The night passed without incident.
The next day, sunlight spilled into the room, and Roy slowly opened his eyes.
He had slept sitting up all night, yet his body felt no discomfort at all.
In fact, he even felt refreshed.
His physical condition was excellent.
"Right, I have to take the exam today!"
With no time to dwell on the changes in his body, Roy quickly washed up and changed his clothes.
Then he headed toward the Uchiha Training Ground.
When he arrived at the training ground, Roy finally realized—
There are this many Uchiha before the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night?
Looking at all the young, spirited faces,
Roy felt a pang of bitterness.
They must have dreamed of becoming strong and protecting their clan and village, too, right?
Who would have thought they wouldn't die on the battlefield, but instead fall victim to a power struggle within the village...
At the thought, Roy's gaze grew ever more resolute.
Since he had been reborn in this world as a member of the Uchiha Clan,
he would do everything in his power to change things like this!
After taking a deep breath, Roy entered the training ground.
The immediate priority wasn't to worry about the future, but to pass the Military Police Force exam first.
Before long, dozens of people had gathered at the training ground.
They lined up neatly.
"This time, a total of 48 clan members applied to join the Military Police Force."
"The Military Police Force will be recruiting six people."
"So, as in previous years, we'll hold combat trials to select the candidates."
"As for the written exam, you've all passed the Chunin Ninja Exams, so there's no need for one here."
The person standing at the front and addressing them was Uchiha Natsume, captain of the Military Police Force's Fourth Squad.
He was an elite Jonin.
He was also the proctor for this exam.
As for the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, he probably had too much to deal with and hadn't shown up.
Before long, Roy drew his number.
[No. 16]
The first group consisted of four pairs, numbers 1 through 8.
Soon, the eight contestants took their places in their respective areas.
Most used Fire Style or Lightning Style.
Of course, some fought with Taijutsu.
As for genjutsu, unless you had an especially powerful one, there wasn't much point in using it against members of the Uchiha Clan.
Everyone had Sharingan, so ordinary genjutsu was easily dispelled.
"Impressive!"
This was Roy's first time watching a fight between ninja from up close.
The impact was nothing like what he'd felt watching anime.
Before long, the winners returned to the line with smiles on their faces.
The losers weren't discouraged, either. They simply stood to the side and continued watching the fights.
They would learn from them and prepare for next time.
"Uchiha Ueda, number 15, versus Uchiha Roy, number 16."
Hearing his name, Roy walked to his designated area.
"I didn't expect the two of us to be matched up."
"Careful, Roy."
As Uchiha Ueda spoke, he took out a kunai.
A confident smile spread across his face.
They were in the same year.
Whether it was classroom lessons or practical training, Ueda had always been a cut above Roy.
So when he saw his opponent, Ueda breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay."
Roy nodded and raised his hand.
Seeing Roy's strange gesture, Ueda looked puzzled.
"Fire Style: Fire Gun!"
Roy shouted, and a burst of flame shot toward Uchiha Ueda at high speed.
The sudden attack hit Uchiha Ueda before he could react.
The powerful impact sent him stumbling back several steps.
The front of his clothes was scorched, and a wound appeared on his skin.
It hadn't pierced through him, but the attack had still caused real damage.
"A C-rank jutsu that can be cast instantly?"
"Roy, you've improved quite a bit!"
"Looks like I'll have to get serious, too."
Feeling the pain in his body, Uchiha Ueda raised his hands and began forming Hand Seals.
"Fire Style: Fire Gun!"
"Fire Style: Fire Gun!"
Before Uchiha Ueda could finish forming his Hand Seals, Roy sent out burst after burst of flame.
Uchiha Ueda was completely dumbfounded.
This jutsu could not only be cast instantly, but fired repeatedly, too?
How am I supposed to fight that?
With no time to finish forming his Hand Seals, he activated his Sharingan.
He dodged as quickly as he could.
A single Fire Gun wasn't very powerful, but he couldn't take that many hits!
"Fire Style: Fireball Technique!"
At last, Roy paused long enough for Ueda to quickly form his Hand Seals and unleash the Fireball Technique.
A huge fireball surged toward Roy, engulfing him.
"Huh?"
"Dodge!"
Ueda had planned to use the Fireball Technique as cover, then predict Roy's escape route.
Then he would defeat him outright.
But Roy was standing still. What was that supposed to mean?
He only wanted to win and join the Military Police Force.
He didn't want to kill Roy!
"Fire Style: Fire Gun!"
The next moment, Roy's voice rang out again.
A burst of flame shot forward and struck Ueda as he charged at Roy.
"Thud!"
"You lose."
As Uchiha Ueda hit the ground, Roy's voice came from behind him.
At the same time, a finger pressed against the back of his head.
"Hahaha... I was worried about you."
"When did you get so strong, you rascal?"
Ueda raised his hands to signal that he had lost.
Then, with an easygoing smile, he asked.
A loss was a loss. That was his pride.
"What do you mean, so strong? I just got lucky, that's all."
Roy smiled and held out his hand, pulling Ueda back to his feet.
At that moment, Uchiha Natsume, watching from nearby, also noticed what had happened.
Roy hadn't used the Substitution Technique or the Body Flicker Technique.
And the one hit by the Fireball Technique hadn't been one of Roy's clones.
How had he withstood the jutsu's attack?
After all, Roy had emerged from the flames without a single visible injury... even his clothes were completely intact.
And then there was that low-level jutsu he could cast instantly.
It wasn't very powerful, but if he could use it as a foundation to develop other jutsu...
At the thought, Natsume's gaze grew heated.
There are some promising kids among this year's newcomers!
Soon, the first round came to an end.
The remaining 24 people would have to wait until the afternoon to fight.
After all, each match took a different toll. Some opponents were evenly matched, and those fights could get pretty brutal.
"Roy."
"Come with me for a moment."
Just as Roy and Ueda were chatting, Uchiha Natsume appeared.
"Yes, Lord Natsume."
Roy straightened up.
After all, Natsume was the proctor this time, so once Roy joined the Military Police Force,
he would be assigned directly to Uchiha Natsume's squad.
In other words, this man right in front of him would be Roy's direct superior.
It never hurt to build a good relationship.
Before long, the two of them entered a room.
"Roy, that Fire Gun jutsu you used just now... did you develop it yourself?"
Natsume asked his question directly.
Before you continue