Feeling that he is being stared at, Chris turns to Hakai and begins to criticize him.
“Honestly Hakai, never in my life have I seen such a vile display of violence, among Saiga ninja.” It was clear from the sound of his voice that, Chris is yet to calm down from being shouted at by a mere Genin.
Before Hakai can say anything, Garry begins to spew his own bits of criticism, regarding Hakai’s so called exam
“I agree with mr Toph, this was painful to watch. I never seen such a one sided fight before. What were you thinking by going for such an insane stress test? Why did you insist on not having them fight opponents of equal skill?” Garry was calmer than Chris, but his hands were shaking, as if he was recovering from an outburst of rage.
Hakai squints his eyes as he looks at Garry while stating that:
“It was mentioned in the submission form – ninja fighting equally skilled opponents, is a terrible practice which grossly misrepresents the level of readiness a Genin has for entering the ninja world.
As ninja, in order to succeed on our missions, we do so, by making the best out of worst case scenarios, when they occur and by preventing the occurrence of worst case scenarios as much as possible”.
“I remember clearly what you wrote in the submission form. In there you also argued that, pitting Genin against opponents of higher caliber, would help better identify their overall ability. Personally I believe that Chunin versus Genin is terribly over the top!” argued Garry, unable to hide the concern he has for the well being of his former students.
To Hakai’s surprise, Chris makes the following remark, in regards to Garry’s statement:
“We, at labor don’t see it your way, mr Gassai. We believe this method of examination should be done more often. Sadly, due to the high workload of the village, it is not possible for us to provide this service for Saiga.”
The third man decides to offer his perspective in regards to the exam process as a whole:
“I agree with what mr Toph is saying, but I disagree with Hakai’s implementation of this exam – having the Genin operate as a makeshift unit, is pointless for the purpose of determining the combat readiness of Genin for the ninja world.”
Hakai’s eyes widen in disbelief as the third man reveals himself to be none other than his previous squad leader, from his Genin days, a level 5 Chunin, by the name of Atsuhiro Ooji. Hakai’s teacher can be described as a man in his early 50s with long graying black hair, 172 cm tall and blue eyes.
Hakai has not seen his old mentor for 6 whole years, due to the fact that Ooji, went into a deep undercover mission inside the black market of Saigram and was left confused by his sudden reappearance in Saiga.
“The focus of the exam was not to determine their combat readiness, but their critical thinking skills. The Genin alongside myself are meant to be a Geijutsu unit – meaning our main line of work would involve scouting and surveillance missions, not combat missions” said Hakai as he tried to hide his shock from the fact that he got to reunite with his mentor in such an abrupt manner.
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve did a disservice to the Genin, by not allowing them to fight you as a proper unit. You, Hakai, are at a caliber where you can defeat disorganized Genin while using techniques with which you have an aversion towards – and you didn’t need this display of combat to prove it to anyone in Saiga.’As Ooji said all of these, he had his left eyebrow raised.
Hakai immediately recognized this tick as an indicator that Ooji is planing on berating someone, but, not knowing what Ooji is about to do, puts Hakai in a state of unease.
“If anything, as exam proctors, I believe it is now our turn to help the Genin secure their future in the ninja world and cover up for Hakai’s errors in judgements.”
This statement from Ooji, made Garry nod in approval, while Chris sighed disapprovingly. Hakai on the other hand refrained from making any further comments, because, in the absence of the adrenaline from a fight, Hakai was starting to feel tired due to overusing techniques with which he has an aversion towards.
Before Garry can ask Ooji how they will help the Genin, Ooji moves towards the Genin and bends over a bit so he can speak with the Genin at their level:
“Hey kids. First off, let me just say, you’ve done very well against my old disciple. Please don’t let his eccentric nature give you a bad opinion of him – he only pushed you as hard as he did because he acknowledged your individual strengths while wanting to help you become aware of your weaknesses.”
Garry turned around as he did not want to show his Genin the amount of disdain he has towards Hakai and Ooji, while Hakai and Chris looked at each other, confused as to what Ooji was planning to do next.
Dargon looked at Ooji defiantly in the eyes, annoyed over the fact that he felt Ooji tried to bullshit him to his face. Alisa was focusing her mind, trying to inhibit her anger and grievance, in order to enter a more positive mind set, that will help overcome further eccentricities from Saiga’s officials.
Zato was feeling very anxious, but his Jagan was not activating as a reaction to being emotional because being praised by Ooji, even as a group, helped boost Zato’s confidence and feel more optimistic towards passing the next challenge that is about to be forwarded to them by the exam proctors.
After Ooji finishes sizing up both Hakai, the Genin and the rest of the committee he then explains to everyone that everyone, including Hakai will be taking turns in asking the Genin about their thought process during events of their choosing from what has happened during the exam, so far – as a means to determine if their thought process is developed to the point where they can make reasonable decisions as ninja representing Saiga.
Hakai and Garry were not happy about this, but Chris encouraged Ooji’s idea, as a means to get as many Genin out on the field as possible, while Hakai had no say in the matter as he surrendered all of his rights to object to the grading process of the exam in exchange for being allowed to organize every detail of the exam in his favor.
Forced to go by majority rule, Garry also complies, which then prompts Ooji to go first by asking the Genin questions:
“Alisa, with your Wind Style ninjutsu you are a more mobile melee combatant than an average Lighting style user. However, in the fight with Hakai, you acted very reserved and used very little of your powers during the team fights. However in the 1 on 1 encounter with Hakai, you seemed to have lost control of your emotions – was this because, you were afraid of fighting Hakai?”
Alisa clenches her fist as she has flashbacks of both instances where she fought Hakai and felt overwhelmed by the difference in skill. Hakai’s ability to manipulate multiple types of techniques while engaged in melee combat, the fact that Hakai is able to use a type of ninja technique which wasn’t covered during her studies and most importantly, the fact that Hakai was able to get under her skin and make her lose herself to her emotions.
Noticing that Alisa is struggling to get her answer out, Dargon decides to try and buy time for Alisa, by asking a few questions:
“Mr proctor, isn’t this question pointless – anyone would be afraid of fighting an opponent of whom you know nothing about – other than the fact that he is stronger than you? Also, aren’t all ninja scared when fighting someone you don’t know, but makes it explicitly clear to you that he wants to kill you?”
“Listen youngster, these are individual questions, not group questions. If any other Genin decides to pull a stunt like this again – you’re going to be made to repeat the Academy – TWICE!” said Ooji angrily, unimpressed by Dargon’s intervention.
Realizing that Dargon just took a heavy blow for the team, Alisa became motivated to escape her flashbacks and tackle the question to the best of her ability.
“Excuse me sir, I am ready to answer, may I speak?” asked Alisa carefully, trying to defuse the situation while winning sympathy from Ooji, by giving the impresion that his authority has been reinforced, when in fact, she actually considers Ooji to be as much of an ass as Hakai, for the way he spoke to Dargon.
Realizing what Alisa is doing, Ooji decides to humor her by playing along with her game of small scale politics and encouraged her by adopting the persona of a benevolent old man to give her answer.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Yes, I was afraid because I struggled to fully gauge Hakai’s abilities. However, thanks to the teachings of my teachers, I knew the best course of action was to fight conservatively, while assessing the enemy. As to the one on one encounter – I deduced I wasn’t going to be able to escape Hakai as I was the only female on the exam field, which makes it easier to track me. Furthermore, from the initial group fight, we were unable to fully identify his fighting style and arsenal as body enhancement techniques were never taught to us.”
Hakai and Ooji both turn their eyes towards Garry, expecting him to immediately explain himself as to why any Genin would be unaware of the existence of body enhancement techniques. Ooji in particular was worried if techniques such as body debilitation techniques or phantasmal techniques, which are used to manipulate objects at a distance with incredible precision.
Realizing that both Ooji and Hakai are staring at Garry, Chris subtlety signals the would be headmaster to intervene by providing insight to both of the vile natured Chunin. Realizing he needs to answer the stares of the Chunin, the would be headmaster finally decides to share his perspective in regards to the issue brought up by Alisa.
“Well, this issue has been partially caused by Labour – they pressure us to stagnate the curriculum by focusing on lessons meant to improve combat readiness, critical thinking skills and survival techniques without allowing us to increase the amount of hours we are allowed to keep teaching Genin. As a result of Labour’s interference, these prolonged lessons on basics have cannibalized the necessary hours for us to teach Genin about advanced ninjutsu techniques.”
“That is outrageous and untrue! Labour have done the best they could to provide you with a comprehensive and practical schedule, HOWEVER, you and your members of staff failed to get the students to respect OUR meticulous educational agenda” shouted back Chris in outrage, at Garry’s accusation that Labour had interfered with the prosperity of Saiga.
While neither Hakai and Ooji were surprised by the fact that Labour went overboard with micromanaging the whole Academy, it was also obvious to the both of them that the other half of the issue was caused by the fact that the Genin could not keep up with the scholar agenda pushed by both Labour and the Ninja Academicians.
The Genin however were gawking at all the adults at the ridiculousness of the situation they are in. They received a beating like no other in the most brutal exam of their career as students from the Ninja Academy and even in the 12th hour, neither headmaster nor administrator can agree on why their performance has been subpar.
“I believe this issue should be discussed separately at a Council Assembly. As for our current issue regarding this exam, I believe both myself and Hakai agree that the deductions and decisions made by Alisa were both reasonable and in line with what all ninjas are taught and practice in their day to day activities” said Ooji, with confidence.
Chris, Garry and Hakai were all in agreement with Ooji and had no complaints in regards to his assessment – which made Alisa very happy, as this verdict gave her hope that, at the very least, she alone will become a Genin.
“Now then mr loud mouth, I think you would agree it’s appropriate for you to be analysed next” said Chris as he pointed towards Dargon. This in turn caused Ooji to agree as he also didn’t like the fact that Dargon tempted fate for the benefit of another – especially for one who has never shown desire or tendency to do the same for others.
Dargon shrugs stoically as he looks both Chris and Ooji straight in the eyes. After hardening his hearth and mind, he politely informs the proctors that he is prepared.
“Dargon, if memory serves me right, you are a member of the Hachijou clan, famous for their unique Storm Style techinques, however I’m curios as to why you refrained from making use of such powerfull techniques in this exam ?” asks Chris in an arrogant tone, hoping to bait a negative reaction out of Dargon.
“Is that it? It’s because I’m late bloomer. I don’t have it now, but when I do, I’m going to blow the competition away – with extreme prejudice!” declared Dargon arrogantly.
Seeing an opportunity to put Dargon in the hot seat, Ooji decides to pry some additional information from Dargon.
“I assume that, in accordance with Hachijou protocols, your course work has been adjusted so you can have extra lessons and opportunities in order to develop Water style and Lighting style ninjutsu as a precursor for becoming capable of using Storm style, am I right?”
Not understanding the purpose of Ooji’s line of questions, Dargon blindly confirms all of Ooji’s assumptions. Hakai struggles to hide his grin, as he accurately predicted what his mentor was about to do.
“In that case, I’m surprised that someone like you, who should have many techniques adjusted for mid and long range combat in his arsenal, chose to ignore almost all of them and rely almost exclusively on close range attacks against an unknown enemy. Based on this information, I feel compelled to ask – are you simply an idiot or do you have a death wish?” asks Ooji mockingly, as he tries to test Dargon’s ability to remain calm, when insulted.
“Leaders lead from the front line, God dammit!” shouted Dargon in anger, with his fist clenched, which causes Ooji’s eyes to narrow in annoyance as he asks Dargon to explain properly.
“By my own free will, I took charge of the situation to prevent the enemy from imposing his pacing to the combat scenario. During our first encounter, where we had no strategy, I fought as a one man unit, to try and create a rhythm for my comrades to follow. We had no formations, therefore no dedicated roles to fill. Due to our lack of team work, I deduced that improvised last minute team maneuvers had low chances of succeeding against a seasoned opponent!” explains Dargon as he relaxes his clenched fist.
Everyone was shocked by Dargon’s answer as it shows that despite his thought process being clouded by his arrogance and delusions, which gratify honorable combat and displays of bravado aimed at boosting his ego, Dargon’s combat instincts are so sharp, that they enable him to reach reasonable conclusions.
“I wish you explained it like this from the start youngster. All that bravado crap really doesn’t suit you…or any of us, as ninja. I think if you were to focus on boosting your productivity over your infamy, you might actually live long enough to be able to retire” said Ooji jokingly.
Hakai was taken aback by the comment as that is not the sort of praise his mentor normally gives out and this made him see Dargon in a new light. Alisa however was a bit annoyed that, some kid lacking in manners, maturity and combat proficiency was able to impress the examiners more than she did, despite going 1 on 1 with Hakai.
“Looks like we left the support for last on this occasion. Well done on getting this far, Zato” said Garry he turns towards Zato, the last of the Genin to be examined.
“What is there to examine? He barely did anything of importance during this exam. All he did was show that he was able to fight like a mage specializing in illusions – shouldn’t we just fail him with a referral for the Mage’s Academy, as an acknowledgment of his skills?” asked Ooji confused.
“Mr Atsuhiro, while I partially agree with your decision, I’m afraid we are not in agreement on the matter. Mr Gassai seems to believe Zato has merits as a ninja, while I am undecided on the matter. As far as I am concerned, Zato is a very competent illusionist, but I am unsure if we should refer to him as either a mage or a ninja – so I leave it between the two of you to help expose how, Zato will be contributing to the nation of Saigram.” said Chris, of the Labour committee, with a cold and dispassionate tone.
Both the Genin, Garry and Hakai were shocked at how easily both Ooji and Chris dismissed Zato’s capabilities. Zato himself was shocked the most, by their reaction, as he did not expect that his proficiency in ninjutsu would not be enough to compensate for his lack of skills in taijutsu.
“I think both of you are being far to dismissive of Zato based on his short comings in taijutsu. The reason why we are conducting this oral examination is because we were unable to acquire enough data to indicate how well developed the critical skills of the Genin have developed, which are a factor in the application of most of the skills they are taught in geijutsu courses” said Garry in protest towards both Ooji and Chris.
“I think here in lies the problem, after the group combat event, we haven’t had the opportunity to see how much Zato learned from the geijutsu lessons – we saw minimal applications of practical geijutsu such as his ability to identify and follow tracks, or his abilities to either detect or set up traps. I think Zato’s is simply the victim of bad luck, as he did not get enough opportunities to show of his skills” said Chris with a dispassionate tone.
“Calling Zato a mage is a bit of a stretch, if you ask me. Although his taijutsu is severely lacking, Zato and his illusory techniques were easily destroyed, not once did he fight as a mage” said Hakai confidently, much to the surprise of his mentor, as Hakai is not the sort of person to help people without a clear benefit to himself.
“Please enlighten us as to why you consider Zato to be a competent ninja and not a competent mage who studied extensive trivia regarding the profession of ninja” said Garry intrigued, as to what Hakai is about to do.
“I think Zato is perfectly capable of explaining himself – the kind of strategies he was planing on using to try and defeat me before you guys intervened” said Hakai confidently, as he gestures towards Zato to move forward and speak up.
“Well, the plan was to try and make you exhaust both your reserves of spiritual energy and ability to concentrate. It was clear to me from the beginning that you can destroy any illusory technique I use, so, the end goal was to obscure your eye sight with as many low quality illusions as possible while we over whelmed you with taijutsu – but the appearance of the familiar made things extremely difficult as we had to defend ourselves from it’s illusory prowess, which might not be possible considering the fact that you can easily defeat us in melee range” answered Zato anxiously, while having his eyes closed to hide the Jagan.
“The plan was reasonable, but it also shows a key flaw in Zato, he is too weak to be a ninja as he is too reliant on his illusory prowess to defeat strong opponents. However, his plan also shows a good understanding of combat stratagems relevant for ninja – I find it reasonable to offer Zato a choice at this point” said Ooji confidently to the adults.
Garry instantly agreed, while Chris pondered carefully what was said, fearing that Zato’s choices might cause extra work for him. Hakai and the Genin however were at a loss as to what the excentric proctor was about to do next.
“What do you say Zato, would you like to take this opportunity and give up on becoming a ninja? In exchange we will help you become a powerful mage representing the interests of both Saiga village and the country of Saigram.”
The offer from Ooji went way above what Chris was willing to indulge, but with Garry’s approval and the combined connections of the headmaster, Ooji and Hakai, it would be impossible for him to protest without putting Labour in a bad light, because Zato has proven to be a competent illusionist, who, with proper guidance could become either a competent disciple for a mage or a competent Genin for a Chunin.
For the first time in his life, Zato was unafraid and wanted to be perceived as someone who is strong. In the past, Zato was conscious of his short comings and saw them as something to build around his future, but now, after fighting and loosing to Hakai, after being pushed so close to his limits, Zato finally started wishing – to over come ALL of his short comings.
“I must admit, during this whole exam, I was afraid of Hakai, ever since he blasted the trunk of a tree with an average rock, I have been on full alert as I’ve never seen something that scary. The setup, the execution, the violence, the determination and skill to dispatch us with extreme prejudice – everything about Hakai as an opponent scares...no….Terrifies me to the very bone, because I know I can’t beat him as I am right now…”
Garry suddenly interrupts Zato.
“You don’t have to force yourself any more, we understand perfectly – it takes real courage to admit ones shortcomings and walk away. You are…”
Zato interrupts Garry in return, with his Jagan in full display of everyone.
“No sir, you don’t understand. What I was about to say is that despite the fact I was obviously afraid, my team mates both identified me as a potential key player in defeating Hakai and have trusted me unquestionably, despite seeing my shortcoming as a ninja – despite embarrassing myself when we first met. It felt amazing to be trusted like that and I wish to become a person worthy of such trust – even if it means training like crazy to become someone capable of defeating insane monsters such as Hakai and his mentor, I wish to remain a ninja.”
Hakai burst into laughter as soon as he realised that Zato accused both him and his mentor of being monsters in their own rights within the ninja world.
“Oy, what happened to Mr? Don’t you think you are getting a bit too bold for someone who went down in one punch?” asks Hakai jokingly, not trying to hide the fact that he was amused by Zato’s approach.
Zato’s Jagan suddenly dissipated as he bowed down, at a 90 degree angle and apologised profusely for speaking out of term, which in turn caused Ooji to scold Zato for not realizing that Hakai is simply joking with him.
Hakai looks at his Genin, with eyes widened in disbelief, as the proctors for his exam have decided that all 3 of his Genin have passed.
“Listen up you 3. Today you become Genin, which means that both Saiga and Saigram are going to have greater expectations from you from now on. This also means that every scumbag in the world is going to cross your path eventually, for the purpose of killing you with extreme prejudice. The days were you can live a quiet and slow life have ended and the days where you are going to train and fight like crazy to defend your rights to be alive have started. I hope you will have enjoyable careers as ninja” said Hakai seriously to his Genin, finally acknowledging their competency.
Happy that they have been acknowledged, all 3 Genin bow, at a 90 degree angle and thank Hakai for his kind words. Ooji nods in approval of the fact that Hakai gave his Genin a speech very similar to the one he gave Hakay, when he became a Genin.
For the first time ever, Hakai is actually happy to about helping develop others as opposed to helping put others in the ground/grave for the sake of work and self gratification.