Chapter 5: Recognition and New Beginnings
The entrance exams were over, and Akira had performed better than he expected. Not only did he secure the top spot in the tests, but he also beat Tsunade, one of the most talented kids in the village. His results were impressive, but that wasn't even the best part. After nearly two years of waiting, the system finally rewarded him.
[Achievement: Ninja School Student. Reward: 10 points. Increased learning speed.]
Akira froze, staring wide-eyed at the notification. Finally! It had been so long since he'd gotten something this big from the system. His heart raced as excitement rushed through him. Ten points and increased learning speed? This is huge!
"This is awesome!" he said out loud, grinning from ear to ear. He quickly opened the system screen to allocate his new points.
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Name: Akira Watanabe
Age: 5
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Defense: 7
Physique: 15
Mental Strength: 14
Chakra: Not yet extracted
Skills: Punching Lv. 5, Kicking Lv. 3, Hand Signs Lv. 4
Remarks: A child with a strong body and mind, almost reaching the level of an adult.
Points Available: 10
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Without wasting any time, Akira distributed the points evenly. He made sure to give a slight boost to his physique—it was his favorite stat to grow. As he felt the changes, his muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and he felt stronger and faster than ever before.
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Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Defense: 9
Physique: 18
Mental Strength: 16
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Akira flexed his fingers and tested his movement. Wow, this really does make a difference. The system was like his secret weapon, and it gave him a clear edge over everyone else. At this rate, I'll leave everyone behind.
With his excitement still bubbling, Akira decided to go for a walk around the village. There wasn't much to do, and he wanted to kill some time before the academy started. He'd already explored most of Konoha before, but today, it was just about chilling.
As he wandered through the village, he passed by one of the training fields and saw a familiar face—Tsunade. She was practicing alone, throwing strong punches at a training dummy. Her focus was intense, and Akira couldn't help but admire her dedication.
He walked over, hands casually in his pockets. "Hey, Tsunade! Still training hard, huh?"
Tsunade stopped mid-punch and turned to face him, eyes narrowing. "Oh, it's you, Akira. Yeah, I've gotta keep up if I'm going to beat you next time."
Akira smirked. "You'll have to try harder than that if you want to catch up."
Tsunade huffed, crossing her arms. "Don't get cocky just because you topped the exam. I'm not going to let you keep that spot for long."
Akira chuckled. "We'll see about that. But hey, it'll be fun to see if you can keep up with me."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her competitive spirit sparking. "Fun? I'm going to beat you, Akira."
Akira grinned. "You're on. But if you want a real challenge, let's spar."
Tsunade smiled, clearly up for it. "Fine. Just don't cry when I win."
They spent the next hour sparring, trading punches and kicks. It wasn't a serious fight—more like friendly competition. Both were determined to win, but it was clear they were having fun. Tsunade even teased him when he missed a punch, and Akira fired back with a joke about her being too slow.
It was the kind of light-hearted rivalry that came naturally, neither of them needing to say it. After all, neither Akira nor Tsunade had many friends, so it felt good to find someone they could push themselves against.
As they finished up, Akira wiped the sweat from his brow, still grinning. "You're not bad, Tsunade. But next time, I'm winning for sure."
Tsunade rolled her eyes, smirking back. "You wish. I'll train even harder, and you won't stand a chance."
Akira just laughed. "Can't wait."
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Back at the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, sat at his desk, reviewing the results of the academy entrance exams. His eyes paused on the name at the top of the list.
"Akira Watanabe…" Tobirama murmured to himself, his brow furrowing slightly. "This kid performed even better than Tsunade."
He leaned back, thoughtful. It wasn't often someone outperformed Tsunade. The academy had gained an interesting new student.
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As Akira made his way back home after the sparring session, he couldn't help but feel a bit more excited about what was to come. The academy was starting soon, and with a friendly rivalry with Tsunade already brewing, things were shaping up to be interesting.