The morning dew clung to the grass for a moment before vanishing under the sun, leaving no trace behind. By now, the dirt road outside the Academy was already packed, dozens of kids shuffling into line.
Jinzō and the two other Uchiha with him let out a sigh of relief when they saw the queue."Finally caught up."
Ahead, a small wooden building marked the entrance. The crowd of students—some familiar faces, some much younger—buzzed with nervous energy.
Minato's brows furrowed."There are… a lot of kids younger than us."
Even seven-year-olds were standing in line, their eyes wide with excitement.
What the hell is the village thinking? Throwing literal children into the mix?
"Not just that," Jinzō muttered, watching the crowd. "The pass rate looks high too."
Across the yard, students streamed out—some cheering as they clutched shiny new forehead protectors, others dragging their feet in disappointment. From the sound of it, most were walking away as official shinobi.
"I did it! I'm a ninja!""Hahaha, from today, I'm a ninja-sama!""Mom, Dad—I made it! I'm grown-up now!"
Their laughter was bright, alive, almost intoxicating.
And yet, Jinzō couldn't shake the bitter irony: Hashirama built this village to keep children off the battlefield… and here was Hiruzen, marching them right back toward it.
Minato's expression hardened, but before he could speak, Kushina all but bounced on her toes."What are you two mumbling about? Our turn's almost here!" Her eyes sparkled. "This is the first step on my road to becoming Hokage!"
Then she puffed her chest and declared proudly:"I'll become the Hokage's wife!"
…Which, Jinzō thought as his gaze slid toward Minato, was probably closer to the truth.
The line moved. Minato went in first, but didn't come out quickly like the others. Kushina started chewing her lip."Is something wrong?"
"Relax," Jinzō shrugged. "He's probably getting the VIP treatment for being a top student."
His eyes flicked to Kushina, soft with pity. He knew her record: she should've graduated at twelve, but she'd repeated two years. Even as a jinchūriki, she couldn't control her power properly. For her, this "exam" was basically a formality.
"Hey! What's that look for, bastard Uchiha?!" Kushina's fists clenched as she caught his expression.
Jinzō just gave her another long, pitying glance. Click, click. His tongue tsked.Even more popular this way.
Her red hair practically sparked with fury."Fight me, right now!!"
But before she could charge, a brown-haired chūnin in a vest stepped out."Next!"
Jinzō grinned, shot Kushina a mocking thumbs-up, and darted into the hall."Next time for sure."
"YOU BASTARD!"
Inside, the testing room was bigger than it looked. Scorch marks, cracked wood, and dried puddles told enough stories. Two examiners stood waiting: a purple-haired kunoichi with a clipboard, and Inoue Satoru—Jinzō's instructor.
"Uchiha Jinzō?" the kunoichi asked.
"That's me."
Satoru stepped forward, lips curling into a grin that didn't reach his eyes."Your test is simple. Survive one minute against me."
Jinzō sighed. Definitely revenge for last time.
The instant Satoru lunged with a kunai, Jinzō flicked three shuriken. They clinked midair, twisted angles, and closed in from three directions.
Satoru's eyes sharpened. Uchiha shurikenjutsu.
Poof! He swapped with a log, only to reappear behind Jinzō with a kick.
Jinzō barely glanced over his shoulder before spinning—his counter-kick slammed Satoru into the wall hard enough to rattle the boards.
"…This is supposed to be Uchiha trash?" Satoru wheezed. He couldn't believe the kid's speed and reaction.
Jinzō only smirked. Compared to Minato—who could casually catch kunai barehanded—this wasn't much. Some people were just absurdly gifted. Jinzō had to fight for every scrap.
Still, against this teacher? It was almost unfair.
"You said I just need to—"
"Impossible!" Satoru snapped before he could finish, face twitching. "There's no way I'd lose to a student!"
"Bang!"
The kunoichi smacked her clipboard against the desk, glaring daggers. Satoru's voice died in his throat. He hadn't beaten Minato earlier either, and she knew it.
The chūnin by the door burst into laughter."Both teachers lost to their students, huh?!"
"I HAVEN'T LOST YET!" Satoru roared, flashing through hand seals—only to freeze as cold steel kissed his throat.
The room went silent. No one had seen Jinzō move. One moment he was across the floor, the next his kunai was at his teacher's neck.
Satoru swallowed hard, hands lifting in surrender. If this had been real, he'd already be dead.
"Teacher," Jinzō said with a lazy smile. "I think that means I qualify."
The stopwatch beeped. One minute exactly.
The kunoichi tossed him a forehead protector."Certified."
Jinzō tied it on, saluted perfunctorily, and strolled out, leaving Satoru slumped against the wall in despair.
Lost to a student. Lost to his so-called failure. What kind of teacher am I?
Outside, Minato waited with an easy smile."Knew you'd pass."
"Like failing was even an option," Jinzō muttered.
But as he watched other students reunite with their parents, the atmosphere shifted. The kids were beaming, forehead protectors gleaming… while their parents' faces twisted with quiet grief. They knew what this meant.
The Will of Fire ran deep, too deep. How could so many accept sending their children off to die? Jinzō almost admired the brainwashing. Even MLM cults didn't have propaganda this good.
"Uchiha Jinzō!"
A red-haired blur leapt at him—Kushina, fists swinging for revenge.
Jinzō sidestepped, drove his knee into her gut, and let her flop to the dirt."Didn't learn your lesson, huh?"
Kushina groaned in pain, glaring up at him. "Bastard…"
Jinzō shook his head. Mother of the future savior, everyone. Still hasn't beaten me once.
Then his eyes caught the forehead protector on her brow."You… passed?"
"Of course!" she puffed up proudly, fiddling with it on her forehead. "From today, I'm officially a ninja!"
"…Heh."
Jinzō stared at the dusky sky. Crimson clouds drifted like embers across the horizon.
Konoha actually let her pass. Fate really has changed.
Later that evening, on a quiet mountain trail—
"One, two, three, four!" Maito Duy shouted as he hammered through squats, sweat pouring, training as always.
Upside-down on a tree branch, Jinzō watched him with a faint smile."Still working that hard, Uncle Duy?"
"Yosh! Long time no see, young Jinzō!" Duy grinned, flashing his trademark thumbs-up.
"Yeah. It's been a while." Jinzō dropped from the branch, landing lightly.
"Uncle Duy," he said, eyes sharp. "Fight me. For real."
Duy blinked, then grinned even wider."Yosh! With pleasure!"