Among the children lagging at the back of the group, a frail-looking girl was struggling. Even without tripping, it was unlikely she could complete the 100 laps. By this point, many of the children who knew they couldn't continue had already given up. The only ones left at the back were the girl and a boy with thick eyebrows and large eyes.
When the girl tripped and fell, a Chunin assigned to count laps went over to help her up and escort her away. However, just as he touched her hand, the girl, with surprising strength, shook him off and, trembling, forced herself to stand again. She resumed running, though it looked as if she could collapse at any moment.
This act caught Ryuuri's attention. He used his system to take a closer look at the girl.
[Name: Nogami Yuna]
[Overall Strength: None]
[Talent: None]
[Attribute: Water]
[Special Ability: None]
[Evaluation: Completely average, cannon fodder on the battlefield.]
Ryuuri sighed. This was the worst panel he had ever seen. The girl had no talent to become a ninja. Even if she had the bare minimum of ability, her perseverance would have made him consider passing her through the first round. But with no potential to even be a Genin, her efforts were sadly in vain.
When Yuna fell for the tenth time, Ryuuri had had enough. He signaled Takenaka Masakata beside him to escort the girl away. In the ninja world, if you lacked talent, no amount of effort could change your fate. The ceiling was set. Even if she somehow scraped by and became a Genin, she would simply end up as another casualty on the battlefield.
People often praised Might Guy and Rock Lee as geniuses of hard work, but they were still geniuses. Without inherent talent, techniques like Eight Gates couldn't even be learned.
Yuna collapsed again, utterly spent and drenched in sweat under the blazing sun.
Before Masakata could reach her, Ryuuri's disciple, Hattori Masanari, ran over. At that moment, Masanari was ranked eighth, with only four laps left to secure a top-ten spot, along with the coveted sushi and ice water as rewards.
Instead of chasing after the rewards, Masanari knelt down beside Yuna, gently helping her to her feet. "How many laps are left?" he asked softly.
Yuna was too exhausted to speak, her body beyond its limits. She knew this was the end for her.
"I counted. You've run 72 laps. You have 28 left. Let's finish them together," Masanari said earnestly. He lifted her arm over his shoulder, supporting her as they slowly began to walk.
Despite Masanari's Genin-level strength, he was still just a child, lacking peak physical strength and endurance. With the added weight of another person, they could only manage a slow, painful walk. Even the thick-browed boy at the very back overtook them.
"Is that Lord Taki Shadow's disciple?" Mu asked, pointing at Masanari, who was now far behind.
"Yes, he's a very talented child," Ryuuri responded calmly.
"If someone with limited ability tries to help others, they'll only drag themselves down in the end. That's not the behavior of a ninja," Mu commented, curious to see how Ryuuri would handle this situation. As it stood, even if Masanari completed the 100 laps with Yuna, they would both be over the time limit.
"Perhaps," Ryuuri replied, knowing that Masanari had a kind heart. However, Ryuuri also believed that Masanari was not someone to act without thought. There was likely more to this decision than pure kindness. He suspected there was something about Yuna that Masanari saw, something that Ryuuri hadn't yet realized.
Soon, the time limit approached. The top ten children had already received their sushi and ice water rewards, and parents were praising them. Their names were proudly inscribed on a wooden board, symbolizing their achievement.
Among the top ten were two civilian children, one ranking fifth and the other tenth. It was a good start for civilians within the village.
Even though the time limit had passed, some children were still running. They hadn't failed due to lack of effort; they had just been a bit slower or misjudged their stamina. Most of these remaining children were civilians. To honor their determination, Ryuuri awarded each one a kunai engraved with the Taki Hidden Village emblem.
Finally, the thick-browed boy dragged himself to the finish line, completing his 100 laps and gratefully accepting his engraved kunai. Masanari, carrying Yuna, followed closely behind, finishing the final lap.
"The first round of the assessment is over. Those who did not complete 100 laps within the time limit are all eliminated!" Ryuuri announced loudly as he stood. Beside him, Masakata glanced at Masanari, as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated.
"Lord Taki Shadow, you're quite strict. Your disciple had the potential to make the top ten, but he got eliminated for helping someone else," Mu remarked.
"That was his choice, and he has to face the consequences of that choice," Ryuuri said, watching as Masanari gritted his teeth in silent frustration.
"Lord Taki Shadow, Lufi has worked so hard! Please give him another chance!"
"Lord Taki Shadow, Kasi didn't show his true ability today. Please, one more chance!"
"Lord Taki Shadow, there was a murder next door to the Conan household..."
"Lord Taki Shadow, Fujian was up all night playing mahjong..."
"Lord Taki Shadow..."
"Lord..."
As soon as Ryuuri declared the results, the area broke into chaotic noise. Many of the protesting voices came from prominent ninja families, and some were even Jounin themselves, all trying to argue for their children. To these parents, their children were the best, and there were always "objective" reasons for their failure.
Even Kōzen Mamoru spoke up, asking Ryuuri to reconsider. His son and daughter were both just shy of passing. With another attempt, they would likely succeed.
Ryuuri gestured for silence. He had expected this. This was an entirely new kind of assessment, and the fact that two civilians had made it into the top ten only fueled the dissatisfaction of the families whose children had been eliminated. How could they accept that their children were outdone by commoners?
Ryuuri had already prepared for this situation. He continued, "If anyone is unsatisfied with these results, they can opt for a secondary test. Their child will have to run 800 laps—no time limit. As long as they finish, they will pass the assessment and be eligible for the second round in two days."
"800 laps?"
"Is Lord Taki Shadow serious?"
"No way, my son will collapse if he tries that. We're out."
"Yes, forget it. There's always next year. Takumi is only five. From today, he'll do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats daily. Next year, he'll become a ninja for sure."
"Exactly. Why push ourselves for 800 laps this year when there's always next year..."
Ryuuri's secondary test was far too demanding. Even without a time limit, running 800 laps would push most children to their physical limits. For some, even fully-trained Genin, 800 laps would be a serious challenge. For those who had already exhausted themselves running 100 laps, the idea was simply unrealistic.
Seeing that Ryuuri wouldn't bend, people began leaving, muttering that maybe their children would be better off receiving private training at home. In the end, only six individuals remained—Masanari and Yuna among them, as well as the thick-browed boy who had just barely finished.