Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The Ninja Academy had officially reopened its annual admissions.
Shisui had already advanced to his second year, while Obito was now a sixth-year student. Yuji realized that this was finally the time he would meet many of the important characters from the Academy.
People like Asuma, Might Guy, Raido Namiashi, Kurenai, and many others—future elite jonin who would eventually play major roles when the story of Naruto truly began.
Yuji arrived at the Academy with both of his parents to register. They had even taken a day off from work just for this occasion.
This time, however, they were no longer a family of three.
Walking beside them was an adorable little girl with black hair tied into twin braids and a pair of cute bangs bouncing with every step.
Her name was Sayaka.
Following Yuji’s suggestion, she had officially been adopted into the family. They had also hired a kind aunt to look after her. The woman was a member of the Uchiha Clan, though she wasn’t a ninja. She was one of Yuji’s mother’s relatives.
"Brother Yuji is going to become a ninja! That’s so cool!" Sayaka exclaimed as she happily skipped along while holding his hand.
Yuji’s parents adored their adopted daughter. They even gave her the Uchiha surname despite her not being born into the clan, and the Clan Head personally approved the decision.
There was only one condition.
Although Sayaka had become the family’s precious little princess, Yuji’s mother only allowed his hair to be trimmed slightly to keep it neat. His long hair remained tied in a ponytail.
The result?
Cute.
Too cute.
Dangerously cute.
Yuji was beginning to understand why Kakashi chose to wear a mask.
His face attracted attention everywhere he went,not because he looked intimidating, but because he was simply too beautiful for a boy.
It was honestly exhausting.
The Academy courtyard was packed with dozens of children and their parents waiting to register. There were also several children from orphanages.
Yuji recognized a few of them from his previous visits.
Not long afterward, all applicants were instructed to line up on the Academy’s large training field while their parents waited outside.The entrance examination had begun.
First Stage: Registration
Each applicant submitted their name, identification, and completed the required paperwork.
The process was painfully boring...
...until one boy suddenly shouted,
"Ma’am! My age says 66years old in this papework, must be 6 years old !"
The staff member pinched the bridge of her nose before calmly replacing the form.
Yuji remained silent as he listened to the noisy chatter of the prospective students around him, then turned his gaze toward the entrance gate.
Outside the gate, Sayaka waved both hands enthusiastically.
"Good luck, Brother!"
She sounded so energetic that even a few applicants accidentally waved back.
Second Stage: Physical Examination , Fifty Laps Around the Field
This was both the most anticipated...
...and the most feared stage.
The rules were simple.
Run fifty laps around the Academy’s enormous training field.
Children who lacked stamina would be eliminated here.
Yuji started at a steady pace.
Beside him was a chubby boy named Taro, who exploded forward at full speed as though an ANBU squad was chasing him.
Lap 5
"I’m going to be Hokage!"
Taro shouted confidently while sprinting ahead.
Lap 15
He slowed to a walk...
...while somehow carrying a tiny flag that read:
"Keep Going!"
No one knew where he got it.
Lap 25
He sat down beside the track and raised his hand.
"Excuse me, sir... can I crawl instead?"
The examiner replied without looking up,
"You may crawl... straight home."
Several children burst into laughter.
Lap 40
Taro officially surrendered. He pulled out a backup onigiri and took a huge bite. "Dreams can wait," he declared wisely with a full mouth.
"Calories come first."
Even one examiner had to turn away to hide a smile.
Another unforgettable moment came from a boy named Kenji.
Trying to outsmart everyone, he wore roller skates. Unfortunately, The Academy training ground was dirt,Not pavement.
By Lap Three, one wheel caught on a tree root.
Kenji spun three full circles through the air before crashing spectacularly into a pile of leaves.
Silence.
Then he stood up dramatically, dusted himself off, struck a heroic pose, and declared,
"That... was my newest technique."
"Falling Leaf Style!"
The examiner calmly wrote in his notebook.
Result: Failed.
Reason: Excessive creativity.
Another examiner quietly added,
"...Points for commitment."
There was also a girl named Hana, She ran while reading a strategy book.
Even after thirty laps, she still hadn’t looked up once.
Then...
Thunk.
She walked straight into a rock.
After falling face-first into the dirt, she slowly stood up, adjusted her glasses, opened her notebook, and muttered,
"Tactical error."
"Recorded."
Without another word, she resumed reading while running and still finished in the middle of the pack.
Yuji secretly saluted her determination.
As for Yuji...
He completed all fifty laps with perfectly steady breathing. His ponytail swayed gracefully behind him.
For reasons he could not understand, The number of girls screaming,
"Kyaaa!"
seemed to increase every single lap, One exhausted boy behind him stared blankly before whispering,
"...He’s a guy, right?"
"I swear... I almost want to register again next year just so I can compete for his heart."
His friend nodded seriously.
"I’d lose."
Third Stage: Chakra Affinity Test
After the physical exam came the chakra affinity test.
Yuji demonstrated both Lightning and Fire Release affinities.
Applicants who were still unable to mold chakra were sent to a special guidance room.
Inside, one poor instructor repeated the same sentence for what felt like the twentieth time.
"Feel your chakra."
"Don’t think about your family’s electricity bill."
One child timidly raised a hand.
"...What if we don’t even have electricity?"
The instructor froze for several seconds before quietly replying,
"...Then... imagine something else."
Final Stage: Class Placement for Major Clans
Civilian applicants did not participate in this stage.
Children from the major clans underwent additional evaluations in basic taijutsu, intelligence, reflexes, and inherited clan abilities.
Their performance determined whether they would enter Class A, B, C, or D.
Yuji wore a black high-collared outfit embroidered with the Uchiha crest on both his back and sleeves.
From beginning to end...
He remained the center of attention.
Every time he completed another test, whispers spread throughout the crowd.
"Kyaaa!"
"He’s so handsome!"
"I thought the Uchiha specialized in Fire Release, not Heart Release..."
"...That’s not a real chakra nature."
"It is now."
Even one examiner quietly coughed into his fist before writing,
"Subject possesses... unusual crowd-control abilities."
By the time the sun began to set, Yuji had successfully completed every stage of the entrance examination.
Standing before the Academy gates, he looked outside.
Sayaka was jumping up and down while giving him two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
His parents smiled with obvious relief and pride.
Yuji smiled back.
His journey at the Ninja Academy...
...had only just begun.