Shinra woke up early and prepared to leave for the academy.
He still didn't know how the entrance exam would be held since it wasn't a focal point of the story, but how hard could competing with a bunch of six-year-olds be?
Upon reaching the academy, he was shocked to see the number of kids attending the exam.
The entire playground was filled with children who were chattering non-stop.
'There should be at least seven hundred participants here. I would assume at least two-thirds of that will be eliminated.'
Shinra scanned the crowd and thought,
'Majority of the participants are civilian kids, but I can spot some clan members from each major clan. I guess these people have a high chance of joining. After all, even someone like Obito was admitted into the academy despite being at the bottom of the barrel. They'll probably judge us based on physical endurance, chakra interest, and most importantly—potential.'
Time passed, and even more kids appeared on the playground.
Just when the chattering was starting to get out of hand, a puff of smoke appeared at the top of the academy building, causing the participants to look up.
From within the smoke, a figure emerged—
A man wearing a chunin vest and the classic Konoha headband.
He looked to be in his late thirties, but the most notable feature was the missing left arm under his sleeve.
"Listen up," the man said in a firm, rough voice. "Because I won't repeat myself again. The first phase of the exam is simple: all you need to do is follow me to the destination. If you fail to keep up or arrive more than a minute late, you'll be disqualified."
With that, he vanished in a blur and reappeared at the academy gate.
"Go!" he barked, starting to jog down the street—followed by a horde of kids trailing behind him.
The sight of a single man being chased by hundreds of children was bizarre, especially on the empty morning streets of Konoha.
'I guess they made sure that the path is cleared to avoid chaos in the village. Nevertheless, the examiner started out pretty slow, but he's gradually increasing his pace at every turn. A few people have already started to lag behind.'
An hour later—
At the top of the Hokage Rock mountain, the horde had thinned down significantly. Only around 400 participants remained standing, most panting and drenched in sweat.
At the summit, two more chunin examiners sat across a wooden table filled with empty sheets of paper.
One had long flowing black hair and pale, white-transparent eyes—a Hyuga.
The other had a pinecone hairstyle and looked like he had just rolled out of bed.
'A four-kilometre run is draining for a six-year-old but still manageable by this world's standard. Those who failed probably couldn't adjust to the examiner's changing pace. This body is probably average in physical ability, but what sets us apart is that I have a proper breathing technique that helped me last longer.'
The lead examiner, Fusaki Yamanaka, scanned the panting participants.
'412 participants. Normally, only 150 make it through, but due to the Nine-Tails rampage and the Third Great Ninja War, a lot of shinobi died. That forced the village to raise the acceptance rate.'
"This concludes the first part of the exam," Fusaki announced.
"Now, those among you who are already able to feel your chakra—step to the right. Those who cannot—step to the left."
Instantly, a massive shift occurred among the participants.
About two-thirds stepped to the left, while a smaller group—most of them obviously clan children—stepped to the right.
A civilian boy to Shinra's side muttered nervously, "I—I can't feel anything. Does that mean I fail?"
His friend whispered back, "No, my dad said this part isn't just about chakra… Just stand tall and don't faint."
Fusaki raised his voice again.
"Those who are on the left side will now step forward one by one, starting from the leftmost end. You will stand in front of the two examiners and be asked for your name and address—that's it."
Some kids looked confused.
The examiner continued, "This process will take a while. If you are unable to remain standing or decide to sit down and rest, you will be disqualified."
The process began.
One by one, the left-side group came forward and stated their names.
Of course, Shinra thought,
'This part of the exam isn't as simple as it sounds. The real test is to evaluate whether your chakra reserves and quality match the standard.'
'Every human has chakra, but what differentiates a ninja is their ability to control and use it. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu—it all starts here.'
'These kids are being tested for talent. If they were told outright, they'd scream about how unfair it is. That's why it's masked as an information check—so they cause a scene at home, not here.'
A nervous kid stepped up. "Kusakabe Nika, address… uh… East Sector 12-B, house number 43."
The Nara clan examiner lazily scribbled the information.
The Hyuga beside him observed the child silently, then gave a small nod.
"You can go back. Next," the Hyuga said.
The boy blinked in confusion but stepped away obediently.
The process continued for hours.
More kids dropped out, collapsing from fatigue after standing for too long.
Some cried, some fidgeted.
Most just stood in anxious silence, watching others get waved off without explanation.
From the examiner's table, the Hyuga's face remained neutral—but occasionally, there would be the subtlest narrowing of the eyes or a tightening of the jaw.
When the final left-side candidate stepped back, the right-side group—those who had already sensed their chakra—were also called up for review.
Shinra was among them.
The procedure was nearly identical, though the papers they signed were sorted separately.
Fusaki glanced at the rising moon and addressed the group.
"The exam is officially over. You may all return to your homes.
Tomorrow, your guardians will receive a letter stating whether or not you've been accepted."
"The start of next week is your first official day at the academy. Don't be late."
As the children dispersed down the mountain trail, the three chunin remained behind.
Fusaki flipped through the pile of forms and sighed.
"The standard for this exam was too low. A lot of these kids are unfit to be ninjas."
Shigeo Nara was sorting the passed and failed forms. He responded in a slow drawl,
"We lost too many shinobi in the past few years. Right now, Konoha just needs numbers. A few years of peace, and we'll have time to properly raise a new generation."
He glanced at the Hyuga examiner.
"Not to mention," Shigeo continued, "those kids with potential who couldn't feel their chakra yet will be sent to the Hyuga compound. They'll be trained to sense it early."
The Hyuga didn't speak, but the mild scowl on his face said everything.
On his way back home, Shinra walked in silence.
'I guess yesterday's chakra control training helped me. I still have a long way to go, though.'
'But if I want to become stronger I need to start grinding from now.'
A/N:
There are some differences to the canon in the fact that even normal people can become ninja if trained, in the canon it is mentioned that ninjas are able to control and mold chakra. But that is part of what the academy teaches so that means it can be taught, so I decided to make it a bit more focused on the potential, which is based on quality and reserves.
The second part is for those who are unable to feel chakra, they can get the chance to feel it through the help of the hyuga clan this will be explained later. But it is mainly due to their Byakugan able to see chakra acupoints.