The Ninja Academy Entrance Test

Summer, Year 48 of Konoha. The day of enrollment at the Ninja Academy had finally arrived.

Early that morning, Uchiha Rìtiān dragged Itachi to the Ninja Academy gates. The entrance was packed with people, with parents bringing their children to register everywhere. Uchiha, Hyuga, Akimichi, Yamanaka... the clan uniforms of every family were on display. It was practically a gathering of all Konoha's clans.

"Wow, there are so many people!" Uchiha Rìtiān stood on tiptoe and looked around. "Hey, big brother, look over there. Those people in white are from the Hyuga Clan, right? Their eyes are so white. Scary."

Itachi looked in the direction he pointed and nodded. "Yes, they're from the Hyuga Clan."

Uchiha Rìtiān rubbed his chin. The Hyuga Clan, huh? The Byakugan is pretty cool, though it does look a bit like cataracts.

"Hey, you two. Here to register?" Someone who looked like a teacher walked over and frowned at Uchiha Rìtiān. "Isn't this child far too young? Where's his parent?"

"I'm his guardian," Itachi said expressionlessly.

The teacher's mouth twitched. "You're not very old yourself..."

"We're from the Uchiha Clan." Itachi took out the registration form. "My father asked me to bring my younger brother to register."

Seeing that they were from the Uchiha Clan, the teacher immediately changed his attitude. "Oh, the young masters of the Uchiha! Please, come in!"

Uchiha Rìtiān quipped inwardly, So this is how people from powerful clans get treated? Not bad at all!

There was a long line at the registration desk, and Uchiha Rìtiān and Itachi joined the back. Right ahead of them were several children from the Hyuga Clan. One was so haughty that he even walked with his chin raised.

"Hmph, the Uchiha are here too?" The boy glanced at Itachi and Uchiha Rìtiān, his face full of disdain. "That Sharingan isn't even fit to shine our Byakugan's shoes."

Uchiha Rìtiān immediately took offense. Hey, this little brat has quite a mouth on him!

"Hey, you, white-eyes! What did you say?" Uchiha Rìtiān planted his hands on his hips and glared back.

The boy hadn't expected a child even younger than himself to talk back. He froze for a moment, then snapped, "Who are you calling white-eyes?! My name is Hyūga Huǒliè! Who are you?"

"The name's Uchiha Rìtiān!" Uchiha Rìtiān raised his chin. "What, want to fight?"

"Huǒliè, stop!" An older Hyuga boy beside him held him back. "This is the Ninja Academy. No causing trouble!"

Hyūga Huǒliè glared fiercely at Uchiha Rìtiān. "Hmph, you're lucky! Once we're in school, you'll get what's coming to you!"

"Like I'm scared of you!" Uchiha Rìtiān pulled a face.

Soon, it was their turn to register. The teacher handling registration looked at Uchiha Rìtiān's form, then at Uchiha Rìtiān himself, and hesitated. "This child is only five? Isn't that a little too young?"

"He has a recommendation letter." Itachi handed over the letter Fugaku had written. The teacher took a look. It was a handwritten letter from the Uchiha Clan Head, complete with the Konoha Military Police Force's seal.

"Since he has a recommendation letter, he can take the test. Whether he passes will depend on his own performance, though."

After registration came the entrance test, which was divided into three parts: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and academics.

First was the Taijutsu test, a sparring match against a teacher. The longer the children lasted, the higher their scores. Most of the children ahead of them were knocked flat in under ten seconds.

Hyūga Huǒliè did well, lasting a full thirty seconds and drawing a chorus of praise. He walked off smugly, making a point of glancing toward Uchiha Rìtiān.

Uchiha Rìtiān rolled his eyes. What's there to show off about? Just wait. I'll show you what a real genius looks like!

Soon, it was Itachi's turn. The atmosphere changed the moment he stepped up. The Uchiha Clan's genius, the prodigy who had awakened his Sharingan at seven-those titles had long since spread.

Itachi's movements were crisp and efficient, every punch and kick utterly precise. The longer they fought, the more alarmed the teacher became. This child's strength probably wasn't much below an ordinary Genin's!

After two minutes, the teacher had no choice but to call a halt. "Stop! Full marks! Absolutely full marks!" The crowd erupted.

Itachi walked off expressionlessly, as though that spectacular match had been nothing at all.

Uchiha Rìtiān clapped beside him. "You're badass, big brother!" The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched slightly. "Watch your language."

Next was Uchiha Rìtiān's turn. People all around whispered, "That child is only five, right? Can he pass the test?"

The testing teacher was a little doubtful too. "Little one, are you ready? If you can't manage, it's all right to give up now."

"I'm ready, teacher!" Uchiha Rìtiān assumed a strange opening stance-the opening stance of his self-created "Uchiha Rìtiān Fist."

"Begin!" The teacher threw a punch, neither fast nor forceful, entirely at a level meant to accommodate a small child.

Uchiha Rìtiān slid his feet and dodged it by a hair. "Oh? Pretty good reflexes!" The teacher was a little surprised.

The teacher picked up speed. Uchiha Rìtiān ducked and swerved. Though he looked quite clumsy, he managed to evade every attack by the narrowest margin.

Twenty seconds, thirty seconds... everyone stared in amazement. This five-year-old had actually lasted this long? Hyūga Huǒliè's face had turned green.

In truth, Uchiha Rìtiān was doing it on purpose. He didn't want to stand out too much. He understood that the bird that stuck its head out got shot. That's about enough. Time to "lose."

Uchiha Rìtiān "stumbled," moving right into the teacher's fist, and landed on the ground with a thump. "Ow, that hurts!" Uchiha Rìtiān rubbed his backside, looking aggrieved.

The teacher hurried to help him up. "Are you all right? Are you all right? I hit too hard."

"All right, seventy points for the Taijutsu test!" the teacher announced. It wasn't a top score, but it was already quite good for a five-year-old.

Next came the Ninjutsu test: the Transformation Technique and the Clone Technique. Most of the children's transformations were misshapen, making everyone burst out laughing.

When Uchiha Rìtiān's turn came, he formed hand seals, and with a pop, transformed into the testing teacher. It was a lifelike copy, right down to the mole on the teacher's face.

The crowd fell silent for a second, then erupted in amazement. "My goodness, isn't that Transformation Technique a little too perfect?"

His Clone Technique was equally perfect, producing three clones in a neat row. "Full marks for the Ninjutsu test!" the teacher announced excitedly.

Uchiha Rìtiān walked off smugly, making a point of raising his eyebrows as he passed Hyūga Huǒliè.

Last was the academic test. This was even more of a breeze for Uchiha Rìtiān. As a die-hard Naruto fan, he knew Konoha's history backward and forward!

Once he received the paper, Uchiha Rìtiān finished it in a flurry of strokes and was the first to hand it in. The grading teacher took a look. Every answer was correct! And his handwriting was particularly beautiful, too!

"Full marks for academics!" Everyone was stunned. A five-year-old had scored seventy in Taijutsu, full marks in Ninjutsu, and full marks in academics? What kind of monster was he?

Uchiha Rìtiān felt delighted. Pulling off a successful show-off act feels so damn good!

Just then, he felt someone's gaze fall on him. Looking up, he saw a white-haired old man behind a window in the classroom building, watching him with a smile.

The Third Hokage?! Uchiha Rìtiān's heart skipped a beat. What's this old man doing here again?

The Third Hokage seemed to notice Uchiha Rìtiān looking at him. He waved, then turned and left.

"Ding! The Host has been detected passing the Ninja Academy entrance test. Reward: all attributes +1!"

The system's voice suddenly rang out. All attributes +1? Not bad, not bad!

The admission results were soon announced. Both Uchiha Rìtiān and Itachi had been accepted, and they had even been assigned to the same class.

"Big brother, we're going to be classmates!" Uchiha Rìtiān said excitedly. Itachi nodded expressionlessly, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

The brothers walked out of the academy, the setting sun stretching their shadows long. Uchiha Rìtiān was filled with anticipation. What will life at the Ninja Academy be like?

What he didn't know was that after they left, the Third Hokage emerged from the classroom building and watched their retreating figures thoughtfully.

"The Uchiha Clan really does produce one talent after another." The Third Hokage sighed. "It's just..." He said no more, his gaze growing more complicated.

The next day, Uchiha Rìtiān would officially start school. But what he didn't know was that his life at the Ninja Academy was destined to be anything but peaceful from the very first day.