Sorry, I've Never Learned Shurikenjutsu~

The children who had signed up for the Ninja Academy streamed through the school gates. Led by a teacher, they were taken to an open area. Many parents sat scattered around outside the school, waiting for the results.

Tsunade had left as soon as Kuming entered the school, leaving Kushina, Minato, and Sarutobi Kotaro to wait for him. Kushina was worried about her younger brother and wanted to wait for his results so she could take him home. Minato was simply keeping Kushina company.

Sarutobi Kotaro was clearly more familiar with Shikaku from the Nara Clan. The two stood by the entrance, chatting. Shikaku's father had already left, and Sarutobi and Shikaku talked about the sorts of things young boys talked about.

Inside the school, the children who had been led to the open area were chattering among themselves. Kuming, meanwhile, radiated an air that warned others to keep their distance, so several children stayed well away from him.

There was no helping it. Kuming simply couldn't make friends with these immature little brats. He thought everyone here was a genius~

"Y-hello... I'm Shikaichi Nara. You're Uzumaki Kuming, right? From the Uzumaki Clan?"

Suddenly, a timid voice sounded beside Kuming. He turned around and saw the little boy from the Nara Clan he'd spotted at the entrance earlier.

"Hello. Is something up?"

Although Kuming didn't want to bother with those kids who weren't all there, this boy from the Nara Clan was an exception. Kuming was mainly curious about who he was and wanted to know if he really was Shikamaru's uncle.

Kuming gave him what he thought was a friendly enough smile. Shikaichi, who had been rather nervous, relaxed a little.

So he's pretty easy to talk to after all. Shikaichi breathed a sigh of relief and said,

"I saw you standing here by yourself and wondered if you needed help."

"I know a bit about this test. I thought you might want to hear about it."

Shikaichi didn't really know why he'd approached Kuming. Maybe it was the boy's eye-catching red hair that had made him curious.

"Hm? You know what's on the test?" Kuming hadn't been paying much attention to what Shikaichi was saying, but when he heard that the boy knew something about the Ninja Academy's test, he was stunned.

What the hell! Has Konoha become this corrupt? I guess it figures that someone from the Nara Clan would know the test questions.

If he knows, then plenty of the other clans probably do too. Clan kids already have a huge advantage over ordinary kids. Now the test questions have been leaked as well? That's blatant cheating~

As he thought this, Kuming scrutinized the pineapple-haired boy in front of him. Shikaichi started to feel a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"You didn't know? The test content was announced a month ago. There are three parts in total."

"Shuriken throwing, Taijutsu, and wilderness survival. You really didn't know?"

Shikaichi was surprised by Kuming's response. Since he knew Kuming's name, he knew he was an Uzumaki. As far as Shikaichi was concerned, every child planning to attend the Ninja Academy should know what was on the test, especially Kuming, who belonged to the Uzumaki Clan and was always looked after by Lady Mito.

"No one told me about any of this!"

"What the hell are shuriken and wilderness survival?!"

Kuming's mood sank the moment he heard what the test involved. He didn't care if anyone laughed at him; he'd never had to survive in the wilderness in his life. This test was genuinely going to be a problem. Kuming lowered his head slightly and began working out how he could get through today's test.

The Taijutsu part shouldn't be much of a problem. With all the training I've done over the years, this entrance test should be a piece of cake.

Wilderness survival shouldn't be much of a problem either. I just need to do what Bear Grylls does and go hungry for three days at the start. Surely they won't make kids this young survive for ten days or half a month~

The biggest problem is the shuriken test. I've never trained with them!

When Kuming heard that shurikenjutsu was part of the test, his head started to ache. Over the years, he hadn't practiced throwing shuriken or kunai even once. After all, in his mind, ninja battles were supposed to involve giant robots. Who in their right mind used shuriken?

And ordinary shuriken weren't any good against strong opponents, either. They'd barely be useful for clearing out cannon fodder~

With that kind of thinking, Kuming had never practiced shurikenjutsu for even a single day~

Shikaichi watched Kuming sink into thought and didn't want to interrupt him. Besides, Kuming's half-hearted replies made him feel ignored, and he didn't want to keep chatting with him. He quietly went off to find some other friends.

When Kuming came to, he realized Shikaichi had already left. He didn't mind and simply stood where he was, waiting for the test to begin. He'd already adjusted his attitude. The test was right in front of him, so there was no point worrying any more. He'd just do his best~

Before long, three ninja wearing Forehead Protectors appeared on a platform of packed earth ahead of the open area. Then a middle-aged man wearing a white God Robe appeared in front of them.

"Children, quiet down."

The ninja who had just led the children to the open area cleared his throat and called loudly to the people at the center. The once noisy schoolyard fell silent at once. Kuming's attention had already shifted to the ninja who had suddenly appeared on the platform.

The middle-aged man wearing the white God Robe was someone Kuming knew.

"Lord Hokage!"

One of the children recognized the middle-aged man in the God Robe and cried out in surprise. The call of "Lord Hokage" echoed across the grounds. It was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not only well known among the children, but also well loved.

"Heh, good! Good!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved to everyone in greeting and scanned the children gathered at the center, a bright smile on his face. His gaze didn't linger on Kuming for even a second, but Kuming could sense someone watching him from the moment Hiruzen appeared.

Who is it? The feeling of being watched annoyed Kuming. He gave a startled thought and immediately used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense his surroundings, but he didn't find anything unusual.

After scanning the children, Hiruzen Sarutobi began his speech from the platform. It was just like a principal's address at an assembly back in Kuming's previous life: long-winded and empty. Aside from promoting his Will of Fire, he also wanted to instill his values in everyone.

To the other children, Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech was truly stirring. They couldn't wait to become ninja and inherit the Third Hokage's Will of Fire.

But to Kuming, whose values had already taken shape, the Third Hokage's speech was rather boring. When it came to preaching, he might even know more than the Third Hokage~

Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech lasted nearly thirty minutes. When he finished, he moved to the side and left the center of the platform to the Ninja Academy teachers.

"Students. We'll now begin the entrance test. Everyone under the age of six, go to my left and line up. Everyone over the age of eight, go to my right. Those between six and eight, stand in the middle."

A middle-aged man wearing a green flak jacket stood at the center of the platform. As he spoke, he pointed to each area and directed the students to line up as instructed.

The children quickly began moving. Before long, they had taken their places in the appropriate areas according to the man's directions.

Kuming was in the under-six group. There weren't many children there, only a little over a dozen in total, and they all shared one feature: their clothes bore the crests of their respective ninja clans.

The six-to-eight-year-old group in the middle was the largest. Along with children from ninja clans, it also included a substantial number of children from civilian families.

There weren't many children in the over-eight group on the other side either. Most were from ninja clans, with only a small number from civilian families. From the simple arrangement, Kuming could roughly guess what the Third Hokage was planning. The three groups would probably face tests of different difficulty.

"Next, we'll begin the first test: shurikenjutsu."

"To your left are the five-ring targets we've prepared. Hitting the center earns five points, with each ring farther out worth one point less. A miss earns zero."

"Each student will shoot from a distance of ten meters. You'll have five throws in total, for a maximum of twenty-five points. Students over eight need at least twenty points to pass. Those between six and eight need at least fifteen, while those under six need at least twenty-two."

Kuming listened carefully as the teacher explained the rules. When he heard that the under-six group needed a much higher passing score than the six-to-eight group, he couldn't help but stare.

The normal age to enter the Ninja Academy was around six. This year's expanded age range was largely intended for promising young ninja.

The Academy's meaning was clear enough: if you wanted to enter early, you had to be talented. Otherwise, you could wait until you were six. This was both a way of screening students and a form of protection for them.

"Um..."

"Excuse me."

"I wanted to ask: if I fail one test, can I still get into the Ninja Academy?"

"Sorry, I've never learned shurikenjutsu."

Just as the Ninja Academy teacher was about to tell the students to begin, a voice interrupted him. The teacher looked over. In the under-six group, a red-haired boy had his right hand raised and was looking at him with an embarrassed expression.

The boy's eyes were as dark and bright as ebony, and his high nose gave him a hint of heroic handsomeness despite his young age. His features were well-defined, and though he was still little, he was already quite handsome. His long red hair was tied back simply, with a few strands of bangs falling over his forehead.

Is this boy Uzumaki Kuming? Lady Mito's child. The Ninja Academy teacher looked at Kuming, weighing how to answer the question. He knew who Kuming was.

The Third Hokage's gaze followed Kuming's voice. This time, he studied Kuming closely, a faint smile on his face and a touch of curiosity about the boy.