Graduation Exam

Konoha Year 37, continuous rain.

A gray rain curtain shrouded the entire Konoha village.

The air was thick with a mixture of earthy, fishy, and rusty smells—the scent of war.

The Second Shinobi World War was in full swing. Casualty reports from the front lines flew back to the village like snowflakes, resulting in newly added names on the memorial stone, and the Ninja Academy having to hold its graduation exams ahead of schedule.

On the Ninja Academy training grounds, a group of children, only about ten years old, were lined up waiting for their assessment.

"Next, Nishikawa Tetsu."

Teacher Daikoku, the Chunin proctor, was frowning, holding a rain-soaked grade sheet, his tone revealing an undisguised weariness and perfunctoriness.

From the crowd, a black-haired, black-eyed boy stepped forward.

He had delicate features and a somewhat thin build.

Unlike the other trembling peers around him, Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool, even carrying a hint of scrutiny that didn't match his age.

"Here."

Nishikawa Tetsu's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

He walked to the throwing line and took out three shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

"This is the graduation exam, how can this kid not be nervous at all?"

"Tch, he just got a perfect score on the written test. Everyone knows his Chakra reserves are pitiful in practical combat."

Whispers came from around him.

Nishikawa Tetsu turned a deaf ear. His gaze wasn't fixed on the bullseye, but slightly raised, scanning the treetops swaying in the wind, feeling the force and frequency of the raindrops hitting his cheeks.

Wind direction northwest, wind speed approximately level 4, air humidity 90%, raindrop density high, will increase air resistance. Target distance twenty meters, need to correct for wind drift and drop based on the weight and shape of the shuriken.

His past life as a researcher's mindset instinctively kicked in.

In this world full of Chakra, a metaphysical energy, he still insisted on using Science to deconstruct ninjutsu.

He didn't tremble nervously like the other students, nor did he use fancy throwing postures.

Raise hand, flick wrist, release.

The movement was as concise as the posture in a textbook, without any superfluous Chakra attached, merely pure muscle strength and angle calculation.

The three shuriken drew strange arcs in the air.

The shuriken, which were originally flying straight, seemed to deviate from the bullseye when blown by the crosswind, but at the last moment, they seemed to have their trajectory corrected by an invisible hand, accelerating their rotation with the help of the wind.

"Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!"

Three muffled sounds, three shuriken in a triangular formation, precisely nailed around the red dot of the bullseye, without the slightest deviation.

"Full marks."

Teacher Daikoku raised his eyebrows, looking at this usually taciturn student with some surprise: "Interesting, he actually knows how to use the wind direction. Although the force is slightly lacking, unable to penetrate the wooden stake by three inches, it's not bad for a Genin."

"This is scientific calculation," Nishikawa Tetsu silently corrected in his mind, but on the surface, he just nodded politely: "Thank you, Teacher."

"Don't rush to thank me, next is the ninjutsu assessment." Teacher Daikoku pointed to the testing instrument and replacement wooden stake next to him, "Use your best ninjutsu, attack or defense."

This was the main event.

In this world, no matter how good your throwing technique is, it's useless without Chakra.

Nishikawa Tetsu took a deep breath and formed hand seals.

Ram-Serpent-Tiger.

"Clone Technique!"

As a slight puff of smoke dissipated, two clones identical to Nishikawa Tetsu appeared beside him. However, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the figures of these two clones were somewhat illusory, and even one of them had his left leg flickering in and out of existence.

The expectation in Teacher Daikoku's eyes instantly turned into disappointment, and he heavily marked the grade sheet.

"Chakra control is acceptable, hand seal speed 0.8 seconds, standard level, but..." Teacher Daikoku shook his head, "Chakra reserves are too low. Your total Chakra is probably only at the average level of your peers, or even lower. Maintaining two clones is already your limit, right?"

Nishikawa Tetsu felt a sense of emptiness coming from the meridians in his body, a signal that his Chakra was exhausted. He dispelled the technique and nodded somewhat palely: "Yes."

As a transmigrator, he didn't have the Uzumaki Clan's Sage Body, the Uchiha's Red Eye Disease, or the Hyuga Clan's Cataracts, and he didn't have a system either.

In this world where bloodlines are paramount, Nishikawa Tetsu has been dealt the standard passerby script.

"Nishikawa Tetsu, assessment passed."

Teacher Daikoku handed over a metal Headband, his tone not carrying much congratulation, but rather a hint of cruel pity: "Although you passed, I must remind you. On the battlefield, the enemy won't give you time to calculate the wind direction. If your Chakra reserves can't be improved, you'll die quickly if you get into a prolonged battle."

"Evaluation: Mediocre."

The teacher wrote these two words in the comments column.

Nishikawa Tetsu took the Headband, his fingertips caressing the cold Konoha symbol on it, the corners of his mouth imperceptibly curving into a smile.

Mediocre?

For someone who wants to survive on this cruel battlefield, that's the highest praise.

Cannon fodder that is too weak dies early, and geniuses that are too strong get focused. Only mediocrity can find opportunities for survival in the cracks, and only then will he have time to turn the "scientific theories" in his head into reality in this world.

"Next up, Namikaze Minato!"

With the teacher's loud call, the crowd instantly stirred.

A young man with dazzling blond hair and a smile as warm as the sun walked out.

As he passed Nishikawa Tetsu, he nodded at him in a friendly manner, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Your shuriken throwing is really amazing, how did you do that arc just now?" Namikaze Minato asked softly, his blue eyes full of sincere curiosity.

"Intuition," Nishikawa Tetsu said casually.

Namikaze Minato smiled and stepped forward.

The next two minutes belonged to a genius.

He threw shuriken in quick succession, all hitting the mark, and even had several collide with each other in mid-air, changing their trajectory to hit blind spots.

The ninjutsu test was even more amazing. His Body Flicker Technique was so fast that Teacher Daikoku couldn't even see it clearly. Although his Chakra reserves were not as large as the Uzumaki Clan's, they far exceeded those of ordinary people.

"Genius! An absolute genius!" Teacher Daikoku's hands trembled with excitement.

On the other side, a black-haired boy with his arms crossed and an arrogant expression was coldly watching all of this.

On the back of his clothes was embroidered a striking red and white Uchiha Clan Crest.

In the corner, Nishikawa Tetsu tied his Headband to his arm, but in his mind, he was conceiving another blueprint.

Low Chakra reserves are indeed a weakness, Nishikawa Tetsu thought to himself.

Since the "software" won't work, I can only rely on the "hardware" to make up for it.

The chemically improved formula for Explosive Tags, the alloy ratio of Chakra Conductive Metal...

A flash of fanaticism gleamed in his eyes.

"Ninja World, are you ready to welcome the baptism of Science?"