Chapter 11: Graduation

The next day. Early morning. Seimei arrived at the Ninja Academy early. After listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's lengthy and uninspiring graduation speech, he entered the examination hall as instructed. The ninja exam naturally couldn't just test the three basic techniques. Theoretical knowledge such as code deciphering and map drawing also needed to be assessed. Therefore, the first few rounds were written exams. However, compared to the Chunin Exams, the Ninja Academy graduation exam's written part was very simple, mostly consisting of common knowledge that ninjas must know. As long as one had spent a few years in school, they could easily pass. Of course, there were also some biased questions. For example, understanding the Will of Fire. Although Seimei hadn't written an essay in over ten years, both in his past and present life, a simple flattery essay was no problem for him. Ding dong~ Soon, the morning passed. There were no exams scheduled for the afternoon, and the students were free to do as they pleased. Naturally, Seimei wouldn't waste time at school. His 'Chakra Refinement Technique' had reached lv1 (195/200) and was about to level up, so he had to seize the time. Back at home, Seimei immediately started training. After spending more than six hours, Seimei completed two rounds of training and finally leveled up the 'Chakra Refinement Technique' to lv2 (1/500). Although he had anticipated it, he couldn't help but feel excited when he truly experienced the effects of the lv2 'Chakra Refinement Technique'. Compared to lv1, the lv2 'Chakra Refinement Technique' doubled the efficiency of tapping into his body's potential once again. Now, every hour of refining could restore two hundred points of chakra and increase his chakra limit by four points. This meant his training efficiency would be greatly improved again. However, it was almost impossible to achieve a full doubling effect. The reason... was simple. His body had limits. Even if he had an unlimited supply of Soldier Pills, it was useless if his body couldn't absorb them. Not everyone was like Naruto Uzumaki, who could eat Soldier Pills like candy. After all, they were a type of compressed food, and eating too many could cause indigestion. In the past week, Seimei had almost reached his limit. If he trained with all his might now, he could only increase his efficiency to about 1.5 times that of before. However, this didn't mean that leveling up the 'Chakra Refinement Technique' was meaningless. At the very least, it could save him a lot of time. If he needed to practice any ninjutsu in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about not having enough time. ... The next day. Just like the first day, there was still no assessment of the three basic techniques. Today's assessment focused on Basic Taijutsu and Ninja Tool Throwing. Because they had to be tested one by one, it was slow. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that it was Seimei's turn. "Uchiha Seimei, ten bullseyes, full marks!" Wow~ Immediately, there was an uproar around them. Seimei's expression remained unchanged, maintaining the original owner's aloof demeanor. There was nothing to be proud of. With his current lv2 (120/500) 'Ninja Tool Throwing', hitting a ten-meter target was simply too easy. He also got full marks for 'Basic Taijutsu'. Or rather, as long as one could reach lv1 (100/200), they could basically get full marks, and lv0 (80/100) or above would be a passing grade. This showed how relaxed the assessment standards were this year. The night passed uneventfully. The third day. Compared to the previous two days, the students were noticeably more nervous today. After all, although the exams in the first two days were important, they weren't decisive. Today was different. If they failed the assessment, no matter how well they did in the previous two days, they would be eliminated. In the end, what mattered for ninjas was strength. Without strength, no matter how solid one's theoretical knowledge was, it was useless. As the saying goes, might makes right. If your fists weren't strong enough, no one would listen to what you said. For ninjas, ninjutsu was their fists. If they couldn't even learn ninjutsu, what use were they? Of course, the above only applied to ordinary people. The ninja world was never short of exceptions. Like Might Guy, whose ninjutsu talent was abysmal, but his taijutsu talent was unparalleled in the entire ninja world. Such freaks naturally couldn't be judged by common standards. However, most people definitely didn't have the qualifications to make Konoha break the rules for them. Therefore, today's assessment was crucial for all students aspiring to become ninjas. That's why the students were even more nervous than the previous two days. Sitting in the classroom, watching Sugiki Kazuto call each student to the front to test their three basic techniques, Seimei's heart remained calm. The lv2 three basic techniques gave him enough confidence. Moreover... "Aoki Ryūko, are you ready?" Sugiki Kazuto asked. "Yes, sensei!" Aoki Ryūko nodded and replied softly. "Very well, choose one of the three basic techniques and demonstrate it!" Sugiki Kazuto said. That's right, this year's assessment wasn't designated by the teacher but allowed the students to choose one of the three basic techniques to showcase. Obviously, compared to the former, the latter was undoubtedly easier and prone to loopholes. For example, if someone only knew the Transformation Technique and hadn't fully mastered the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique, they could choose to demonstrate the Transformation Technique and pass the assessment. In the past, if the teacher happened to specify the Clone Technique, they wouldn't be able to pass. Could Sugiki Kazuto not see such a simple loophole? Of course not. He was doing this because he had received instructions from above. Combined with yesterday's intentionally relaxed assessment standards, it wasn't hard to guess that Konoha was expanding its reserve forces. It's just that it was unknown how many of these people would survive the battlefield. "Uchiha Seimei!" Sugiki Kazuto's voice came from the front. Seimei stood up and walked forward unhurriedly. "You can start when you're ready." Seeing Seimei standing still, Sugiki Kazuto said. Hearing this, Seimei nodded, then raised his hands, quickly formed the hand seals, and performed the Clone Technique. Immediately, two shadowy figures appeared on his left and right sides. "Three seconds, not bad!" Sugiki Kazuto nodded in satisfaction, recorded Uchiha Seimei's result, and then said, "Alright, you can go back." "Yes, sensei!" After responding, Seimei returned to his seat. "Wow, Seimei-kun is so amazing!" Someone in the crowd, a female student, shouted. Instantly, the classroom became noisy. However, none of this affected Seimei. Back at his seat, he began reviewing the contents of the 'Heart Reflection Technique' in his mind. Compared to ninjutsu, genjutsu was generally more difficult to learn. Especially this genjutsu, which imitated the Sharingan's hypnotic ability, was extremely complex. The main targets of other genjutsu were others. Even if something went wrong, it didn't matter. But the 'Heart Reflection Technique' was different; most of its effects were on oneself. The so-called influencing the target's senses was just an additional ability of this genjutsu. Otherwise, its actual effect wouldn't be inferior to even a C-rank genjutsu. If it weren't for the proficiency panel, Seimei wouldn't dare to try this technique easily. How could he be like now, almost on the verge of mastery? That's right, after two days of dedicated practice, his 'Heart Reflection Technique' had improved from lv0 (61/100) to lv0 (92/100). If nothing unexpected happened, he could master it tonight. By then, he would know whether it could positively impact the awakening of the Sharingan. (End of Chapter)