Charmander opened its mouth and directly shot a flame towards the examiner.
If it hit, Hayato Ren's assessment would be declared over.
However, the examiner, being a seasoned Chunin, wasn't so easy to deal with.
The examiner forcefully pushed off with his left leg, dodging the flame while moving to Charmander's side, raising the sharp kunai in his hand.
Just as the kunai was about to pierce Charmander's head, Charmander autonomously used Slash.
With a "clang," Charmander's seemingly frail claws, under the examiner's astonished gaze, cleanly split the sharp kunai in two.
Fortunately, the examiner had rich combat experience and used the Substitution Technique the moment he sensed something was wrong; otherwise, he might have been severely injured.
At that moment, Hayato Ren suddenly shouted:
"Charmander, unleash Flame Vortex with full force at the eight o'clock direction."
A vortex formed of flames instantly engulfed the open area.
Just then, a Jonin observing from the sidelines quickly formed hand signs, and a Water Dragon Bullet surged toward the Flame Vortex.
As water and fire intermingled, the entire arena was instantly shrouded in steam.
The Jonin then leaped onto the arena, waved a hand casually, and a gentle breeze dispersed the steam.
"This assessment is over! Hayato Ren passes with an excellent evaluation!"
After the steam cleared, the examiner's somewhat "miserable" figure became visible to everyone.
The examiner was charred all over, with several large holes burned in his clothes. If the Jonin's Water Dragon Bullet had been even slightly later, the consequences could have been unimaginable.
The surrounding crowd erupted into continuous murmurs. No one had expected that the usually very low-key Hayato Ren would so easily defeat the Chunin examiner.
Feeling the awe-filled gazes around him, Hayato Ren deeply understood the thrill of playing dumb to outsmart others.
Just as he placed his hands behind his back and struck a masterful pose with Charmander, a familiar, tremendous force struck him from behind.
"Haha, I knew you could win, Ren! You truly are my partner—you didn't let me down."
Kushina vigorously patted Hayato Ren's back, loudly proclaiming her shared pride.
Looking at the gleefully foolish Kushina beside him, Hayato Ren shook his head helplessly and pulled her down from the arena.
He could tolerate Kushina's usual antics, but on the arena in front of everyone, Hayato Ren felt a rare sense of embarrassment.
The subsequent exams proceeded step by step. "Plot characters" like Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Hizashi, and Uchiha Mikoto also defeated their Chunin examiners one after another.
Although Kushina didn't directly defeat her examiner, she appeared completely at ease during the assessment.
After passing the exam, she complained to Hayato Ren with a face full of indignation.
"Damn it, just five more minutes and I could have taken down the examiner. What a shame."
Hayato Ren could only reach out and pat her head in consolation.
...
The next day arrived—team assignment day. As expected, Hayato Ren was grouped together with Kushina.
Currently in Konoha, Hayato Ren was the person Kushina got along with best.
And as the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, forming so-called "bonds" within Konoha was undoubtedly of utmost importance.
However, the third member of their team surprised Hayato Ren—it was the young lady of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Mikoto.
Hayato Ren wondered what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking, putting an Uchiha in the same team as the future Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki. Wasn't he worried about potential complications?
Moreover, Mikoto's status was clearly different from ordinary Uchiha members. This was evident from the respectful attitude other clansmen showed her.
Hayato Ren entertained some cynical thoughts as the other students in the classroom were gradually led away by their respective team leaders.
Soon, the large classroom contained only three people left: Kushina, Mikoto, and Hayato Ren.
Originally, Mikoto had been sitting behind and to the left of Hayato Ren and Kushina. But as the classroom emptied, she moved to sit at the desk in front of them, then turned around with a gentle smile.
"Ren-kun, Kushina, we'll be teammates from now on. Please take care of me."
Despite her high status within the Uchiha clan, Mikoto didn't possess the typical Uchiha arrogance. Instead, she could even be described as quite amiable.
With her privileged background, exceptional looks, and gentle personality, Mikoto enjoyed considerable popularity at the Ninja Academy.
If there were a school beauty contest, she would undoubtedly win by a landslide.
Of course, Kushina was also quite attractive in appearance. But her tomboyish, boisterous personality, combined with her status as an outsider from another village, meant Hayato Ren was the only one at the Ninja Academy who got along well with her.
"Yes, we'll be teammates from now on. Please take care of us too," Hayato Ren responded with a warm smile.
Meanwhile, Kushina propped herself on the desk, smoothly vaulted over it to sit beside Mikoto, and threw an arm around her neck.
"The three of us will be Konoha's strongest team! When I become Hokage someday, you two will be my right-hand people. Under our leadership, we'll definitely make Konoha bigger and stronger, achieving new heights!"
Faced with such "enthusiasm" from Kushina, Mikoto was momentarily at a loss for words. She could only exchange a look with Hayato Ren before offering an awkward smile.
After what felt like a long time, when Kushina was nearly falling asleep at the desk, the classroom door finally swung open—revealing the identity of their team leader.
She was the Third Hokage's student, the First Hokage's granddaughter, the princess of the Senju clan, and the future pinnacle of medical ninjutsu in the shinobi world—Tsunade.