"Can he predict my movements before I even make them?"
That was the only thought going through the mind of the chūnin named Ida Saburō.
In midair, he deflected the kunai aimed at him with his blade, then quickly twisted his posture into a powerful downward slash aimed at his landing point.
But once again, Uzumaki Tong predicted the move. Just as the blade came down, Tong rolled across the floor and instantly launched three more kunai—this time, all aimed at Ida's feet.
It had only been a few seconds since the battle began, but the precision and timing were shocking.
Ida deflected the kunai again, only to see that Tong had already put several meters of distance between them.
He took a deep breath and steadied his mind. This seven-year-old child was not normal.
"…I suppose it's time I took you seriously," he said, straightening his posture and drawing his blade. "You've earned that much. My name is Ida Saburō."
More than a full minute had passed.
From the start of the duel until now, Ida had been on the defensive and even received a shallow cut on his arm. It wasn't serious, but the fact that he'd been injured at all by a genin-level student applying for graduation… that was unacceptable.
As a chūnin of Root, this kind of thing should never happen.
But he had to admit—he had underestimated him.
It wasn't just Tong's ability to predict movements or his precision with iaido. His speed and strength were inferior. But Ida's overconfidence had cost him control of the fight.
He clicked his tongue, then charged forward with more speed than before.
Meanwhile, Tong began analyzing the situation.
Earlier, he'd caught his opponent off guard, but now that wasn't going to work again. He remembered watching battles in Naruto and suddenly thought of hand seals.
Snake - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger…
Yes, that was the correct sequence.
Back when he first arrived in this world, he had obsessed over learning seals—even memorized the combinations.
But since he couldn't generate chakra back then, he had forgotten much of it.
Now? He had more than enough chakra.
Without hesitation, Tong began weaving hand seals at incredible speed.
Even Ida Saburō was stunned. A seven-year-old with this kind of sealing speed?
Even he couldn't match it.
And the technique he was forming was—
"Not good!" Ida exclaimed, immediately flickering to the side with near-Shunshin-level speed.
Too late.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Tong shouted.
BOOM!
A massive fireball roared from Tong's mouth, scorching a three-meter-wide crater into the floor and blasting into the wall with a thunderous explosion.
Ida turned quickly to locate Tong's position, but—
He was gone.
"Fire Style?! He can use Fire Style jutsu?! That damn brat… when I get back, I swear I'm gonna beat him senseless!" Yuantai muttered bitterly, clearly feeling a bit duped.
Even Kimura Sai stood there, jaw wide open.
When did this kid learn ninjutsu?!
And that hand speed—it was jōnin-level, at least!
Suddenly, three shuriken flew toward Ida's head.
He dodged, only to see Tong—already in a new position—casting more seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
"What?! How is he this fast?!"
Tiny fireballs burst from Tong's position and surged around Ida in a spread. Another explosion echoed through the chamber.
Tong didn't rest.
He switched positions again, like someone on an adrenaline high, and immediately started another seal chain.
Then, with a quick twist of his body, he turned and exhaled once more:
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
BOOM!!
The room shook as another massive explosion echoed. Ida had barely managed to dodge twice now.
He stood atop the training hall wall, staring down at the boy in shock.
Tong was panting slightly, but he looked energized—almost euphoric.
He had been right.
He did have Fire-style chakra!
And his chakra pool… wasn't bad at all.
Two Great Fireballs and one Phoenix Fire Jutsu—and he was still standing.
A bit tired, yes—but nowhere near collapse.
He remembered something Kakashi once said: "Great Fireball Jutsu consumes a huge amount of chakra."
What Tong didn't know was that Kimura Sai had intentionally hidden his chakra capacity from him, fearing he'd grow overconfident.
In truth, Tong's chakra levels were mid-to-high chūnin level.
If he were an average genin, he'd have already collapsed.
Now, Tong began reassessing Ida's combat style.
He wasn't a ninjutsu user—he'd dodged the fireballs with Substitution Jutsu, not counters.
That meant he was most likely a taijutsu type.
As for Tong, his hand-to-hand skills were still developing. He had a basic foundation, Yuantai's Iaido technique, and the Chakra Scalpel—but he lacked actual medical ninjutsu knowledge to use the scalpel fully.
Then—
His eyes lit up.
He drew his blade again and narrowed his eyes.
Across from him, Ida Saburō broke into a sweat.
This kid… isn't normal.
No wonder Lord Danzo made me his examiner…
Ida's brow furrowed, and his blade suddenly surged with chakra. He moved instantly, accelerating into high-speed footwork.
Even without activating his Sharingan, Tong could still track his movement with the Strongest Eye. But now… it felt just barely too fast.
The bandage over his left eye fluttered slightly.
He could use chakra effectively thanks to the Chakra Scalpel, but this level of speed… it was too much.
He couldn't keep up.
What now?
Wait—Chakra Scalpel!
If this guy wasn't as physically durable as Gai-sensei… then maybe he wouldn't be able to pull his strikes properly either.
It was risky, but worth trying.
He returned his sword to its sheath, gripping the hilt with one hand.
His eyes closed.
Even blind, the Strongest Eye could still read the movement of air currents. He could predict.
And then—
Shing!
He unleashed another Iaido draw slash, meeting Ida Saburō's blade midair.
At the same time, Tong's left hand surged forward, aimed directly at his shoulder.
Iaido required extreme focus and precision. He couldn't spam it constantly.
So now, he'd switch tactics.
Let the enemy experience the Chakra Scalpel firsthand.
WHAM!
A powerful blow smashed into Tong's shoulder, sending him flying six or seven meters before he crashed to the ground.
"Tong!" Yuantai and Kimura Sai shouted in unison, alarmed.
It was the first time in the fight that Tong had been visibly struck.
But even though his eyes could track the movements, his body simply couldn't keep up.
Even the speed and strength granted by the Strongest Eye weren't enough.
But then—
To their surprise, Ida Saburō dropped to one knee, gripping his leg in pain.
Meanwhile, Tong slowly rose to his feet, his right shoulder sagging awkwardly.
"…Your leg must hurt like hell right now," he said with a pained grin.