The Start of the Assessment

(Chapter 2: The Start of the Assessment)

Hokage Office

The high-ranking officials of Konoha were gathered here: the Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō. A month ago, the Third Hokage's hair had only been streaked with gray, and he had still appeared quite robust. Now, a month later, his hair had turned completely white, fully revealing his aged state.

"Everyone, you surely understand why I have summoned you here. Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning has already invaded ten villages and towns within our Land of Fire. Many of our ninjas have sacrificed their lives, and it is difficult for us to recover those territories. We must consider whether to request assistance from the Land of Wind or other villages," the Third Hokage said after taking a puff of his pipe.

"Request help from the Land of Wind? But we only just defeated them not long ago. Furthermore, they suffered heavy losses during the Third Shinobi World War themselves. Their situation is even more dire than ours in Konoha right now. As allies, if we don't offer help in their time of need, that is one thing, but to add insult to injury might have severe consequences for the future," Mitokado Homura remarked. Every ninja village had suffered significant damage during the Third Shinobi World War. After the Battle of Mount Kikyo, the village that had suffered the most was Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, followed by Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, with the Land of Water in a similar state. Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning had suffered the least, so naturally, they were eager to seize more benefits.

Utatane Koharu said, "But isn't this the very time when allies should face hardships together? Otherwise, what is the point of having a treaty?"

Shimura Danzō spoke up at this moment: "A treaty is nothing but a scrap of paper that can be torn up at any time. To overcome this crisis, we must ultimately rely on Konoha itself. If we allow allies to infiltrate our ranks while Konoha is vulnerable, our losses will be even greater, and we will only be looked down upon by others."

"Oh? And what is your solution, Danzō?" Upon hearing Danzō refute her, Utatane Koharu could not help but ask directly.

"Are there not many reserve ninjas in the Ninja Academy? Wouldn't sending them out to fill the current shortage of ninjas suffice?" Shimura Danzō suggested.

The Third Hokage's expression turned cold upon hearing this: "They are still just children; they are the future of the village!"

"Yes, but that is only the future. If the village is destroyed, what future will they have? Besides, in our generation, four-year-old children were already on the battlefield with their hands stained with blood. Or do you truly believe that a comfortable Ninja Academy like this can cultivate powerful ninjas? A ninja grows fastest in the midst of battle."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu remained silent after hearing Shimura Danzō's words. Although they felt his words were somewhat heartless, they could not deny that he was not wrong. It was common in the ninja world for four-year-old children to participate in combat, especially in their generation when war was rampant and children were forced onto the battlefield. While Konoha was not yet in such a desperate state, the personnel turnover was indeed extremely difficult; if this continued, they would lose even more.

"No, I still do not agree," the Third Hokage stated.

The Hokage office fell silent for a while, with no one speaking first. After a moment, Shimura Danzō opened his eyes and said, "Very well, then let us try another way. Your concern is merely the strength of the students. The current Ninja Academy is a three-year program. Students who have just enrolled can be excluded, but students who have been enrolled for two years or more must participate in the genin assessment. Those who have been enrolled for more than one year may apply to take the genin assessment early. If they pass, they can participate in executing ninja missions. What do you think?"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu found some merit in Shimura Danzō's proposal. The Ninja Academy was not without its share of genius ninjas; some children were so young they could even rival chunin, such as the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, or Kakashi, who had been promoted to the rank of chunin at the age of six—a rare talent indeed.

The Third Hokage frowned and pondered for a moment after hearing the suggestion. He had seen many, many geniuses: his student Orochimaru, Jiraiya's student the Fourth Hokage, the Fourth Hokage's student Kakashi, and many others who had displayed talent far exceeding ordinary people at a young age.

Just recently, he had learned of two children in the Ninja Academy from the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Mirai and Uchiha Itachi, both of whom possessed immense talent, even surpassing that of average chunin.

Finally, the Third Hokage sighed and said, "Very well. I have no objection to the second-year students participating in the assessment. For those enrolled for more than one year, it must be their own choice to apply; they cannot be forced. Furthermore, I will personally observe the assessment site." Konoha was currently mired in crisis, and there was no choice but to rely on those children from the Ninja Academy. However, he would not let those lacking sufficient strength go to the battlefield, or their chances of survival would be far too low.

"That goes without saying," Shimura Danzō said indifferently.

Three days later, Mirai arrived in class. Ever since the rumor about the Uchiha clan had spread a month ago, the students in the class had rarely spoken to Mirai and Itachi. Aside from four friends who got along well and continued to treat them as friends, the other classmates clearly avoided them.

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi did not care. Mirai felt that it was actually more comfortable not to have these brats talking to him. As for Uchiha Itachi, he seemed the same as before; his classmates had always avoided him, and he had almost never spoken to them anyway, so he was completely unaffected.

A while later, the homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, walked into the classroom, stood on the podium, and said with a serious expression, "There will be no class today. I need to announce something. Many cities in our Land of Fire have been occupied by people from other ninja villages. The incident that occurred a month ago caused our ninja village to suffer heavy losses, and many ninjas have sacrificed their lives."

"Because of this, other ninja villages have seized the opportunity to launch attacks, and many more ninjas have died in the line of duty. There is now a significant shortage in the number of ninjas, and we must supplement our ranks with students from the Ninja Academy. All second-year students will participate in the assessment, and you first-year students may apply for the assessment based on your own circumstances. These are the application forms. You may discuss whether to participate with your families when you return home later, and bring them back tomorrow when you come to school. Those who apply for the assessment will be arranged accordingly afterward."

Mirai raised an eyebrow upon hearing the homeroom teacher's words. He hadn't expected the assessment to come so soon. It seemed that Konoha's situation was truly not optimistic. However, he was in the same boat; crisis loomed over him at all times. This assessment was also an opportunity for him, and he would take this chance to become a true ninja.