When the Third Hokage and the Ninja Academy teacher both turned to look at him, a slightly awkward expression appeared on Jiuming's face.
"Has this kid really never learned to use shuriken? He's never even studied Shurikenjutsu, and he's here for early admission?"
"What a disgrace. We actually have to take the exam alongside someone like him."
The Third Hokage and the teacher said nothing for a moment, but the students had already started whispering among themselves. The ones talking the most were the children from the same section as Jiuming.
They all came from various ninja clans, some of them from Kekkei Genkai families with long histories. In their clans, they had started practicing with shuriken as far back as they could remember. Besides, this was the section for children under six, all of whom had come to try for early admission. Every one of them was a particularly talented child from their family.
"Ahem!" The Third Hokage noticed that the Ninja Academy teacher still hadn't answered Jiuming, and cleared his throat to remind him.
The teacher finally came to his senses. He cleared his throat and said:
"If you don't pass the Shurikenjutsu test, you'll fail the entrance exam."
"To pass, you need to meet the standard in all three subjects. The Ninja Academy selects well-rounded students."
Jiuming had been prepared for this, but he still couldn't help feeling disappointed when he heard the teacher's words. It made sense to select well-rounded ninja, but that approach also overlooked many geniuses with unique talents. Guy and Lee, who would come along later, were the best examples.
Looks like I'll have to use a few tricks to pass the shuriken test.
Jiuming said nothing more. He lowered his head and quietly considered how to pass. When the teacher saw that Jiuming had nothing else to say, he nodded and began calling names from the list.
"Let's start with the oldest group. Hizashi Hyuga, you're up first."
As soon as the Ninja Academy teacher finished speaking, a boy stepped out from the section for children eight and older. He was noticeably taller than the others.
"Hizashi Hyuga, eleven years old. We'll start the Shurikenjutsu test with you!"
The teacher looked over the information about Hizashi Hyuga in his hand, feeling a little surprised.
A child of this age shouldn't have been among the Ninja Academy entrance exam candidates. The fact that Hizashi Hyuga was on the list meant he had been educated by his clan before this.
Children from ordinary families were usually sent to the Ninja Academy when they were seven or eight. Minato Namikaze, the talented student from the previous class, had already graduated and become a Genin at this age.
It was easy to imagine that if war weren't about to break out, the Hyuga Clan would never have sent this child to the Ninja Academy.
"Yes!" Hizashi Hyuga looked a little like Neji when he was young, though the resemblance was hard to make out unless you looked closely. From the looks of it, Neji had inherited more of his appearance from his mother.
Hearing the name, Jiuming couldn't help craning his neck to get a look at the young Hizashi. He'd always wanted to meet this loyal, honorable man.
"Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!"
Hizashi stepped out of line and into the testing area. He took five shuriken from the pouch at his lower back and, without any noticeable preparatory movements, casually threw them at the targets.
The sound of metal striking wood rang out in quick succession. All five shuriken had embedded themselves right in the bullseyes.
"That's amazing! He threw all five at once, and every one hit the bullseye!"
"Wow, incredible! No wonder he's from the Hyuga Clan!"
The students cried out in amazement, and the Third Hokage nodded with a smile, pleased with Hizashi Hyuga's skill.
"Well done. Five hits out of five. Excellent!"
"Hizashi Hyuga. Tentatively assigned to the fifth-year preparatory class, Class A."
As mentioned earlier, the Ninja Academy divided its classes by both grade and rank. Fifth year was for most eleven-year-olds, while Class A was the top class for that age group. Most of its students came from ninja clans.
"That's impressive. His Shurikenjutsu is already this good at his age."
Watching Hizashi's performance, Uzumaki Kuming was a little surprised. The Hyuga Clan was a traditional ninja clan that combined Taijutsu with the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai. The clan's training should have focused on Taijutsu, so Hizashi's Shurikenjutsu at this age must have taken a great deal of hard work.
After Hizashi Hyuga, the children in the oldest group began taking their tests one after another. Quite a few ten-year-olds managed to hit the bullseye with all five shuriken, but most threw them one at a time. Their results were also rated "excellent," just like Hizashi's, but their "excellent" scores weren't quite the same as his.
"Some people get a hundred because that's the best they can do. Others get a hundred because the test is only worth a hundred."
There was no doubt that Hizashi Hyuga had only scored a hundred because the test was worth no more than a hundred.
Before long, everyone in the eight-and-older group had finished the test. Out of all those children, not a single one had failed. Clearly, everyone took Shurikenjutsu seriously as a basic ninja skill. No one had fallen behind.
"Very good. Next, we'll test the six-to-eight-year-old group."
When the teacher announced the start of the second group, Uzumaki Kuming looked away and began adjusting his state of mind. It was only an ordinary entrance exam, but he still felt a little nervous.
The second group's test ended before long. Compared with the first group, the six-to-eight-year-olds had done worse. Quite a few failed to meet the Ninja Academy's standards and were eliminated early. Most of those eliminated were children from civilian families with no clan crest.
Quite a few of the eliminated children had scored zero, which clearly meant they had never trained in Shurikenjutsu at all. Those zero-hit candidates also drew mocking remarks from some of the clan children.
Watching the children leave with their little faces flushed red, Jiuming couldn't help feeling moved.
In this ninja world, advantages like background, family standing, and bloodline had been magnified to the extreme. No matter how hard a child from an ordinary family worked, they could never catch up to children from Kekkei Genkai families. Civilian super-geniuses appeared far too rarely.
Looking at Konoha's seven Hokage, Minato was the only one who could barely be called a ninja of civilian origin. But even with Minato's formidable talent, whether he could have become Hokage without Jiraiya was another matter.
What's more, after Minato started dating Kushina, he learned the Fuinjutsu passed down through generations of the Uzumaki Clan from her. Without those skills, Flying Thunder God alone wouldn't have been enough for Minato to stop the Nine-Tails' rampage.
"It's so hard for someone from a civilian family to get ahead..."
Jiuming was still musing when the test reached the under-six group. This was the group drawing the most attention. The children in this section had all come for early admission, and their talents would be on display before the Hokage. If they won the Hokage's favor, their ninja careers would become much easier.
"Uzumaki Kuming, you're first!"
The Ninja Academy teacher called Jiuming's name without expression, then pointed to the targets beside him, signaling him to step forward for the test. He had no expectations for Jiuming; after all, Jiuming had said himself that he'd never trained with shuriken. Passing would be a miracle.
The Third Hokage, however, watched Jiuming with keen interest, waiting for him to begin.
"This child has already grown so much..."
"Lady Mito personally arranged for him to come here. Surely he isn't all looks and no substance."
Jiuming stood out even in a crowd, thanks to his striking appearance. The Third Hokage couldn't help judging him by his looks and assuming he wouldn't be bad.
That old man's looking at me awfully eagerly. I hope he doesn't have some weird hobby.
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