Chapter 24: Final Exams (3)
[This is Monday's Episode]
"Hmm...This guy looks familiar. Where have I seen him? Wait, is that Who I think it is?" Renjiro could not help but blurt out.
The man Renjiro was referring to was erringly familiar to one Hatake Kakashi, the famed copy ninja and the future sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. The similarity between the two was uncanny. Almost terrifying.
'That must be Hatake Sakumo, without a doubt,' Renjiro concluded.
Hatake Sakumo was a famous shinobi from Konoha. His was known as White Fang of the Leaf. His genius-level intellect and fighting prowess made him a thorn in every elemental nation's backside. Him being an S-Rank ninja, even stronger than the famous Sannins, made his name feared throughout the lands.
'It could not have been Kakashi. Besides, if I remember correctly, he must be a toddler right now. But I wonder what he is doing here.'
Sakumo, who was walking with Hiruzen, felt a tiny prickling sensation on his skin. He could tell that someone was looking at him. Following the sensation, his gaze locked onto a young boy.
The boy was barely ten. With his red hair and all-black dressing, the boy stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd. After not sensing any malicious intent of sorts from the boy's gaze, Sakumo shifted his thought from that trivial matter.
'When will this end?' Sakumo thought.
Ever since he could remember, Hiruzen had made it a tradition of sorts, to make an appearance during the official rank promotion of Shinobis in the leaf. He claimed that being the father of the Konoha family enabled him to pass the will of fire to the next generations.
In most of his appearances, especially the initial ones on a shinobi's life like the genin and chunin promotion, Hiruzen had to appear in the presence of the village's council member or any other dignitary like other Kages.
The aforementioned council mainly consisted of clan heads. Sakumo being the head of the Hatake Clan, was the latest victim. At first, he was not up for it, but as he was the only one available he was mandated to.
There was also the fact that a member from his clan was also participating in this promotion exam that Hiruzen used to strong-arm him into doing this. All of this was on a light note of course.
Even the clan member participating, Hatake Hiro, was only his cousin's son. Trying to figure out their true familial connections would force one to draw it out in the sand. This was not strange as all shinobi clans had loose familial ties and were mainly bound together by their shared ideals.
As they made their way to their designated seats, Kurama approached them. After reaching them, he bowed before saying,
"Lord Third, It is a pleasure to see you here."
"How is the exam fairing on?" Hiruzen asked.
"It is going on well. We have an increase in the number of students who managed to reach the final two stages. The number is double the average of the last five years." Yaza replied in glee.
"That is good to hear. Now don't mind this old man and carry on with the exam."
Yaza promptly did so. He returned to his post and a few minutes later the Taijutsu spars began. Although only 256 students were remaining, only a hundred would proceed to the next stage.
The students were going to potentially go through 8 battles. They would be under the first round of battles where the losers would be eliminated. This would go on till the final match where the winner would be crowned. It was simple and straightforward. However, only the top 64 students would proceed to the next stage. Hence the pressure was still on.
Due to the numerous battles to be fought, the first two rounds were fought simultaneously. Since these were pre-genin students, with their still growing reserves, it did not take long before a quarter of the initial number remained.
The first two battles were quite easy for the whole group except Nara Hayate. Today was just not his day. First, it was the fact that he was paired up with one Senju Kibo. Senju Kibo was among the top students for the three years he had been in the Academy. He had managed to win the battle after a long drawn-out bout.
For his second battle, he was unfortunate to be paired up against Renjiro. Out of respect for his opponent, Renjiro did not hold back and quickly finished the match. Thus eliminating Hayate.
'I am even surprised he managed to hold out for this long considering his lazy demeanour. '
The others, Aiko and Hiro managed to win their bouts until their fourth round where they were both eliminated. For Renjiro, he steamrolled his way through to the final eight. Although they had breaks in between the bouts, the strain still caught up with Renjiro. The winners of that stage were surprisingly all third years.
Since they took the whole day to settle the taijutsu stage of the exam, they would proceed to the final stage of the promotional assessment, which was the ninjutsu test, the following day.
In the Ninjutsu stage of the promotional assessment, the students were faced with a series of tasks designed to evaluate their mastery of fundamental techniques. The three Academy jutsus—Clone, Transformation, and Substitution—served as the baseline for their proficiency. Each student was expected to execute these techniques with precision, demonstrating a solid understanding of the basics.
Additionally, the students were challenged to showcase their prowess in elemental jutsu. This portion of the assessment aimed to reveal their aptitude for manipulating chakra in alignment with natural elements. The village leaders sought not only well-rounded ninjas but also those who displayed an affinity for specific elemental techniques.
For the Ninjutsu test, Renjiro did not see the need to go over the top and perform all the elemental jutsus he had learnt ever since he came to this world. They were six after all and doing so would be quite the overkill.
'In most cases, quality is better than quantity.'
Renjiro opted to only perform [the Great fireball jutsu] as it was his most high-ranked elemental jutsu. Although it was a C-Ranked jutsu, it did not exactly wow the panel of instructors grading them as it had already been done by his uchiha upperclassmen.
That coupled with the fact that some students with the fire affinity, which was a lot, even performed it. But this was not Renjiro's goal as he was sure he would get a better ranking regardless, due to his performances in the previous stages.
As the last part of the promotion assessment, the Students were free to return to their abodes after the Ninjutsu test. Their scores would be tallied and they would receive their final grades the following Day.
This was because there would be a prize-giving ceremony where the Hokage would grace the occasion and award the top-performing students.
===
The students were abuzz with anticipation as the upcoming prize-giving ceremony promised to be a momentous occasion. The Hokage himself would preside over the event, an indication of its significance. The ceremony aimed to acknowledge and reward the top-performing students from the promotion assessment, recognizing their exceptional skills and dedication.
In addition to honouring the standout performers, the Hokage would play a pivotal role in a time-honoured tradition—the awarding of forehead protectors to the newly graduated genins.
Closer to noon, the ceremony finally began. Hiroshi Nagatomo, the academy head instructor, stood at the podium, welcoming the esteemed Hokage and initiating the proceedings.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stepped forward, his presence commanding respect. With a regal demeanour, he began a heartfelt speech about the indomitable spirit of the village—the "Will of Fire."
He emphasized how this collective resolve, passed down through generations, contributed to the strength and unity of the Hidden Leaf.
'Damn, He's good. It seems every opportunity he gets to speak to kids he takes to initiate his brainwashing. He must be really experienced in this.'
Renjiro remarked. However, there was a hint of respect in his voice. Respect not for the cause, but for the opportunistic quality of the Hokage.
After his inspiring address, Hiruzen called forward the top three students of the promotion assessment. These were the best students after adding up their scores for all the stages of the assessment. The lucky students were Hyuro Hyuga, Inabi Aburame, and last but not least Renjiro Uchiha.
In as much as Renjiro expected a good grade, he did not expect to be in the top three. This is because apart from the Taijustu stage, and maybe the skill tests stage, Renjiro did hold back to some extent.
"Congratulations young ones, You have shown us your exceptional abilities. I hope you will continue to strive for far higher heights,"
Hiruzen began after the three students joined him in the podium.
"Asan award for your good work, I will allow you to ask of me anything. Of course, your demands should be reasonable." Hiruzen finished with a soft laugh.
Being presented with such a choice, Renjiro was at first shocked by The Hokage's Declaration. But when he took a moment to think about it, he came up with an idea that forced a smirk on his face.
Since they would begin with the third student, Renjiro would be the first to place his demand. Without much fan service, Renjiro stepped forward and shamelessly said,
"Lord Third, I would like to be taught the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
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