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"Perhaps this year, there will be quite a number of children who fail the exams." Hiashi spoke thoughtfully.
Taking an exam under the watchful eyes of a crowd, among whom might be their own family members… For many children, this kind of public examination presented a significant psychological hurdle that was difficult to overcome.
Fugaku, however, held a different view from Hiashi:
"If they can't even meet the standard for psychological resilience, such ninja won't fare well even if they eventually step into the ninja world. It would be better for them to repeat a year and continue their training at the Ninja Academy."
You dare say that!
Hiashi was somewhat speechless. He was referring to the children from civilian families, not those from ninja clans.
Even if they experienced temporary nervousness, children from ninja clans had ultimately seen much more of the world. Their breadth of vision and mental fortitude were simply not something children from civilian families could compare to.
That being said, emotional control wasn't something clan ninja were inherently strong at, nor were civilian ninja necessarily weak. It was just that, generally speaking, the psychological resilience of clan ninja was considerably stronger than that of civilian ninja.
After speaking, Fugaku turned his gaze towards Kazuki.
Kazuki smiled slightly and explained:
"Students with poor psychological resilience aren't necessarily doomed to fail their exams. Some children are simply slower starters than others. With proper nurturing, they too can become capable enough to hold their own. The future holds many uncertainties."
Nervousness, fear – these were understandable. As long as you dared to face yourself squarely, even if your exam results were a complete mess, it wasn't a big deal.
What was truly worrisome were those who, due to nervousness and fear, performed poorly, and then fell into self-pity and blame. Or worse, those who began to wallow in despair and give up on themselves. What was the point of keeping such students? They might as well go home early and become ordinary civilians. If they were truly allowed to become ninja, they might just end up stabbing their own comrades in the back someday.
Looking through the records of ninja who had defected from Konoha over the years, apart from outliers like Orochimaru who pursued their own agendas, a significant portion of those who chose to defect and become rogue ninja shared a common trait: poor psychological resilience. Those who were narrow-minded, overly jealous, or felt the world was ending at the slightest setback often had a higher rate of betrayal once they became ninja.
"Begin."
Sitting in the prime viewing position, Tsunade, seeing that the time was about right, directly announced the start of the exams.
"Hoshimura Ni!!"
At the teacher's call, the first student stepped forward. From his tense expression and his gaze that dared not wander, it was clear he was very nervous inside, but thankfully, he managed to keep himself under control.
The graduation exams at the Ninja Academy weren't complicated. The public portion consisted of two parts: successful use of the Three Basic Ninja Techniques (Three Replacement Techniques), followed by a practical combat assessment. That was all. As for other subjects, they could be conducted within each classroom. There was no need to have the children taking written tests under the blazing sun, even if the spectators were also baking in the heat.
"Begin."
"Yes, sensei."
Hoshimura Ni repeatedly recited his teacher's advice to himself, telling himself not to be nervous, to just pretend the onlookers were his fellow students. Do as you normally would. Don't aim for exceptional performance, just aim for stability.
Taking a deep breath, Hoshimura began performing the Three Basic Techniques. Even though his nervousness made his hand signs slower, at least he didn't make any major mistakes, and the exam proceeded smoothly.
"This child isn't bad."
Kazuki gave a fairly positive evaluation. Although his technique usage was just average, his psychological resilience was quite good among civilian children.
"Alright, you can go back and rest now. Next."
After offering Hoshimura an encouraging smile, the teacher began calling the next student's name.
Compared to the somewhat nervous Hoshimura, the second student appeared very composed, as if he wasn't taking an exam under public scrutiny at all. Hands in his pockets, he sauntered out leisurely.
"Truly worthy of being an Uchiha. Children from major clans are just different."
"Isn't that obvious? Children from major clans have already witnessed all sorts of big scenes. Why would they be nervous over a small exam?"
"Uchiha Ato, begin."
"Alright, sensei."
"His talent is quite good, though not as good as Sasuke's."
It was quite rare to hear Fugaku use words like "quite good" for an evaluation.
Compared to Hoshimura, Uchiha Ato's performance was much smoother, as if the exam was as simple as eating or drinking for him. He passed effortlessly, with results even the teacher couldn't find any fault with.
This was the gap between children from major clans and those from civilian families.
Once again, the spectators were made aware of the disparity between civilian families and ninja clans.
Attending the academy at the same age, children from ninja clans had already received early education and had begun various forms of training. Children from civilian families had to start from scratch.
By the time you had made some progress, the children from ninja clans had already reached the finish line you were aiming for. To say that someone else's starting point was your finish line might sound a bit exaggerated, but it aptly illustrated the vast disparity between civilian families and ninja clans.
"Passable."
Looking at the expressionless Ato with his hands in his pockets, Kazuki couldn't help but recall a meme from his previous life: 'That year, with my hands in my pockets, I knew not what a worthy opponent was.'
Among this batch of students, if Sasuke didn't step up, Ato could indeed be considered top-tier. As for Naruto... it was best to just ignore him. The Three Techniques exam was Naruto's nemesis. Even if he managed to stumble through it, his results wouldn't be anything to write home about.
"By the way, I heard that Lady Hokage is planning to form a Hokage Guard Platoon?" Casually, Fugaku steered the conversation in this direction. Hiashi also looked over.
'Well, well, so this is what you two were waiting for here, huh?' Kazuki couldn't help but feel amused.
"Don't even think about it, you two. Lady Hokage will handle these matters herself. However, on my end, I can add a few more people from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans."
Unlike other high-ranking officials, Kazuki preferred using his own people. So, wherever he went, those protecting him were mostly Uchiha.
Kazuki could do this, but Tsunade couldn't. As Hokage, she needed to maintain balance. In fact, Tsunade probably couldn't select too many clan ninja to become her guards. Therefore, major clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha would most likely be passed over. She would select some from ordinary clans, some civilian ninja, add some from the Ino-Shika-Cho, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans, and that would basically achieve balance.
So, when it came to the selection of Hokage guards, the Hyuga and Uchiha didn't have much chance.
"That really is a bit of a pity."
Hiashi said it was a pity, but a faint smile had already appeared on his face. There was no opportunity with Tsunade's side, but there was with Kazuki here. Furthermore, in the current Konoha, Kazuki was the one who handled most major issues that required appearing in person. Tsunade spent most of her time staying in the village, dutifully acting as Hokage.
To put it bluntly, if you became a Hokage guard, you might not even undertake one external mission from one end of the year to the other. But becoming Kazuki's guard was different; you'd be running around with him every other day.
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