The Chunin at the very front of the group actually heard the children whispering.
Did he simply not want to intervene? Of course not. He had been ordered to leave them alone.
Soon, they returned to the square from yesterday.
Unlike yesterday, all kinds of equipment had already been set up in the square.
Some tested strength, some tested speed, and there were also a few wooden targets.
Then they were told to form several lines.
The tests began simultaneously.
First came strength.
Naturally, that meant dumbbells and barbells.
Some were delighted, while others were dismayed.
Some lifted the weights easily, while others could not budge them.
Those who lifted them easily could naturally proceed to the next test.
Those who could not even move the dumbbells were immediately disqualified, losing their chance to become Shinobi.
Anyone who failed was led away immediately. All that awaited them was a lifetime as an ordinary person.
Soon, it was Zhou Cheng's turn.
There were five weight classes on the dumbbell rack.
They were 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 kilograms.
These weights were surely trivial for Shinobi, but those being tested were only children around ten years old.
Moreover, they were war orphans who had suffered from prolonged malnutrition.
Many were little more than skin and bones.
Even 20 kilograms was an enormous weight to them.
For Zhou Cheng, however, whose strength had already been enhanced once by the Vermilion Gourd, it was no great problem.
He walked straight toward the heaviest 50-kilogram dumbbell.
In truth, even the 60-kilogram dumbbell would have been no strain for him.
Still, he understood that the tallest tree caught the fiercest wind.
He did not want to attract too much attention, but he could not afford to go unnoticed, either.
He briefly loosened up his hand and arm.
Under everyone else's dumbfounded gazes, he easily lifted the dumbbell over his head.
Gasp!
"That dumbbell must be fake!"
"That's 50 kilograms, twice my body weight!"
"He looks so skinny and frail, but he's that strong?"
"He looks about the same weight as me, yet he can lift something twice his own weight with one hand!"
"Look at him! He isn't even flushed or out of breath. What a monster!"
"Hey, listen, whatever you do, don't mess with him!"
"Last night in the thatched hut, a few kids tried to steal his bed, and he kicked them to death, one kick each!"
"Tch, no way. I don't believe it!"
"A 50-kilogram dumbbell would snap those scrawny arms and legs of his!"
It was not just the children around him. Even the Genin serving as evaluators stared at Zhou Cheng as though he were a monster.
A child barely over ten had easily lifted a 50-kilogram dumbbell.
It was truly astonishing and shocking.
At the edge of the square stood the real Purple-Haired ANBU.
Even with her considerable ability and experience, she could not help being stunned.
That such a thin, small body contained so much strength was truly unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding the Crystal Ball, was grinning almost from ear to ear.
"I like this kid more and more!"
"I wonder what other surprises he has in store for me!"
After Zhou Cheng came Haku.
He walked up to the 30-kilogram dumbbell and lifted it, pretending to struggle slightly.
His performance also drew murmurs of admiration.
But Zhou Cheng had already set the bar.
Everyone's reaction was therefore much more subdued.
The second test was the barbell bench press.
It, too, was divided into five weight classes.
40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 kilograms.
The bench press relied on both hands, along with strength from the chest, shoulders, and several other areas.
It was much easier than lifting a dumbbell.
Almost everyone who passed the first test could pass this one.
After a moment's thought, Zhou Cheng walked over to the 70-kilogram barbell.
He lay down, gripped the bar, and pressed it up in one smooth motion, without the slightest strain.
"Tch, only 70 kilograms? He must've gotten lucky with that dumbbell earlier!"
"I thought he'd lift 80 kilograms. What a disappointment!"
Zhou Cheng glanced at him and said with a smile,
"If you're so good, why don't you try?"
"Don't give me a reason to look down on you!"
Provoked by Zhou Cheng, the boy felt he could not back down without losing face.
"Tch, fine, I'll do it!"
Rather than matching Zhou Cheng, he chose the 60-kilogram barbell.
After lying down, he no longer looked as relaxed as he had at first.
He gripped the bar and pushed it up.
"Hah!"
His face instantly flushed red, veins bulged on his neck, and both arms shook, making the barbell look as though it might fall at any moment.
"Pass!"
The Genin overseeing the test spoke without much emotion.
Relieved, the boy abruptly released his grip.
The dumbbell landed heavily on the rack with a loud, sharp clang.
"See? I can do it too!"
He stood up and gave Zhou Cheng a challenging look.
"Heh, I thought that barbell was going to crush you to death!"
"He lifted 70 kilograms without breaking a sweat."
"You barely managed 60, and you still have the nerve to show off!"
"Hahaha!"
The people around them laughed along.
Anyone with eyes could tell that he had needed every ounce of his strength to lift it, while Zhou Cheng had looked completely at ease, neither flushed nor breathless.
The difference was obvious.
The boy seemed to know his own limits, too, and stopped trying to pick a fight.
Haku naturally passed the second test with ease as well.
The third test measured speed.
They had to run from one end of the square to the other, a distance of about 200 meters.
Sprinting at full speed, they had to finish within 20 seconds to pass.
For Shinobi, 200 meters was only a matter of seconds.
But those being tested were only children, so naturally, the requirements were not too demanding.
Zhou Cheng had received a speed enhancement from the Jade Green Gourd.
Holding back and without using chakra, he finished in 18 seconds. He had not even broken a sweat and was only slightly out of breath.
Naturally, this drew another wave of exclamations.
Haku was clearly holding back as well, crossing the finish line right at the 20-second mark and looking quite relaxed.
The previous tests had only measured basic abilities. Though talent played a part, all of those abilities could be developed through training.
The final test assessed their use of ninja tools.
The simplest task was to hit the bull's-eye with a shuriken or kunai.
For some reason, Zhou Cheng felt a little excited.
In this test, he would give it everything he had.
He would not hold back at all.
Because his goal was not merely to hit the bull's-eye, but to send ninja tools flying along different trajectories before striking it.
He had also prepared a trump card.
As long as he could successfully execute that move, he would be the brightest star of the group.
He had thought it through, too: when to hold back, and when not to.
His goal was to enter the Ninja Academy as a genius.
The more gifted he appeared, the more resources would be devoted to him.
The more people he would be able to approach at close quarters.
And the more talents he would be able to replicate.
So in this final test, he intended to stun not only these children, but every Shinobi present—and, above all, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was watching him through the Crystal Ball.