After unleashing the Flame Emperor, Obito gasped heavily. Currently, with his chakra, he can only release the Flame Emperor once. Combined with the chakra he consumed earlier, he is nearly drained.
"Huff huff, uncle, what do we do now? Do I still have to keep fighting for fifteen minutes?" Obito adjusted his breath and asked Mimura Hamaki.
Obito really couldn't continue. If the fight went on, he'd just end up lying down for Mimura Hamaki to see.
"The battle ends early; consider it your win." Mimura Hamaki sighed, looking a bit melancholic.
Even other examiners and referees have intervened in the battle; how could it continue? Mimura Hamaki wasn't that shameless.
To be defeated by a ten-year-old Chunin examinee as an examiner, Mimura Hamaki felt incredibly conflicted at this moment.
Fortunately, the Jonin evaluation wasn't like the Chunin Examination with a crowd watching; otherwise, he'd feel a bit embarrassed to show his face in the ninja circle.
"Awesome! Does this mean I can go home?" Obito pumped his fist excitedly. This successful operation was a big step forward on his path to becoming a Jonin.
"Yes, you can all go home now. Just come back at two in the afternoon for the written test." Mimura Hamaki nodded.
Hearing Mimura Hamaki's confirmation, Obito dashed back home to begin his study journey.
"It's a bit late to start worrying now." Kakashi watched Obito running at full speed, feeling a bit speechless.
Even though he hasn't participated in a Jonin examination, Kakashi knew without a doubt that the difficulty level was way beyond that of the Chunin Examination's written test.
The answer is simple: Jonin and Chunin are completely different concepts. The gap between Chunin and Jonin is several times greater than from Ninja School student to Chunin.
Typically, Ninja School students can be promoted to Chunin within eight years post-graduation, but most Chunins can't become Jonin or even Special Jonin in eighteen years.
"Even if I don't pass the evaluation, it's worth it to see the power of true geniuses," thought Sakata Genji.
Obito and Kakashi were already so talented that he didn't even feel a desire to catch up. He was nearly a dozen years older, yet the gap in strength was so vast, it was daunting.
"If only I could learn Revolving Heaven and Eight Trigrams Air Palm." Hyuga Aoba recalled Kakashi and Hyuga Hiashi's battle with a hint of longing in his eyes.
The Gentle Fist's ability to cut off chakra was strong, but not having long-range attack methods during a battle was a disadvantage, especially since the Branch Family's Byakugan had a slight blind spot due to the Caged Bird seal. The Absolute Defense of Revolving Heaven greatly compensated for this deficit.
...
Once he got home, Obito locked himself in his room to immerse himself in books.
Of course, Obito couldn't truly immerse himself. He was just forcing himself to read and memorize.
For him, reading wasn't a good thing; it's a dull, tedious process that demands a huge amount of patience to endure.
The only books Obito could truly immerse himself in were ninja novels. He particularly loved those where the protagonist was an ordinary person or a talentless underdog who ultimately became the savior of the Ninja World.
Those novels had many classic scenes, like finding ancient secret techniques in a library that no one else could discover, or finding legendary ninja tools at a Ninja Tools Store believed to be the Six Paths Sage's, and eventually defeating the villain to rescue the princess.
"But usually, rescuing the princess is a mid-story event—what follows is usually saving the world. Come to think of it, I've saved a princess, too. When is it my turn to save the world? This world feels like a giant ninja novel," Obito thought as he read, drifting into thoughts of ninja novels.
"Wait, I'm supposed to be studying!" Obito grabbed his hair with both hands, snapping back to reality.
Obito couldn't understand himself; how did his mind wander to ninja novels while studying "Ninja Tactics?"
Obito shook his head, seemingly trying to shake all distractions out of his mind and focus entirely on his studies.
When Obito's alarm rang, he stood up confidently. After several hours of studying, he felt incredibly self-assured.
"Obito, good luck on your exam," his grandmother said with a gentle smile as Obito was about to head out.
"I'll pass for sure," Obito replied, patting his chest confidently.
Having a Sharingan and having reviewed, he felt incredibly solid.
"After the exam, spend more time with Rin. It's important to balance training and studying with relaxation. Your body is getting weaker—I just hope I live to see you have children someday," his grandmother sighed after speaking.
Obito's face instantly turned rosy. Having children would mean doing that with Rin—oh no, that's far too enticing, or rather, it's really inappropriate.
"Grandma, you're thinking too far ahead; I'm only ten! Besides, I'm sure you'll live to a ripe old age," Obito replied with a flushed face.
"Grandma, let's not talk about this; I'm off to the exam."
Worried that his grandma might say something even more embarrassing, Obito made a hasty escape.
The written test location was also at the morning training ground but indoors, in a seemingly ordinary wooden house.
"Next, when your name is called, follow your examiner; the written test is separate. Each of you will take the exam in individual rooms," the examiner said once Obito and the others entered the wooden house.
"Huh?" After hearing the rules, Obito was dumbfounded. Everyone gets their own room? Then his Sharingan would be useless.
Obito used to think the Sharingan was far superior to the Byakugan, but now he wished he had a pair of Byakugan for their X-ray vision.
"Uchiha Obito, do you have any questions?" the examiner asked upon seeing Obito's puzzled expression.
"No, just surprised. One room per person seems like a waste of space," Obito said after some thought.
"Alright then, Hatake Kakashi, step forward," the examiner said, glancing at the list in his hand.
Upon hearing his name, Kakashi followed the examiner to his designated exam room.
"Hyuga Aoba."
"Uchiha Obito."
The other examiners also began calling the names of students they needed to evaluate, guiding them to their respective exam rooms.
"Good thing I reviewed at home; relying solely on the Sharingan wouldn't have gotten me through today," Obito thought, grateful for his effort.
Seeing the test paper in hand, Obito's forehead uncontrollably began to sweat; the difficulty was undeniable.
[You are a Jonin leading a team on a top-secret S-level mission. Although you've successfully obtained the classified documents needed, you are surrounded by enemies. Based on Map 1, plan the best course of action and breakthrough strategy, explaining your reasoning.]
Obito glanced at the example map but paused pensively, not beginning to write—the map was too complex, and he couldn't quite decipher it.
"Forget it, Teacher Mokgetsu said to skip questions you can't do to avoid wasting time," Obito recalled Mokgetsu's advice, skipping the first question and moving to the second.
[Task A and B are assigned to Ninja Squads A and B respectively. On a sunny day, Squad A takes 12 days while Squad B takes 15 days. On rainy days, Squad A's efficiency drops by 50% while Squad B drops by 25%. The two squads start and finish both tasks simultaneously. How many sunny days were there?]
Looking at the second question made Obito see stars—it was math, his weakest subject. In a pinch, he might defeat a Jonin, but math was insurmountable no matter how urgently he tried.
Obito decisively skipped to the next question and was instantly overwhelmed—the second question turned out to be the easiest math question compared to others.
After skipping five questions and seeing the sixth question on history, Obito's face lit up with excitement—this, he knew well.
Obito had never found history questions so endearing; he wished the entire paper was history questions.
Happy moments are always short-lived; after finishing the history questions, Obito's heart sank as he looked at the remaining questions. This exam wasn't easy.
"Sage Mokgetsu, please grant me the supreme wisdom to tackle these questions," Obito clasped his hands together and prayed with his eyes closed.
"Candidates, please avoid unusual gestures and concentrate on your exam," the examiner interrupted, tapping the table.