The "bell test"—a cliché so overused it practically begged to be mocked. Yet, Saiki still found himself looking forward to it.
"Sensei Kushina, what's this about?"
Saiki knew exactly what was going on, but Genhai and Shizune were completely in the dark and asked in confusion.
Shaking the bells in her hand, Kushina explained, "Your next mission is a survival exercise. It's your final test before officially becoming Genin!"
"Wait, didn't we do plenty of survival exercises at the Academy?" Shizune asked, with Genhai nodding in agreement. Saiki simply watched Kushina's performance with an amused glint in his eye.
A wicked smile spread across Kushina's face as the corner of her mouth curled up. "This isn't your average exercise. If you can't pass my test, you'll be sent right back to the Academy. This exam has an insanely high fail rate."
"What?!" Shizune and Genhai gasped in shock.
"How about that? Scared now?"
Kushina's malicious, intimidating grin successfully rattled the two of them. Being sent back to the Academy was incredibly humiliating.
In times of peace, failing students and sending them back was a real possibility.
But with the Third Great Ninja War about to break out in full force? Saiki just chuckled internally. If you're not qualified for Konoha, you just become cannon fodder on the battlefield!
If possible, Saiki genuinely wanted to be sent back. Even with his current strength, the battlefield was a dangerous place.
Lost in his thoughts, Saiki zoned out again.
Observing the trio's reactions, Kushina felt a surge of annoyance. Saiki's complete lack of reaction was deeply irritating. Doesn't this kid know he's supposed to look terrified when I threaten him?!
Kushina silently resolved to beat some sense into him later.
Ringing the bells again, Kushina announced loudly, "You have one hour! If you can't take these bells from me, you fail!"
Noticing that Kushina only held two bells, the observant Shizune asked, "Sister Kushina, why are there only two bells?"
Kushina's wicked expression grew even smugger. Bullying kids was actually turning out to be quite fun.
"Good eye! You're very observant. The two bells mean that even if you manage to take them, only two of you will pass. One of you will definitely fail and be sent back."
Kushina expected this revelation to terrify them further. Instead, both Shizune and Genhai turned to look at Saiki, silently asking, Boss, what do we do?
"Haha! It's fine. If we have to go back to the Academy, I'll just go back with you guys."
Not wanting to completely ruin Kushina's act, Saiki smiled and played along.
From their interactions so far, it was glaringly obvious that Saiki was the core of the group. Still, Kushina was quite satisfied with his answer.
The entire purpose of this exam was to emphasize the "Will of Fire" and the concept of "Bonds."
"Right, Boss!... I mean, Saiki!"
Reassured by Saiki, Shizune and Genhai turned back to Kushina, their fighting spirit ignited despite the risk of failing.
Kushina smiled, pleased by their sudden surge of resolve. Now it was time to teach Saiki and his crew a proper lesson.
"Mm, great spirit! Then let's begin!"
Swish!
All three of them instantly leaped away from Kushina. In truth, Saiki could have easily snatched the bells by himself, but to play along with the exercise, he took command. "The first rule of a ninja is the element of surprise. But since we're already face-to-face, prepare for a frontal assault. I'll take the vanguard. Genhai, you support me. Shizune, cover us from the rear."
"Understood!" both of them nodded in unison.
In Kushina's eyes, Shizune and Genhai's combat power was negligible. But Saiki gave the orders anyway to demonstrate teamwork and establish their roles for future missions.
Watching him take charge, Kushina smiled approvingly, just as Saiki had anticipated.
"Hey, I can hear everything you're saying, you know!"
"Sensei Kushina, here we come!" Saiki warned.
A gust of wind carried the scent of flowers as Saiki summoned three Flower Clones. In the next instant, his true body pushed off the ground, launching himself forward at a terrifying speed.
"So fast!"
Originally, Kushina was treating this like a game. After all, how strong could freshly graduated Genin possibly be?
Then, Saiki taught her a lesson.
Moving almost like a blur of teleportation, Saiki appeared directly in front of her. Without any flashy moves, he threw a devastatingly straightforward punch aimed squarely at her chest.
It was just a basic straight punch—but it was a punch Saiki had thrown tens of thousands of times over the past three years. Caught off guard, even Kushina couldn't dodge it.
She barely had time to cross her arms in front of her chest to block before Saiki's fist slammed heavily into her forearms.
The collision of fist and flesh echoed with a dull, heavy thud.
Kushina was known for her monstrous strength, but Saiki—who was nearly a head shorter than her—unleashed a terrifying amount of kinetic force from his seemingly unimposing arm. The impact sent Kushina flying backward uncontrollably.
Having knocked her back with a single blow, Saiki pressed his advantage and surged forward again.
Flying through the air, Kushina had a sudden, absurd thought that she might actually lose to her own student today. She felt as though the bones in her arms were fracturing. If it weren't for the numbing sensation of the lightning chakra lacing the strike, the pain would have been excruciating.
Normally, when Saiki practiced his punches, he only used about fifty percent of his power; otherwise, even solid boulders would shatter under his fists.
Out of respect for Kushina, Saiki had used seventy percent of his strength. The fact that her arm bones hadn't snapped entirely was a testament to her incredible physical durability.
The pain stimulated Kushina's instincts. When Saiki appeared in front of her again, she twisted her body mid-air and lashed out with a vicious kick. Perhaps fueled by her sudden anger, a faint trace of the Nine-Tails' red chakra unknowingly leaked into her strike.
BOOM!
Fist met foot, and a terrifying shockwave of chakra exploded outward, creating a violent, invisible gale.
Faced with Kushina utilizing the Nine-Tails' power, this time it was Saiki who was sent flying. When his feet hit the ground, he plowed two deep trenches several meters long into the dirt before finally coming to a halt.
"Tch!"
Landing gracefully, Kushina immediately noticed the anomaly. She quickly formed a hand sign, reinforcing her internal seal to suppress the restless chakra churning within her.
Because Kushina was prone to explosive fits of rage, and her control over the sealing jutsu wasn't perfect yet, the Nine-Tails leaking a bit of chakra was something she had regrettably grown used to.
After calming the erratic chakra, Kushina looked at Saiki and asked, "Saiki, are you alright?"
Massaging his fist and feeling the slight, burning ache left behind by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Saiki smiled. "I'm fine, Sensei Kushina. Are we continuing the test?"
"No need. You all pass!" Kushina said, shaking her head.
Kushina wasn't entirely reckless. With the sudden flare-up of the Nine-Tails' chakra, she decisively ended the test to avoid any risk of losing control.
Hearing Kushina's declaration, Shizune and Genhai were completely bewildered. The fight had barely started, and it was already over?
Everything had happened too fast. Saiki rushing in, throwing two punches, and being kicked back by Kushina had occurred in the blink of an eye. With their poor kinetic vision, Shizune and Genhai hadn't even been able to follow the exchange.
Still, they were relieved it ended so easily. They wouldn't have to go back to the Academy after all.
Rubbing her bruised arms and frowning at Saiki, Kushina felt as though she had just encountered some kind of monster. His combat style—blistering speed coupled with overwhelming physical power—reminded her of the Cloud Ninja meatheads who had tried to kidnap her years ago.
"Are your hands okay?" Kushina asked, walking over to Saiki.
"They're fine."
Saiki held out his hands; his knuckles were still pristine and unblemished.
A normal person struck by the corrosive chakra of the Nine-Tails would have their skin burned away and their flesh torn open. Yet Saiki's hands were completely unharmed—in fact, they looked smoother and more delicate than her own. Kushina couldn't help but mutter in disbelief.
Kushina was never one to hide her thoughts. At nineteen, her fiery personality was at its peak. She looked straight at Saiki and demanded, "What the hell do you eat to get that kind of strength?!"
"Sensei Kushina, I eat normal food just like everyone else. Asking that is actually quite rude, you know," Saiki replied, deadpan.
Ignoring his remark, Kushina pressed on. "Do you know Lightning Style Taijutsu?"
Considering his explosive speed, his incredibly tough body, and the fact that he took a kick enhanced by Nine-Tails chakra without a scratch, Kushina could only compare him to the brutes from the Hidden Cloud.
"Ah, no, I don't! That was just a standard Lightning Style: Body Flicker!"
"Did you weave signs for that?"
"I did!"
Seeing Saiki spout such obvious nonsense with a completely straight face made Kushina want to punch him again. She had clearly seen him push off the ground and charge at her surrounded by lightning without weaving a single sign. When did you weave them? With your toes?!
But surprisingly, Saiki had woven signs—it was just his Flower Clones that did the work!
Why had Saiki summoned three Flower Clones? If anyone had paid attention to their hands, they would have noticed that one clone was weaving the signs for the Body Flicker, another was prepping a Water Dragon Bullet, and the third was readying a Lightning Style jutsu.
The fight had simply ended before he needed to use them.
The clones created by the Flower-Flower Fruit were unique; they were indistinguishable from his true body. While damage taken by a clone would reflect on the main body, the effects of jutsu cast by a clone could also be seamlessly transferred to Saiki himself.
This was the true, correct way to utilize the Flower-Flower Fruit. By having his clones handle the hand signs and feeding the resulting jutsu back to his main body, Saiki essentially removed "cast times" from his arsenal. All he had to do was charge, attack, and let the elemental effects fly.
Of course, the Flower Clones possessed even more terrifying applications, but he hadn't had the chance to demonstrate them yet.
Before Kushina could interrogate him further, she felt the Nine-Tails stirring restlessly within her seal again. She sighed helplessly. "That's it for today! Dismissed. Meet me at the Mission Assignment Desk tomorrow at 9:00 AM sharp. Your lives as shinobi officially begin tomorrow."
"Something urgent just came up, so I have to go."
Though they didn't know why Kushina was suddenly in such a rush, Shizune and Genhai bowed politely. "See you tomorrow, Sensei!"
Saiki waved. "Goodbye, Sensei Kushina!"
Kushina gave a terse nod and vanished with a Body Flicker.
However, she didn't make it far before several ninja from the Barrier Team intercepted her.
They immediately erected a specialized barrier around her to help suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The complete Nine-Tails was overwhelmingly powerful. Even with her Uzumaki lineage, the current sealing jutsu wasn't as refined or stable as the one Naruto would possess years later. Because of this, the Barrier Team had to tail Kushina constantly.
In truth, assigning Saiki and the others to Kushina was a massive breach of protocol. Given the instability of the Nine-Tails, she shouldn't have been interacting with outsiders. But when Kushina threw a tantrum, not even Hiruzen Sarutobi could stop her. His only solution was to give her Saiki's team to let her blow off some steam.
Instead of relieving her stress, Saiki's punch had only agitated her—and the beast inside her—even more.
"Saiki, is everything okay?" Shizune asked curiously, noticing Saiki staring in the direction Kushina had vanished.
Saiki shook his head. "It's nothing."
Shizune and Genhai lacked Saiki's sensory abilities; they hadn't realized they were being watched from a distance the entire time.
Genhai, oblivious to the undercurrents, spoke up excitedly. "Boss! My mom said she's cooking a huge feast to celebrate our graduation. Everyone is coming over to my place to eat! It's a shame Sensei had to leave so quickly."