The news that the middle and high school entrance exams were about to be held was released, like a pebble suddenly falling into a vast ocean, creating ripples that spread outwards from the center.
In the past two years, the Uchiha Clan Compound has been successfully connected with the Uchiha Village, expanding its area many times over, and countless civilians have been relocated there by the Uchiha.
This area has a population of over one million, making up almost half of the country's total population.
This is actually quite normal, after all, this is ancient times, not modern times, transportation was very inconvenient, and it was also a time of war.
Commoners and even refugees would instinctively flock to places like the capital, and although the Land of Fire has a very favorable environment and excellent geographical conditions...
However, within the Land of Fire, apart from some towns, most areas are undeveloped. Therefore, after being brought there by the Uchiha, most civilians chose to live in the capital.
Over the past two years, the capital's area has expanded considerably, and its population has become countless.
It can only be said that Fū Uchiha is no longer just a village chief; he has successfully become the mayor of the Uchiha capital city. If the population and area were any larger, he might even be able to become a provincial governor.
The news about the middle and high school entrance exams immediately sparked heated discussions among ordinary people in the capital.
"Have you heard? The government is going to hold the junior high school entrance exam, which is in the middle of this month. All junior high school students can participate in this exam."
The exams are held in schools across the country. Those who pass can enter high school, and after high school, they have the opportunity to become officials!
An elderly farmer, carrying a hoe, spoke to a middle-aged man beside him.
The middle-aged man's expression turned to utter astonishment. "Holy crap, an official? Really? You're not kidding me, are you? Can my kid really become an official like that?"
The old farmer said, "Of course! High school is all about learning how to be an official. As long as you pass the college entrance exam, you can become an official! Whether it's a small local official or a high-ranking official in the capital, it's still an official! You'll rise to the top in no time!"
The old farmer spoke with an envious expression, "I really envy you, your child can still go to school... If my child were still alive, he might be able to take the high school entrance exam."
The middle-aged man frowned and asked, "Old man, your child...?"
"He died. Three years ago, our village suffered a famine. The village chief stole all the grain, saying it was for taxes. There was nothing left to eat, and he starved to death." The old farmer's eyes suddenly filled with desolation.
The middle-aged man was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. He didn't know what to say to comfort the old farmer. Should he say that the government was doing a good job, only accepting 30% of the grain?
Even if things are better now, the old farmer's child is still dead; even if things are better now, he can't come back.
"I'm sorry... I didn't..." The middle-aged man pursed his lips, and just as he opened his mouth, the old farmer shook his head and said, "It's alright, it's all in the past. At least we won't go hungry now."
As the old farmer spoke, he swung his hoe and slammed it heavily onto the ground. Looking at the soil that had been dug up, the middle-aged man's eyelids twitched, and he said, "And what about you in the future?"
The old farmer wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "The future? There is no future. I'm going to participate in the national army selection and become a warrior."
I heard that after becoming a samurai, I'll be going with the ninja to attack the Land of Fire. I want to avenge my child!
Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked at the old farmer in surprise. The old farmer, his face weathered by time, smiled and said, "What? You can't believe it?"
Don't let my appearance fool you; I used to be an intellectual, and I'm only in my early thirties—the prime of my life!
As the old farmer spoke, he gestured to the muscles in his hands, explaining that the good food he had enjoyed over the past two years had successfully built up his physique.
The middle-aged man bit his lip. Being a samurai used to be something only noble lords could do, but after these past two years, they understood exactly what a samurai did.
Becoming a samurai truly means dying on the battlefield! At that time, the family will only receive news of the death on the battlefield and a sum of money as compensation.
He didn't know these things before; his children told him about them after learning them at school.
It was from that time onward that the samurai profession ceased to be a sought-after and admired profession among commoners.
The old farmer straightened his back, then suddenly turned around and said, "Oh, by the way, could you please pass on a message to your child: good luck on the high school entrance exam... I heard it's a form of encouragement, so please give your child some encouragement for me."
After the old farmer finished speaking, he shouldered his hoe and ran off to work in a more distant field, leaving the middle-aged man sitting on the cart, lost in thought...
Under the deliberate manipulation of the Ministry of Education and other departments, the high school entrance examination has successfully sparked a nationwide wave of discussion.
The popularity of the high school entrance exam suddenly surged to the forefront, and almost everyone in the country knows about it.
Even the Senju Clan were holed up in the central border region, knew about this news.
Universities and colleges at all levels have also begun intensive preparations for the high school entrance examination.
However, what excites the students is not the high school entrance exam itself, as local high school students need to make room for the students taking the exam.
So, high school students don't have to attend classes during the few days of the middle school entrance exam; in other words, they're on vacation!
They can finally put down their heavy studies and have a good rest for the next few days.
After all, they only get two days off a month, and getting up at 6 a. m. and finishing classes at 10 p. m. every day is too hard for them.
Farming at home or apprenticing as a craftsman was never this hard.
This high school made them endure both the hardships they should and shouldn't have.
If it weren't for the fact that you could become an official after passing the college entrance exam, probably very few people would be willing to come to this high school.
"It seems everyone is very eager to take the exam, that's a good thing," Uchiha Takashi said to his clansmen beside him while flipping through various news reports from the common people.
The tribesman standing nearby nodded quickly, then whispered, "However, Chieftain, I really don't understand this test. What's the point?"
Uchiha Takashi turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Think about it again, but you probably won't understand it. After all, if you could understand it, you wouldn't be so confused."
The Uchiha clan member blinked, stunned, and stood to the side. "..." Clan leader, weren't you just spouting nonsense? You definitely were, weren't you?
After turning his gaze away, Uchiha Takashi began to prepare for the various matters related to the high school entrance exam.
Although the high school entrance exam is considered a small-scale exam, the government still needs to do a lot of work on it.
The first step is setting the exam questions. The questions can be directly submitted to the Ministry of Education; the Nara Clan can easily handle that.
Then comes the printing of the exam papers, which is usually done by the prison or a specialized printing factory.
Fortunately, a few Uchiha Takashi had the Uchiha Research Institute develop movable type printing and improve papermaking techniques, which enabled the printing of exam papers (using a manual printing press).
Finally, there's the transportation of the exam papers. This requires close attention from the government, and the task should be assigned to the Konoha Military Police Force to transport them to various schools the day before the exam.
No one is allowed to view the exam papers in any way during transportation. If any leak of exam questions is discovered, a second set of exam papers will be used immediately to ensure fairness to the greatest extent possible.