Although kai didn't have any bloodline limits, Guy's mastery of strong fist techniques made his perception quite sharp. With Hyuga Kagami activating Rotation-Ruyi (Wheel of Reincarnation) at such a close distance, it naturally didn't escape Guy's notice.
But he didn't dwell on it. Upon hearing Kagami say it was a secret technique, he immediately exclaimed, "I didn't even notice when you activated it! That secret technique is incredible!"
Rotation-Ruyi, like Pain's Shinra Tensei, is powerful precisely because it requires no hand signs and can be activated instantly by sheer thought. Anyone unaware of it is extremely likely to be caught off guard during the first encounter.
Even someone as formidable as Sasori had his Third Kazekage puppet snatched away by Hyuga Kagami in a moment of carelessness, turning the tide of battle instantly.
At this moment, Hyuga Kagami's smile disappeared, and he warned solemnly, "Remember, this is my secret. You're not to tell anyone about it, not even other comrades in the village!"
Protecting the secret of Rotation-Ruyi was one of the reasons Hyuga Kagami chose to eliminate the mission target on the spot instead of capturing him alive.
Guy nodded, "I understand. I won't tell anyone."
Hyuga Kagami trusted Guy. Despite his goofy appearance, Guy was a rule-abiding ninja at heart.
Upon returning to the village, Hyuga Kagami and Guy headed straight for the mission center.
After completing the task handover, the mission center upgraded Hyuga Kagami's team's clearance and granted him access to all high-difficulty A-rank missions, including assassinations.
Hyuga Kagami had performed exceptionally well in this mission.
He not only swiftly eliminated all mission targets but also brought back the corpse of a Kirigakure ninja with a kekkei genkai. This was considered an overachievement.
In some ways, a ninja's corpse is a source of intelligence.
Especially those with kekkei genkai—their bodies hold great research value. During wartime, all major villages had elite corpse-retrieval teams dedicated to collecting such bodies from the battlefield for study.
In the following months, Hyuga Kagami and Guy turned into mission maniacs. As Chunin, they completed two A-rank missions and five B-rank missions consecutively, gaining a bit of fame within the village for their efficiency.
The receptionists at the mission center even started proactively selecting missions for Hyuga Kagami to make things easier for him.
After another B-rank mission, Hyuga Kagami was on his way home when he suddenly sensed someone watching him...
He casually observed his surroundings and frowned slightly.
Although the streets were busy, no one was spying on him from the shadows—something he was absolutely sure of thanks to his Tenseigan. But the sensation of being watched still lingered, which puzzled him.
Soon, he recalled a certain secret technique, one that the Third Hokage had used before.
The Telescope Technique!
"Is it the Third Hokage watching me? Looks like all my efforts lately have finally caught his attention."
Realizing it was likely the Third Hokage, Hyuga Kagami didn't worry too much.
This sort of surveillance was probably just part of the Third Hokage's vetting process before promoting him. Otherwise, with the current state of the village, the busy Third Hokage wouldn't have time to observe a mere Chunin.
The surveillance continued intermittently for about a month.
Hyuga Kagami had always been cautious, and once he guessed the Third was observing him, he became even more careful. He maintained perfect behavior—nothing out of the ordinary. Every day was all about missions, giving the Third no reason to suspect anything.
As expected, it wasn't long before Hyuga Kagami received an internal notice for a Special Jonin promotion exam.
Special Jonin were already considered part of the village's high-level forces. While the village could mobilize tens of thousands of ninja during wartime, the actual number of Jonin, including Special Jonin, was only in the hundreds.
In other words, only a few out of every hundred ninja reached Jonin or Special Jonin level; the rest were Chunin or Genin.
This ratio meant that Special Jonin belonged to the command echelon. In wartime, a Special Jonin could lead multiple four-man squads on missions.
The exam venue was an ANBU base, where Hyuga Kagami spotted many familiar faces.
Among them were Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Iruka Umino, Anko Mitarashi, Genma Shiranui, Hayate Gekko, and even the Uchiha prodigy, Shisui, who was a few years younger than him.
From a distance, Guy shouted, "Kagami, over here!"
Hyuga Kagami walked over and greeted his peers.
In the past, Kagami would have felt a bit awkward around this group, as the ninja world valued strength. Without it, even peers couldn't form close bonds.
But now, Kagami could interact with them calmly, even with a faint sense of superiority.
Seeing Kagami's calm demeanor, Asuma frowned and asked, "Hey, I heard you and Guy completed several A-rank missions. Is that true?"
Hearing this, Kurenai, Iruka, Anko, and the others gathered around. Clearly, they were curious too.
Hyuga Kagami nodded, "Yeah."
Guy laughed heartily, "See! I wasn't lying. We really did complete multiple A-rank missions!"
As someone who was always the butt of jokes, Guy had long been used to listening to others boast. Now it was finally his turn to show off, and he was in high spirits.
But having the usually-laughed-at Guy show off rubbed the others the wrong way, and a competitive atmosphere began brewing. Soon, the conversation shifted to the Special Jonin exam.
Asuma looked around and whispered, "I heard over 200 Chunin are participating in this exam, but there are only about 15 spots available!"
"Whoa..."
Everyone gasped.
With over 200 candidates competing for 15 spots, that meant roughly 13 or 14 people vying for each slot—a fierce competition.
Iruka sighed, "Looks like I have no chance."
Genma and Hayate also sighed, clearly lacking confidence.
Seeing the gloomy expressions, Asuma grew annoyed. "Come on, have some faith! That bastard Kakashi is already a Jonin. Are we just going to give up during the Special Jonin exam?"
Being constantly compared to Kakashi, the Third Hokage's son Asuma had always felt frustrated, especially when his father used Kakashi as an example.
Guy, who had the same frustration, clenched his fists and agreed, "Right! We have to catch up to Kakashi!"
Hyuga Kagami, meanwhile, used this moment to observe his competitors. He did a rough count and confirmed that there were indeed over 200 Chunin present. However, very few had a chakra level higher than his own, so he remained confident.
Just then, Shisui approached him and said, "Senpai, thank you for looking after Itachi before. He's mentioned you often and says you're a truly exceptional ninja."
Hyuga Kagami looked at him and asked, "You're Uchiha Shisui?"
Shisui apologized, "Yes, that was rude of me, Senpai. I am Uchiha Shisui."