The next day, Uchiha Kazuhiko left home early and headed to a jewelry store on Konoha's commercial street.
There, he sold the diamond necklace he had purchased with US dollars during his mission in the time-space, exchanging it for 800,000 ryo of the ninja world's currency.
Now wealthy for the first time, Uchiha Kazuhiko embarked on a massive shopping spree.
He bought a high-quality Xuantie katana worth 400,000 ryo, ten explosive tags priced at 5,000 ryo each, a bottle of ten top-grade soldier pills costing 15,000 ryo per pill, and a large quantity of small ninja tools like kunai and shuriken totaling 200,000 ryo in value.
After finishing his purchases, Uchiha Kazuhiko had breakfast at Ichiraku Ramen before heading to the academy.
He sat down in his classroom, waiting for the graduation class assignments that would take place today.
Half an hour later, a ninja school teacher appeared at the podium, holding a list to announce the team assignments.
"Team One: Hyuga Ramon, Nara Hisae, Ueda Anta..."
...
"Team Five: Uchiha Kazuhiko, Inuzuka Yū, Ikemoto Kaori..."
...
"Team Twelve: Ōnozuki, Higashiyama Yōichi, Shiragawa Mei..."
Soon, all the students graduating this year were assigned.
The academy teacher offered some words of encouragement before handing over the remaining time to the team captains responsible for leading this year's graduates.
This year's students were generally average in both talent and status, so they didn't receive much attention from the higher-ups.
Most of the team captains were only at the Chunin level, with just three Special Jonin captains leading the teams that included members of Konoha's ninja clans.
"Team Five, follow me."
A ninja with several fierce scars on the right side of his face, who looked quite intimidating, stepped forward.
He gestured for Uchiha Kazuhiko and the other two to follow him and then led the way out the door.
Uchiha Kazuhiko exchanged a glance with his two future teammates before following Team Five's captain out.
They arrived at Training Ground Seventeen in the village before the captain stopped. He turned to the three of them and said,
"I am Special Jonin Kogawa Tōma. I specialize in Earth Release. You can call me Captain Tōma or Teacher Tōma. For the foreseeable future, I will be the captain for you three."
After Uchiha Kazuhiko and the other two nodded to show they understood, Captain Tōma continued, "To ensure we can cooperate better on future missions, let's do some self-introductions as per convention, so we can get to know each other."
Inuzuka Yū, her face marked with the Inuzuka clan's distinctive face paint and holding a black ninja hound in her arms, immediately spoke up after Captain Tōma finished.
"I'll go first! I'm Inuzuka Yū. This is my partner, Jūbēmaru. I'm good at my clan's taijutsu and reconnaissance. I like taking walks with Jūbēmaru, and my dream is to train Jūbēmaru into the most powerful ninja hound!"
"Woof woof!" The little black dog named Jūbēmaru barked in agreement.
"Uchiha Kazuhiko. Proficient in taijutsu and Fire Release."
After Inuzuka Yū finished, Uchiha Kazuhiko ended his self-introduction with brief words.
He didn't offer a single word more than necessary, giving off a faint sense of aloofness in that regard, he certainly lived up to his Uchiha name.
"I'm Ikemoto Kaori. I'm... somewhat okay at genjutsu and medical ninjutsu, though I'm still just average. I'll work much harder in the future. Please guide me well."
Ikemoto Kaori was a spirited girl with short brown hair and a bright smile. Her blue eyes held the vitality and energy expected of her age, forming a sharp contrast with the mature-minded Uchiha Kazuhiko.
"Our team's composition looks quite well-rounded," Captain Tōma said with a satisfied nod after hearing their introductions.
Then, his tone shifted to a more serious one.
"However, to get a more intuitive understanding of your abilities, we will now begin a simple practical combat test. Any questions?"
"None," the three members of Team Five replied in unison.
As rookie ninjas fresh out of the academy, it was natural for them to follow their captain's arrangements.
None of the three were troublemakers who would question or challenge this.
"Good. The test begins in five minutes. The objective is to last five minutes against my Shadow Clone. Of course, it only has the strength of an Elite Chunin."
Captain Tōma, evidently treating them as ordinary Genin, didn't set the bar too high.
After speaking, he left a Shadow Clone standing in place while his real body jumped onto a high platform in the distance to observe.
"Kazuhiko-kun, Yū-kun, what should we do?"
Ikemoto Kaori, who had the lowest combat power, glanced at Captain Tōma's Shadow Clone and turned to discuss their next move with her two teammates.
"How about this: Kazuhiko and I will engage head-on, and you try to disrupt Captain Tōma with genjutsu from the rear. Kazuhiko, what do you think?"
Having been Kazuhiko's classmate, Inuzuka Yū had some understanding of his previous strength and offered her suggestion.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that the current Uchiha Kazuhiko was far stronger than he was just yesterday.
"Agreed." Uchiha Kazuhiko had no objections.
While this was a test of individual ability, it was also a test of their teamwork. So, even though Uchiha Kazuhiko was confident he could handle the Shadow Clone alone, he didn't refuse to cooperate with his teammates.
The five minutes passed quickly.
At Captain Tōma's signal, Uchiha Kazuhiko and Inuzuka Yū sprang into action immediately.
"Four Legs Technique! Passing Fang!"
Inuzuka Yū used her clan's secret technique, gathering chakra in her limbs and crouching on the ground like a beast.
Then, she began spinning rapidly, charging towards the Shadow Clone like a drill.
Although not a dedicated taijutsu specialist, the Shadow Clone possessed the perception of a Special Jonin. It easily saw through Inuzuka Yū's movements.
As she closed in, it grabbed her right arm, forcing her to stop spinning, and kicked her away.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Seizing the opportunity while the Shadow Clone was attacking, Uchiha Kazuhiko rushed to its side and launched a side kick aimed at its waist.
The Shadow Clone naturally wouldn't let itself be hit. It raised its right arm to block the attack and then threw a punch with its left fist towards Uchiha Kazuhiko's chest.
Uchiha Kazuhiko sidestepped to dodge, then retreated several steps to create distance, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.
As the Shadow Clone prepared to pursue, Ikemoto Kaori, acting as the support, immediately activated the genjutsu she had prepared.
"Genjutsu: Slumber!"
A wave of fatigue washed over the Shadow Clone's mind, making it feel drowsy.
However, this rudimentary genjutsu was broken in less than a second.
"Now, Jūbēmaru, Beast Human Clone! Fang Passing Fang!"
That brief moment of delay was enough. Inuzuka Yū, cooperating with Jūbēmaru who had transformed into her likeness, executed their combined secret technique Fang Passing Fang.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko also locked onto the Shadow Clone with his spiritual sense. Seeds of flame, shaped like those of a phoenix flower, shot from his mouth. Under his precise control, they flew towards the area around the Shadow Clone, compressing its space to evade.
Caught between these two assaults, the Shadow Clone lost its earlier composure and used its first ninjutsu.
"Earth Release: Double Earth-Style Wall!"
Two hardened earthen walls rose in front of the Shadow Clone, blocking the two attacks respectively.
Then, capitalizing on the slight opening when Inuzuka Yū's technique ended and her reactions slowed, it rushed to her and Jūbēmaru, knocking them both out with precise chops to the neck.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The Shadow Clone used another Earth Release technique, disappearing into the ground.
Uchiha Kazuhiko vigilantly jumped into the air, but found the Shadow Clone had appeared beneath Ikemoto Kaori.
It grabbed her ankles and pulled her into the ground.
Having dealt with two opponents in one go, the Shadow Clone, which had reappeared on the surface, turned its gaze towards the sole remaining member: Uchiha Kazuhiko.