Sora slowly stood up, feeling the surging power within his body.
The effect of the Gate of Life was more noticeable than the Gate of Rest. Not only was his endurance greatly increased, even the fatigue in his muscles was much reduced, and green energy currents swirled around him.
"How do you feel?" Might Duy patted Sora's shoulder.
"Great." Sora clenched his fist. "It is like... another layer of shackles inside my body has been unlocked."
Might Duy laughed heartily, gave a thumbs up, and showed his white teeth, saying, "As expected of a genius of hard work! Mastering the third gate in just two months, even I didn't expect such speed!"
Guy nearby had the same expression, saying, "Sora, you really are a genius! But, I will definitely catch up to you!"
Sora smiled, but he knew clearly in his heart: if not for the recovery ability of the Azure Dragon Fruit, he absolutely could not have continuously impacted the nodes in such a short time. After each training session, the fruit's power would rapidly repair his damaged muscles and meridians, which allowed him to attempt again and again.
"Next, you need to adapt to the state of the Gate of Life," Might Duy said seriously. "Keep it open for one hour every day. After your body fully adapts, then try to impact the fourth gate, the Gate of Injury."
Sora nodded. After opening the Gate of Injury, the body would begin to sustain damage due to excessive load. For him currently, it was not yet time.
...
The next day, at the Ninja Academy.
As soon as Sora entered, he heard Kotetsu Hagane shouting loudly, "I will definitely make it into the top twenty in this assessment! Then I can show off in front of my dad in the Security Force!"
"With your mediocre skills, you should be grateful if you can make the top thirty."
"What did you say?" Kotetsu Hagane rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight Kamizuki Izumo, but was quickly pulled apart by surrounding classmates.
"Assessment?"
Sora walked over and sat down next to Kurenai, asking, "Kurenai, what assessment are they talking about?"
"Sora, you don't know?" Kurenai widened her eyes. "The academy is holding a practical ranking assessment next week. All first year students must participate. In the end, rankings will be determined based on results!"
"This ranking assessment seems very important. I heard the top three can receive ninjutsu scrolls personally awarded by the Hokage-sama."
Sora raised an eyebrow. He wasn't very interested in ninjutsu scrolls, but he was more concerned about the rules of this assessment.
This assessment was clearly similar to the Ninja Academy's final exam, but also slightly different.
More accurately, this was actually Konoha's "first lesson" for the new generation of ninjas.
First, it allowed students who had just entered the academy to experience the atmosphere of ninja combat early, adapting in advance to the tension and practical feeling of this profession.
Second, it was also to screen out children with ninja talent for focused cultivation. After all, geniuses often emerge early. Those who truly achieve success later in life are ultimately only a minority.
And the top few in this grade would certainly have rewards. Like the ninjutsu scrolls Kurenai mentioned. But the most crucial part was not the scrolls, but that the rewards would be handed out personally by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The reason Sora was antagonized by Uchiha Ryota originated from being singled out and named by the Third Hokage during the opening ceremony.
It was now Konoha Year 38. The relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village had not yet become as tense as it would later. Many children in the clan greatly admired the Third Hokage. Uchiha Ryota and Obito were like this.
Sora slightly turned his head, the corner of his eye sweeping over Uchiha Ryota sitting in the back row. The other boy occasionally glanced his way, but the previous arrogant expression was gone from his face.
He figured the news of his brother's bet with Sora had reached his ears, making him finally understand that Sora was not someone he could provoke. After all, while Uchiha people had a bit of a chuunibyou streak, they were not fools.
At that moment, homeroom teacher Yamada Kenichi walked in, and the classroom immediately quieted down.
"Quiet, everyone!" Teacher Yamada cleared his throat. "Starting next Monday, the academy will hold the annual practical ranking assessment. Let me explain the rules:"
"First, the assessment uses a one-on-one elimination tournament format. Winners advance until the final rankings are determined."
"Second, the use of ninjutsu or weapons that may cause fatal injuries is prohibited. Violators will be immediately disqualified."
"Third, victory or defeat is determined by the referee. Surrendering, losing combat ability, or being thrown out of the ring all count as defeat."
Teacher Yamada paused, then added, "This assessment is not only a test of your progress since entering the academy, but also an important basis for Konoha to screen for talent. I hope everyone can show their true abilities!"
The classroom immediately became noisy again. Sora leaned back in his chair, thinking to himself, 'An elimination tournament format? That actually saves a lot of trouble.'
He looked at his classmates around him. Most looked excited, with only a few showing signs of nervousness.
"Sora, what are you thinking about?" Kurenai's voice brought him back to reality.
"Nothing," Sora smiled. "Just thinking about how to fight in this assessment."
"You will definitely get first place!" Kurenai said with confidence. "Your taijutsu is so strong."
Sora shook his head. "First place is not the goal. My target isn't high, just making the top ten is fine."
Hearing this, Asuma, who was chewing on a toothpick behind him, immediately leaned over. "Hmph, don't think you're strong just because you beat Ryota. I bet you won't last three rounds!"
Uchiha Ryota: "..."
Seeing this, Sora also turned his head and said nothing, obviously not wanting to pay attention to this little kid.
In this kind of practical ranking assessment, as long as you achieve a high ranking, you could apply for early graduation.
But everyone were children who had entered the Ninja Academy for less than a year. Basically, no one chose to graduate early. Prodigies and monsters like Hatake Kakashi were extremely rare. Most people had to follow the standard path and study for several years, slowly honing their skills.
Sora was the same. Although he was almost seven years old now, compared to Kakashi who graduated at five, it was nothing. But one must know that after graduation, he would be directly promoted to chunin by Sarutobi Hiruzen and join the Anbu.
A seven-year-old chunin was still too conspicuous. Sora did not have a father like 'Konoha's White Fang' behind him. Enjoying the same genius treatment as Kakashi was out of the question.
Therefore, Sora planned to stay at the Ninja Academy for one more year. By then, he would be about eight years old. Compared to Kurenai, Asuma, and others from the original story who graduated at nine, although it would still be one year earlier, it would not attract too much attention.
Moreover, Guy entered the Ninja Academy at six and graduated at seven. Sora was one year older than Guy and Kakashi, so he could graduate at the same time as Guy.
Although he couldn't team up with Guy to do missions because he had to join the Anbu, he would still have some help. After all, by then Guy should have started training in the Eight Inner Gates.
In the original story, Rock Lee only started training in the Eight Inner Gates at twelve because he became Guy's student after graduating from the Ninja Academy.
But Guy's situation was different. The Eight Inner Gates was his family's secret technique. Although in the original story, Guy started training in the Eight Inner Gates around the time of the Third Shinobi World War, when he was about twelve.
But now, because of Sora's appearance, not only had he spurred Guy's training motivation, Sora's success in opening the Eight Inner Gates had given Might Duy great confidence.
Now, Might Duy was only waiting for Guy's physical fitness to reach the baseline required for training the Eight Inner Gates. Once he met the standard, he would immediately teach him this secret technique!