On the road leading to the Ninja Academy, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked slowly with his old pipe between his teeth, white smoke curling up in the morning air. Shimura Danzō stood to his right, keeping pace with him.
Hiruzen had originally been in his office, buried in paperwork, when Danzō suddenly showed up and invited him to the Academy to watch the first exam of the new first-year students.
Hiruzen knew exactly what his old friend was thinking. When a clan had a promising heir, it was only natural to want to show off in front of an old rival.
The two made their way near the Academy and slipped in without drawing any attention. With practiced ease, they leapt up into a large tree by the edge of the training field, using the thick foliage to conceal themselves.
Balancing on a sturdy branch, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and swept his gaze across the grounds.
He picked up on several familiar presences—parents, clan members, and ninja bodyguards scattered around, watching over the children.
"Looks like this exam has quite the audience," Hiruzen said calmly, turning slightly to glance at his old friend.
Danzō didn't reply. He only gave a faint nod, his attention locked entirely on the playground below.
On the training field, the physical test had already ended. The students of the elite first-year class now clustered loosely around their homeroom teacher, Yamakawa Seiji, standing in small groups, catching their breath in silence as they recovered their strength.
Among them, Uchiha Inari and Hyūga Toda stood out the most. Both had their arms hugged tightly around themselves as they panted heavily.
From pushing themselves too hard, their faces were flushed bright red. Sweat streamed down from their foreheads and hairlines, dripping off their chins in steady drops.
Compared to the other students, the two of them looked far more worn out and battered.
It wasn't because their physical ability was lacking—far from it. This was the result of the two of them repeatedly accelerating and sprinting during the run, all in a desperate attempt to pass Kizaru and claim first place.
Right from the start of the physical test, Kizaru had used his long legs to surge into the lead, quickly widening the gap between himself and the rest of the class.
The sight was quite awkward as if an adult was racing against kids making the scene slightly comical.
The impulsive Uchiha Inari and Hyūga Toda had no intention of letting Kizaru stay in front, so both of them immediately sped up, charging ahead in an attempt to overtake him.
However, no matter how much they pushed themselves, Kizaru was always just a little bit faster—keeping a steady half-meter lead the entire time.
The two could only stare at Kizaru's back right in front of them, unable to close that last bit of distance. Anger and frustration built up in their chests as they ran.
Unwilling to accept it, they gritted their teeth and continued to increase their speed, but it was useless. All they could do was watch Kizaru's annoying figure in front of them and eat the dust kicked up by his heels.
Anyone who has ever run long distance knows that maintaining a steady rhythm is the most important thing. The two of them repeatedly broke their own rhythm with constant sprints, burning through their stamina for nothing.
In the second half of the test, not only did they fail to surpass Kizaru, they couldn't even hold onto second or third place. By the end, their times had fallen to the middle and lower ranks of the class.
"Damn it…!" Uchiha Inari panted, his breath ragged, barely able to string his words together, face still twisted with frustration.
"When we spar… I'm definitely beating that guy," Hyūga Toda said from about a meter away, his expression just as unwilling.
"I'm the only one who's going to defeat that guy!" Inari straightened his back and glared over at Hyūga Toda, arrogance written all over his small face.
"You? Idiot," Hyūga Toda shot back with open disdain.
"You… you wanna go?!"
Uchiha Inari couldn't hold it in anymore and lunged toward Hyūga Toda.
Their squabble immediately drew the attention of classmates and teachers alike.
"Looks like they're fighting over you," Nara Shikaku commented, a little too amused, watching the two of them bicker like kids in a playground drama.
"Oooh~ so scary… being that obsessed at such a young age," Kizaru said with a quiet sigh, hands resting in his pockets as he stood beside Shikaku.
Shikaku tore his gaze away from the two hotheads and turned to look at Kizaru with open exasperation.
"You really are a terrible person."
"I'm sooo sorry~ but try to see it from my side… it's not easy being everyone's favorite, y'know," Kizaru replied in a tone that was anything but apologetic.
"...."
While Kizaru and Shikaku were talking, Yamakawa Seiji had already stepped in, quickly calming the dispute between Uchiha Inari and Hyūga Toda. Once they were separated and quieted down, he began announcing the start of the ninja tool throwing test.
Under his lead, the class moved to the right corner of the training field—the area they usually used to practice shuriken and kunai throwing.
"Everyone line up behind me. When I call your name, you'll step up and throw. Each of you has three attempts, and we'll record your best score," Yamakawa Seiji said, holding the class roster in his hand.
The students obediently walked up and formed a line behind him, quietly waiting to hear their names.
"Namikaze Minato!" Yamakawa Seiji called the first name.
Though only a month had passed since the start of term, Namikaze Minato had already become one of the most popular students in class—handsome, kind, and always wearing that warm, gentle smile. As he stepped forward, many classmates cheered for him.
Reaching the throwing line, Minato glanced at the teacher. After Yamakawa Seiji gave him a nod, Minato took a standard Academy-issued wooden shuriken from the pouch at his waist.
First throw: 6-ring.
Second throw: 7-ring.
Third throw: 7-ring.
For Minato, an orphan with no adult guidance before entering the Academy and no prior experience handling ninja tools, his results were already quite good.
"Nice work, Minato," Yamakawa Seiji said with a smile, raising his right hand and giving him a thumbs-up.
"Thank you, sensei." Minato bowed politely and stepped back.
Once Minato returned to the line, Yamakawa Seiji continued calling out names.
This was the elite class, after all, and most of the students here were clan heirs. Their throwing scores were generally good, rarely dropping below the fifth or sixth ring.
When Hyūga Toda's turn came, he made full use of the Byakugan's field of vision to land three consecutive throws in the ninth ring, earning cheers and applause from the rest of the class.
"Tch."
Watching the proud look on Hyūga Toda's face, Uchiha Inari, standing among the crowd, clicked his tongue in disdain.
It's just the ninth ring. What's there to show off about?
If I go up there, I'll definitely get a perfect score.
His chance came soon enough—Uchiha Inari was third in order after Hyūga Toda.
Under the gaze of the entire class, Uchiha Inari stepped forward with his head held high.
His confidence wasn't baseless. The Uchiha clan was famous throughout Konoha for their skill with shuriken and kunai—turning the throwing of ninja tools into an art form.
And he didn't embarrass that reputation.
Three throws.
Three perfect tens.
His movements were smooth and crisp, barely pausing between each throw.
"Inari-kun is amazing!"
"As expected of the Uchiha clan!"
"So cool!"
The admiring voices of his classmates poured in from all directions, making Uchiha Inari puff up with even more pride.
"Inari, that was very impressive," Yamakawa Seiji also praised openly.
"I'm not that amazing… hahaha!"
He started out trying to sound humble, but in the end couldn't suppress the smug laughter that slipped out.
Yamakawa Seiji simply smiled and shook his head, then continued down the roster.
"Shimura Kizaru!"
The moment he called that name, the noisy field fell abruptly quiet.
The "big boss" of the class was about to step up.
Everyone held their breath, eyes shining with anticipation.
Uchiha Inari also stopped laughing. He watched Kizaru walk out from the back of the line with a confident smile on his face.
"Kizaru-kun, do your best," he said, taking the initiative to cheer him on.
"Sure thing~," Kizaru replied with an easy grin as he passed Inari, then walked up to the throwing line.
"Sensei, if I end up breaking something out there… I don't have to pay for it, right?" Kizaru asked with a relaxed smile as he took his position.
"…"
Yamakawa Seiji was caught off guard by the question.
After a brief hesitation, he thought it over. No matter how strong he is, he can only break the targets, right?
"…No, of course not. Just do your best, Kizaru-kun," Yamakawa Seiji answered.
"Oooh~ say no more," Kizaru replied, lips curling into an unreadable smile as he reached into his waist pouch and drew out a wooden shuriken.
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