The exam time passed quickly, and one by one the students handed in their papers and left the exam room. They gathered together and discussed the questions they had just answered.
"Which do you think is more important, the village or the family?" a student asked.
"I think the village is more important. Only when the village is strong can we have a better life," another student replied.
"So how will you develop the village?" a student asked.
"I will strive to improve my abilities, complete the village's tasks, and make the village stronger," the first student replied.
"I will also work hard. I will communicate more with the villagers, understand their needs, and help the village develop," the second student said.
The students chatted animatedly, each offering their own ideas. Despite their young age, they were already strategizing for the village's Mirai.
The second exam began. On the tens of thousands of meters track of the Kage Academy, 300 students, carrying heavy sandbags, started a marathon with no end, like a group of ants carrying heavy loads.
At first, those students with strong Taijutsu seemed to have superpowers, rushing ahead and leaving the others far behind. Iwata was one of the best among them. He had huge muscles and ran like the wind, shouting, "Haha, what's that? I can go even faster!" He ran more and more energetically, completely unaware of the weight on his back.
But after running for a short while, Asuka Iwata began to feel something was wrong. He thought to himself, "Why is this exam so strange? There's no finish line. When will this end?" His legs started to ache, and his breathing became rapid. Looking at his classmates who were still desperately chasing behind him, he began to feel anxious. "Am I running too fast? If this never ends, I can't keep going."
Tian Zhiyun was also sweating profusely from running. She thought to herself, "This exam is so grueling; the sandbags on my back feel heavier and heavier." Her legs felt like lead, and every step required tremendous effort. She looked up and saw that Iwata ahead of her was also slowing down, which offered a small measure of comfort, "Looks like everyone's in the same boat, gritting their teeth and persevering."
Tian Yukihime ran alongside Tian Zhiyun, biting her lip and staring ahead. She thought, "I can't stop, I have to hold on! Dad said a ninja must persevere to the end." Her breathing grew increasingly rapid, sweat streamed down her face, but she continued running with all her might.
Kyogoku Rikiō ran at the back of the group. He never intended to rush to the front; he knew his Taijutsu weren't the strongest, but he had his own methods. He thought to himself, "I may not be fast, but I can persevere. I must finish this test." He ran step by step, slowly, but he showed no sign of stopping.
By the sixtieth lap, the trainees were starting to give up. Some complained, "This test is too grueling, I can't run anymore." Others made excuses. "I twisted my ankle, I have to stop." Still others said, "This track is too long, I can't finish it."
Even Asuka Iwata couldn't keep going. By the time he reached his seventieth lap, his legs were completely giving way. He thought to himself, "Should I... should I stop? This is too tiring, I can't run anymore." He looked at his classmates who were still persevering ahead of him, then at the sandbags on his back. After struggling with his decision for a while, he finally stopped. He sat down on the ground, panting heavily, feeling a little resentful. "Sigh, why couldn't I keep going?"
Tian Zhiyun was also nearing her limit. By the time she reached her eightieth lap, her legs felt like noodles. She thought, "Should I... should I stop too? This is too tiring, I can't run anymore." But then she remembered her father's words. "A ninja must persevere to the end." She gritted her teeth and continued running, encouraging herself, "I can definitely keep going, I can't let my father down."
Tian Yukihime was also nearing her limit. By the time she reached her ninetieth lap, her breathing was erratic. She thought, "Should I... should I stop too? This is too tiring, I can't run anymore." But then she remembered her father's words. "A ninja cannot give up easily; he must persevere." She gritted her teeth and continued running, encouraging herself, "I can definitely keep going. I can't let my father down."
Kyogoku Rikiō persisted. By the time he reached his hundredth lap, his legs were completely numb. He thought, "Should I... should I stop too? This is too tiring, I can't run anymore." But then he remembered his deceased father's words. "Ninjas must learn to share and pass on their skills. We must teach the skills we've learned to more people, so they can become stronger too." He gritted his teeth and kept running, encouraging himself, "I can definitely keep going. I can't let my father down."
In the testing room, the trainees were all gritting their teeth and persevering, but more and more were beginning to give up. Some trainees fell while running, got up and continued running, but eventually couldn't hold on and sat down on the ground, refusing to get up. Some trainees started crying, shouting, "I can't run anymore, I can't take it." The examiners watched coldly from the sidelines, not one of them offering comfort or encouragement. They simply silently recorded the number of laps each trainee ran and their condition.
Finally, the exam was almost over. The last candidate couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed while running. The examiners rushed over to check on him and found that he had lost consciousness, but his body was still unconsciously moving forward. The examiners lifted him up, placed him on a stretcher, and took him away.
The exam ended with the last person fainting. The Anbu proctors faithfully recorded everyone's condition and physical state after stopping, as well as the final distance they ran. Those who persevered to the end, although they ran slowly, received high marks. Those who gave up early, although they ran fast at the beginning, did not achieve ideal results.
The examiners looked at the trainees and thought, "Being a ninja isn't just about having strong Taijutsu; perseverance and persistence are the most important qualities."
After the exam, the students returned to the classroom one by one. They sat in their seats, heads bowed, still thinking about the test. Tian Zhiyun looked up at the students who had persevered to the end, thinking, "They're amazing. I want to be like them and persevere to the end." She turned to Tian Yukihime and said, " Yukihime, let's work hard together and persevere to the end." Tian Yukihime looked up at Tian Zhiyun and nodded, saying, "Yes, let's work hard together."
Kyogoku Rikiō -oh looked up at his classmates who had persevered to the end, thinking, "They're amazing. I want to be like them and persevere to the end." He turned to the student next to him and said, "Let's work hard together and persevere to the end." The student next to him looked up at him, nodded, and said, "Yes, let's work hard together."
Although the exam was tiring, the students all learned a very important lesson: being a ninja is not just about being good at Taijutsu; perseverance and persistence are the most important qualities.