Catch Up to Me!

The Ninja Academy was as lively as the village itself. A long banner hung above the entrance: "Ninja Academy Opening Ceremony." A group of five- and six-year-old children stood before the gates, chattering noisily.

Here, it was easy to tell the children of clans apart from commoners.

The commoners clustered together, curious about everything. Nervousness showed on their faces as they talked nonstop.

To these children, becoming a ninja meant rising above others. Becoming a great ninja would earn them a different kind of status.

The dangers of the Shinobi World were still far away from them, and perhaps no one had ever told them about those dangers. After all, most of the children here were war orphans.

Most of them had never received any training. By the System's standards, many of them were Level 0, or even below that. Yet some of them would still enter the academy. After graduation, they would become Cannon Fodder on the battlefield.

But how many could stand out and become figures like Jiraiya, Orochimaru, or the Fourth Hokage?

Reality was that cruel.

The children of the major clans, meanwhile, stood scattered about. They generally only stayed with groups of friends they got along with.

They felt no pressure at all. The selection here was merely a formality.

They were destined to enter the academy and study there. That was why most of them looked at the commoners with a sense of superiority.

Most of them had already undergone basic Taijutsu training.

By the System's standards, most of them were Level 1, while some had already reached Level 2.

After a short while, a dark-faced Chunin wearing a Konoha Ninja forehead protector walked in. He began leading the children away.

Although the Ninja Academy recruited all children of suitable age in the village, whether they came from clans or commoner families, and allowed them to study there,

the Ninja Academy did not accept just anyone. To enter, one had to pass the academy's assessment.

Not everyone was qualified to become Cannon Fodder. Even Cannon Fodder had to be high-grade Cannon Fodder.

The assessment was naturally simple: run two hundred laps around the field.

The number of laps was neither too high nor too low.

Chakra was physical energy extracted from each of the human body's 130 trillion cells.

Moreover, ninja combat required a strong body.

Two hundred laps were no small number for ordinary people, but this world was filled with an energy called chakra. Children therefore possessed excellent physical constitutions. Once they got through their early childhood years, they could begin basic training.

For Uchiha Chen, two hundred laps were merely the bare minimum.

Gentle sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves and fell across the children's faces. For the sake of their dreams, the children ran with all their might.

Therefore, all Uchiha Chen had to do was take first place.

What was the difference between failing to take first and being a salted fish? Winning by an overwhelming margin was the only way to highlight Uchiha Chen's talent.

The moment the run began, Uchiha Chen rushed to the front.

Among the leading group, Uchiha Chen fixed his gaze on the boy beside him. The boy was around five years old and had brownish-yellow hair.

The Senju Clan crest was embroidered on the boy's clothes.

The boy naturally noticed the child beside him and turned his head.

The boy was not particularly handsome, but he had an exceptionally spirited appearance.

Looking closely, he even bore some resemblance to the stone face of the First Hokage.

Senju Nawaki!

I never expected Nawaki and I would be in the same class! Uchiha Chen thought.

Uchiha Chen did not mind making a name for himself at the Ninja Academy.

After all, his situation within the Uchiha Clan was not particularly good.

So after graduation, he did not want to be assigned a Jonin instructor from his own clan.

That would not benefit his future development.

In Konoha, the Hokage was the boss. Therefore, like his father, he had to firmly stand on the Hokage's side.

That meant he had to display his talent. No one paid attention to people without talent.

He gathered his strength and tried to overtake Nawaki.

If he wanted to stand out, taking first place in the entrance examination was the best choice.

Especially if an Uchiha Clan orphan defeated Senju Nawaki, the grandson of the First Hokage, and took first place. That would carry plenty of weight.

What a perfect script.

Was there a better gimmick than that?

Nawaki truly was worthy of being from the Senju Clan. Leaving aside his vast chakra reserves, his physical constitution alone was far superior to that of the Uchiha Clan. Even if he had not inherited the First Hokage's Sage Body.

That was a matter of talent.

It was precisely because of this talent that the Senju Clan had firmly held the title of the greatest clan of the Warring States Period, and had even defeated the Uchiha Clan in the later years of that era.

Furthermore, Nawaki was different from Uchiha Chen. Uchiha Chen was ostracized within his clan, and no one taught him. He could only train on his own initiative.

Though the Senju Clan had declined, there were still many people willing to guide Nawaki.

Not to mention his older sister, Tsunade. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were also willing to teach him.

Not to mention that he also had his grandmother, Uzumaki Mito.

Therefore, before he had added points yesterday, Uchiha Chen truly had not been Nawaki's match in Taijutsu.

Some of the leading clan children were also unwilling to let others pull too far ahead of them.

Going through the motions was one thing. To these clan children, losing was not a problem, but being lapped several times would be a tremendous blow.

At the very least, their clans would value them far less.

So they also picked up their pace and caught up to the two of them.

For a time, the overall speed began rising once more.

During the first few laps, Nawaki could still rely on his greater chakra reserves to barely remain neck and neck with Uchiha Chen.

Once Nawaki's chakra was exhausted, the distance between them gradually began to widen.

Although Nawaki had an excellent physique, Uchiha Chen's Taijutsu was now Level 3. He was already a major force in the Ninja Academy, let alone among these weaklings who had not even entered the academy yet.

According to the System's explanation, the practical effects of Level 3 Taijutsu compared to Level 2 were a significant increase in Uchiha Chen's endurance, stamina, speed, strength, and understanding of Taijutsu.

The literal explanation was easy enough to understand. To master Taijutsu, endurance, strength, speed, and comprehension were the main ability indicators.

Thus, Uchiha Chen felt as though he were about to fly.

Very quickly, Uchiha Chen began widening the gap between himself and Nawaki. He started leading everyone.

Senju Nawaki gritted his teeth and gave chase, but the gap only grew wider. He held second place.

Nawaki realized that no matter how hard he tried, that Uchiha brat ahead of him could always maintain the lead.

Every time he accelerated to catch up, that brat would become even faster. The distance between them therefore kept growing.

Did he take stimulants?

That bastard.

Uchiha Chen felt that he had never been this fast before.

He could not resist looking back over his shoulder, admiring the twisted faces of those chasing him. What a flamboyant move.

My foolish classmates,

if you want to catch up to me,

then hate me, curse me.

Then live on miserably.

Keep running, running,

all just to catch up to me.

And one day, once you possess the same speed as me,

come before me.