"Master Raiden, the reform plan for the ninja school assessment has been implemented."
"The students graduating this year will be the first to follow the new plan for the graduation assessment."
"Here is the detailed plan. Please review it. Is there anything else that needs to be added?"
In the principal's office of Konoha Ninja School, Iruka handed a thick stack of documents to Uzumaki Raiden and then stood silently to the side.
Uzumaki Raiden took the documents from Iruka and began reading them carefully.
The reform of the ninja school had been Raiden's most significant endeavor over the years. Since the Second Hokage established the ninja school, its system had undergone tremendous changes.
The Second Hokage's original intention in creating the ninja school was to prevent children from being sent to the battlefield at a young age. The school's existence provided an official reason to protect those who might otherwise be forced into war. During this period, the school was open to all, regardless of whether a student possessed ninja talent or not.
However, as wars continued, Konoha was forced to send part of its ninja reserves—students from the ninja school—into battle due to a lack of combat power. From then on, the school gradually deviated from its original purpose, and admission standards became stricter.
Because ninja school students at the time could be sent into battle at any moment, only those with basic combat qualities were accepted. If a student's ability was weaker than that of an ordinary civilian, it was pointless to send them to war.
After the Third Ninja War ended and peace returned to the ninja world, this enrollment model became outdated.
Thus, Uzumaki Raiden introduced a new system—the potential enrollment invitation system—which expanded the eligibility for ninja school admission, allowing more people the opportunity to study. However, Konoha's financial situation remained a problem, as the growing ninja army placed a significant economic burden on the village.
To alleviate this, Namikaze Minato made the difficult decision to remove older, weaker, sick, and disabled ninjas from active duty, assigning them to clerical work instead. This allowed younger ninjas to take on missions and become the primary combat force.
Considering this, Uzumaki Raiden also implemented stricter graduation assessments to prevent unqualified students from joining the ninja ranks.
Previously, the ninja school's graduation exam was simple, consisting only of a basic assessment of the three fundamental techniques. This level of difficulty was far lower than that of entrance exams during the war.
Starting with Naruto's class, a new graduation system was introduced.
Raiden's assessment method was straightforward, consisting of two parts: a written test on theoretical knowledge and a combat assessment based on actual battle performance. To pass, students had to rank in the top 80% of their class.
If a student failed to place in the top 80% in either section, they would have to continue studying at the ninja school and retake the graduation exam with the next class.
However, students were not allowed to repeat indefinitely. Raiden set the maximum age for graduation at 15. If a student failed the assessment before turning 15, they would not be given another chance and would be advised to leave the school.
After all, the ninja forces couldn't afford to accept every candidate. Allowing weak individuals to join would only decrease the overall combat effectiveness of the village.
When Raiden introduced this policy, it faced significant opposition. It drastically reduced the chances for civilians to become ninjas, as students from established ninja clans naturally had better training than those from commoner families.
For instance, in terms of actual combat, the strongest students in ninja schools were always those from ninja families. Commoner parents feared their children wouldn't be able to compete with them and strongly opposed the policy.
Fortunately, it was Uzumaki Raiden who implemented the reform. With his unparalleled prestige in the village, he suppressed all opposition and pushed the plan forward. Seeing Raiden's determination, the public had no choice but to accept it and focus on training their own children.
"Iruka, I reviewed the assessment plan. The lottery-based competition method is too dependent on luck and needs to be revised."
"My suggestion is to implement a judges' scoring system. The actual combat assessment shouldn't be a direct competition between students. Let Minato assign Chunin to assist in the exam."
"During the battle, there should be five judges scoring the candidates' abilities. Their scores will be totaled, and the rankings will be based on those results."
"To ensure fairness and prevent cheating, each candidate should have the right to challenge one opponent ranked above them."
"As for the written test, follow the original plan."
After carefully reviewing the document, Uzumaki Raiden provided his amendments. Iruka nodded, took the documents from Raiden's hands, and left the office.
Afternoon
On the first-floor promenade of the ninja school, Naruto walked toward the playground with his hands behind his head, surrounded by a group of students.
Naruto was quite popular at school. Though young, he was handsome, came from a prestigious family, and had remarkable personal strength. His cheerful and easygoing personality made it easy for him to make friends. In just the short distance from the classroom to the playground, he was surrounded by good companions.
However, Naruto's popularity was mostly among boys. As for the girls, they were more drawn to another student in the class—Uchiha Sasuke, who also came from a famous family.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke had a cold personality, and this aloofness made him more appealing to the girls.
"Brother is really popular!"
Inside a classroom along the corridor, Namikaze Yoriichi heard the commotion outside. He glanced out curiously and spotted Naruto in the center of the crowd. He couldn't help but sigh.
Yoriichi had just entered the ninja school this year, but due to his exceptional talent, he quickly caught the attention of both teachers and students. Within a few months, he had skipped several grades and was now a third-year student.
Unlike Naruto, however, Yoriichi's facial markings made other children wary of approaching him. Additionally, his maturity made him less socially inclined than Naruto.
To be honest, Yoriichi envied Naruto for having so many friends.
"Son of the Fifth Hokage! I challenge you! Accept my challenge!"
Just as Yoriichi was lost in thought, a loud voice suddenly rang through the classroom. The sound was so loud that even Naruto outside noticed. He paused on his way to the playground and looked toward the classroom.
Inside, a young boy stood beside Yoriichi's seat, pointing at him. It was clear he was the one who had just shouted.
Yoriichi turned to look at him, his face full of confusion. He didn't recognize the boy or understand why he was suddenly being challenged. He had always kept a low profile at school.
"Is that Konohamaru?"
"Konohamaru is challenging Namikaze Yoriichi?"
"What? The grandson of the Third Hokage is challenging the son of the Fifth Hokage?"
Yoriichi remained puzzled, but the classroom had already erupted in excitement. Outside, Naruto scratched his head, puzzled, then pressed his face against the window to see what was happening.
"You're challenging me? Why?"
Yoriichi frowned. He had no interest in fighting the boy in front of him. Ever since he started physical training at the age of four, his sparring partners had been Might Guy, Shisui, Itachi, and Kisame. Though he had never won, his standards had been set high. Fighting a peer seemed pointless.
"Hmph! I heard you skipped grades! I don't accept it!"
"I want to test your strength. Our class is full of elites, and someone who got in through connections doesn't deserve to be here!"
Konohamaru pointed at Namikaze Yoriichi's nose and spoke directly, his words and attitude making Yoriichi frown. He valued etiquette greatly. Even after so many years in this world, he still addressed Kushina and Minato as "Mother" and "Father." In all that time, no one had ever pointed at his face and spoken to him in such a condescending manner.
This attitude made Yoriichi uncomfortable. Even his parents had never treated him this way.
"I don't like people pointing at my face when they speak. Could you please put your hand down?"
Yoriichi's tone was blunt and cold.
"Is that so? That's embarrassing."
Konohamaru was clearly taken aback by Yoriichi's words. After a moment of hesitation, he apologized, lowered his hand, and placed it at his waist. Then, his expression shifted, his neck stiffening as he raised his head slightly and asked loudly:
"Namikaze Yoriichi, do you accept my challenge?!"
"You are the son of the Fifth Hokage, and I am the grandson of the Third Hokage. If I fight you, it won't be a disgrace to my name!"
At first, Yoriichi thought the kid in front of him was just looking for trouble. After all, pointing at someone's face and speaking so rudely was unacceptable. But to his surprise, Konohamaru had actually apologized. This showed that he was simple-minded and had a decent temperament.
Perhaps he genuinely believed that Yoriichi had gained entry to the ninja school through connections, which was why he was picking a fight. Konohamaru probably thought he was standing on the side of justice.
However, his last statement puzzled Yoriichi. Since when did fighting someone require checking their status?
Seeing Konohamaru's persistence, Yoriichi set aside his initial irritation and patiently explained:
"I skipped grades because I passed the assessment given by the ninja school teachers. It had nothing to do with connections."
Yoriichi wanted to avoid meaningless conflict, but Konohamaru frowned and retorted immediately:
"Hmph! The principal of the ninja school is your uncle. Even if there was a teacher assessment, there's no way to guarantee you didn't get in through favoritism."
"Enough talking! Fight me!"
"I'll prove whether or not you got in through connections. That will make everything clear!"
Konohamaru's loud declaration caught the attention of many students. Even Sasuke and the others, who were heading to the playground, stopped outside the classroom to watch the commotion.
Sasuke was quite familiar with Uzumaki Raiden, the current ninja school principal. After all, that man was the master of his beloved older brother, and he had heard about him countless times.
Now, hearing that Raiden's nephew was in this classroom piqued Sasuke's curiosity.
He had always known that Naruto had a younger brother and had even met him once a few years ago. But unexpectedly, Naruto's younger brother was already in the third year of ninja school. And judging by the conversation inside, this child had supposedly been admitted through connections?
As more and more students gathered, Yoriichi realized that this situation wasn't going to resolve itself so easily. If he didn't prove himself now, rumors would spread, painting him as someone who had used Raiden's influence to get ahead.
And Yoriichi understood all too well the dangers of rumors.
He had once heard Uzumaki Raiden say, "You cannot refute a rumor without taking action."
"If you insist, very well. I accept your challenge."
"Go ahead."
Yoriichi glanced around before locking eyes with Konohamaru, nodding in agreement.
"Go ahead? What do you mean? Are we fighting here? Shouldn't we go to the training ground on the playground?" Konohamaru asked in confusion.
"It's too troublesome. Let's do it here. Don't worry, I'll control my strength and won't damage the classroom."
Yoriichi was simply stating the facts, but to Konohamaru, his words were nothing short of an insult.
Without hesitation, Konohamaru threw a punch straight at Yoriichi's face.
Gasps echoed throughout the classroom. Some of the girls even covered their eyes, unable to watch.
Yoriichi was still sitting while Konohamaru, who was older and much taller, stood over him. Most students believed Yoriichi wouldn't be able to block Konohamaru's punch. After all, sitting made it harder to generate power for defense.
However, outside the classroom, Naruto simply smirked. He knew his younger brother's strength very well. An attack filled with this many openings was no threat to Yoriichi.
Snap!
A soft sound echoed through the room.
Without even shifting his gaze, Namikaze Yoriichi casually stretched out his hand and blocked Konohamaru's punch with ease.
He didn't rush to counterattack. Instead, he spoke in a calm, soft voice:
"If you had real skill, you'd already realize the gap between us."
"You're not my opponent."
(End of this chapter)