Time flowed swiftly amid the daily training sessions.
Then, at some unknown point, the atmosphere within the village began to grow tense.
More and more shinobi were being dispatched to the frontlines. Patrols by the ANBU and the Konoha Military Police Force became increasingly frequent. Rumors about the warfront began spreading among the villagers.
At the Ninja Academy—
Today, the students of Class 9, Year 5, under the guidance of their instructor Sarutobi Retsu, gathered at the training grounds.
The lesson for today was a chakra strength assessment, something that normally wasn't administered until the sixth year.
Chakra was the very foundation of a ninja. Only by having powerful chakra could one become a powerful shinobi.
Thus, the simplest and most direct way to measure a ninja's strength was by observing the potency of their chakra.
From the experience of the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, the village had learned a harsh truth—when war intensified, genin at the frontlines were little more than expendable cannon fodder.
And the students of the Academy were, in essence, the reserve force, meant to fill the ranks of those fallen genin.
In the center of the training field stood a thick metal column—about the width of a water barrel—connected to wires and a digital display screen.
"This column will be used to test your chakra output," said Sarutobi Retsu. "In a moment, each of you will pour all of your chakra into a single punch aimed right here."
"Begin refining your chakra now. Once you're ready, you may start testing."
At his words, the students immediately closed their eyes and began focusing, refining their chakra with all their might in hopes of achieving the best possible score.
Sarutobi Retsu watched them quietly, a faint sigh escaping his lips as a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes.
He knew well that the village's sudden order for this chakra test was in preparation for war.
By recording the chakra levels of the students now, the higher-ups could later decide how to allocate them for deployment.
Although he felt that fifth-year students weren't yet ready to step onto the battlefield, everything, as always, was "for the sake of the village."
Such was the cruelty of war.
Uchiha Yuan stood silently, his gaze sweeping across the others as they refined their chakra.
Like him, a few students—Hyūga Kyo, Senju Gen, and several other heirs of major clans—remained still. They didn't need to gather chakra on the spot; their clan training had already granted them precise control and a ready reservoir.
A few moments later, as the chakra levels in the field stabilized, Sarutobi Retsu began.
"Let's start the test. First up—Ishino Ryo."
A short-haired boy with three streaks of paint across his forehead stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists and drove one into the column.
Bang!
The screen flickered—E-Rank, 69.
Sarutobi Retsu shook his head slightly. That level of chakra strength was on the weaker side for their class.
The chakra testing device ranked power from E to S, the same as the standard ninja ranking scale. Each rank went up to 100; surpassing that threshold automatically elevated the rating.
"Next, Tamaki Toshihiko."
Thud!
E-Rank, 91.
Sarutobi Retsu nodded approvingly. "That's about average for a normal student."
After about ten civilian students had taken their turns, Sarutobi Retsu called out, "Next—Uehara Isamu."
Uehara Isamu stepped forward confidently, cracking his knuckles with a rapid series of pops.
Standing before the column, his eyes sharpened. Then—boom!—he struck it with all his might.
The display flashed: D-Rank, 28.
Sarutobi Retsu's expression showed satisfaction. Based on what he'd seen from the other classes, Uehara Isamu's chakra strength already matched that of an upper-level genin.
Seeing his result, Isamu grinned smugly and turned his gaze toward the group of clan heirs—Hyūga Kyo and the others.
When he noticed the flicker of surprise on their faces, his grin widened—until his eyes met those of Uchiha Yuan.
At that, his smile twisted into a sneer of open provocation.
Sarutobi Retsu, oblivious to the tension, simply recorded the results and called the next name.
"Inuzuka Hon."
D-Rank, 26.
"Yūhi Murasaki."
D-Rank, 23.
Several more clan-born students stepped up in succession; all reached D-Rank, but none surpassed Uehara Isamu's score.
Isamu smirked proudly.
Then—"Next, Hyūga Kyo."
Hyūga Kyo strode forward calmly, his face expressionless as he approached the testing column.
In the next instant, a faint blue aura shimmered around his body, his chakra swirling visibly as the air rippled.
He thrust his palm forward—Boom!
The display screen lit up: D-Rank, 65.
"Wow! Kyo's result is incredible!"
"As expected of the Hyūga Clan!"
The students buzzed in awe.
Sarutobi Retsu's face broke into a smile—this level of chakra output was already at the level of an elite genin.
He glanced down at the roster. "Next—Hatake Haruka."
As Hyūga Kyo walked back, he paused briefly in front of Uehara Isamu, his tone cold and sharp.
"Uehara Isamu, you saw that, didn't you? This is the power of clan bloodline. It's not something a mere commoner like you can reach through effort alone.
While you're training hard… we're training harder."
Uehara Isamu's face flushed with anger. "Don't get cocky, Hyūga Kyo! So what if you beat me? Don't forget about Senju Gen.
Hmph—let's see if your numbers can beat his!"
The veins near Hyūga Kyo's temples bulged faintly as he shot back coldly, "Even if Senju Gen surpasses me, what does that have to do with you?"
At that moment, Hatake Haruka stepped up to the testing column.
'Haruka, don't go all out—only use eighty percent of your strength.'
Just as he was about to strike, a calm voice sounded in his ear.
Startled, Haruka's eyes darted instinctively toward Uchiha Yuan.
'Don't look at me,' the voice continued. 'It's a special technique—Sound Transmission. I'm speaking directly to you through chakra.'
Sound Transmission—a method of compressing one's voice into a thin chakra thread and directing it toward a chosen target.
Understanding, Haruka refocused on the column, drew in a deep breath, and launched his punch.
The screen flickered—D-Rank, 61.
"What?!"
"No way!"
Both Hyūga Kyo and Uehara Isamu blurted out in disbelief.
Their eyes widened as they stared at Hatake Haruka—neither of them had expected him to score that high.
Hyūga Kyo was shocked to find Haruka's chakra so close to his own.
Uehara Isamu, on the other hand, felt a surge of jealousy—he had always thought Haruka was weaker than him, yet now the gap had reversed.
Even Sarutobi Retsu was surprised. His own sensory perception told him each student's approximate chakra level, but Haruka's results far exceeded his prior estimates.
For a moment, curiosity flickered in his eyes—how had the boy grown so quickly?
Then he remembered a rumor and nodded to himself.
"Right… he's said to be Kakashi's cousin. No wonder he's so talented."
After Haruka's test, several other clan students followed, their results close to Uehara Isamu's.
Finally, Sarutobi Retsu glanced down at his roster once more and called out—
"Next, Uchiha Yuan."
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