Three days later.
At the ninja school.
A temporary platform had been set up on the training field, with a row of chairs placed in the center for the Third Hokage and the various ninja clan heads.
Students crowded around the edges of the field, all standing on tiptoe and craning their necks toward the center. Their excited chatter blended into one noisy buzz.
"I heard someone's getting promoted to genin today?"
"Who?"
"Those three who were chosen by the Hokage."
"They only trained for one month, right? They can become genin after just one month?"
"No way—"
Obito stood in the crowd with his arms crossed. "What's so great about that? I'll become a genin too someday."
Rin smiled. "Yes, yes, you will."
"Don't sound like you don't believe me, Rin. When I get serious, even I scare myself."
"Mm-hmm. You're the best."
Obito's face turned red, and he stopped talking.
Guy stood nearby, his gaze burning hot. "Youth! This is youth! My rivals have already reached this stage. I can't fall behind!"
Not far from them stood the ordinary spectators, most of them villagers who had come just to watch the excitement. Some were even carrying grocery baskets.
Misae had specially worn the kimono she'd ironed several times, and she had put her hair up too.
"Do you think Shin-chan will be nervous?"
"Him?" Hiroshi thought about it. "I don't think so."
"True." Misae sighed. "We're the ones who are nervous."
Beside them, a woman wearing clothes marked with the Uchiha fan crest heard their conversation and turned toward them with a faint smile.
"You're here to watch the ceremony too?"
Misae nodded. "My son is taking the exam today."
"I'm Uchiha Toru's mother. He is also taking the exam today." The woman gave a slight bow.
Misae and Hiroshi quickly returned the greeting.
Toru's mother said softly, "Toru has always been serious since he was little. When he found out about today's exam, he trained until very late last night."
"Last night?" Misae thought back carefully. "Shin-chan seemed exactly the same as usual."
Hiroshi coughed dryly from the side. "He was… probably relaxing his mind."
When the Third Hokage stood up, the whole field quieted.
"Today is the ninja school's genin promotion ceremony." The Third Hokage's voice wasn't loud. "Three children have completed, in only a few months, lessons that take others several years."
Whispers immediately spread across the training field.
"All three are geniuses," the Third Hokage continued. "Today, they will display what they have learned here. If they pass the test, they will officially become genin of Konoha."
He sat down and nodded toward Yūhi Shinku.
Yūhi Shinku walked to the center of the field and stood before the three children.
"Hatake Kakashi. Uchiha Toru. Nohara Shinnosuke."
The moment those three names were called, the students around the field began whispering again.
The first-years were excited. The older students were frowning. Some of them still hadn't earned genin status, and now three first-years were about to become genin?
"The test has two parts: demonstration of the Three Basic Techniques, and demonstration of basic ninjutsu."
Yūhi Shinku looked at the three children.
"Begin."
The first part was the Transformation Technique.
Yūhi Shinku stood beside the platform, holding the list.
"Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi stepped out and stood in the middle of the field, forming hand seals.
With a poof, the smoke cleared, and Kakashi had transformed into Yūhi Shinku.
Applause rose from the audience.
"Pass."
"Uchiha Toru."
Uchiha Toru stepped out, formed the seals, and transformed into Yūhi Shinku as well.
In the audience, several ninja clan heads exchanged a few quiet words, and some nodded.
"Pass."
"Nohara Shinnosuke."
Shin-chan walked out and stood in the middle of the field, forming hand seals.
Poof.
The smoke cleared.
The audience went silent for one second.
Then Misae's face turned red.
Shin-chan had transformed into a beautiful woman in a bikini, glamorous and striking, even blowing a kiss toward the audience.
Hiroshi's mouth dropped into an O-shape.
Misae clapped a hand over Hiroshi's eyes, her own face already red to the ears.
The Third Hokage's pipe almost fell out of his hand.
A huge cross-shaped vein popped on Yūhi Shinku's forehead.
"Nohara Shinnosuke." His voice squeezed through his teeth.
"Here!"
"What exactly did you transform into?"
"A pretty big sister."
Someone in the audience couldn't hold back and laughed.
The expressions on several clan heads' faces were fascinating. They wanted to laugh but were too embarrassed to do it. The Hyūga clan head lifted his teacup and took a sip, using it to cover half his face.
The Third Hokage coughed. "Let him pass. He has clearly grasped the essence of the Transformation Technique."
Yūhi Shinku took a deep breath. "Pass. Change back immediately."
With a poof, Shin-chan turned back into himself and cheerfully ran back into line.
The Clone Technique and Substitution Technique exams afterward went normally.
Once the Three Basic Techniques demonstration ended, the second part began.
Basic ninjutsu demonstration.
Yūhi Shinku looked at the list. "Hatake Kakashi, what ninjutsu are you going to demonstrate?"
Kakashi stepped out and stood in the middle of the field.
"Earth Style: Earth Wave Jutsu."
The audience fell quiet for a moment.
Yūhi Shinku's pen paused. He looked up at Kakashi. "That jutsu requires a large amount of chakra."
"I know." Kakashi's voice came from behind his mask, calm and steady.
Yūhi Shinku watched him for two seconds, then set down the pen and stepped aside.
Kakashi quickly formed hand seals, then pressed both hands to the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Wave Jutsu."
The ground trembled.
The dirt in the middle of the field surged like a wave, rolling forward from beneath Kakashi's feet and only stopping after it had traveled ten meters.
The audience remained silent for quite a while.
The Third Hokage sat in the center seat. He gave no comment, only nodded slightly.
"Pass." Yūhi Shinku wrote a line on the list, then looked up. "Next, Uchiha Toru."
Uchiha Toru stepped out, stood in the middle of the field, and took a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
A huge ball of flame burst from his mouth, expanding rapidly in midair as it roared forward with a scorching wave of heat.
Someone in the audience cried out in surprise.
Standing off to the side, Yūhi Shinku felt the hot wind lift the hem of his clothes.
Toru's mother sat in the audience with both hands clasped in front of her chest, quietly letting out a breath of relief.
"Pass." Yūhi Shinku wrote a few more strokes on the list. "Next, Nohara Shinnosuke."
Everyone's gaze turned to Shin-chan.
Shin-chan stood there with his brows furrowed, looking like he was thinking about an incredibly difficult problem.
"Nohara Shinnosuke," Yūhi Shinku called again.
Shin-chan lifted his head. "Here."
"What ninjutsu are you going to demonstrate?"
Shin-chan opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He lowered his head and began thinking.
Someone in the audience whispered, "Don't tell me he doesn't know any real ninjutsu?"
"No way, right? Didn't he pass everything earlier?"
"The Three Basic Techniques are different from actual ninjutsu."
~~~
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