School Test (Mid)

Walking toward the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his old pipe, with Danzo walking in parallel to his right.

Hiruzen had originally been in his office reviewing documents, but Danzo had sought him out to invite him to the Ninja Academy to observe the first exam for the first-year students.

Hiruzen knew his old friend's mind; it was only natural to want to show off when the younger generation of one's clan showed promise.

The two arrived near the Ninja Academy, but instead of drawing attention by entering through the gates, they leaped onto a large tree outside the school playground, using the dense foliage to conceal their figures.

Standing on a thick branch, Hiruzen exhaled a large cloud of smoke and scanned the surroundings, spotting quite a few presences—they were either parents of the students or ninjas assigned by various clans to protect their juniors.

"It seems this exam has attracted quite a bit of attention," Hiruzen said calmly, turning to his old friend.

Danzo did not speak, merely nodding faintly, his focus entirely on the playground.

On the playground, the physical fitness test had concluded. The students of the Elite Class were gathered around Yamakawa Kiyoshi, standing in small groups and silently recovering their strength.

Among the group, Uchiha Inabi and Hyuga Toda were the most conspicuous, both leaning on their arms and panting heavily.

Due to overexertion, their faces were flushed red, and sweat streamed from their foreheads and hair, pooling at their chins and dripping continuously.

Compared to the other students, the two looked quite disheveled, appearing completely drained of energy.

This wasn't because they lacked physical stamina, but rather the result of their constant sprinting during the laps as they tried to overtake Kizaru and secure first place.

At the start of the fitness test, Kizaru had used the advantage of his long legs to surge into the lead, quickly widening the gap between himself and the main pack.

The two impulsive youngsters, Uchiha Inabi and Hyuga Toda, were naturally unwilling to watch Kizaru maintain his lead, so they both accelerated to try and overtake him.

However, no matter how they pushed themselves, Kizaru was always just a fraction faster, maintaining a lead of half a meter.

The two watched Kizaru leading the pack ahead of them, unable to close the gap, which left them both furious and anxious.

Unwilling to accept defeat, they gritted their teeth and kept increasing their speed, but it was to no avail; they could only watch Kizaru's stylish back and eat his dust.

Anyone who has run knows that the most important thing in long-distance running is maintaining a rhythm. By constantly sprinting, the two had ruined their pace, resulting in a massive waste of energy. In the latter half of the exam, let alone catching Kizaru, they hadn't even managed to hold onto second or third place, finishing in the lower-middle tier of the class.

"D-damn it!" Uchiha Inabi gasped, his words disjointed, his face full of frustration.

"When we have our sparring match, I'll definitely beat that guy!" Hyuga Toda said, equally frustrated, from a meter away.

"That guy? Only I can beat him!" Uchiha straightened up, looked at Hyuga Toda, and said with a haughty air.

"You? Idiot!" Hyuga Toda retorted dismissively.

"You, are you looking for—" As he spoke, Uchiha Inabi lunged toward Hyuga Toda.

The two's dispute instantly drew the attention of their classmates and teacher.

"They seem to be arguing over you," Nara Shikaku said with interest as he watched the two butting heads.

"How truly terrifying," Kizaru said, standing beside Nara Shikaku with his hands in his pockets, his expression full of mock sentiment.

Nara Shikaku withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Kizaru, and gave him a look of disgust.

"You really have a nasty way of speaking!"

"My apologies," Kizaru said, completely insincere.

Just as Kizaru and Nara Shikaku were talking, Yamakawa Kiyoshi had already quelled the dispute between Uchiha Inabi and Hyuga Toda and began to announce the start of the ninja tool test.

Led by Yamakawa Kiyoshi, the group arrived at a corner on the right side of the playground, the usual area for practicing ninja tool throwing.

"Everyone, stand behind me. When I call your name, step up and throw. Each person gets three attempts, and your best score will be recorded," Yamakawa Kiyoshi said to the students, holding a roster.

The students were obedient, lining up behind Yamakawa Kiyoshi to wait for their names to be called.

"Namikaze Minato!" Yamakawa Kiyoshi called out the first name.

Only a month into the school year, Namikaze Minato—with his striking looks, kind personality, and the warm smile he wore every day—was quite popular in class, and many students cheered him on.

Walking to the throwing point, Namikaze Minato looked at the teacher, and after Yamakawa Kiyoshi nodded, he took a wooden shuriken provided by the school from his waist pouch.

First throw: 6 rings;

Second throw: 7 rings;

Third throw: 7 rings.

For an orphan who had no adults to teach him and had only been exposed to ninja tools after entering the academy, this was already an excellent result.

"Minato, well done!" Yamakawa Kiyoshi raised his right hand toward Namikaze Minato and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, teacher!" Namikaze Minato bowed to thank him.

After Namikaze Minato stepped down, Yamakawa Kiyoshi continued calling names.

Since Kizaru was in the Elite Class, everyone's ninja tool throwing scores were quite good, generally maintaining a level of five or six rings or higher.

After Hyuga Toda stepped up, he used the advantage of his Byakugan to land three consecutive throws of 9 rings, drawing cheers from his classmates.

"Tch!" Watching the smug Hyuga Toda, Uchiha Inabi, standing in the crowd, let out a soft, disdainful snort.

A mere nine rings, what is there to be smug about? If I, Uchiha Inabi, go up there, it will definitely be a perfect score.

Uchiha Inabi soon got his chance to show off; he was the third person after Hyuga Toda.

Under the watchful eyes of his classmates, Uchiha Inabi walked forward, full of confidence.

It was no wonder Uchiha Inabi was so confident; after all, the Uchiha Clan was a family that had turned ninja tool throwing into an art form.

Uchiha Inabi didn't hold back, throwing three times in a row with perfect scores, barely pausing between each release.

"Inabi is so amazing!"

"As expected of a noble clan from Konoha!"

"That was so cool!"

Uchiha Inabi's performance drew continuous praise from his classmates, which only made him more smug.

"Inabi, you're truly impressive!" Yamakawa Kiyoshi also chimed in with a compliment.

"I'm not that great! Hahaha!" Uchiha intended to be humble, but in the end, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Yamakawa Kiyoshi shook his head with a smile and continued calling names.

"Shimura Kizaru!"

The moment Yamakawa Kiyoshi called the name, the scene fell silent. The "Big Devil" was about to take the stage, and everyone was filled with anticipation.

Uchiha Inabi stopped laughing and watched as Kizaru walked up from the back of the crowd. With a smug smile on his face, he took the initiative to say, "Good luck, Kizaru!"

"Sure thing!" Kizaru replied with a smile, then walked past Uchiha Inabi to the throwing line.

"Teacher, if I happen to damage the equipment, I don't have to pay for it, right?" Kizaru stood at the throwing line and asked with a beaming smile.

"..." Yamakawa Kiyoshi was stumped by Kizaru's question. After a moment of hesitation, he figured that even if Kizaru had a lot of strength, a simple shuriken throw would at most break the target, so he replied, "No need, just give it your all, Kizaru!"

"In that case, I won't hold back!"

An ambiguous smile appeared on Kizaru's face as he pulled a wooden shuriken from the pouch at his waist.