Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had predicted, once Tobirama took charge of the rest of the proceedings, everything moved forward as swiftly as a storm. The long, pointless formalities were gone, replaced by nothing but efficient, decisive execution.
At that moment, Qile stood on the viewing platform, looking down over the training ground with excitement. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to Kagami below, "Kagami! Good luck! You're the best!"
But Kagami, who had already been a little nervous, found his nerves instantly replaced by embarrassment at Qile's ear-splitting encouragement.
As a pure-blooded member of the Uchiha Clan, Kagami might have been gentle by nature, but he valued his dignity above all else.
He knew what Qile was like, and part of him appreciated the encouragement. But that didn't stop him from wanting to rush over and sew Qile's constantly shouting mouth shut.
Yet faced with the situation, Qile didn't care in the slightest what anyone else thought or how they looked at him. If anything, he shouted with even greater enthusiasm.
Perhaps Tobirama had noticed Qile's unusual excitement, or perhaps it was pure coincidence. In any case, something unexpected happened: Kagami was assigned to the very first match.
"First match! Kagami Uchiha versus Longtao!"
A faint commotion rippled through the crowd when the names were called. Clearly, no one had expected the first match to pit a child from the Uchiha Clan against a commoner boy who didn't even have a surname.
The spectators weren't the only ones who thought the match was hopelessly one-sided. Longtao himself had no confidence whatsoever that he could win.
Even knowing he couldn't defeat Kagami, Longtao didn't back down at the last moment, nor was he too intimidated to fight just because his opponent's surname was Uchiha.
Neither of them wasted time on pointless words. At Tobirama's loud command to begin, Kagami flashed forward and kicked at Longtao with the speed of a gale.
Poor Longtao didn't have time to react. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashed outside the training ground, and the match was over.
Watching the sudden turn of events, Qile shook his head repeatedly and thought to himself, Compared with the great ninja clans, these commoners who haven't even started their ninja education are worlds apart. The gap is simply too huge; they can't even be compared.
"Kagami Uchiha wins! He advances to the next round. Longtao enters... Class B!"
Based on his abilities, Longtao had no chance of entering Class B; he might not even make it into Class C. He hadn't even withstood a single kick from Kagami. But Tobirama, acting as the judge, had seen that Longtao knew how great the difference between them was and had still dared to face his opponent head-on.
That changed Tobirama's mind. Strength could be trained, but character was innate.
Talent was important for becoming strong, but the courage to challenge the strong was absolutely essential, too.
After all, who could guarantee that a ninja would only ever face opponents weaker than himself?
Time passed quietly. As one intense match after another unfolded, child after child was defeated. In the end, only a handful of children from the Senju Clan and Kagami Uchiha remained in the running.
Qile had expected this outcome, and so had the parents who had brought their children to enroll in the school. They had all prepared themselves for it in advance.
But it was precisely this well-known gap that had led these far-sighted commoner parents to send their children to take a chance.
If their children could become ninja, they could rise above their station...
Tobirama's voice rang out across the field. "Next match! Kagami Uchiha versus Senju Kaze!"
This was a highly anticipated showdown.
At the pairing, everyone's eyes focused on the arena.
Qile and the other spectators watched the two fighters about to clash in the center of the field with rapt attention.
At Tobirama's command, the match began.
Senju Kaze attacked first. He flashed forward so quickly that the commoner parents watching couldn't help but gasp.
From where Qile stood, Senju Kaze was indeed fast—only slightly slower than Kagami.
That was because Qile knew Kagami all too well...
Just as Qile had expected, when Senju Kaze threw a powerful straight punch, Kagami remained remarkably calm.
He tilted his head slightly and easily dodged the sharp attack. Then he slid his left foot forward, raised his shoulder, and slammed it into Senju Kaze's chest.
If that blow landed, the match would undoubtedly be decided in an instant.
But the Senju Clan was every bit as powerful as the Uchiha, and it spared no effort in training the next generation.
When Senju Kaze saw Kagami dodge his fierce attack at incredible speed and immediately charge at him with his shoulder, he was startled and reacted at once.
He quickly withdrew his striking arm and shifted to defense, while kicking up with his left foot to try to stop Kagami's advance.
In the blink of an eye, the two seemed to move in perfect unison, retreating at almost the same moment and putting a little distance between them.
Unexpectedly, they didn't glare at each other after their fierce exchange. Instead, they smiled at one another, as if they'd become friends through their clash.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The two performed their signature jutsu almost simultaneously.
But things always had a way of taking a dramatic turn. Thanks to a twist of timing and luck, just as Senju Kaze used Earth Release to drag his opponent underground, Kagami launched his Great Fireball Technique.
By a stroke of luck, Senju Kaze burrowed underground and successfully evaded the enormous blazing fireball.
Kagami didn't panic at the unexpected turn. His fingers moved rapidly as he formed hand seals.
The next moment, a shocking scene unfolded: a mysterious force dragged Kagami underground.
"It's over!" Senju Kaze's head suddenly popped out of the ground, his face alight with excitement.
Clearly, he was delighted to have defeated an opponent from the Uchiha Clan.
But as he basked in the joy of victory, before he had fully come to his senses, he suddenly felt a chill at his neck.
He looked down instinctively and saw that the Kagami he'd been clutching had somehow turned into wisps of smoke and vanished without a trace.
"It was a clone?" Senju Kaze stared at the Kunai at his neck in disbelief. Looking helpless, he gave his forehead a light smack, apparently annoyed at his own carelessness.
At that moment, Tobirama, standing nearby, called out without hesitation, "Kagami Uchiha wins!" His voice rang across the field, announcing the end of the match.
"Kagami Uchiha and Senju Kaze! Both enter Class A!"
Kagami showed little joy at the result. He remained as calm as still water, as if victory had been just what he expected.
Senju Kaze, on the other hand, didn't seem all that upset about losing. He continued to grin without a care in the world.
Kagami walked over to Senju Kaze, reached out his right hand, and pulled him out of the ground. Then he lowered his voice. "I just made clever use of a split-second opening. You did really well, though. You were amazing."
Senju Kaze clearly didn't agree. He clenched his fist, looked up at Kagami, and replied firmly, "It's fine. A loss is a loss! You beat me this time, but I'll train twice as hard when I get back. One day, I'll beat you!"
Kagami only smiled at Senju Kaze's words and said nothing more. But the slight lift at the corners of his mouth showed that he was in a good mood...
Before you continue