The next day, the students arrived at the Academy, and the exams began shortly after.
In reality, students at the Ninja Academy worked quite hard. There was a lot to learn every day, even for first-years.
Basic Chakra refinement, shuriken practice twice a week, two taijutsu classes daily, and on top of that, at least four hours of academic lessons.
Compared to elementary schools in his previous life, this was already an intense workload.
The subjects covered in the academic courses were incredibly diverse—covering physics, chemistry, poisons, as well as the history and geography of various nations, creating an odd mishmash of disciplines.
Looking at the numbers and symbols on the test paper, Yami sighed before starting to answer the questions.
---
Question: There is a ninja 30 meters away in the southeast direction. The wind is blowing from north to south at a speed of 10 meters per second. Please calculate the trajectory and describe the approximate throwing force needed.
Answer: Tie an explosive tag to the shuriken and throw it however you want. If it doesn't explode, I lose.
---
Question: The assassination target is being guarded by three ninjas (positions shown in the diagram). Please design a route to complete the assassination and escape successfully.
Answer: Use the Flying Thunder God Technique to kill the three guards first, eliminate the target, and exit the same way.
---
Question: List three contributions the Third Hokage has made to Konoha.
Answer:
1. Banned casinos in the village.
2. No more contributions.
3. Still no more contributions.
---
Question: Write an essay about your feelings for the village.
Answer: My grandpa is the Hokage's advisor.
---
In less than an hour, Yami completed the entire test. He didn't hand it in early but waited until the time was up to submit it along with his classmates.
Just as he was about to leave with Izumi for lunch, Kazama Shuichi stopped him.
"Yami," Kazama Shuichi called out with a friendly expression. "There will be a shuriken-throwing test this afternoon. The Third Hokage wants to see your real abilities, not just your wealth."
"So, don't use explosive tags this time."
Ever since Yami had shocked the class by attaching explosive tags to his shuriken, he had made a habit of blowing up multiple targets during practice. Shuichi had no way to stop him.
But today was different. With the Third Hokage present, if Yami used explosive tags again, Shuichi would have no face left as a teacher.
"I won't use explosive tags, but in return, Kazama-sensei has to agree to one of my requests," Yami replied with a bright smile.
---
In the afternoon, the first-year students gathered at the testing grounds. They didn't have to wait long before Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived, wearing his Hokage robe and hat, accompanied by his guards.
The students became excited and rushed forward eagerly.
Hiruzen waved off his guards and greeted the children with a kind smile. If not for his Hokage robe and hat, he would have seemed just like a friendly old man from the neighborhood.
Yami didn't join the crowd. Instead, he stood at a distance, quietly observing this so-called "Professor of Fire."
Even though Hiruzen had a deep bond with his grandfather, this was actually Yami's first time seeing him in person.
There were still ten years before the events of the main story. Hiruzen's face wasn't as wrinkled yet—he was still under sixty.
Suddenly, as if sensing his gaze, Hiruzen, who had been chatting with a chubby boy, looked up.
Their eyes met.
After a brief pause, Hiruzen quickly recalled who he was and walked toward him with a group of people following.
"You must be Yami," Hiruzen said with a smile.
"That's right," Yami nodded. "Hello, old monkey."
The surrounding students and teachers were stunned.
Kazama Shuichi's mouth hung open, with only one thought in his mind.
It's over. My teaching career is over.
"Old monkey?"
Surprisingly, Hiruzen wasn't as angry as everyone expected. He simply frowned, then smacked Yami lightly on the head.
"That old fool Danzō must have taught you that. Don't pick up bad habits from him."
Yami: "…"
This is bad. The biggest obstacle to farming bond rewards turns out to be my own grandfather.
The sheer power of the "Blame Kage" was terrifying, Hiruzen instantly assumed Yami's disrespect was Danzō's fault.
Yami had dared to speak like that because, first, his identity protected him, and second, because of Hiruzen's carefully maintained image, he was bound to let a child's words slide.
Unfortunately, not only did Hiruzen not take offense, but he also dismissed it entirely, meaning Yami didn't receive any bond rewards.
Seeing Yami's gloomy expression, Hiruzen ruffled his hair.
"I'll be paying attention to your performance today. If I'm not satisfied, I'll be sure to complain to your grandfather."
With that, he chuckled and walked away.
---
The test began.
One by one, students stepped forward for their shuriken-throwing assessment.
When it was Itachi's turn, Hiruzen, who had remained casual before, visibly straightened up.
Watching Itachi launch five shuriken simultaneously, all hitting the bullseye, Hiruzen stroked his beard and nodded in approval.
"As expected of the Uchiha clan. Their control over ninja tools is exceptional, even without the Sharingan."
To his surprise, Yami used the exact same throwing technique.
"This is… Uchiha shurikenjutsu?" Even Itachi was caught off guard.
As the son of the Uchiha clan leader, Itachi had access to classified information, and he had never heard of Yami receiving training in Uchiha techniques.
Unknown to him, Danzō had forbidden Shisui from mentioning that he was mentoring Yami.
Hiruzen whispered something to a nearby guard, his expression unreadable as he returned to his usual demeanor.
---
Soon, the shuriken test ended, and the next stage—taijutsu sparring—began.
"The students whose names I call will come forward, make the Seal of Confrontation, and only start fighting when I give the signal. After the match, you must perform the Seal of Reconciliation, just as I taught you in class," Kazama Shuichi instructed.
After announcing the rules, he called out the first pair.
"First match: Arakawa Kenta vs. Horikawa Kōichi."
The two boys stepped into the ring.
The first-year taijutsu fights weren't impressive. Their only advantage over regular children was their enhanced speed and strength due to Chakra, but their techniques were crude.
After just a few moves, Horikawa Kōichi gave up due to the pain. Rubbing his stomach, he left the field with teary eyes.
Kazama Shuichi shook his head helplessly and glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose face remained unreadable. Then he looked down at the match schedule, his gaze stopping at the final pairing.
"Second match: Shimura Yami vs. Uchiha Itachi!"
The crowd erupted in excitement.
(To be continued.)