Entrance Examination Selection (1)

Watching Hyuga Hoshishaku run out of the Hokage office in such an agitated state, Senju Tobirama wore a cunning smile.

He really is just a child, he thought. A little bit of reverse psychology was all it took to stir up his competitive spirit.

The boy didn't even stop to think: if a renowned jonin were to attend classes, why would there be a need for a selection process?

Even if there were a selection, how would it even be conducted?

It's not as if they could say the most outstanding candidate would be chosen to go to school for advanced studies after passing a series of grueling trials.

They could have just assigned him directly.

As for why he was doing all this, it was, of course, to pave the way for the upcoming Five Kage Summit.

These thoughts flickered through Senju Tobirama's mind.

Ever since the great battle between his elder brother and Madara some time ago, the Ninja World had suddenly become "peaceful."

But in contrast, the number of spies within the village had only increased.

Getting his elder brother to "flex his muscles" was impossible.

The man was as stubborn as a mule.

But having his disciple "flex his muscles" on a stage he had built could achieve the same goal indirectly.

A seven-year-old jonin—looking across the entire Ninja World, which other village possessed such a foundation?

If such a genius were to grow up, wouldn't he become the next "Senju Hashirama"?

In that case, wouldn't his goal of using military might to deter the other ninja villages be achieved by proxy?

"Haha, my foolish elder brother!"

Thinking of this, Senju Tobirama laughed out loud, a rare occurrence for him.

Hyuga Hoshishaku, of course, sensed that something was off.

But he didn't dwell on it.

Rather than digging into the motives of those close to him, it was better to make preparations for tomorrow's entrance examination.

After returning to his clan compound, Hoshishaku began his preparations.

First were the Sealing Cards he had meticulously crafted; these cards could store chakra during his downtime, allowing him to extract it all at once when needed.

However, after a brief consideration, he decided not to use these cards for now.

They were the result of his hard work and accumulation; it would be better to save them for a critical moment rather than wasting them on an entrance exam.

Besides, having such abundant chakra at such a young age would inevitably invite suspicion.

Next was a review of his existing abilities.

Hoshishaku began to recall the skills he had already mastered.

In terms of taijutsu, he had Rotation for defense, and the Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Palm for offense.

During this period, he had also mastered the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm through training, and he could now strike with one hundred and twenty-eight palms, which counted as a finishing move.

As for ninjutsu, aside from the basic Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, he had the lightning-style shape transformation Chidori and the wind-style shape transformation Rasengan.

He had mastered all low-to-mid-level sealing techniques, and for summoning, he currently only had Rashomon, along with the Multi Shadow Clone Technique.

He had experimented before; his Multi Shadow Clone Technique could barely reach Naruto's daily level, meaning he could summon about twenty or thirty at once. Any more than that, and the fatigue accumulated when the clones dissipated would leave him severely incapacitated.

Finally, there were the secret techniques brought by Sai and the Flying Thunder God he had been practicing himself.

Hoshishaku had considered training according to Namikaze Minato's combat style.

But he quickly realized he didn't have the same level of reaction speed, so he had to give up on that idea.

Moreover, because his abilities were too numerous and disorganized, lacking a cohesive system, he had even asked Master Tobirama for tactical advice.

Master Tobirama's suggestion was to familiarize himself with all his abilities and then adapt to the situation.

Which was as good as saying nothing at all.

As for the Natural Energy Body Tempering Technique and the Natural Energy Sealing Technique.

The effects of these two techniques didn't seem particularly useful to a "cheater" like Hoshishaku.

Increasing all attributes by one point every seven days couldn't compare to pulling a full C-rank ninja card, which added one hundred points instantly.

But it was better than nothing, and Lady Mito had said that as long as enough natural energy was accumulated in the seal, he could use it at a critical moment to enter Sage Mode directly.

The difference from conventional Sage Mode was that the stamina wasn't as high, since it used more refined natural energy.

But theoretically, this version of Sage Mode should be more powerful. As for how powerful?

Hoshishaku didn't know.

He had only just started training, and the seal in his body had only accumulated about two months' worth of natural energy.

The next day.

Senju Yuto ran over to Hyuga Hoshishaku's courtyard early in the morning, waiting to head out together for the entrance examination.

Yes, Yuto would be coming along as well.

His mental attribute had now reached seventy points, meaning he was essentially free from the risk of sudden paralysis or falling into a coma at any moment.

Furthermore, as he practiced the Natural Energy Sealing Technique, Xingzhuo noticed that his mental attribute growth had accelerated from one point every seven days to one point every six days.

He might even break through the one-hundred-point threshold by the end of the year.

Having shaken off his previous condition, Yuto could now be considered a genius in his own right.

Possessing a Sage Body went without saying.

His level of sealing jutsu was no worse than Xingzhuo's.

Although he had no real taijutsu to speak of, his Wild Flailing Fist was starting to carry a hint of the Strength of a Hundred Seal Fist.

After witnessing the great battle between his father and Madara some time ago, he had even begun attempting to learn Wood Release.

Having coincidentally inherited both earth and water attributes, he had already grasped the basics and could manifest Wood Release on the scale of a small sapling.

Thinking of this, Xingzhuo always felt a deep sense of emotion.

If Yuto's mental strength had been higher in the original story and he hadn't died young, there would have been no room for the likes of Sarutobi Hiruzen and his ilk to stir up trouble in Konoha.

"Let's go, we're heading out."

After checking the items they needed to carry, Xingzhuo changed into a short-sleeved shirt and shorts identical to Yuto's and announced their departure.

As for Lian and Kenshi, the two of them.

They had been sent off by Xingzhuo early on to attend the Ninja Accelerated Training Class at the Ninja Academy.

This was an intensive training program designed for older chunin and genin.

Yun Fei, meanwhile, was accompanying them to participate in the Ninja Academy entrance exam.

Konoha was very lively today.

Usually, one wouldn't see many peers on the streets.

Today, however, they were everywhere.

Walking down the street, Xingzhuo looked at those peers who appeared somewhat "weathered" and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This era was too cruel.

Or rather, the entire Ninja World was too cruel.

It was like a meat grinder controlled by the feudal lords, constantly grinding away the lives of ninjas.

He hoped his arrival could bring about some change.

Chatting as they walked, the three of them soon arrived at the Ninja Academy.

Xingzhuo's gaze swept over the crowd, and he was secretly shocked as he took in the campus, which was clearly different from the small school in the original story.

With the involvement of the Hyuga and Uchiha Clan, the scale of the Ninja Academy had expanded significantly, and many buildings with unknown functions had been added, making them some of the few high-rise structures in Konoha.

Following the signs, the three of them walked toward a massive building, only to realize it was a large arena inside.

It was somewhat like the venue for the final round of the Chunin Exams in the original story, though not quite as large.

After filling out their entrance exam forms, the three were led into a waiting room to await the test.

During this time, they saw many adult villagers and foreign merchants entering a different passage, heading toward the spectator stands.

This sparked a question in Xingzhuo's mind: what was there to watch in an entrance exam for students who weren't even ninjas yet?