The Ninja Academy

The time flew by, and it was suddenly the day of the Ninja Academy entrance exam.

Refusing Yūhi Kurenai's offer to accompany him, Yamei went to the academy entrance alone.

The area was already bustling with people, a mix of adults and children.

Even though the great ninja clans had their own training methods, their children were still required to attend the Ninja Academy for further study.

For commoners, it went without saying that entering the Ninja Academy was their crucial chance to become ninjas and change their destinies.

As more and more people gathered, Yamei constantly scanned his surroundings and gradually spotted some familiar faces.

The young master of the Inuzuka Clan, Inuzuka Kiba, and his dog, Akamaru.

Haruno Sakura with her pink hair, and Aburame Shino, who had a rather low presence.

Nara Shikamaru with his pineapple-like hair, Choji with his stout build, Ino with her ponytail, and Hyuga Hinata, clutching the corner of her father's clothes.

As if sensing Yamei's gaze, Hyuga Hinata turned her head to look.

Upon clearly seeing Yamei, her eyes lit up, but she immediately shyly shrunk back behind Hiashi.

Yamei had no intention of going over to greet her, especially with Hyuga Hiashi present.

He didn't have a strong background, and attracting the attention of a peculiar clan like the Hyuga would not be a good thing.

"Have Naruto and Sasuke not arrived yet?"

As Yamei was lost in thought, a surprised voice sounded beside him.

"Huh! Yamei-kun, are you also enrolling this year? That's great! We'll be classmates from now on!"

Turning his head, he saw the blond Naruto running over with excitement.

"Oh, it's Naruto, long time no see."

Yamei greeted him with a smile, simultaneously noticing that Naruto's appearance had drawn the attention of everyone around them, much of it filled with disgust.

"Yamei!"

Ino also noticed and her eyes lit up, wanting to come over and talk.

However, seeing her father beside her and frowning as he sized up Naruto next to Yamei, she knew she couldn't act rashly right now.

"Does Ino know them?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked his somewhat uneasy daughter.

Ino shook her head and pointed at Yamei, "I only know Yamei, I don't know the other one."

"Mhm." Yamanaka Inoichi's gaze swept over Yamei, his thoughts unclear...

Beside them, Nara Shikamaru appeared lazy, but his eyes constantly observed the people around him, as well as the expressions of his father and the other elders.

As for Choji... he was happily munching on a bag of chips, carefree.

Naruto's initially excited expression fell, and he looked at Yamei with guilt, "I'm really sorry, Yamei... I... I think I've brought you trouble."

Yamei blinked and couldn't help but reach out to pat Naruto's head, laughing, "That doesn't sound like the Naruto I know!"

He felt quite sorry for this guy.

If he were in Naruto's position... sorry... unforgivable!

Naruto's dimming expression regained its fighting spirit, and he clenched his fist, "That's right! I'm going to be Hokage!"

"Tch, another one who talks big."

"Damn it!! Who said that?"

Naruto angrily turned his head, only to see Uchiha Sasuke standing beside Uchiha Itachi with his arms crossed, looking at Naruto with disdain.

"It's you, isn't it! You look down on me!"

"No, I don't look down on you, I simply don't even see you." Sasuke arrogantly tilted his head.

"Ah! Damn it! Do you have the guts to fight me one-on-one!" Naruto shouted furiously.

"Tch, boring!" Sasuke snorted coldly.

Watching this scene, Yamei sighed, They truly are rivals... sparks flying the first time they meet.

He looked up at Uchiha Itachi, who was smiling slightly as he watched Sasuke and Naruto bicker... It was hard to imagine this man being the cold-blooded killer responsible for the clan massacre.

"Hello, you must be Uchiha Itachi? My name is Hyakawa Yamei." Yamei stepped forward and extended his hand.

Uchiha Itachi paused, then took Yamei's hand, "You know me?"

"I've heard of your great name." Yamei's eyes brightened, he nodded at Itachi, then turned to Naruto and said, "Stop messing around, it's time for the entrance exam."

"Oh, okay..." Naruto nodded while glaring fiercely at Sasuke.

"This Yamei... is quite unusual..." Itachi had been observing everything.

The moment he made eye contact with Yamei, he sensed something unusual in those pink eyes, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Yamei also noticed Itachi's gaze on him but didn't pay it much mind, instead looking joyfully at his gains.

[Materials Acquired: Sharingan pupil power enhancement, Genjutsu talent and comprehension, Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.]

In that instant, he felt a surge of comfort in his eyes, and his understanding of genjutsu deepened further, reaching the point where he could control it with ease.

"Truly worthy of Uchiha Itachi, his understanding of genjutsu is terrifying! But now... it's all mine!" Yamei's lips curved into a smile.

As for Sasuke... he had no intention of using Magic Hand at the moment.

It would be shameful to waste his first opportunity when he had nothing!

As people began to arrive, the gates of the Ninja Academy finally opened, and the crowd surged inside.

Immediately after, several Chunin from the academy came out to oversee the entrance examination, including Iruka, of course.

"Hello everyone. I am Umino Iruka, and for the upcoming entrance exam, you will be tested on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Tools!"

"However, since most of you have not yet come into contact with Ninjutsu, or even refined Chakra, the Ninjutsu portion will be changed to a test of your Chakra refining talent!"

The children from the great clans showed little change in their expressions at the examination rules announced by Iruka. On the other hand, the civilian children were filled with worry.

However, the exam would not stop because of their worries. Following Iruka's announcement, the assessment officially began.

The students were divided into three teams by several Chunin for testing.

The first test was Chakra refining, scoring based on the time taken from the start, entering the state, and refining the first wisp of Chakra.

For those who had already begun training, they could basically score above 7 points! For the civilian children who were just starting to come into contact with it now... reaching 5 points would already be remarkable.

As for the latter two items, which focused on Ninja Tool usage ability and physical strength, Yamei completed the tests with ease.

After finishing the tests, he sat down, and an annoying voice sounded next to him:

"Hey, you're Hyakawa Yamei, right? You're not bad!"

"..." Yamei subconsciously looked up at the sky...

"What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?" Sasuke's veins bulged on his forehead at this. He rarely praised anyone! And yet, he was being ignored like this.

"No, I was just checking if the sky was clear..." Yamei smiled.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke was completely confused.

"It's just... Two-tails, you're pretty good too."

"Two... Two-tails?" Sasuke's small head was utterly bewildered.

"Yamei! What's wrong with your eyes?"

Ino, having also finished her test, ran over happily and chattered with Yamei.

Seeing this, Sasuke wanted to ask but didn't feel it was appropriate to speak up, so he could only let out a muffled hmph.