As soon as Minato finished speaking, Torikaze appeared in the viewing stand with Chisato.
"What are you talking about? It seems quite lively."
Mifune chuckled. "We were discussing these students' futures. Ōnoki thinks it's somewhat cruel to have a year of effort decided in a single day."
Torikaze smiled at Ōnoki. "Since when did you become so kindhearted? Giving them a chance to change their fate after just one year is already very fair."
"How many people in the Shinobi World never get an opportunity like this? Even if they don't succeed, they'll still have gained a skill they can rely on for a long time. That's not bad at all."
Ōnoki waved a hand. "Ah, I was just saying it casually. I didn't think it was cruel. Mifune was overinterpreting it. It's only one year. Which one of us didn't start working hard from childhood?"
"What they're doing really isn't much."
Torikaze nodded. "That's right. Pick any ninja at random, and they would have had a harder time than this when they were in school. So even if they fail, it only means they didn't work hard enough."
"One year for a chance to rise to the top in a single step is already more than enough. Whether they can make it depends on their own abilities."
"Those with ability rise; those without fall. That's how everything works."
With that, Torikaze stood and walked to the glass window. The stage in the arena had already been completed.
The villagers were also beginning to enter one after another.
The spectator seats gradually filled up, and a closer look revealed many familiar faces.
Hashirama's entire family had come to join in the excitement, along with Kagami, Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others.
This was a grand event for Konoha, and something unprecedented—a