Assessment

After the Ninja Academy discussions concluded, Ruri established a ninja ranking system and a mission ranking system. Konoha had long since implemented the ninja ranking system, so there was no need for major changes; they could simply adopt it directly.

It was broadly divided into six ranks: Genin, Chunin, Elite Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, and Elite Jonin. Compared to the classifications of the Warring States Period, Elite Chunin and Special Jonin had been added. Missions were likewise divided into six ranks by difficulty: SS, S, A, B, C, and D.

Genin could form three-man teams to accept D-rank missions, or accept C-rank missions under the leadership of a ninja ranked Elite Chunin or above. Three Chunin could form a team to accept C- and B-rank missions, while Elite Chunin could independently complete B-rank missions or lead Genin squads on C-rank missions.

Special Jonin were Chunin with exceptional talents in certain fields. They generally would not go out on missions and instead held special posts within the village. Ordinary Jonin could independently complete A-rank missions, while Elite Jonin were the village's absolute main force, responsible for S-rank and higher missions. However, Takigakure had little talent in this rank for now. That situation could only gradually improve after the Ninja Academy was established.

One thing worth mentioning was D-rank missions. At this time, neither Konoha nor any of the other major ninja villages had D-rank missions. The D-rank missions Ruri had established involved finding cats for villagers or residents of the Land of Waterfalls, watching children, and other tasks that ninjas of the Warring States Period would never have done.

Ninjas from other villages believed that, given their noble status, they could not possibly help commoners with such everyday chores. But Ruri knew these missions would deepen the bond between Takigakure Ninja and the villagers, allowing Takigakure to gain the recognition of more Land of Waterfalls residents. What they urgently needed now was the people's trust.

Naturally, many people opposed it at first. How could those Elite Jonin and Jonin possibly be willing to go looking for cats? Only after Ruri explained that D-rank missions would be issued solely to Genin, primarily Genin who had graduated from the Ninja Academy, did they finally settle down.

After all, it would be another year before D-rank missions were officially accepted.

A few days later, construction on the Ninja Academy began. Mu, the Tsuchikage's guard, arrived at Takigakure as Iwagakure's envoy, bringing along a diplomatic delegation—the construction crew.

Ruri directly sent them off to build the Ninja Academy. The old Tsuchikage had intended to help Takigakure rebuild from the start, or he would not have brought construction workers along as well.

As a candidate for the next Tsuchikage, Mu naturally would not participate in the construction work. He was very interested in the Ninja Academy and planned to study its operating model before returning to his village to suggest that Ishikawa build one too.

An open area in the village that had been leveled by Tsuchigumo's forbidden technique became the admissions testing site for the Ninja Academy's first batch of students. Anyone under seven could enroll, whether they were civilian ninjas or clan ninjas. Even ninjas who already possessed Genin-level strength could start over, as long as they had not yet turned seven.

In addition, Ruri invested a large sum in purchasing ninja tools, medicinal herbs, and food. As long as they enrolled, they could receive the best treatment. This was also why many children from civilian families took part. Once admitted, they could ease their families' burdens and improve their living conditions.

After learning of this, Mu insisted on accompanying Ruri to inspect the new students. If the Second Shinobi World War still broke out as it had in the original story, then this batch of students would undoubtedly become Takigakure's main fighting force. Ruri truly did not want to expose information about these students to Iwagakure, a potential enemy, but she could not withstand Mu's endless pleading. He even offered to have the diplomatic delegation—the construction crew—stay longer. Driven to distraction, Ruri had no choice but to agree.

The first round of admissions testing was laps: one hundred laps around the open ground. This was the limit for a civilian child who had undergone a little training. This round did not test how good the students' stamina was, but their perseverance.

Under the blazing sun, running one hundred laps was an arduous test, especially for children. Ruri sent ten Chunin to Sukiya Sushi to buy ten servings of salmon roe sushi and ice water as rewards for the first ten children to finish.

Sukiya Sushi had already made a name for itself, and everyone in the village craved its sushi, let alone children who were naturally greedy for food. With sushi and ice water as rewards, the children all ran desperately.

Anyone who had run long distances knew that maintaining a steady pace throughout was most important. Sprinting desperately from the start would only drain stamina faster. Ruri's test had begun from this very moment. Anyone who could remain clear-headed and run at an even pace despite the rankings, sushi, and ice water would receive her special attention. She might even go a little easy on them in the second round, since ninja battles required brains.

Of course, there were also people who defied common sense, such as Hagane Maomori's son, Hagane Masahashira. As the son of a taijutsu clan head, he had naturally trained in taijutsu since childhood. Though only six years old, his basic physical qualities—endurance, speed, and the like—had already reached Genin standards.

He truly was a child born near the end of the Warring States Period. In Naruto's era, claiming that a six-year-old already possessed the physical qualities of a Genin would have gotten him labeled a monster.

Apart from the outstanding Hagane Masahashira, the children of the Fuma and Momochi clans also performed well. The most surprising was Momochi Rappa of the Momochi clan. At only five years old, she ranked among the leaders despite being a girl. In the Ninja World, where men generally possessed better physical qualities than women, that was extremely rare.

Ruri's disciple, Hattori Masanari, was also in the first group. At six, he had long possessed Genin-level strength. Based on Ruri's guess, Masanari likely came from some large samurai clan in the Land of Iron. He had a foundation in Kenjutsu and seemed to have received some training as well—something a commoner could never have managed. As for why he had ended up wandering the streets, that remained unknown for the time being.

Besides clan ninjas, the first group also included the children of several Jonin and Chunin. They all had some talent, and their parents could provide a certain degree of guidance. These children would become the backbone of Takigakure in the future.

Several civilian children had also made it into the first group, but they were basically accelerating with everything they had. Perhaps they would run out of strength near the end. That was not their fault. Although most civilian children were only here to improve their lives, they were also desperately trying to prove that they were no worse than the clans.

Still, narrowing the gap between civilian ninjas and clan ninjas would require the Ninja Academy to train several generations of new students. These disparities had persisted for centuries and could not be changed in a day or two.

There were also some children who knew their talent and stamina were lacking, yet ran as hard as they could at a steady pace. Regardless of their talent, their temperament was worthy of recognition. If they could pass the second round and enroll successfully, they would still be promising prospects.

Time slowly passed, and the first group was not far from completing one hundred laps. Just then, an accident occurred—a child fell.