Boom!
A wave crashed, and Metal Lee was instantly knocked down.
He hadn't practiced surfing, so even with his excellent Taijutsu talent and body control, it was useless.
He was swallowed by the waves.
Behind him, Boruto had just ridden a wave and saw Metal Lee get knocked down and disappear, his pupils widening.
"He vanished."
Boruto was startled, but his body was already on the wave. He could only control his body to maintain balance.
He had to prevent himself from being swept into the deep sea like that green figure.
"He didn't die, did he?"
Struggling to control his body, Boruto could clearly feel the power coming from beneath his feet. His Chakra control was excellent; utilizing and submitting to this power, Boruto quickly gained control of the surfboard.
And he managed to control it stably.
Mitsuki now rode up beside him, smiling as he said, "Not bad! You managed to control the surfboard on your first try without falling off."
This level of training was no problem for Mitsuki at all.
He even had energy to spare for talking.
Suddenly, Mitsuki keenly sensed something. He looked up and saw that one of Boruto's eyes had momentarily gone blank.
His entire eye glowed with a different light.
However, this state was fleeting.
Boruto's eyes regained their normal expression, and he asked Mitsuki, "Did that person just die?"
He couldn't believe that people would die during a mere freshman ceremony.
He had long heard that Ninja life was cruel, but now he truly saw it.
Rationally, his father wouldn't let freshmen die in such a place, but emotionally, he had just seen that person fall.
In such a turbulent ocean, he must be dead.
This was the power of nature, after all.
But what just happened?
Just now, he had been weakened by the ocean's power and Metal Lee's disappearance, but suddenly, his control over Chakra and his body improved. He also saw many trajectories he normally couldn't see, and by following those trajectories, he successfully utilized the waves' power and controlled his body.
Mitsuki smiled, "Hmm, no, he won't. How could anyone die in this situation? Ninja life isn't as cruel as it used to be. Even if it were, they would generally save people if they could. The cruelty of Ninja life is for uncontrollable situations. Many Jonin from Konoha are here now, so nothing could possibly happen."
And he could sense that the person wasn't dead.
His senses were also very strong.
Since birth, his perception of nature had been very strong. He could sense the ocean's turbulence and the fallen Metal Lee; he knew that life still existed.
"Oh, that's a relief! But this thing is actually quite easy!" Boruto rode the surfboard between the large waves, looking at the deep darkness below. He suddenly felt a sense of conquering nature.
"Once you get used to it, it's quite easy. Those with a basic understanding of Ninja Chakra training usually have no problem, as long as they overcome their fear, except for a few weak ones," Mitsuki said bluntly... "Oh no, Metal Lee, he..."
Metal Lee's fall instantly made those who had mustered their courage lose heart.
Those who had intended to rush out like Mitsuki and Boruto now stopped in their tracks.
"People will die," Akimichi Chocho retreated a few steps.
Yamanaka Inojin looked at the two still soaring in the ocean and at Hokage-sama and the others, who appeared calm.
He asked Shikadai, "They shouldn't die, right? Hokage-sama and the others are so calm."
Shikadai mused for a moment, "It's fine, let's go. We are the new generation of Ninja Academy; we can't die. The Hokage's goal is probably to make us overcome control. Although it's a bit troublesome and will be quite uncomfortable, no one will die."
His reason told him that this was indeed the case.
But humans are not just rational.
Shikadai grabbed his surfboard and, with a cold sweat, rushed towards the sea.
Seeing this, Inojin trusted Shikadai's analysis even more; he had been smart since childhood.
He also rushed out.
"Wait for me..." Akimichi Chocho quickly poured the snacks she had onto her mouth. Seeing her two companions rush out, she also mustered her courage and rushed out.
"I won't lose to them either."
Since they dared to go, naturally, others also dared to go.
However, their pace was just a little slower.
Then they all fell into the sea like dumplings, one after another.
Shikadai was no exception.
Their body control and Chakra control abilities were not yet sufficient to contend with the ocean.
Or rather, they were not yet familiar with the ocean and could not utilize its power.
Coupled with the ocean's turbulence, their treading water ability was now showing signs of fatigue.
This scene directly made those still hesitating behind them completely afraid to go, some even crying.
Naruto and the others remained unmoved.
Shino Aburame stepped forward and told them, "Go try it, or else the teachers will make you all go down together!"
He rushed out, covered in bugs, to scare the students.
Pfft, pfft!
Several students directly fainted.
Between the fear of death and Shino Aburame's bugs, they simply passed out.
Shino Aburame scratched his head, wondering why they were so timid.
"Who are you? How did you suddenly appear?"
Some students asked nervously.
"I am Teacher Shino Aburame. I will also be your teacher from now on. If you don't go down, we teachers will throw you down."
"Don't throw us! My dad will beat you up!"
"Yeah, my mom will beat you up!"
The freshmen were terrified by these words and immediately brought up their parents.
Naruto: "No, they can't beat us. We're the ones who'll beat you."
Naruto felt a little happy seeing Boruto's actions and the children rushing out one after another.
However, he had to step in for those who were more fearful and train them properly.
Courage, aside from being innate, can be trained, just like his own training with Satoru and Teacher Jiraiya.
"Ah..."
Just as the students were feeling distressed, a giant creature rose from beneath the sea in the distance—it was a whale.
Then, one by one, students were spewed out of its mouth.
They were completely soaked, and their eyes were dizzy.
Among them was Metal Lee, who had been swept away by the wave at the beginning.
"Ah, he's not dead?"
This time, the students saw it.
"That's right, this is just to let you experience how to face fear. Mitsuki and Boruto did very well. Although the others didn't achieve the same results as them, they also experienced this ceremony. Now it's your turn. You're not scared now, are you?
If you are, I advise you not to attend Ninja Academy, because this training will often occur in your first year."
Naruto said.
All the freshmen turned pale upon hearing this.
Even though they wouldn't die, the ocean was too terrifying.
However, some, spurred by this, immediately grabbed their surfboards and rushed out.