Standing in an open field, with the Academy in front of him, Suguru felt a tad nostalgic. He recalled his previous childhood and the music that would've played whenever Naruto appeared on a swing, ostracized by everyone else.
Now, Suguru could see that same swing. It was empty at the moment.
'I should give it a try later on.'
All for the sake of having a fulfilling life in this world, he had to try out the different attractions.
'I'll add that to my bucket list. Even though I will cause chaos, I need to make sure my actions don't destroy famous locations like Ichiraku Ramen and the hot springs that Jiraiya loves to go to...'
While Suguru was lost in thought, someone appeared in front of the crowd of children.
Judging from the shinobi's green vest, he was a chunin. He was middle-aged, with a well-trimmed beard and soft eyes.
Suguru noted that he wasn't a part of the original cast.
"Hello, young ones. My name is Sarutobi Jin, and I'm here to conduct a small test."
Jin smiled, "You will all participate in this test to determine your class assignments. Don't worry, though. You won't be ranked based on skill but on compatibility with the class."
Suguru's ears perked up.
What was this? He never heard of this in the original. Furthermore, their proctor was from the Sarutobi clan...
'Hmmm...'
Keeping his doubts to himself, he listened on.
"For now, let's do a simple one." Jin waved his hand and a row of training dummies appeared in front of the kids. "Everyone line up in front of the training dummies as I explain what you need to do."
The kids rushed to be at the front of the line. Their excitement was palpable as they nearly fought each other to go first.
However, when they noticed Jin's glare, they quickly quieted down.
"...Good," Jin said when he saw everyone in separate lines, "Your task is simple. Attack the training dummy with your best attack. The more damage you deal in one attack, the better. When you're done with your attack, head to the back of the line and await your next turn."
Jin paused and punched one of the dummies. A crack appeared on its chest, but it didn't move aside from that.
To take a punch from a chunin and only receive a scratch spoke about its durability.
"These dummies are pretty strong, so it will take multiple attacks before they are destroyed. The groups who destroy their dummies will proceed to the next test."
Jin stood off to the side. "Attack only when I say so."
"First attackers, step forward."
A line of children stepped forward, all with serious expressions.
"Attack!"
And then all of them rushed at the training dummies with their little fists.
***
Suguru was near the back of his line, thinking about the nature of the test.
'One attack and several chances to show off. I don't understand the goal of this test...'
Soon, it was his turn. He looked at the training dummy. Not even a scratch could be seen on them.
Since none of the kids could use any jutsus at this age, and there weren't any prodigies like the upper batches, it seemed like a very tough test.
Too lazy to bother like the other kids, Suguru thought about the best way to consider the dummy 'destroyed,' and decided on a technique.
"Step forward... Attack!"
Suguru, like the rest of the kids, rushed toward the training dummy. Instead of attacking the dummy with a punch, what he did was different:
He stood behind the humanoid wooden figure and wrapped his arms around the training dummy's neck. Then, flexing what muscles he had, he pulled with all his strength.
—Pop!
It didn't take much strength before the dummy lost its head, pulled apart from its joint.
'Ah,' Suguru realized it at that moment, 'I get it now...'
As the training dummy's head was pulled off, the rest of its body seemed to fall apart. It was as if every joint hinged upon the connection of the head.
Watching, curiously, as the pieces fell apart, Suguru's gaze drifted over to Sarutobi Jin. Although he said nothing, the expectation in his eyes would surely be conveyed.
In response, Jin simply nodded.
"Well done, boy. You and your group may take a break. The next test will be held by my colleague when he arrives."
Suguru blinked, 'Ah, so you didn't expect any of the kids to understand the intent behind your test right away.'
It was a simple test that discerned whether or not someone was capable of searching for an opponent's weakness. Just because the proctor showed a punch didn't mean that everyone had to do the same.
A killer needed to play using their advantages. Since Suguru was well behind Jin in strength, he opted for a different approach.
—Which ended up working perfectly.
***
After witnessing Suguru's display, the rest of the groups copied him. Training dummies broke into pieces one after another.
Seeing this, Suguru was amused. Would these kids have continued to punch endlessly until they somehow destroyed the dummies?
'No,' Suguru thought as he looked around.
Two familiar faces were among the crowd, both with their Sharingan activated.
Suguru recognized them because he had mirrored their Sharingan before, and it was probably because of him that they had unlocked their eyes. It seemed like they were trying to analyze the training dummies with their eyes.
There were also a few Hyuga clan kids who were waiting their turn, with their eyes fully activated.
Judging from their expression earlier, they had already figured something out.
From what Suguru could tell, the dummies were held together by a thin chakra thread. Once the head came off, the dummies would fall apart.
It would only take a few more hits for these Uchiha and Hyuga clan kids to identify this fact.
Then, the dummies would fall apart even without Suguru's influence.
'How fun,' Suguru mused. 'I wonder what the next test will be?'
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I made a P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
I'll be working on putting advanced chapters there. OuO For now, there are only two advanced chapters. It'll grow as I write more :>
Big thanks to Godphaze for being my first P@treon supporter!!! <3
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