Entrance Battle

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had predicted, once Tobirama took the lead in the subsequent proceedings, everything advanced with the speed of a gale. There were no more long-winded, meaningless pleasantries; there was only the efficient and decisive execution of the entire process.

At this moment, Qile, standing on the observation deck and looking down at the training ground, felt exceptionally excited. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly at Kagami Uchiha, who was standing on the field below: "Kagami! Go for it! You're the best!"

However, Kagami, who was already slightly nervous, felt his tension instantly replaced by embarrassment upon hearing Qile's desperate cheering.

As a pure-blooded member of the Uchiha Clan, despite his usually gentle personality, he valued his reputation above all else.

Although he knew Qile's personality and was somewhat touched by the encouragement, the grand display of support made him want to rush over and sew Qile's incessantly shouting mouth shut with needle and thread.

Yet, faced with this scene, Qile did not care in the slightest about the gazes or opinions of others. On the contrary, he shouted with even more fervor.

Perhaps Tobirama noticed Qile's unusual excitement, or perhaps it was simply a matter of pure coincidence, but in any case, something unexpected happened: Kagami was scheduled for the very first match.

"First match! Kagami Uchiha versus Longtao!"

When the names were called, a slight stir rippled through the crowd. Clearly, no one had expected the first match to be a child of the Uchiha Clan pitted against a commoner child without even a surname.

In such a matchup, let alone the spectators, even Longtao himself felt he had no chance of victory or confidence to speak of.

However, despite knowing he could not defeat Kagami, Longtao did not choose to shrink back, nor was he too terrified to fight just because his opponent bore the Uchiha name.

There was no unnecessary verbal sparring between the two. Following Tobirama's loud command of "Begin," the moment the words left his lips, Kagami flashed forward and delivered a kick as swift as a gale toward Longtao.

Poor Longtao didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, landing heavily outside the training ground. The match was declared over just like that.

This sudden turn of events made Qile shake his head repeatedly as he watched, sighing to himself: The gap between these commoners who hadn't yet entered school for ninja education and those from deep-rooted ninja clans was like heaven and earth! The disparity was simply too vast; there was almost no comparison to be made.

"Kagami Uchiha wins! Advancing to the next round, Longtao enters... Class B!"

Based on strength, there was no way Longtao should have made it into Class B; he might not even have qualified for Class C, given that he couldn't even withstand a single kick from Kagami. But as the referee, Tobirama had seen Longtao dare to face his opponent head-on despite knowing the massive difference in power.

This changed his mind; after all, strength could be trained, but character was innate!

To become a powerhouse, talent was important, but the courage to challenge those stronger than oneself was absolutely indispensable!

After all, who could guarantee that in their future ninja careers, they would only ever encounter those weaker than themselves?

Time passed quietly. As one intense match after another unfolded, many children were gradually defeated. In the end, the only ones left on the field who had not been eliminated were a few children from the Senju Clan and Kagami Uchiha.

Regarding this outcome, not only had Qile anticipated it, but the parents who had brought their children to report to the school had also prepared themselves mentally.

Yet, it was precisely this known gap that made those far-sighted commoner parents choose to send their children to take a gamble!

As long as they could become ninjas, they could transcend their social class...

At this moment, Tobirama's voice came from the field: "Next match! Kagami Uchiha versus Senju Kaze!"

This was a highly anticipated main event!

Hearing this pairing, everyone's gaze focused on the arena in unison.

Whether it was Qile or the surrounding spectators, everyone watched the two people in the center of the field with rapt attention, waiting for the fierce battle to begin.

Again, following Tobirama's order, the duel officially commenced!

Senju Kaze launched the first attack. He flashed forward with such speed that the commoner parents watching couldn't help but gasp.

However, from Qile's perspective, while Senju Kaze's speed was indeed fast, it was still a fraction slower than Kagami's.

The reason he said this was, naturally, because Qile knew Kagami too well...

Just as Qile had thought, as Senju Kaze threw a powerful, direct punch, Kagami appeared exceptionally calm and composed.

He tilted his head slightly, easily dodging the fierce strike. Immediately afterward, he slid his left foot forward and, while raising his shoulder, slammed it hard toward Senju Kaze's chest.

If this strike landed, there was no doubt the match would be decided instantly.

However, the Senju Clan, as a powerful group as famous as the Uchiha, spared no effort in cultivating their next generation.

Just as he saw Kagami dodge his fierce strike with astonishing speed and move to slam his shoulder into him without hesitation, his heart skipped a beat, and he reacted instantly.

He quickly retracted his attacking arm to defend with all his might, while simultaneously kicking his left foot upward in an attempt to block Kagami's advance.

In the blink of an eye, as if they shared a telepathic connection, both retreated at almost the same time, putting a small distance between them.

Yet, unexpectedly, they didn't glare at each other because of the intense clash; instead, they smiled at one another, a smile that revealed a sense of mutual respect born from the fight.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

In an instant, both unleashed the ninjutsu they were most proficient in.

However, the development of events was always full of drama. Due to the coincidence of timing and a stroke of luck, when Senju Kaze used his Earth Style to drag his opponent underground, Kagami happened to launch his Great Fireball Technique.

As a result, through this twist of fate, Senju Kaze successfully avoided the massive, roaring fireball by diving underground.

Faced with this unexpected situation, Kagami did not panic in the slightest. His fingers danced nimbly, rapidly changing hand seals.

The very next moment, a shocking scene occurred—Kagami was forcibly dragged underground by a mysterious force.

"It's over!" Senju Kaze popped his head out from the ground, his face beaming with unconcealable excitement.

Clearly, he was quite happy to have been able to defeat an opponent from the Uchiha Clan.

However, just as he was immersed in the joy of victory and had not yet fully recovered, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck.

He instinctively looked down, only to discover that the Kagami he was holding tightly in his hand had turned into a wisp of ethereal smoke, disappearing without a trace.

"A shadow clone?" Senju Kaze looked down in disbelief at the kunai shimmering with a cold light against his neck, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face. He couldn't help but gently pat his forehead, seemingly quite annoyed at his own carelessness.

Just then, Tobirama, standing to the side, shouted without hesitation, "Kagami Uchiha wins!" The voice echoed throughout the entire arena, declaring that the outcome of this match was set.

"Kagami Uchiha, Senju Kaze! Both of you are admitted to Class A!"

Faced with this result, Kagami did not show excessive joy; he remained as calm as water, as if the victory had long been within his expectations.

As for Senju Kaze on the other side, he didn't seem too dejected by losing the match either, still smiling with a carefree heart.

Kagami slowly walked up to Senju Kaze, extended his right hand to pull him up from the ground, and lowered his voice to say, "I merely cleverly utilized a time difference. In truth, you did very well; you are truly impressive."

However, Senju Kaze clearly did not think so. He clenched his fist tightly, looked up at Kagami, and responded firmly, "It doesn't matter, a loss is a loss! I lost to you this time, but I will definitely train twice as hard when I go back. One day, I will defeat you!"

To these words from Senju Kaze, Kagami only smiled slightly and said nothing more. But from the slight upturn of his lips, it was evident that he was in a good mood.