March 15th.
An important date in Konoha, as it was the date of the Academy’s Entrance Exam. It was so important that I decide to skip the Daily for the day, saving my energy for the Exam which will be entirely physical.
I knew that thanks to a staff from my orphanage that has informed me a month prior.
In fact, the staff also warned me to dial down on the training several days before the exam. Which I complied. For two days before the exam, I was only doing Daily Quest and no other training.
On the D-day, I woke up 3 hours before the Exam. I took a quick bath after I did some stretching before having breakfast. Then I did Leaf Concentration Exercise for an hour to calm my nerves.
Please excuse me for getting quite nervous, okay? After all, there’s big chance that I will meet the majority of the Naruto’s main cast, the Rookie 9, later today.
Though I do find it curious that I’ve only ever met two major Naruto character so far, and that’s counting even from before the memory awakening. Both of which was also from the upper echelon of the village, or highest in case of Hiruzen.
I get that I’ve never met the ones from a clan, but I’ve also never met the 4 clan-less members of Konoha 12, especially Naruto and Lee. One infamous for his prank and the other should be recognized for his training.
It is possible that we were just lived in parts of the village that was far from each other. I never really explored much, after all.
Though to be fair, it is also possible that they haven’t reached that phase, yet. There was no mention of how old they are when Naruto starts pranking and Lee starts training religiously. Not that I remember, anyway.
I left for the academy with still an hour left before the exam began. I set out early just so I don’t have to rush, my house was in fact quite far from the academy. That’s one reason why it survived Kurama’s rampage.
I also considered the time for having some quick chats with neighbours and acquittance that I did ends up meeting along the way.
By the time I reached the academy’s front gate area, the place was already packed. There were parents accompanying their child and there were also some children groups that was only supervised by a handful of adults, likely children from orphanages.
I spotted the group of my orphanage situated quite far from the gate, so I went around them. No need for needless drama on the first day of a new arc of my life. Besides, I already been given the document I need, so I can proceed on my own.
Around ten minutes after I arrived, the gate opened and someone start announcing loudly, “Parents and guardians, hand over the exam permit letter to your children and wait here! Children who will be enrolled, you can all follow me!”
The crowd reacted. The adults start to separate themselves and the children start following the announcer into the academy ground, myself included. I kept looking around as I walked, trying to find the Rookie 9 but to no avail.
…Though I think I saw a flash a pink hair just now.
The announcer, who was likely a part of teaching staff, wearing the familiar dark-green ninja-vest, led us to a training ground with a marked perimeter. On the side of it was eight more personnel wearing ninja-vest standing in pairs. Each pair was curiously standing next to a sign with a shape drawn on it; a square, a triangle, a circle, and an X.
Huh.
“ATTENTION!!!” The announcer started loudly, silencing the children that was about to descent to clamoring mess. “There should be a shape drawn on your envelope! You are to line up in front of the sign with the same shape drawn on it! Start lining up, NOW!”
Even before he finished talking, I already started moving toward one of the signs with a triangle drawn on it. Though I still ended up having to queue behind one examinee. The child was wearing what looked like a hooded trench coat from behind. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
After he was done and turned around, I was able to see that he wore a very high collared trench coat and a pair of sunglasses.
… Shino?
“Next!”
I hurriedly submit my letter to the staff before receiving some sort of name tag that I hang around my neck. Then I went to wait in a designated place for my shape group. Unsurprisingly, only Shino were there when I arrived. So of course I greeted him after I sat beside him.
“Hello there, I’m Takeshi. What’s your name?”
Shino’s head turned toward me. Then he looked at me in silence for an uncomfortable dozen of seconds before answering, “Shino, Aburame Shino.”
… I wonder if it was a mistake greeting him. Is this really how awkward he usually was?
Well, at least he responded. That’s a start.
“Nice to meet you, Aburame-san. Also, nice sunglasses, by the way.”
“Likewise. Thanks.” And we descended into silence.
That’s how my first meeting with the first Rookie 9 went about. I didn’t push the conversation further and simply await further instruction from- “ATTENTION!”
Ah, there you go.
“Those from square group, please go to the edge of the training ground and get ready to run 10 laps on the marked path, starting on my whistle! Remember, you have 40 minutes! The other three groups, keep waiting and keep your voice down!”
Ten laps, huh? The makeshift zero-shaped track seemed to have the same size as standardized running tracks from my previous life, so it should be around 400 meters in circumference.
Well, 4K right off the bat, huh? Is that the minimum for acceptance? Then I should be able to get accepted at the very least. The 40 minutes limit doesn’t make any different, really.
After everyone from square group entered the track, the announcer immediately blew the whistle. A lot of examinees start dropping out by the eighth lap, though there were some who dropped by the fifth. That’s less than a couple kilos.
Did they not train before this? Well, what’s surprising was that one chubby kid with swirls on his cheeks who managed to finish the 10 laps. Though he did looks like on the verge of collapsing.
… Isn’t that Choji?
Also, what was those idiots thinking by sprinting right from the start? Did they not remember that they’ve got 40 minutes? In the end, only around half of the square group managed to complete ten laps within time limit.
“Everyone from triangle group, please go to the edge of the training ground and get ready to run! Those who didn’t finish 10 laps, return to your guardian but keep your nametag! Those who finished, you can choose to continue another 10 laps or return to your group’s waiting area. Alright, MOVE!”
I went to the track along with my group as I observed the drop-out leaving and some more of the square group went to their waiting area, leaving only a small portion of their original number still inside the tracks. The whistle blew a minute after I took my place on the track, and I started running.
Hmm, there are four groups, so I could assume that they will give each group a chance to run 40 laps total. I think that’s the target I should aim if I want a chance to be placed among clan heirs and heiresses.
I solely focused on the run and counting the laps internally without bothering to check when and how many other examinees have dropped out in this batch. I stopped when I finished the tenth lap, and as expected my group and the previous group are given a chance to run another 10, which I took without much thought.
But before the next 10 laps begin, I finally spotted the familiar spiky-blonde hair from the next group. He wore a goggle like a headband and sporting a whisker on his face. He smiled like an idiot as he walked toward the running track, even when it seemed like he was aware that the other kids are keeping distance from him.
Of course, I didn’t greet him. That would be truly idiotic. I didn’t even dare to look at him, just glancing behind my sunglasses. I only mentally noted that he was the third Rookie 9 that I spotted today.
Gotta stay in focus as I have goal to reach.
Anyway. I succeeded in running 30 laps when one of the staff asked if I want to do the next 10 laps. She specifically asked me as I was the only one from my group that completed 30. I said I want to try, she relent, and thankfully I was able to finish my 40th lap just in time as the whistle blowed soon after.
I was asked to leave the track after that.
Might as well, I don’t think I could do another 4K anyway. One of the staff then gave me a cup of water, which I gratefully accept. I emptied the cup in one go after I took a seat in my group’s waiting area.
“Good job.”
I turned toward the speaker, as it seemed they were talking to me. And indeed, it was Shino who was speaking.
“Thanks. You’re not bad yourself. You tried after 20th, right?”
“Mm, thanks.”
And that’s another conversation with Shino. Man, I really made good progress today, eh?
Speaking of which, I’ve already done more than 10K required for Daily. I think I can avoid missing today’s Daily if I did the rest of exercises later. That’s nice.
‘System, on’
[Chakra ×508 Quest : Entrance]
… Well, hello there.
Note
School arc is here! Well, it’s just the entrance exam for now. I hope my rendition of this events are acceptable. And Shino’s the first Rookie 9 that MC met. I hope I didn’t butcher his character. We’ll see.
As you can see, I did cut the chapter again before finishing the ongoing event that is the Academy’s entrance exam. Just like what I’ve warned in one of previous chapter. So I hope that’s not a problem.