The next day, after seeing his parents' injuries were healing, Kazama headed straight to the Ninja Academy.
Today was the graduation exam.
If he wanted to end up in the same class as Naruto, he had to pass this exam first.
Kazama remembered flunking every single test before this.
But today was the final part of the exam—spar! And with the ** system on his side, Kazama was ready to dominate.
Sure, he only knew one ninjutsu, Karyū Endan, but thanks to the ** system, he could absorb any jutsu thrown his way.
Whether it was ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu, nothing could touch him.
On top of that, even his basic attacks now carried the scorching power of Genkō En.
In other words, a single punch from Kazama could hit like a critical strike.
With these tricks up his sleeve, forget about the other academy students—Kazama wasn't even sweating Genin or Chūnin.
Plus, he planned to use this sparring match to make everyone see him in a whole new light.
Just then, Iruka stepped into the center of the group.
"Alright, everyone, it's time for the final part of our graduation exam! First match: Sanada Kazama versus Kato Saburo!"
"Kato Saburo? Who's that guy? If I'm gonna fight, I want the best—that's how you make a name for yourself!"
With that thought, Kazama shouted to Iruka, "Sensei, I want to fight Sasuke!"
"No way, that loser Kazama's challenging genius Sasuke? He's just asking to get wrecked!"
"Man, this is gonna be good. Sanada Kazama's about to get his face smashed by Sasuke, haha!"
The crowd's ruthless jeers didn't faze Kazama one bit. Instead, he smirked to himself.
Here's the deal: Kazynaptic: Kazama picking Sasuke as his opponent wasn't random.
First, beating Sasuke—the top dog at the Ninja Academy—would make everyone rethink calling him a loser.
Second, with the ** system, Kazama could absorb Sasuke's taijutsu and upgrade it to something even stronger.
Since he only had Karyū Endan right now, he needed to level up his skills fast.
"Sasuke-kun, are you willing to accept Kazama's challenge?" Iruka asked.
Sasuke, keeping his usual ice-cold demeanor, shrugged.
"I don't mind sparring with the dead-last."
He strolled up to the sparring ring.
"But I don't hold back. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life in a hospital bed, you'd better back off now."
"Oh yeah? Then don't you dare go easy on me," Kazama shot back, stepping into the ring.
"No way, the dead-last Kazama's actually going through with it?"
"Didn't he used to be a total coward? Is he really gonna fight Uchiha Sasuke?"
Down below, Sasuke's fangirls were losing it, hurling insults at Kazama.
"Who do you think you are, dead-last, challenging our Sasuke-sama?!"
"Sasuke-sama, teach this loser Sanada Kazama a lesson!"
"Fine, you asked for it! *Shishi Rendan!*"
In a flash, Sasuke closed the distance, launching a low-to-high kick that sent Kazama flying into the air.
"Beg for mercy now, and I might let you off. Anyone hit by my taijutsu either dies or loses a layer of skin!"
"Me, Sanada Kazama, beg? Never!"
Kazama didn't back down, not even against cocky Sasuke.
Thanks to the ** system, Sasuke's attack power was completely absorbed. His Shishi Rendan taijutsu? It didn't even scratch Kazama.