Chapter 5: The Taijutsu Assessment
The morning passed quickly.
When the bell rang, Ryuzen gathered his things and left the classroom. He walked out of the school gates and made his way home through the quiet village streets. After a quick meal, he immediately began his daily task.
Over the past month, Ryuzen had transformed the act of swinging a sword into pure instinct. Even a casual one-handed strike now flowed with textbook-perfect form. He had compressed each swing to less than two seconds, and he no longer needed to rest between repetitions.
Completing two thousand swings took him exactly one hour and six minutes.
As always, time in the spiritual world moved differently. What felt like hours of experiencing Mihawk's memories passed in the blink of an eye in reality. The insight phase took almost no time at all.
He spent half of his remaining free period practicing sword forms, letting the lessons from the spiritual world settle into his muscles. When he felt satisfied with his progress, he allowed himself a short nap.
Waking refreshed and full of energy, Ryuzen returned to the Academy for the afternoon session.
"Everyone, gather at the training ground."
As soon as the afternoon bell rang, Iruka appeared at the classroom door and began organizing the students. They filed out of the building and assembled on the open training field behind the school.
It was worth noting that the enrollment test period had finally ended.
Over the past month, five students had dropped out or failed to meet the requirements. Now only forty-eight students remained in the class. These forty-eight, barring any unexpected circumstances, would continue their training together. Eventually, during the survival exercises before graduation, they would be whittled down further—until only five teams of three remained. Fifteen genin in total.
Counting Ryuzen as the potential "extra" in that equation... sixteen survivors out of forty-eight.
The ninja world was indeed cruel.
On the training ground, Iruka faced the assembled students, a clipboard in his hands. His expression was serious.
"In the past month, you've studied taijutsu, shuriken throwing, the Three Basic Techniques, and kunai close combat," he announced. "While none of you are proficient yet—you've only scratched the surface—I believe you're all wondering the same thing. Who is the strongest in this class?"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"That's what we'll be determining over the next few days. First up... the taijutsu assessment."
"Iruka-sensei?" a student called out. "What exactly is the taijutsu assessment?"
Iruka held up a hand for silence. "It's a practical evaluation. Not the kind of drills we've been doing, where you demonstrate forms individually. This will be real sparring. You'll face each other in actual combat. The teacher won't stop the fight until a winner is clearly determined."
"OH! This is perfect!" A voice exploded from the crowd. A blond-haired boy leaped out of formation, pointing dramatically at a dark-haired boy across from him. "Sasuke! Let me, the great Uzumaki Naruto, show you what I've got!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Naruto found himself on the receiving end of many hostile glares. Sasuke, who had not yet endured the tragedy that would shape his life, simply smirked arrogantly.
"Bring it on."
"Naruto!" Iruka's forehead sprouted visible veins. His voice went stiff with barely controlled irritation. "Get. Back. In. Line."
"Ahaha..." Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously as he quickly retreated to his spot.
Iruka cleared his throat loudly, shooting Naruto a warning glare before continuing. "The taijutsu assessment isn't about fighting whoever you want. I've made pairings based on your performance during training. When I call your name, step forward."
"Yes, sensei."
Iruka consulted his clipboard. "First match..."
The students leaned forward with anticipation.
"Yagyu Ryuzen versus Hyuga Hinata."
Ryuzen, standing at the back of the group, raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn't expected to go first.
The crowd quickly spread out, creating an open space for the two combatants.
Hinata stepped forward hesitantly. Her pale lavender eyes fixed on Ryuzen, then dropped to the ground. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. Every few seconds, she would peek up at him, then immediately look away again.
Finally, as if gathering every ounce of her courage, she spoke in a voice so soft it barely carried.
"Ryuzen-kun... hello."
"Hello." Ryuzen studied her for a moment, noting the faint blush coloring her cheeks. A strange flicker passed through his crimson eyes.
Taking advantage of her remaining bravery, Hinata rushed out her next words. "Th-thank you... for that day!"
"You're welcome." He paused, then added quietly, so softly only she could hear, "Actually, I should be thanking you."
The last words were spoken from his heart.
"Ah?! Hinata knows Yagyu-kun?!"
From the sideline, Ino's surprised exclamation rang out. She was too far away to hear what they'd actually said, but seeing them speak at all was shocking enough.
Yes, Ryuzen and Hinata knew each other.
Or rather, they were acquaintances.
The very first fight Ryuzen had experienced in this world—the brawl that had finally activated his dormant system—had happened because of Hinata. Some older kids had been bothering her, and the original Ryuzen, despite his withdrawn nature, had stepped in. He'd gotten beaten badly, but in that moment of pain and desperation, the system had finally awakened.
So Ryuzen wasn't wrong. He truly did owe Hinata a debt of gratitude. If not for her, who knew how much longer the system might have remained dormant?
"Huh...?" Hinata's brief confidence deflated like a punctured balloon at his response. She had wanted to say more, to properly talk with him. But now the words wouldn't come. She could only lower her head and murmur something unintelligible.
The courage she'd built up had taken her over a month to gather, and it had already been spent.
"Are you both ready?" Iruka interrupted, having given them enough time.
Ryuzen nodded. "Ready."
"I... I'm ready too." Hinata's voice wavered, but she managed to respond.
Iruka nodded, stepping back with his clipboard. "Then begin."
Ryuzen and Hinata faced each other. Her pale eyes reflected his image, and when she met those crimson pupils, her head swam slightly.
She remembered that day over two months ago so clearly. Being rescued by this boy. The way he'd stood between her and those bullies despite being smaller than them. The beating he'd taken without ever backing down.
When school started, her heart had leaped to see they were in the same class. She'd wanted to thank him properly, to apologize for not being able to help him that day—her family had arrived and dragged her away before she could do anything. But he was so popular, surrounded by girls every day. She couldn't muster the courage to approach.
Now, after holding those words inside for over two months, she'd finally said them. And a secret joy bloomed in her chest, one she barely understood. She was one step closer now. One step closer than before.
She couldn't... couldn't be so timid anymore!
At least not now. Not in this moment. Because she wanted him to remember her!
A flicker of determination suddenly dispelled the timidity in Hinata's pale eyes.
She settled into the Gentle Fist stance—the hallmark of the Hyuga clan. Her palms opened, fingers extended, ready to strike.
Ryuzen's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected her to overcome her shyness so quickly. Interesting.
He didn't assume any particular stance. He simply stood there, relaxed, hands at his sides. Waiting.
Hinata hesitated for only a moment, then moved.
She darted forward, closing the distance between them with quick, precise steps. Her palm thrust toward his shoulder—a probing strike, meant to test his reactions rather than cause real damage.
Ryuzen swayed. Just slightly, just enough. The palm passed within a hair's breadth of his shoulder, touching nothing but air.
Hinata's eyes widened. She pressed forward, unleashing a series of gentle palm strikes—each one aimed at specific tenketsu points along his arms and torso. Her form was excellent, her technique proper.
Ryuzen didn't block a single strike.
He didn't need to. He simply moved, flowing around each attack like water around stones. His feet shifted in small, economical motions. His torso twisted. His head tilted. Every movement was minimal, precise, exactly enough to avoid contact and nothing more.
The watching students gasped.
"He's not even trying to hit back!" someone whispered.
"How is she missing him? She's right there!"
Shikamaru, watching from the sidelines, opened his eyes fully for once. His lazy expression shifted to something approaching interest. "Troublesome... he's reading her completely. Every strike, he knows where it's going before she even throws it."
Beside him, Choji paused mid-chip crunching. "Huh?"
Ino's jaw dropped. "That's... that's the Hyuga Gentle Fist! How is he dodging it?!"
Hinata's attacks grew faster, more desperate. Sweat beaded on her forehead. No matter how quickly she struck, no matter how precise her aim, she couldn't touch him. It was like fighting a ghost.
Finally, after deflecting—or rather, avoiding—her twentieth consecutive strike, Ryuzen moved.
He stepped forward, directly into her space. One hand came up, not to strike, but simply to tap her shoulder—the exact same spot she'd aimed for with her first probing attack.
The touch was light, almost gentle.
"If this were a real fight," Ryuzen said quietly, so only she could hear, "you would have left yourself open after that last combination. Too much focus on attacking, not enough on defense."
Hinata froze. Her arms dropped to her sides. The determination in her eyes didn't fade, but it was joined by something else—wonder, perhaps. Or admiration.
"I... I see." She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for the lesson, Ryuzen-kun."
Ryuzen stepped back and nodded to Iruka.
Iruka blinked, then quickly recovered. "Match... decided. Winner: Yagyu Ryuzen."
The training ground erupted in chatter.
"Did he even do anything?!"
"He barely moved!"
"How did he win without attacking?!"
Iruka held up his hands for silence, shooting Ryuzen a thoughtful look. That had been... impressive. More than impressive, honestly. Ryuzen hadn't used a single offensive technique. He'd simply avoided everything Hinata threw at him, then tapped her once to prove a point. That kind of reading ability, that level of precision—it wasn't something a normal six-year-old should possess.
Ryuzen returned to his spot in the crowd, ignoring the stares and whispers following him.
The match had been a useful demonstration—for himself as much as anyone. Two months of spiritual synchronization with the world's greatest swordsman had changed more than just his swordsmanship. His instincts, his perception, his ability to read opponents—all of it had sharpened dramatically.
Hinata returned to her spot as well, head held a little higher than before despite the loss. She had spoken to him. She had fought him. And he had given her advice—real advice, not just empty words.
It was a start.
Iruka consulted his clipboard again, calling out the next pair. The training ground slowly returned to order as the next match began.
But many eyes kept drifting back to the silver-haired boy at the back of the crowd, standing quietly with his crimson eyes half-lidded, already seeming bored with the proceedings.
No one had ever seen anyone fight like that before.
No one knew what to make of it.
And Ryuzen, for his part, simply waited for the assessments to end so he could return to what really mattered: his training. His path. His destiny.
Let them wonder. Let them talk. None of it would matter in the end.
Only the sword mattered.
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