Konoha – Year 39
At this moment, the usually quiet Konoha Shinobi Academy was anything but. Kids between the ages of five and six buzzed like an overly energetic beehive. The source? The entrance exams.
"Ninjutsu: 10 points! Shuriken: 10 points! Taijutsu: 10 points! Hatake Kakashi!"
The examiner's voice echoed across the grounds, followed by gasps and whispers of awe.
From the center of the training field, a white-haired boy strolled out with an expression that said someone owed him lunch money—and hadn't paid up in years.
His dead-fish eyes scanned the crowd with the enthusiasm of a retired war veteran stuck babysitting a daycare.
"Next, Might Guy!" the examiner called.
"Yes!!" A green blur shot up with enough spirit to punch a hole through the sky.
Wearing green tights and rocking a bowl haircut that could signal traffic, the enthusiastic boy gave a solid shoulder smack to a handsome kid beside him—shoulder-length black curls, wild charm, the kind of face you'd expect to see smirking in a romantic drama.
"I'm up, Guts!" he shouted.
The boy called Guts chuckled. "No pressure. After Kakashi's result, the bar's been set somewhere near the clouds."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. That tone. That smirk. That hair. He didn't know whether to throw a shuriken at him or just scowl harder. He settled for both.
"Hmph. Running his mouth like some kind of dad," Kakashi muttered.
Guy dashed to the center. "I'll show them all!"
Three minutes later…
"Might Guy. Ninjutsu: 3. Shuriken: 3. Taijutsu: 6."
The examiner's voice had dropped several decibels, and any excitement it once held had long since packed up and gone home.
Guy returned with a forced smile and a bruised ego. His green jumpsuit looked just a little sadder under the weight of unfulfilled passion.
The kids snickered.
Even so, he flashed a shaky thumbs-up at Guts. "Your turn! Give it your best!"
"Next: Guts."
The crowd went quiet.
Wearing a thin black shirt and a relaxed expression, Guts stepped forward. His wild aura drew glances—especially from the older female instructors who'd sworn off dating but now silently reconsidered.
"Show us your chakra control or your strongest ninjutsu," the examiner said.
Kakashi had dropped a textbook C-rank Earth Style and scored top marks.
Guy had barely managed to mold chakra and scraped by.
Guts raised both hands, index and middle fingers extended, forming a seal. Chakra flared weakly. The examiner's eye twitched.
"Ninjutsu: 1 point," he announced flatly.
Kakashi smirked. Dead last, huh. Guess I'll have to carry this clown's weight.
A young Kurenai Yuhi, black curls bouncing and cheeks puffed, tugged at her father's sleeve.
"Papa, what's that guy doing here? He's worse than Guy! Are they here for comic relief?"
Shinku Yuhi chuckled. "Never judge too early, Kurenai. Just watch."
Kurenai pouted. "Hmph. He better not cry later."
The examiner moved on. "Shuriken test. Two options: throw or receive."
"Receive," Guts said lazily.
A murmur spread across the students. Throwing was basic target practice. Receiving meant dodging or blocking multiple shuriken shot from a machine.
Most kids picked the safer option. Guts picked the one that could give you new holes in your face.
The examiner sighed. "Go ahead."
Guts calmly pressed the activation button. The launch machine whirred to life.
Chk-chk-CHK!
Dozens of shuriken fired like angry mosquitoes.
Most kids would've panicked, ducked, rolled, or screamed. Guts did none of that.
He grinned, planted his feet, and raised his fists like a boxer from a gangster flick.
"Wait, WHAT?!"
The examiner's face drained of color. "Hey! Kid! That's not how—"
BANG!!!
A gust of wind exploded from Guts's punch. Hair whipped. Dust flew.
The shuriken didn't just fall.
They shattered. Metal bits rained to the ground like confetti at a retirement party for steel.
Everyone went silent.
Guts dusted off his hands and turned toward the examiner.
"Do we still need the next part?"
The examiner blinked. His pen hovered uncertainly over the score sheet before he finally scribbled:
"Shuriken: 9 points."
Ahem.
With a forced cough, he tried to regain his authority. "Next up: Taijutsu. Sparring with Akamichi Chōza."
Chōza, a bulky Chūnin with a kind face and a frame like a boulder, stepped forward. He'd already faced Kakashi and Guy without breaking a sweat.
Candidates could go all out. The Chūnin wouldn't be beaten. In theory.
Guts walked up.
Chōza smiled. "Ready when you are—"
"Soru."
Whoosh.
Guts vanished.
The crowd gasped. Kakashi blinked. Guy's jaw dropped. Kurenai looked like she'd bitten into a lemon.
Guts reappeared behind Chōza, already mid-spin.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
He wasn't tall enough to reach anything vital, so his kick slammed into Chōza's thigh.
Now, this should've been nothing—except it wasn't.
Chōza's instincts screamed. He reflexively reinforced his body with chakra, intending to soften the impact and avoid harming the boy.
But as Guts's foot connected—
BOOM!
A shockwave burst from the collision. Dust lifted. The force of the kick echoed like a thunderclap.
Their legs collided. A shockwave burst outward. Dust spiraled. Trees trembled.
For a brief second, they stood frozen, foot against leg.
Then—
"AAARGH!!"
Chōza screamed, stumbling back as pain lanced up his leg.
Guts landed lightly, arms crossed.
"Thanks for the warm-up, sensei."
The crowd? Utterly speechless.
A message popped up in Guts's mind:
[Achievement unlocked: Entrance Exam]
[Template Character: Monkey D. Garp – Completion Rate: 7.7%]
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