"Follow me."
At the staircase leading to the main classroom building, another instructor glanced at their admission letters, studied the two carefully, nodded, and led them upstairs.
On the second floor, Tatsuma noticed immediately that most of the students waiting in the hallway were war orphans, with just a small number from ordinary families.
On the third floor, the hallway was mostly occupied by children from regular families and those fully equipped with ninja gear, along with a very few from ninja clans.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, the instructor stopped. Tatsuma looked down the hallway. Only a few students were waiting here, mostly descendants of ninja clans or children fully equipped for combat.
Other ninja instructors guarding the classrooms were surprised to see Tatsuma and Minato. Being here meant that in the ninja tool projection test, their average hits were nine or more—a notable achievement.
For children from ninja clans, that wasn't difficult. Many had likely been practicing for two or three years. But Tatsuma and Minato bore clear signs of being war orphans—poor children.
Even if they weren't war orphans, they were clearly from humble backgrounds, and such children rarely had the opportunity to practice projecting ninja tools. Their presence here was truly remarkable.
Not just the instructors—children from ninja clans also glanced curiously at the pair. Truth be told, these looks made Tatsuma a little uncomfortable. He still had the dignity and pride of an adult, even if he hadn't yet fully matured to ignore such things.
Minato, however, didn't seem to care. His excitement at starting school likely overshadowed everything else.
Tatsuma led Minato to the classroom nearest the staircase and stopped. There were still a few non-clan children here; Tatsuma had no desire to squeeze into the section where the clan children clustered.
The school year hadn't officially started yet; no social circles had formed, so there was no need to force himself into one.
After a short wait, the instructors at the classroom doors seemed to receive some signal. They opened the doors and led the students inside.
"This round will test your chakra control skills. I trust none of you are here without even learning basic chakra refinement, right?"
As the new students took their seats, the instructor half-joked. Minato smiled confidently, but a moment later, he looked at Tatsuma with a hint of worry.
Tatsuma noticed the look and nodded. The chakra refinement technique had come with the admission letter. Over the past month, he had practiced consistently—not perfectly, but well enough.
Chakra is a blend of physical and spiritual energy. Even non-ninja in this world naturally produce it constantly.
Chakra refinement, however, involves consciously drawing and supplementing chakra from one's own body. For beginners, this requires forming hand seals.
But not any of the twelve basic seals—opposing seals are required.
Opposing seals mark the beginning of practical ninja training. They have real combat significance, helping ninjas refine chakra more quickly and respond better in battle.
"Then, if there are no questions, start timing."
Seeing no objections, the instructor pressed the timer on the podium. Immediately, all the new students formed opposing hand seals.
For newcomers, chakra refinement didn't come easily. The instructor knew this, and after the classroom fell silent, he carefully observed each student.
Haa…
After some time, a young student from the Sarutobi clan successfully refined chakra. The instructor's face briefly revealed a satisfied expression.
He nodded at the student, who returned it respectfully, keeping quiet so as not to disturb others. Clearly, someone in the family had explained the procedure beforehand.
Three minutes later, Tatsuma finally felt the technique click. Following his breathing, he fused his spiritual and physical energy. A gentle breeze appeared around him, slightly ruffling his blue-and-white curls.
Tatsuma opened his eyes and looked at the instructor, who smiled and nodded at him. Tatsuma noticed the instructor wore a Chunin vest with no clan insignia, and he understood the meaning behind the smile. He returned it with a bright grin.
A short while later, Minato also refined his chakra. Seeing Tatsuma already smiling, Minato shrugged helplessly.
Fifteen minutes later, all students had successfully refined chakra. The instructor added notes to each of their admission letters.
"Next is the final test: a written exam!"
With a smile, the instructor brought a stack of exam sheets from under the podium. "One per student. Pass the rest to those behind you. The last student, bring any extras back to me."
The sheets circulated smoothly. Each student had one. The instructor organized the remaining sheets. "The exam lasts one hour. I hope you aren't foolish enough to need to cheat on these questions."
Tatsuma glanced at his sheet. It was simple: basic written questions, memorization of the twelve fundamental ninja hand seals, matching hand gestures to names, and the final question:
"Centering on the 'Will of Fire,' describe your vision for ninjas in at least 300 words."
Reading the final prompt, Tatsuma smirked. He found such questions trivial, yet his hands moved obediently, starting with this essay.
Dreams, struggle, comrades, bonds, responsibility, perseverance… he ended with love and peace to elevate the theme. Once the essay was done, he leisurely moved on to the other questions.
After checking that he'd written his name, the timer rang. The instructor stood. "Stop writing. Clip your exams with your admission letters and leave. Tomorrow at seven, the school gates open. You may check your class. Classes begin at eight—don't be late."
Tatsuma watched the instructor demonstrate, clipped his exam with the admission letter, and left with Minato. He noticed other classrooms still finishing, especially on the second and third floors.
From the second floor, Tatsuma even glimpsed the instructor distributing exam sheets through the window. Suddenly, Minato asked:
"Are we going to train this afternoon, Tatsuma?"
Tatsuma came back to reality and nodded. "With your talent and work ethic, if I slack off, I'd probably lose you in an instant."
"You always say that. I'm just too excited for tomorrow to know how to pass the time."
"Ha! No need to explain. Even if you didn't say it, I'd go train anyway."
Tatsuma hooked an arm around Minato's shoulder, and they left the Ninja Academy, heading straight to the Third Training Field.
Meanwhile, back in Tatsuma's exam classroom, an instructor grading the papers read Tatsuma's essay carefully three times and murmured in awe, "Could Konoha finally be producing another prodigy like Orochimaru?"
He set Tatsuma's paper aside and picked up Minato's. Once again, he murmured in astonishment, "No… it's two of them!"