On the Ninja Academy's training ground, a grueling Taijutsu exam was about to begin. The sun shone brightly over the ground as students in ninja attire stood before the starting line. Their eyes held tension and unease, but also burned with the desire for victory. Their determination seemed to say, "I'm going to win this exam!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the obstacle course ahead, full of unknown challenges. Beside him, Shimura Danzō clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Hiruzen, the Uchiha Clan has really gone overboard this time!" he muttered. "We can only use Taijutsu for this round, and that's not our strong suit! Our clans gave us strict orders not to lose this exam, and it's a great chance to prove ourselves."
Hiruzen nodded slightly and thought, If I want first place this time, I'll have to give it everything I've got. Both luck and strength will be crucial if I'm going to clear the course perfectly. I can't let my clan down. No matter what, I have to get through and take first place.
At Uchiha Tomioki's command, the exam began. The students lined up in order, each setting off after the one before them finished running. One by one, they shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow, kicking up clouds of dust. The first event was a thousand-meter weighted sprint: they had to carry a load weighing five hundred jin and run a thousand meters as fast as they could. It was fairly easy for ninja, who were, after all, super warriors whose bodies had been enhanced by Chakra.
Tora Inuzuka ran on all fours at tremendous speed, crossing the finish line first in 9.87 seconds. He quickly shed the weights and charged toward the thorn obstacle.
Kagami Uchiha followed close behind, with a time of 9.97 seconds,
while Biwako came third, with a time of 10.01 seconds.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura came in last, with a time of 121.32 seconds.
Utatane Koharu looked anxious, her brow knotted as she muttered, "Oh no, what are we going to do? The people ahead of us are so fast."
Mitokado Homura was anxious too, but he comforted her. "Koharu, we rely on our wits. We'll try harder on the later events. The most important thing is to make steady progress."
Next came the first obstacle course: the thorn maze. Dense thorns blocked the way in a tangled mass, like demons baring their claws. Tora Inuzuka was in the lead, darting nimbly from side to side. Each time, his hands and feet could only touch down briefly on the tiny footholds before he had to slip through the gaps between the thorns. His agility and perception were both good, but a thorn still caught his arm by accident, and blood gushed out. Gritting his teeth, he kept moving and quickly made it through in 3.32 seconds.
Kagami Uchiha followed close behind, nimbly twisting and maneuvering his way through without a scratch in 3.52 seconds.
Biwako made her way through carefully in 11.3 seconds.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura walked up to the thorn maze side by side. Koharu's brow furrowed even deeper at the sight of the dense thorns, and she panicked. There are so many thorns. How are we supposed to get through? Mitokado Homura reached out and took her hand. "Don't panic! Follow me!" he shouted. The two carefully searched for gaps between the thorns and struggled through, their clothes torn open in several places, in 42.52 seconds.
After that came a thousand push-ups with a five-hundred-jin weight. Tora Inuzuka took some gauze from his ninja tool pouch, quickly bandaged his arm, and completed the exercise before charging toward the mountain of blades.
Next came the terrifying mountain-of-blades obstacle. Sharp blades glinted coldly in the sunlight, giving off an air of death. Kagami Uchiha was in the lead this time. His eyes sharp, he studied the arrangement of the blades, found the best route, and quickly stepped across them in 3.07 seconds.
Tora Inuzuka concentrated Chakra in his hands, gripped the blades tightly, and made his way forward step by step, taking 13 seconds. Torifu Akimichi took a deep breath and circulated his Chakra to make his body tougher. With a loud shout, he charged forward, stepping on the blades with every stride. A sharp pain shot through the soles of his feet, but he kept going as if nothing were wrong, relying on sheer toughness to tank the damage. Seeing this, the other students also mustered their courage. Some jumped across using ninja tools, while others formed protective layers of Chakra and crossed carefully.
Just as everyone was struggling across the mountain of blades, Shuriken came flying from all directions like a downpour. Kagami Uchiha reacted quickly, drawing a Kunai and swiftly blocking the incoming Shuriken amid a constant clanging of metal. Tora Inuzuka twisted and rolled to dodge, slapping away the ones he couldn't avoid, and charged through.
Eijō Yuhi watched the incoming Shuriken, her heart filled with fear. This is terrifying. I hate dense attacks like Shuriken the most. Can I make it through? But when she saw her classmates fighting with all their might, she gritted her teeth and rushed out from behind a huge rock. She swung the long sword in her hand, blocking the incoming Shuriken, but in the end, three struck her, and she was eliminated.
After that came the diving obstacle: they had to dive the length of a thousand-meter pool and back. It was a huge challenge for some students who weren't good in the water. Tora Inuzuka fell at this stage, eliminated when he surfaced for air partway through. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō used Chakra to create air bubbles, replenished their air underwater, and swam swiftly to complete the challenge. As Hiruzen Sarutobi swam, he thought, I can't mess up here. I have to keep going. Shimura Danzō also gritted his teeth, silently encouraging himself.
The sea-of-fire obstacle burned fiercely, its scorching heat making it difficult to approach. The students could only use Taijutsu to rush through, wrapping themselves in Chakra and carving out a path. Uchiha Tomioki watched from the side and nodded slightly. "These children really do have considerable potential." But the flames were too fierce, and many students were burned. Their skin turned red and blistered, and they cried out in pain, leaving them to be eliminated.
The final obstacle was a sheer cliff: a ten-thousand-meter earthen wall built with Earth Release towered into the clouds. Loose stones covered the narrow mountain path, and one careless step would send them plunging into a bottomless abyss. Everyone who had made it this far was an elite, but they were also utterly exhausted. This round was a true test of endurance and skill.
Shimura Danzō covered his hands and feet with Chakra and climbed quickly. Suddenly, a loose stone rolled away beneath him, and his foot slipped, nearly sending him falling. Startled, Danzo felt his face grow hot with shame. How could I be so careless? Hiruzen has already made it through, and so has that brat Kagami. I can't fall here.
To everyone's surprise, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were among those who made it through in the end. The two proceeded one step at a time, making careful plans before tackling each obstacle. As they prepared, they encouraged each other. "Koharu, if we follow the plan, we can definitely do it." "Right, Homura, let's do our best!" In the end, they miraculously made it through. Many students who were originally very strong, however, were eliminated after becoming afraid at an obstacle or encountering one that naturally countered them. Tora Inuzuka was a prime example. He wasn't good in the water, and though it was a pity, the ninja world was that cruel, with no room for bargaining.
After a long and grueling contest, the exam finally drew to a close, with an elimination rate as high as ninety percent. In the end, only thirty students successfully cleared every obstacle. They lay exhausted on the ground, covered in injuries but beaming with the joy of victory. Uchiha Tomioki stepped forward and said, "You all did very well. This exam tested not only your Taijutsu, but also your willpower and your use of Chakra in Taijutsu. I hope you'll maintain that resilience throughout your future careers as ninja." The students nodded.
The rankings of those who passed were announced. Kagami Uchiha was first, Hiruzen Sarutobi second, Hidemune Hatake third, Kyūgen Aburame fourth, Biwako fifth, Shimura Danzō sixth, and Tōya Hyuga seventh.
Tsubasa watched from the stands, completely engrossed. He treated the exam like an entertainment show, finding it much more enjoyable than Running Man from his previous life. At the exciting moments, he jumped up, clapping and cheering; at the tense ones, he shouted encouragement at the top of his lungs.
The clan heads, who were also in the stands, were all observing the extraordinarily handsome child Tsubasa. They couldn't sense the slightest fluctuation of Chakra from him. Moreover, the child looked innocent and guileless, nothing like the terrifying figure Momiji Yamanaka had described. If anything, he was a little cute. The clan heads looked at one another, their eyes full of confusion. Could there have been a mistake? Did they get the wrong child?
At that moment, Tobirama Senju came before the thirty students who had cleared the course and smiled. "You all did very well. You're so strong at such a young age, and every one of you is qualified to become my disciple. But I'm only taking six disciples, so you'll have to compete in one-on-one elimination matches. The final six winners will be my personal disciples. You may come up now and draw lots to decide your opponents."
The students stepped forward one by one to draw numbered tokens. Some strode confidently up to take theirs, while others silently prayed they wouldn't draw opponents like Hiruzen Sarutobi or Shimura Danzō.
Tobirama Senju smiled and said, "Luck is also part of strength. Now you may go to the arenas corresponding to your numbers and begin your matches."
Shimura Danzō held his numbered token high and shouted, "Who's number four? You're out of luck, drawing me as your opponent. I'll be waiting for you in arena four. Come and get me!" Tōya Hyuga smiled wryly, deeply indignant. That bastard is really arrogant. Does he actually think I'm afraid of him? Just wait and see how I deal with him. I'll show him the power of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding the number one token, stood in arena one and looked at the sword-bearing youth opposite him, Hidemune Hatake. Smiling, he said, "The Hatake sword arts are famous throughout the world. Today I finally have the honor of seeing them for myself." Hidemune Hatake looked serious and bowed slightly. "I'll give it my all. Please give me your guidance."