"Wherever the leaves of the village dance, the fire will never die."
"Wherever leaves dance, the fire will burn. The fire's shadow will shine upon the village and make new leaves sprout."
"I know that most of you applied to take the graduation exam early because you wanted to contribute to the village. But becoming a ninja means shouldering a ninja's responsibilities."
"Before the exam, anyone who wants to withdraw may do so. The Will of Fire does not ask you to make blind sacrifices.
"Students who choose to withdraw should not be mocked, either. Konoha's peace and future need to be protected by every generation with courage and responsibility."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the crowd, flanked by Konoha's prominent leaders.
His voice was steady yet struck deep in people's hearts, reaching every child waiting to take the exam and every leader present.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon him, bathing the Hokage in a golden glow.
After a short wait, more than a dozen students who doubted their own abilities chose to withdraw, including the one who had wet himself earlier.
The remaining students, however, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with resolute eyes, showing that they would never back down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell upon the children once more, full of hope. "Remember, you are Konoha's new sprouts and the inheritors of the Will of Fire. As long as the fire in your hearts does not go out, Konoha will never fall!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause rang out across the grounds.
Excitement and pride shone on the children's faces, and their earlier nervousness and fear had long since vanished.
A trace of displeasure flashed in Shimura Danzō's eyes.
Ninja were just a bunch of tools. What was the point of being so sentimental? What a waste of time!
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand to quiet the applause, then spoke again. "Since no one else wishes to withdraw, I hereby declare today's graduation exam officially underway!"
"Exam format: 120 participants, randomly divided into groups of five, for a total of 24 groups."
"Each group of five will face an elite ninja whose strength will be limited to the Chunin level. Starting today, any child who passes the exam will officially become a Konoha ninja!"
After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished his speech, an elite ninja stepped forward with a document in his hand and a stern expression.
"The exam begins now. Students whose names are called, come forward at once."
"..."
Unlike in Naruto's era, when passing meant nothing more than demonstrating the basic Three Body Technique.
At this time, the exam focused primarily on actual combat.
Bai Lin glanced over and lost interest. It was too boring.
First came a Shuriken throw, then a charge. The elite ninja used the Substitution Technique. Hahaha! Smack! One student was eliminated. Seeing that, the others hid behind the trees and waited for an opening.
The Ninja Academy taught a fairly comprehensive curriculum: the Three Body Technique, Taijutsu, and theory.
There was no need to explain the Three Body Technique.
Chakra supported the use of ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and genjutsu. It was the fundamental energy that allowed ninja to fight and survive.
It could also strengthen the body and raise its physical limits.
Taijutsu involved using Chakra effectively to enhance the body. Wall-running and blocking attacks were both part of it.
Theoretical knowledge covered gathering intelligence, using terrain, working with teammates, and understanding genjutsu.
Every area was important. The students in the first group had actually done pretty well. Maybe the first student thought it was another play-fighting exam at school, got careless, and failed to dodge!
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other leaders watched the six people fighting in the arena, each with a different expression.
Their eyes settled on the student who had been eliminated instantly. They shook their heads but said nothing. The path of a ninja was cruel by nature, and carelessness and underestimating one's opponent were among the deadliest weaknesses.
Most people had been eliminated without even showing what they could do. That was perfectly normal.
"Hmph! What a waste of time. I'd be better off going back and figuring out how to deal with Hanzo of the Salamander," Shimura Danzō snorted, voicing his displeasure.
"That's enough. They're all Konoha's future," Hiruzen Sarutobi said mildly.
The battle in the arena soon ended.
The elite ninja was clearly holding back, keeping his strength at the Chunin level the entire time, yet he still had the fight well in hand.
"Next group."
"..."
This group was worth noting. At least a few of them had applied what they'd learned at school to actual combat.
Time passed quickly. By the last group, all the other students had been eliminated.
"Last group."
"Uzumaki Kushina, Minato Namikaze, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara," the examining elite ninja announced sternly.
(Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara: around age nine in Konoha Years 25–26)
"Great! It's finally my turn," Kushina exclaimed excitedly.
"Wait, Kushina. We should discuss a strategy with our teammates first," Minato Namikaze said, stopping Kushina.
Aside from the hotheaded Kushina, the other four all looked serious and focused, taking the exam very seriously.
"Hello, I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. I specialize in sensing and relaying intelligence." A boy with blond hair tied in a short ponytail walked over, followed by a chubby boy and a thin, sleepy-eyed one.
"I'm Choza Akimichi. Munch, munch." Choza Akimichi introduced himself while holding a bag of chips and stuffing them into his mouth.
"Oh, what a drag. I'm Shikaku Nara. I specialize in making plans." Shikaku Nara kept his hands in his pockets, looking languid as his sharp eyes studied the elite ninja they were about to face.
The Third and Konoha's other leaders stood not far away, along with members of their clans.
The three of them were heirs to their respective clans. If they performed too ordinarily, they would not only embarrass their clans but also earn the scorn of their future colleagues.
"I'm Minato Namikaze." Minato smiled warmly and held out his hand. "I'm counting on you all!"
Kushina also put aside her impulsiveness and thumped her chest as she introduced herself, her red hair bobbing. "Don't worry. Leave the frontal attack to me. I won't hold you back!"
The five quickly gathered in a circle. Shikaku Nara spoke first, his tone still languid but his words clear and decisive. "Our examiner is the elite ninja Tanakamura. I watched him earlier. He specializes in Taijutsu. Even though his strength is limited to the Chunin level, his combat experience far surpasses ours."
"..."
They quickly worked out a strategy and stepped forward.
Examiner Tanakamura did not look impatient. Instead, he regarded them with approval. "If you're ready, the exam begins now!"
The battle that followed made everyone sit up and take notice. The group's performance was clearly far better than that of the previous 23 groups.
Caught between attacks from three sides, Tanakamura was momentarily flustered.
He had intended to break through their encirclement with his combat experience, only to find the five children working together like teammates of many years.
Inoichi's intelligence relays were instantaneous. He used his clan's secret Mind Transfer Technique with great skill, forcing Tanakamura to stay on guard. The moment he let his guard down, a chain of attacks would come crashing down on him.
Shikaku's tactical adjustments were precise and effective. His clan's secret Shadow Possession Technique could restrain their opponent, and under its influence, Tanakamura's positioning kept leading him into their traps.
Choza's pressure was as steady as a mountain. Whenever an opportunity arose, he immediately launched an attack with the Multi-Size Technique.
Minato Namikaze was incredibly fast, able to handle most unexpected developments.
Several times, when Tanakamura tried to quickly take one of them out, Minato Namikaze blocked him.
Shikaku Nara seemed to be the group's tactical core, but Minato Namikaze's strategic awareness was no less impressive.
Without getting past Minato Namikaze's defense, it would be difficult to eliminate even one of them while limited to Chunin-level strength. Instead, Tanakamura was forced to use a little of his elite-ninja speed just to break free.