Chapter 4: Entrance Examination
Although manipulating chakra shape was difficult, by recalling how Naruto had popped the water balloon in the series, Kaito was able to mimic the method—applying rotating pressure to various parts of the balloon within just a few days.
However, he still hadn't managed to pop it.
Perhaps his chakra reserves were too low.
If he had more chakra available, he should be able to burst it.
Oh well, there's no point worrying about it now. I can only keep practicing and continuously improve my shape manipulation ability.
A few months later, Kaito turned six years old and became eligible to take the Ninja Academy entrance exam.
There were still two months until the exam.
He asked around about the exam's format and content.
He learned that the entrance exam mainly tested physical fitness and chakra control to determine whether candidates had the potential to become shinobi.
Kaito felt quite confident in both aspects, so he wasn't too worried.
He continued his usual training routine but added shuriken throwing practice.
Every afternoon, he began walking into the small forest behind the orphanage, marking targets on tree trunks and practicing his accuracy with handmade wooden shuriken.
This was to prepare in case they added a shuriken throwing component to the entrance exam.
Unfortunately, the orphanage had no shuriken available to borrow, and as a penniless orphan, Kaito had no money to buy any.
Therefore, the wooden shuriken he used were carved from small branches in the forest, cut precisely using his Wind Release chakra.
Carving the wooden shuriken while utilizing Wind Release also helped enhance his chakra control even further.
Although the shuriken weren't perfect, they were the only option available to him.
Kaito also had another idea he wanted to test.
He'd pretty much mastered the basic requirements, so passing the exam shouldn't be a problem.
However, he wanted to experiment with using chakra to enhance his physical performance.
Kaito knew that shinobi could increase their speed by concentrating chakra in their legs.
Similarly, focusing chakra in the fists could dramatically increase striking power.
He wanted to see if he could perform more push-ups and other exercises by using chakra to enhance his body.
With this idea in mind, Kaito began his experiment.
When using chakra during these exercises, he noticed a significant increase in both speed and strength.
But there were also several problems.
First, his chakra control was still inefficient, and large amounts of chakra were being wasted.
Second, his current chakra reserves were too limited to sustain these enhanced exercises for very long.
So Kaito decided to modify his morning exercise routine.
He would continue completing his regular training first, but afterward, he would repeat the entire routine while channeling chakra to enhance his performance.
This approach benefited him greatly.
His physical fitness and chakra enhancement ability improved dramatically, and the growth rate of his chakra reserves also accelerated significantly.
Kaito began to wonder why his chakra capacity had suddenly started growing so much faster.
After some analysis, he came to a conclusion.
His chakra reserves were increasing rapidly because he was completely depleting his chakra every single day.
Each time he exhausted his chakra like this, it likely expanded his maximum capacity slightly.
If his analysis was correct, then he currently had two methods to increase his chakra reserves.
The first method was through a combination of physical exercise and meditation to gradually build stamina.
The second method was to repeatedly push his chakra to complete exhaustion, forcing it to expand.
Kaito wondered if there might be other methods as well.
About two months after Kaito's sixth birthday, the entrance exam finally arrived.
Kaito woke up early, washed up, and prepared to head to the Academy.
This was the first time in ten months that he'd skipped his morning training.
He waited for Takeshi and Ryo to get ready, as they also planned to take the exam.
This year, a total of about seven boys and two girls from the orphanage were preparing to take the Ninja Academy entrance exam.
They all set off together, accompanied by one of the orphanage caretakers, an older woman named Momoko.
Upon arriving at the Academy, the children were surprised by the massive crowd.
A girl from the orphanage named Naomi exclaimed, "What?! There must be at least a thousand people here!"
Momoko nodded and said, "Probably more than that. Last year, over 1,600 children took the exam, and ultimately only about 330 were admitted."
All the children looked at her nervously.
Kaito thought to himself, I didn't expect this many participants. Konoha must be desperately trying to fill the gaps left by the Third Great Ninja War and the Nine-Tails attack. Well, it doesn't affect me either way.
Kaito looked around and noticed several people in the crowd wearing Konoha headbands.
Momoko followed his gaze and explained, "Those are shinobi from the various ninja clans in our village, probably accompanying their children. Kids from clan families have a much higher chance of passing the exam."
Hearing this, several children became visibly nervous.
Seeing their worried faces, Momoko smiled encouragingly. "But don't worry too much. Most of the children taking the exam are from civilian families just like you, so your chances are still quite good. Do your best!"
The other children nodded, though still looking anxious.
At that moment, a person wearing a chunin vest approached the crowd and announced that the exam was about to begin. All examinees should gather at the training grounds behind the Academy.
As they walked behind the Academy building, Kaito and his group got a clear view of the Hokage Monument, with the faces of all four Hokage carved majestically into the mountainside.
Everyone stared in awe.
Kaito thought to himself, Although I've seen it from a distance before, up close it's incredibly impressive! I wonder if there's more to it than just being a symbol—like hidden passages or facilities inside.
Inside the Academy, in a conference room, several chunin—mostly Academy instructors—sat discussing the entrance exam procedures.
A chunin stood up and handed a report to the meeting coordinator.
Nara Takamasa looked over the report and sighed heavily.
After the Third Shinobi World War ended, the Third Hokage had personally assigned him to oversee the entrance examination.
He'd been instructed to pass as many qualified students as possible because Konoha had lost thousands of shinobi during the war.
Due to his contributions organizing the Academy, he'd been promoted to Special Jonin after the war ended.
He sighed again, thinking, This is exhausting...
He reviewed the report and found that 2,147 children were taking the entrance exam this year—an increase of about 30% from the previous year.
Well, first we need to weed out those with inadequate physical conditioning.
He gave the signal to the designated chunin to begin the exam.
Doi Seishi was in charge of the first stage.
He announced loudly, "Attention all examinees! The first stage of the exam will now begin. You must complete five laps on the designated path marked around the training grounds. Each lap is approximately 500 meters. Everyone will be monitored during this run. I will run at the front, and all of you must follow behind me!"
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