact. Due to the nature of its properties, the Pseudo-Dark technique was ignited and exploded instantly. Sarutobi used this opportunity to retreat swiftly with the lightning flash, dodging the attack completely with another flicker.
Pseudo-Dark's direct attack speed was the fastest, but once it was detonated, the reaction speed would slow down considerably. That was the purpose behind Sarutobi's fire technique—buying himself just enough time to evade more easily.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Five kunai shot toward Sarutobi, cutting through the air with sharp whistles. Right after throwing them, Haruto Saito dashed forward aggressively!
Sarutobi continuously flickered, dodging every kunai. As Haruto closed in, he swung his blade again!
Several slashes cut through empty air. Haruto seized the moment, sheathed his sword, and formed hand seals again.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Boom!
A massive flame bullet blasted toward Sarutobi. At this moment, he was very close to Haruto. Although the fire bullet didn't strike him directly, its explosion created a sea of flames that spread across dozens of meters.
Surprisingly, Sarutobi didn't retreat but advanced instead, brushing past Haruto and landing behind him, completely avoiding the impact of the flames.
Haruto quickly turned, flinging several kunai that glowed like twinkling stars…
On a nearby tree, Shinjo observed the battle with an odd expression. He had already grasped the situation after hearing the keyword "assessment," but something still felt off.
The power gap between Haruto and Sarutobi was simply too vast. Whether Haruto was slightly stronger or weaker, the result remained the same—he couldn't even touch Sarutobi. So what was the point of this assessment? There was no way Haruto could win. What was the evaluation criteria?
Yet Haruto had boasted that he was afraid of injuring Sarutobi.
Shinjo didn't know whether to chuckle quietly or laugh out loud.
What an overestimation of himself!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures suddenly appeared near the trees—it was Mito Uzumaki, along with Tsunade and Kushina Uzumaki. The three had come to check the commotion.
Tsunade was shocked to see Haruto battling Sarutobi. "What's going on?"
"Shinjo." She looked up at him. "What's happening?"
Shinjo leaped down from the tree and shook his head. "All I know is that it's an assessment. I'm not sure about the details."
On the grassland by the lake, Haruto continued his relentless assault on Sarutobi, combining close combat with ranged attacks. Although it seemed like he mainly relied on his sword, in reality, his close-range strikes were merely setups for his ninjutsu attacks.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Haruto blew forth a fierce gust of wind.
"Earth Release: Rock Wall!" Sarutobi instantly formed seals, and a stone wall shot up from the ground, blocking the wind attack. He finally resorted to using ninjutsu for defense—something inevitable, as many jutsu had large areas of effect and couldn't be evaded through dodging alone.
In truth, if Sarutobi counterattacked, Haruto wouldn't even have the chance to use his ninjutsu.
However, given his strength, if he retaliated, it would be pure bullying, making the assessment meaningless.
Sarutobi's goal was to gauge Haruto's full capabilities, not to defeat him outright.
At the forest's edge, Mito Uzumaki observed for a while before commenting calmly, "This young one is quite good. At his age, mastering so many ninjutsu and using them proficiently is rare. His combat skills need refining, but he is quite exceptional."
"Grandmother, is Master… suppressing his strength?" Tsunade asked hesitantly.
Mito nodded. "Yes. He's only defending, using barely ten percent of his strength. He has even slowed down his reactions—otherwise, this young one wouldn't stand a chance."
Just then, White Fang appeared beside them like the wind, greeting Mito respectfully before glancing at the battle.
"Hey, brother, what's going on?" Tsunade nudged White Fang.
Glancing around and seeing no outsiders, White Fang replied, "The Hokage wants Haruto to join the Anbu, but Haruto wants to go directly into the Assassination Unit."
"The Assassination Unit?" Tsunade was stunned before exclaiming, "That brat has a death wish! What's so great about the Assassination Unit…?"
She understood exactly what it meant to be an assassin. The unit had an extremely high mortality rate and was known as the 'Death Squad.' It was a division where one step could lead to glory, but another could mean instant death. If one built merits in the Assassination Unit, they would be rapidly promoted, but the likelihood of dying on a mission was also immense.
"He's only twelve and already wants to join the Assassination Unit?" Mito Uzumaki frowned. "If that's the case, based on his current performance, he's not qualified."
Mito had keen judgment—if she said Haruto wasn't ready, then he wasn't.
However, she was unaware that Haruto was holding back. He couldn't use his Kekkei Genkai or certain powerful A-rank jutsu due to their high chakra consumption. Using them here would expose his ability to replenish chakra, making Sarutobi suspicious.
In other words, Haruto couldn't use his trump cards in this battle.
"Hmph, it's better if he can't join. He's too young to throw his life away." Tsunade's words were sharp, but she was genuinely concerned for Haruto.
White Fang glanced at Tsunade with a meaningful expression.
Tsunade immediately glared at him, her ears turning slightly red.
Just hours ago, White Fang had stumbled upon a rather 'intimate' moment between Haruto and Tsunade. Now, in his eyes, their relationship seemed… complicated.
"This is terrible! Absolutely terrible!"
Sarutobi suddenly spoke, dodging Haruto's ferocious attacks. "You may know many ninjutsu, but your application is crude! There's no strategy in your combat style…"
Haruto remained silent, rapidly forming seals.
A thick mist suddenly engulfed the area!
The dense fog obscured everyone's vision, though Sarutobi's sensory abilities minimized its effect on him.
Haruto attacked again, rushing toward Sarutobi. Just before reaching him, he clapped his hands together, causing a blood mist to erupt from his body!
"Secret Technique: Blood Clone!"
Two crimson clones appeared beside him. The massive loss of blood made Haruto's face pale. All three figures simultaneously activated their samurai movement technique, encircling Sarutobi in a triangular formation and launching a flurry of blade strikes.
Sarutobi finally drew a weapon—a single kunai in his left hand. His movements were as fast as lightning, skillfully blocking all three blades with just the kunai.
The dense mist swirled.
Suddenly, Haruto's real body flashed with sharp intent before vanishing in a puff of white smoke—replaced by a log! He had used a Substitution Jutsu to escape.
At the same time, the two blood clones' chakra flared wildly.
Sarutobi's expression shifted.
"Secret Technique: Blood Explosion!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions erupted as both blood clones self-destructed with forbidden techniques, instantly shredding through the mist in a fiery inferno. The resulting shockwave swept across a hundred meters in every direction…
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