A few days later, before sunrise, the Ninja Academy training grounds were already unusually quiet.
Might Guy stood calmly in the middle of the field, still wearing the same faded green jumpsuit he always trained in.
Not far away, Might Duy stood nervously at the sidelines with both fists clenched tightly.
"Guy! Do your best!"
"Papa is right here watching you!"
His loud voice echoed across the training grounds.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with long silver hair slowly walked forward from the opposite side of the field.
Sakumo Hatake.
Konoha's White Fang.
He wore the same calm expression as before, his gaze gentle but sharp.
"Might Guy."
Sakumo stopped in front of him and quietly observed the six-year-old child standing before him.
"You seem to have become much sturdier than before."
Might Guy raised his head respectfully.
"White Fang Senior, please guide me."
Sakumo nodded slightly.
"The assessment will be divided into three sections."
"Basic Taijutsu."
"Ten Consecutive Target Kicks."
"And finally, combat sparring."
After speaking, he looked directly into Might Guy's eyes.
"Are you ready?"
Might Guy slowly inhaled deeply.
"I'm ready."
Sakumo gave a slight nod.
"The first test: Basic Taijutsu."
"One thousand front kicks."
"Begin."
Might Guy immediately walked toward the wooden training post nearby.
Then he raised his leg.
Bang.
The first kick landed heavily.
One kick.
Then another.
Then another.
Every movement was precise and stable, almost as though measured carefully with a ruler.
His waist remained straight.
His legs remained fully tensed.
His toes curled properly backward.
Every landing was stable and balanced.
One hundred kicks.
Three hundred kicks.
Five hundred kicks.
Sakumo silently watched from nearby without interrupting.
Eight hundred kicks.
One thousand kicks.
Finally, Might Guy lowered his leg and stood upright once more.
A thin layer of sweat had appeared across his forehead, but his breathing remained surprisingly stable.
Sakumo nodded slightly.
"Your form is extremely standard."
"In fact, it is far more standard than your father's was back then."
At the sidelines, Duy's eyes instantly reddened.
"White Fang Senior!"
Unfortunately, Sakumo completely ignored him.
Instead, he calmly continued:
"The second test."
"Ten Consecutive Target Kicks."
Three Chunin immediately carried over a thick wooden training target roughly half the height of an adult.
It was a standard Academy training model constructed from solid wood and tightly wrapped with thick hemp rope.
Might Guy slowly walked toward it.
He recognized this target immediately.
Back when he first started training, these things could withstand hundreds of his kicks without serious damage.
But that had been before.
Now was different.
He slowly inhaled deeply.
Then raised his leg.
Bang!
The first kick landed heavily against the target.
The entire wooden structure shook violently as several strands of hemp rope instantly snapped apart.
Sakumo's eyebrows twitched slightly.
The second kick had already arrived before anyone could react.
Bang!!
Crack!!!
The target split directly down the middle.
Wood chips exploded outward everywhere.
The nearby examiner immediately panicked.
"Stop! That's enough!"
"The target's already broken!"
Might Guy slowly lowered his leg before blinking blankly.
"...But I only kicked it twice."
The examiner stared at the shattered training target before the corners of his mouth twitched helplessly.
"Yes."
"Twice was enough."
At the sidelines, Duy instantly jumped into the air excitedly.
"GUY!!!"
"AMAZING!!!"
"THIS IS THE POWER OF YOUTH!!!"
Sakumo briefly glanced toward the wildly emotional Duy before turning back toward Might Guy.
This time, his gaze carried something slightly different.
"The third test."
"Combat sparring."
Might Guy blinked slightly.
"Against who?"
"Me."
Sakumo calmly removed the short blade strapped across his shoulder before handing it to a nearby examiner.
"Relax."
"I'll suppress myself to Genin-level strength."
As he rolled his wrists lightly, his calm gaze settled onto Guy once more.
"Come at me with everything you have."
Might Guy subconsciously swallowed.
This was Konoha's White Fang.
Even if Sakumo restricted himself to Genin-level ability, he was still Sakumo Hatake.
Might Guy slowly lowered himself into a fighting stance.
Sakumo gave a slight nod.
"Begin."
The instant his voice fell, Might Guy charged forward.
He did not know Ninjutsu.
He did not know Genjutsu.
The only things he truly understood were kicking and striking.
Then I'll kick.
Then I'll stab.
His first attack instantly swept toward Sakumo's calf using the Great Vajra Leg.
Sakumo calmly sidestepped.
Immediately afterward, the second kick followed.
This time, it was a direct thrusting kick aimed straight at Sakumo's torso.
Sakumo smoothly stepped backward once again.
The instant Might Guy landed, two fingers from his right hand thrust forward toward Sakumo's shoulder.
Sakumo's eyes shifted slightly before raising his arm to block.
Puff.
The swollen fingers struck directly against his forearm.
A strange numbness instantly spread through Sakumo's arm.
A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
The finger strength carried by this child was far stronger than it appeared on the surface.
However, Might Guy gave him no time to think.
Kick.
Stab.
Kick.
Stab.
Those were the only two forms of attack he knew.
But these two attacks had already been repeated hundreds of thousands of times during his training.
Every kick carried sharp explosive force.
Every finger strike carried piercing pain.
Sakumo continuously retreated.
Then retreated again.
By the third retreat, he suddenly realized that he had already been forced near the edge of the training grounds.
At that exact moment, Might Guy's right hand suddenly grabbed toward his wrist.
The gripping force of the Great Vajra Finger exploded outward instantly.
Sakumo's wrist was caught tightly.
For a brief moment, even he failed to break free immediately.
At the same time, Might Guy's leg swept powerfully toward Sakumo's supporting leg.
"KONOHA SENPU!"
Whoosh!!!
Sakumo's eyes instantly brightened.
Bang!
Smoke exploded across the training grounds.
Substitution Jutsu.
A wooden log instantly shattered into pieces beneath Might Guy's kick.
Might Guy slowly lowered his leg while breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, Sakumo now stood three meters away with scattered wood chips clinging to his clothes.
He quietly looked at Might Guy for several moments before the corners of his mouth slowly lifted upward.
"Enough."
"The assessment is over."
After speaking, Sakumo walked toward the nearby examiner and quietly whispered several words.
The examiner nodded repeatedly before quickly leaving.
Meanwhile, Might Guy remained standing in place somewhat awkwardly.
Before he could react, Duy had already rushed over and tightly hugged him.
"GUY!!!"
"YOU WERE AMAZING!!!"
"YOU ACTUALLY FORCED WHITE FANG SENIOR TO USE A SUBSTITUTION JUTSU!!!"
Might Guy nearly stopped breathing again.
"Papa... White Fang Senior is still watching..."
Only then did Duy hurriedly release him before awkwardly standing nearby without knowing where to place his hands.
A short while later, another figure slowly entered the training grounds.
He wore the Hokage hat while calmly smoking a pipe.
The Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Might Guy froze briefly.
Hiruzen slowly walked toward Sakumo.
"How was he?"
Sakumo calmly looked toward Might Guy before answering slowly.
"His Chakra control is essentially nonexistent."
Duy's expression instantly turned pale.
"His Ninjutsu talent is extremely poor."
Duy's hands immediately began trembling.
"As for Genjutsu resistance, we did not test it today."
At this point, tears had already begun forming in Duy's eyes.
However, Sakumo paused briefly before continuing:
"But..."
"The intensity of his Taijutsu..."
His serious gaze settled firmly onto Might Guy.
"...has already reached the level of a Genin."
Duy froze completely.
Tears still hung on his face while his mouth opened slightly, unable to decide whether to cry or laugh.
Hiruzen slowly took another puff from his pipe.
"Sakumo."
"What is your conclusion?"
Sakumo smiled slightly.
This smile was completely different from the sharp pressure he displayed during combat earlier.
It was gentle and sincere.
"Lord Third."
"Allow him to enroll."
"Konoha needs children like this."
Hiruzen slowly nodded.
"Very well."
Then he looked toward Might Guy with clear appreciation in his eyes.
"Might Guy."
"Wait for the Academy notification tomorrow."
After speaking, Hiruzen turned around and slowly left the training grounds.
Meanwhile, Sakumo picked up his short blade before walking toward Might Guy once more.
Then he crouched down slightly.
"When your father worked alongside me back then, he was always the weakest member of the team."
Might Guy quietly listened.
"But despite that..."
"He never once gave up."
Sakumo gently patted his shoulder.
"You possess more talent than he did."
"Continue training hard."
After speaking, he stood up and prepared to leave.
However, after taking several steps, he suddenly looked back again.
"Oh, right."
"That Konoha Senpu earlier..."
"Did your father teach you that?"
Might Guy nodded.
Sakumo smiled faintly.
"That was an excellent kick."
Then he finally left.
Might Guy remained standing there blankly for a moment.
Then suddenly—
"GUY!!!!!"
Duy instantly rushed over again before lifting him high into the air and spinning wildly in circles.
"WE DID IT!!!"
"YOU'RE GOING TO THE NINJA ACADEMY!!!"
His tears and mucus once again smeared all over Might Guy's face.
"Papa... let go first..."
"I CAN'T!!!"
"TODAY IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF PAPA'S LIFE!!!"
Might Guy rolled his eyes helplessly.
...
The next day, crowds of children gathered before the Ninja Academy bulletin board.
Everyone stared excitedly at the supplementary admission list that had just been posted.
"Bushi Kosugi..."
"Hinode Togakushi..."
"And..."
Might Guy stood quietly outside the crowd without squeezing forward.
Meanwhile, Duy had already forced his way deep into the crowd.
A few seconds later, his loud voice suddenly exploded from within.
"MIGHT GUY!!!"
"GUY, YOUR NAME IS THERE!!!"
"IT'S REALLY THERE!!!"
Duy immediately rushed out from the crowd before grabbing Might Guy into another tight hug.
Even though they had already known the result since yesterday, Duy was still overwhelmingly emotional.
Tears streamed down his face once more.
"GUY!!!"
"WE REALLY DID IT!!!"
The surrounding crowd all turned toward them.
Might Guy's face reddened slightly.
"Papa... there are too many people watching..."
"I DON'T CARE!!!"
"PAPA IS TOO HAPPY!!!"
[System Prompt: Main Quest Completed — Entrance Assessment]
[Reward Obtained: Monk Value ×100]
[Reward Obtained: Random Elementary Gift Pack ×1]
[Open now?]
"Open."
[Obtained: School Uniform · Youth Edition (Green) ×1]
[Attributes: Defense +5, Durability +100%, Wear Resistance Increased]
Might Guy silently looked toward the bright green uniform displayed inside the System inventory.
...
Isn't this basically the exact same outfit I'm already wearing?
Maybe the shade of green is slightly brighter?
Forget it.
Green is still green.
At that moment, Duy finally released him before wiping away his tears and mucus.
Then he raised another shining thumbs-up.
"Guy!"
"To celebrate this incredible moment..."
"I've decided something!"
Might Guy suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What is it?"
Duy's eyes shone frighteningly brightly.
"We're doing extra training today!!!"
Might Guy froze briefly.
"...Extra training?"
Duy laughed loudly.
"YOUTH SHOULD BURN EVEN BRIGHTER DURING CELEBRATIONS!!!"
Might Guy remained silent for three seconds.
Then he slowly smiled.
Just like Duy, he raised his own thumbs-up while revealing a row of shining white teeth.
"Okay!"
Smack!
The father and son high-fived loudly once more in front of the bulletin board.
Then the two green figures immediately ran side by side toward the back mountains.
Sunlight spilled across their backs, making their green jumpsuits appear especially bright beneath the morning sky.
Behind them, the name "Might Guy" quietly remained upon the Academy admission list.
From this day onward, his true path as a Ninja had officially begun.