Chapter 10 — Tests part one
Meanwhile, in the school field, before the attendees—who were either ninja, civilians, or people of high positions—the reason for their attendance was the entrance exam for the Ninja Academy.
The air was thick with the smell of dust,sweat, and the cloying scent of political ambition.
Of course,it also surpassed that; there was a much stronger reason for the high-level individuals within the village system.
That reason was simply to show that the village was still well after the end of the Second Shinobi War.
The Hokage was using this method to show everyone that there was a chance for everyone to heal and for the village's blood to be renewed.
Of course,most people here didn't think this way.
But in this way,the Hokage was also planting this idea in their heads unconsciously.
A subtle,psychological pollen released into the communal air.
Therefore, while everyone was staring at the children, the Third Hokage was smiling.
His plan was succeeding.
Everyone was watching the special testing process at the school and trying at the same time to see their children in a new way.
Everything was under control.
At the same time,(Danzo) was marking every child with noteworthy talent for his special recruitment plan for the ninja system he would try to establish.
It was the system of Shadow Ninja,which he wished to call "The Root."
Ninjas ready to sacrifice their lives for Konoha.
And of course,he would be their leader and commander towards the summit.
With his sharp,dark eyes, he was able to discern the talent of each one of these children.
But his eyes focused on one child,who had white hair and black eyes, wearing a mask that hid the lower half of his face.
"(Hatake Kakashi). This is the miracle, isn't it? Let me see what you can do, son of the White Fang."
(Danzo)never hid his hatred for that man nicknamed the White Fang.
His power was too dangerous and uncontrolled.
Besides that,his fame had become widespread among the great ninja nations, making his chance of taking the Hokage position greater.
And(Danzo) would never allow that.
How could he allow someone else to become Hokage without his permission?
Therefore,he had always tried to defame him in secret, by spreading rumors about the White Fang.
He had even planned a secret operation that was so covert even the Third Hokage didn't know about it.
"When my plan succeeds,I will think about taking you, boy."
The thought was a venomous snake coiling in the back of his mind.
As for the other people, their eyes were fixed on their clan children.
For one of the most prominent figures in this place,(Fugaku Uchiha), also known as the future head of the Uchiha clan, he was standing there.
He was also next to the best geniuses the Uchiha clan had produced.
His gaze fell on his direct disciple,a black-haired youth with dark eyes who was called (Ryō Uchiha).
"I am sure (Ryō) will be a brilliant talent. I trained him myself. Besides, since everyone is watching, I can show the Uchiha's complete mastery through him."
He had personally trained(Uchiha Ryō) to ensure this child would be the best child among all the new generation.
Especially since this time was very important.
He was sure the other clans were thinking the same way—showing their talents to renew the village.
At this time,the clan that showed its members' talents the most would receive a lot of contributions from the village in the future.
Besides that,they would be able to improve their relationship with the Hokage.
And this is what most ninja clan heads were striving for at the present time.
A silent,bitter war of potential waged with children as the soldiers.
...
In the field, the teacher, (Nino), was preparing to start the exams while everyone was watching.
The gravel crunched under his boots—crunch, crunch, crunch.
"Get ready immediately!The exam will start now!"
After he said this,all the children gathered in a straight line.
Some with slow steps,some with speed.
This showed the difference in readiness between them.
But he didn't care.
He watched the Hokage,who gave him a signal.
Therefore,the first test began.
He looked at the students and then said,
"Your first test is a physical exam. You will have to run to the finish line over there. The individuals who reach the finish line first are the ones who will be ranked in the first places. As for the others, they will be accepted randomly, in addition to giving marks that will be clear to you in an organized manner in the end."
Officially and clearly,even in his treatment of the children.
The adults were looking at their children,while the ninja individuals were uninterested.
In the end,they were very confident that their clan members would easily be able to take the top ranks.
A low murmur of parental anxiety and clan pride hummed through the crowd.
From the far side, (Obito) looked towards the place where his teacher was standing.
His teacher was sometimes looking,turning to his right and left, as if checking for something important.
But at specific moments,he was looking at (Obito).
In the end,(Obito) didn't understand what his teacher meant with these looks.
But he smiled at his teacher's look and said to himself,"I will not let you down, Sensei. I will become a top student in the academy!"
His small fist clenched at his side.
At the same time, he heard (Guy)'s voice cheering for his father and saying he would pass the test.
At the same time,(Duy) wanted to go to his son and hug him and release a river of tears.
But,contrary to that, he pointed his finger at him in approval and said, "Show them your youth, (Gay)!"
His shout was so high that the people next to him immediately moved away.
A faint shockwave seemed to emanate from him—whoosh.
But(Duy) was only looking at his son.
At the same time,(Guy) was doing the same thing.
Some children who were next to him heard him say,"I will do it! I will show them all what youth is!"
His loud shout also pushed the other children away.
But as for(Obito), who was watching everything, he just smiled.
For some reason,(Guy)'s presence made (Obito) feel as if he was next to his teacher.
Of course,these feelings came from his memories with his teacher, who used to repeat the same words.
True,it wasn't with the same enthusiasm that (Guy) and his father emitted.
But nevertheless,he had the same words.
And that made(Obito) love staying next to (Guy).
He approached a little until he stood behind the boy and said,touching his shoulder, "(Guy), be ready. I will show you my youth too!"
(Guy) was surprised by someone grabbing his shoulder.
He turned quickly—swish—but he recognized the voice.
He smiled at(Obito) and said in an excited voice, "I will definitely do that! Now we have to go over there. It seems the teacher is waiting for us!"
The test had been divided into several groups, as the number of students who wanted to join the academy was large.
Hundreds of students were present,and the field, even if it was large, was not enough for such a large number to take the same test at once.
Therefore,they were divided into several groups to compete against each other.
The shuffling of feet and the teachers'sharp whistles filled the air—shff, shff, tweet!
...
(Sosuke), the one with white hair and black eyes, took deep, calm breaths as he watched (Obito).
It was now his turn.
He didn't feel worried that the boy wouldn't succeed.
In the end,with the training he had undergone, he was sure he would succeed easily.
If he were to be among the first,his control was also high.
Not to a very great degree,but at a level far beyond civilians and perhaps even members of weak clans.
Any(Inuzuka) or (Akimichi) would not be his match.
(Obito)would be able to face and defeat them, especially since it wasn't a combat test currently.
It was a physical test.
The combat test would be at the end of the exams,where the winners in the first physical and chakra control tests would qualify.
As for individuals who did not possess chakra,they would not be able to participate in the combat exam and would need high marks from the theoretical side to be able to join the Ninja Academy in the end.
Frankly, the method of telling the students that individuals who couldn't control chakra needed to exert effort in the written exam was just a polite way of saying they would never join.
The village now needed very talented and proficient ninjas.
Adding individuals who couldn't control chakra at this moment to the academy,if they didn't have talent, would waste resources.
Besides that,most of these individuals should be ordinary civilians or orphans who had no one.
Therefore,the village wouldn't face any problem refusing these individuals' admission to the academy.
But there's always a saying:instead of refusing like a stone, bend and be soft like water.
And this is what was happening at this moment with the rest of the students who couldn't perform chakra control.
A gentle,systemic exclusion masked as opportunity.
(Sosuke) stopped thinking about these matters and watched the first exam, which was running.
The first group included some characters(Sosuke) recognized easily.
The character who was running now was(Asuma Sarutobi), the son of the Third Hokage, who was leading the running race with great speed.
(Sosuke)noticed that (Asuma)'s body was well-trained and possessed high energy.
In the end,the boy won first place and smiled, pointing at himself proudly.
The crowd erupted in polite applause—clap, clap, clap.
In the second group, the character (Sosuke) recognized was (Anko Mitarashi), who was noticeable with her distinctive purple hair and loud voice.
She was also in the next group.
Next to her was also(Kurenai Yūhi).
The two girls competed with great difficulty between themselves.
One was an orphan,and the other was the daughter of a Jōnin.
In the end,(Kurenai Yūhi) won the second group and also helped (Anko), who was breathing with difficulty.
It was clear(Kurenai)'s victory could have been easier, as she was sweating calmly while (Anko) was breathing with difficulty.
(Sosuke)deduced the reason, which was certainly a difference in training.
(Kurenai)was the daughter of a Jōnin; clearly, he had taught her well.
The sound of(Anko)'s ragged gasps—huff, huff, wheeze—was a stark contrast to (Kurenai)'s controlled breathing.
At the same time, from afar, he was able to look at the character (Asuma).
The boy was cheering from the direction of the second group.
He noticed he was looking from afar at(Kurenai), and (Sosuke) was surprised.
"Damn.Even young children of this age can think about having crushes. It really is exactly as it exists in my memories, at least in this regard."
(Sosuke)sighed, trying not to focus on the matter.
And in his view,the group was changed again.
This third group included some characters,but the most prominent was a boy wearing green clothes.
It was(Guy), who was the most prominent student in this group.
Unlike the rest of the students who were running,(Guy) seemed as if he had disappeared.
He reached the finish line in one minute.
Even some individuals,even civilians, were surprised by the boy's speed.
But(Sosuke) wasn't surprised.
In the end,this boy had been training like a madman since birth.
What did people expect from him other than to be a monster like this?
Of course,he didn't say it, but he was thinking this way in his heart.
At the same time, he heard the sound of crying, screaming, and great pride coming from another direction, relatively close.
The sound was so high it was easily heard from anywhere in the academy.
It was the voice of(Might Duy) running towards (Might Guy), who was also running in the same direction.
In the end,the father and son hugged with a warm embrace that made people avert their eyes from the other side and avoid the emotional moment between son and father.
But as for(Sosuke), he didn't imitate the others by looking away from the scene.
He smiled,and inside, he thought, "I'm sure I can build a good relationship with them."
And that wasn't for good reasons and the kindness of his heart,but because he was sure it was very easy to have a relationship with (Might Duy), especially since he was a very kind person.
And as long as you dealt with him with respect and did things that didn't harm his family or insult him personally,he would be a wonderful friend for you.
With the presence of(Obito), whom he had noticed had approached (Guy) as requested, (Sosuke)'s thoughts were becoming more and more feasible.
In the end,he also stopped thinking about this and decided to postpone the matter.
The sound of the(Might) family's emotional reunion—THUD! Sob! "MY BOY!"—was a spectacle he filed away for future use.
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Author's Note:
Thank you,dear readers, for enduring the chaotic, sweaty, and politically charged spectacle of the academy exams! Your presence makes the cogs of this world turn. ❤️ 🙂
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End of Chapter.
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