Morning dew glistened on the grass, quickly evaporating under the sun's rays, leaving no trace. Several figures sprinted towards the Academy, their footsteps disturbing the dry earth.
Jin, Minato, and Kushina saw the line of students and breathed a sigh of relief.
"We made it," Jin said.
Ahead, a small building. Many Academy students were lining up to enter. Minato's face darkened as he observed the line.
"There are a lot of kids younger than us." He recognized many younger students, their faces brimming with excitement. The youngest looked to be only seven. Even with early graduation, this seemed excessive.
What was the village thinking?!
"And the pass rate is unusually high," Jin added sarcastically, watching children emerge, some proudly displaying their headbands, others walking away dejectedly. The successful were far more numerous than the failures. The cheers of the newly-minted Genin echoed around them.
"I'm a ninja now!"
"Hahaha, I'm a Genin!"
"Mom, Dad, I'm a grown-up ninja now! Hahaha!"
The children's joy was palpable.
The irony was heavy. Hashirama Senju had created the village to keep children out of war, while Hiruzen Sarutobi was sending them to war.
Minato's face was grim. "What are you two talking about? The exam is about to start." Kushina, oblivious to their concerns, was radiating excitement. She saw the path to becoming a ninja opening before her.
"This is the beginning of my journey to becoming Hokage," she declared. "I will be Hokage!"
And you will, Jin thought, glancing at Minato, who was unusually silent.
The line slowly inched forward. Minato entered first. Instead of the usual brief stay, he remained inside for an extended period.
"Something's wrong," Kushina worried.
"Relax. It's probably a special privilege for the top student," Jin shrugged, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. He'd studied Kushina's history. He wasn't interested in being a voyeur or a creep. The point was: Kushina was twelve when she graduated, unlike Minato. Kushina had also repeated a grade, just like him. This exam was just a formality. Being the jinchuriki meant she had no control over these things.
"Damn Uchiha! What's with that look?!" Kushina noticed the pity in Jin's gaze, her anger flaring, and raised her fist.
Jin shook his head, muttering, "tsk tsk."
Kushina's red hair whipped around her. "Let's fight to the death!"
Just as she was about to strike, a brown-haired ninja in a flak jacket called out, "Next!"
Jin gave Kushina a mocking thumbs-up. "Next time."
"Damn it!!!" Kushina roared as Jin ran towards the exam room. He needed to escape before she could attack.
The small room was surprisingly spacious, marred by scorch marks, water stains, and splintered wood. Two ninjas in flak jackets were inside: a purple-haired woman and Inoue. The woman was taking notes.
"Uchiha Jin?"
"It's me."
The woman wrote something down. Inoue stepped forward.
"Your exam is to last one minute against me." His smile turned sinister. It wasn't revenge for Jin ignoring him for three months. It really wasn't.
Jin looked up at the towering Inoue, considering how much effort to put in. He needed to reveal some, but not all, of his strength. Should he show some respect? He was his teacher, after all.
Before he could decide, Inoue lunged, drawing a kunai.
Jin casually threw three kunai. They clashed in mid-air, their trajectories shifting, striking from three different angles. Inoue narrowed his eyes.
Uchiha throwing technique.
"Clatter!" Inoue turned into a log, and the kunai stuck fast. He instantly appeared behind Jin, launching a kick. Jin reacted even faster, leaping and executing a spinning kick. "Bang!" Inoue was sent flying, crashing against the wall.
"This is an Uchiha failure?!" Inoue was stunned, unable to understand Jin's speed and reflexes. He'd completely underestimated his student.
Jin scoffed. His reflexes were merely adequate. Minato could now catch kunai and shuriken barehanded. Some people's talent was just unfair. But Minato still wasn't a match for him.
"Inoue-sensei, you can't possibly…"
"Impossible!" Inoue interrupted, suspecting Jin was trying to provoke him. "I can't lose to a student."
Suddenly, a loud "Bang!" The purple-haired woman glared at Inoue.
Inoue fell silent; she'd also lost to Minato earlier.
"Hahaha," the ninja who'd led Jin into the room chuckled. "Two teachers beaten by a student. Hahaha."
"I haven't lost yet!" Inoue roared, quickly forming hand seals… then stopped. A kunai pressed against his throat.
The others watched, surprised.
"This guy… is a monster," the ninja said.
Jin was standing before Inoue, a kunai pointed at his neck. They hadn't seen him move.
Inoue gulped and raised his hands. He'd better surrender; this could be his final moment.
"Inoue-sensei, I passed, right?" Jin smiled. His abilities were at the Tokubetsu Jonin level; these chunin instructors were no match for him.
"Pas… passed," the ninja said, checking his stopwatch. One minute. He'd defeated his teacher in less than a minute. This Uchiha Jin was even stronger than Minato.
This is the so-called Uchiha failure? If Jin was a failure, what were they?
"Here's your headband." The purple-haired ninja tossed Jin his headband. Jin caught it and sheathed his kunai.
Inoue rubbed his neck, his face filled with despair. He'd lost to a student! Was this fair? Was there justice in the world? Well, it was an Uchiha. Never mind. But he'd lost his confidence. Uchiha Jin was his nemesis!
"Your student ID will become your ninja ID. Remember to take a photo tomorrow," the woman added.
"Got it," Jin replied, tying the headband to his forehead. He left the room and saw Minato waiting.
"I knew you'd pass," Minato said with a smile. Few of his age could compare to Jin in strength. Even the deceased Nawaki wouldn't have been a match.
"With this kind of exam, how could anyone fail?" Jin sighed, watching the successful students leave. Their parents, seeing their headbands, reacted with a mix of joy and pain. They knew what this meant.
Jin couldn't understand how this didn't breed resentment. The Will of Fire was terrifyingly effective! Even a cult couldn't brainwash as effectively.
"Uchiha Jin!" A roar. A red blur charged towards him.
"Die!" Kushina's fist flew towards him. Revenge for Jin's mockery!
Jin easily dodged, his knee connecting with her stomach. "Ow!" Kushina groaned, falling to the ground.
"You never learn," Jin shook his head. This was how many times he'd taken her down? Kushina, forever battling yet forever failing, truly deserved the title of mother of the future, somewhat airheaded, savior.
On a side note…
Was he that hateful? Minato and Kushina would certainly say, "Definitely!"
Jin's gaze fell on Kushina's headband. "You… passed?"
"Of course!" Kushina proudly displayed her headband. "I'm a ninja now!"
"Heh," Jin said, looking at the sky. Flames seemed to paint the twilight clouds. How did she pass?
"Destiny has changed."
…
"One, two, three, four…" Might Dai did squats around a hill. "If I don't finish before nightfall, it's a thousand push-ups!" Sweat dripped down his face as he relentlessly pushed his body. Over a decade of this rigorous training had allowed him to open the Fifth Gate.
"Dai-ojisan is still working hard," Jin commented, hanging upside down from a tree branch.
"Yo, Jin! Long time no see," Dai said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Indeed," Jin said, leaping to the ground. "Dai-ojisan, let's have a serious spar." He was in a foul mood.
"I'd be glad to."