The Ninja Academy had six academic years. Each year began in April and ended in March of the following year.
The year was divided into three terms: the first ran from early April to mid-July, the second from early September to late December, and the third from early January to the end of March.
In this era, the Academy's stipulated enrollment age was five to six years old.
Konoha Year 28.
Nawaki, the five-year-old younger brother of the Princess of the Land of Fire and the grandson of the First Hokage, stepped into the Ninja Academy founded by the Second Hokage. The true crown prince had officially enrolled.
…
Konoha Year 30, July 18.
Today was the last day of the first term for all grades at the Ninja Academy.
Students from the third to the sixth year, who had already undergone the second and third stages of training, began their end-of-term exams early in the day, covering academic subjects, practical combat, and the Three Basic Techniques.
As for the first- and second-year students, who were still using stones instead of shuriken for throwing practice, the most valuable and also the only assessment that could result in injuries was… a taijutsu match.
And that assessment had been scheduled for last.
In the afternoon, on the school's training ground, in the area designated for Class One of the first year.
Male and female students stood or sat in a circle, watching what was, for children their age, an extremely intense battle.
At the center of the circle, two young boys with different hair colors were freely displaying their talent.
While their peers, and even students from higher grades, still relied purely on brute strength, these two had already learned to incorporate chakra into their speed. With minds far more mature than their age suggested, they used their eyes and brains to predict their opponent's next move, choosing to dodge or bait an attack at just the right moment.
Such a spectacle, rare even among upper-year students, left the onlookers wide-eyed in shock. Even the chūnin teacher acting as referee could not hide his astonishment.
When he was young, he never understood why he fell short compared to true geniuses.
Now, as a mature observer, he finally realized just how vast the gap between his former student self and those geniuses truly was.
The two boys before him were undoubtedly the kind of prodigies who had already left their peers far behind.
Unlike other matches that ended quickly due to pain or overwhelming strength, this fight dragged on for quite some time.
Only when the blond boy began to show signs of exhaustion, his reactions and speed dropping sharply, did the white-haired boy, who was faring slightly better, seize the advantage. He created an opening by sidestepping a straight punch, grabbed his opponent's arm, and executed a clean shoulder throw, slamming him to the ground before using a grappling technique to restrain him completely.
Seeing this, the chūnin teacher immediately announced the result.
"The match is over. The winner is Yami. Perform the reconciliation seal."
As the teacher's voice fell, the stunned students finally snapped back to their senses.
Then the field erupted into chatter.
"So… so amazing!"
"Is this Minato and Yami's true strength? They were actually hiding it this whole time!"
"Maybe it's not that they were hiding it, but that none of us ever pushed them hard enough. If they hadn't been matched together this time, we might never have known how strong they really are!"
"What a shame for Minato. If he had developed as fast as that Yami guy, he might've been the one to win."
"Hey, keep your voice down! Don't stand next to me, I don't want Yami to notice."
"Crap, do you think he heard that?!"
"…"
"Minato-kun and Yami-kun were both so cool. I didn't even know who to cheer for."
"I still think Yami is better. That cold look is so cool, and he's strong too. He even beat up upperclassmen right after enrolling. He feels so reliable."
"I think Minato-kun seems easier to get along with."
"…"
Amid the discussions, the two boys, whose heights differed by about half a head, completed the reconciliation seal.
"Thank you for the match, Yami. Your strength is really impressive," Namikaze Minato said with a gentle smile, speaking from the heart.
"You're not bad either."
Looking at Minato's bruised face, Yami, who was also covered in minor injuries, felt a complex emotion flash through his eyes.
There was no joy of victory in his heart, only pressure.
Because only he knew that he wasn't a genius at all.
Both of them possessed the same hundred-and-thirty-trillion cells of an "otherworldly little superman," but no one knew that inside Yami's body was the soul of a man in his twenties.
An adult who had spent so much time and effort only to barely defeat a real six-year-old child. What was there to be happy about?
On the contrary, this match allowed Yami to witness the potential of a truly perfect ninja. That terrifying reaction speed made it no wonder Minato would later become the second person in Konoha to master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And this was only the first term.
At this rate, wouldn't he soon be left far behind?
The thought made Yami's mood sink even further.
On the surface, however, he returned to his spot with an expressionless face.
Because of his "cold" and "school tyrant" reputation, neither boys nor girls dared to approach him.
This stood in sharp contrast to the other side, where Minato, having returned to his group, was immediately surrounded by classmates offering comfort.
The exams continued, and as one taijutsu match after another concluded, the first term finally came to an end.
Once the teacher announced the start of the holidays, Yami was the first to leave the academy and head home.
Yami's house was a three-story Western-style building with a small courtyard, located on Konoha's central street. In both location and value, it was second only to those of the ninja clans.
It was clear that Yami's family background was exceptionally wealthy.
After changing shoes at the entrance, Yami passed through the living room and headed straight for the bathroom, passing by a household altar that held two memorial portraits.
Warm water sprayed from the showerhead, filling the bathroom with mist.
Yami tilted his head back, letting the water pound against him as he slicked his white hair back with both hands. The tightly furrowed white brows he'd worn all day finally relaxed.
Standing under the shower, lost in thought, Yami only opened his eyes after a long while.
They were blue eyes, the same color as Minato's.
But unlike Minato's clear azure, Yami's carried a pale, icy hue. Combined with his expressionless face, they gave off an unmistakably cold impression.
After a quick wash, Yami stepped out wearing a bathrobe.
Standing before the mirror and drying his hair, he looked at the boy reflected back at him and couldn't help but mock himself in his hometown's language.
"Heh… same surname, same hair color, eye color, and even looks so similar. So why don't I get some broken overpowered cheat? If I could just have invincible strength and live freely for decades, even ending up torn in half someday would be worth it."
Once he'd dried his hair, Yami glanced at the time. Instead of making dinner to fill his growling stomach, he went to the storage room on the first floor. Lifting an inconspicuous tatami mat, he entered a basement hidden beneath it.
As the kerosene lamp was lit, the basement came into view.
The walls were covered in tadpole-like inscriptions. Two rows of shelves lined the room, filled with scrolls and books, alongside several large chests.
Labels beneath them showed careful categorization: ninjutsu scrolls, secret histories from the Warring States period, various ninja tools and pills, as well as vast amounts of gold and silver.
This was the foundation of the Gojo family, and the inheritance Yami's parents had left him.
It was also the greatest support Yami, the transmigrator, currently possessed.
(End of Chapter)
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