NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Academy exam
The two weeks passed faster than I expected. I ended up following the same routine every day: training in the morning with my Saitama-level workout and then spending the afternoon trying to learn how to read and write.
Despite the struggle, I managed to feel some progress. Physically, I was starting to adapt to the training rhythm, and three days ago, I had begun writing short paragraphs.
In addition to trying to sense my chakra every day with a bit of meditation after waking up, I hadn't attempted any training involving its use for one simple reason: safety.
Honestly? The only safe thing I could train was chakra control. There was no way I'd attempt a Kage Bunshin knowing it might kill me from chakra exhaustion. And I certainly wasn't about to risk learning how to spit fire. To be honest, I didn't even know how to go about it.
I knew the hand seals, but then what? Perform the seals, channel chakra, and… pray to breathe fire? Yeah, I wasn't touching that mess. I don't want to burn my mouth. And Rasengan? There was no way I could randomly get water balloons in this orphanage.
Of course, I could've tried the leaf exercise, but honestly, I was focused on learning to read and write. Apparently, there was a written portion in the academy admission process, and while I might be a physical copy of the Fourth Hokage, I knew I wouldn't pass if I couldn't even write my own name.
So, I dedicated most of my energy to writing. And finally, the day had come.
I hadn't realized how far the orphanage was from the village center until now—it took us about 50 minutes to walk from the orphanage to the heart of the village. Konoha was a pretty large village.
Miss Kaori organized us around her. Besides me, there were 47 other orphans trying to join the academy this year. In addition to us, I noticed around 100 other people scattered near the academy building. I didn't blame them. Despite being a dangerous profession, these kids saw becoming a ninja as a promising future.
"Welcome!" A deep, loud voice made me turn toward the chunin standing in front of the building. "It's great to see so many people who love Konoha and want to serve the village!"
Unfortunately, I had no idea who that idiot spouting nonsense was. Love Konoha? Yeah, right. I loved staying alive, and this was my ticket to doing so.
"To be admitted to the Leaf Academy, you'll need to pass two stages." he said, catching my attention. "First, there will be a short written test, followed by an evaluation of your physical abilities and chakra potential."
After explaining, the instructor divided us into five groups, each assigned to a classroom where the written test would be administered. I was in room 201, sitting in a chair, waiting for the test to be handed out.
"Take your time and don't worry, kids. You'll have one hour," said a chunin who would be overseeing our room as he distributed the exams.
When I received the test and read the questions, my eyes widened slightly. I re-read them to make sure I wasn't mistaken.
"Name one Hokage of the Leaf Village. Do you love the village? What do you want to become when you grow up? If you have 2 onigiri and someone asks for 1, how many do you have left?"
What kind of nonsense questions were these? Even someone with half a brain could answer them. There were 20 questions in total, most of them were about the village and expressing love for it. Subtle, right?
Despite how basic the questions were, it took me almost the entire hour to complete the test. Writing in this world was unbearable. I definitely wasn't expecting a perfect score if grammar counted.
After turning in my paper to the chunin, he directed me to another room where an instructor was waiting alongside a man wearing the symbol of a med-nin on his clothing.
"Hoshino Kenshin?" The med-nin called me forward, and I stepped closer. "Don't worry. My name is Nao. I'll be using a diagnostic jutsu on you, okay? It won't hurt."
The glow of his hand caught my interest for a moment, and I nodded, letting him touch me.
"Hmm… Despite your medical history, your bone density is normal, and doesn't seem to have any health issues." the medic said to the chunin, who was taking notes on a clipboard.
I hadn't expected this, but it made sense. A shinobi needed to be healthy. While we could improve physically, congenital defects or similar issues couldn't simply be cured.
"Very well, Kenshin-san. You can wait outside for your written test results."
"Yes, sir!"
I left the room and joined the others outside to wait. Honestly, I am much calmer now. I'd thought this admission exam would be something like a police academy entrance exam from my past life, but it seemed easier than I had imagined.
"Now I'll call the names of those who passed to the next stage. Uchiha Shotaro, Inuzuka Shipachi…" The instructor started calling names and I waited for mine. "Hoshino Kenshin!"
It seemed that all the time I'd spent practicing reading and writing had paid off. A smile broke across my face as I celebrated internally. Soon, the instructor stopped calling names.
"For those who didn't pass, I'm sorry, but you can still help the village by becoming productive members of the civilian academy."
With those words, I realized that about 30% of the children hadn't passed. I even saw a few orphanage companions crying in the corner. Well, not my problem.
The instructor led us to a courtyard on the other side of the academy and arranged us into rows.
"Alright, now we'll begin the second stage. Everyone must complete 10 push-ups, 10 squats, and 10 laps around the courtyard. If you can't finish, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until next year to try again. Let's start with the laps!"