Naruto yawned just as Suzume-sensei announced the start of the written test, thirty minutes past two o'clock for an exam that was supposed to take an hour. Since they were introduced to almost all of the basic disciplines of shinobi training, that Friday's assessment would be taken a notch higher than all their previous ones.

After the current test, they would have a ten-minute break and it would be followed by the weapons test - which, by the blonde's assessment, would take about sixty minutes - and taijutsu spars. Naruto was sure that the taijutsu matches would take at least two hours. That meant that the test would consume the rest of his day, which in turn meant that his cleaning duties would have to be postponed until Monday.

He sighed, setting himself comfortably in the seat. Hinata was seated at a lower level. Most of the students had been seated away from their usual positions, all due to Taka-sensei's(ugh, that guy) paranoia about and phobia to cheating students. Not that anyone would cheat for such an insignificant exam.

Naruto ceased his random thoughts five minutes into the exam, glancing at the paper in front of him. He grinned at the first question.

'I guess it's a good thing I visited the library after my lunch with Hinata... those seventeen minutes did better my chances in this.'

The Nine: Arc 1.

Chapter 4: Assessment.

'What's Mifune the First's greatest achievement?'

Naruto stifled a yawn as he wrote down the answer, 'He's known for his quelling of Rokuro Upheaval in just three hours, the only sighting of him on a battlefield during his seventy-three years in power.'

'Outline some of the key events that led to the successful establishment of the current Hidden Villages system.'

An open-ended question. In that case, 'The sudden collapse of the dominant 1587-year Yatagarasu Dynasty in the year 1609 of the Yatagarasu Era - or the 56th year in the then upcoming western Yorozuya Calendar - brought the Great Clan Wars into an all-time high number of clashes and resultant bloodshed. Around the Eastern Hemisphere, in the Land of Fire, the Senju and Uchiha tired of the never ending death which resulted in the Treaty of Taiyō which in turn paved way for the Tokiwa Sanctuary Treaty that led to the formation of the Hidden Leaf Village. Immediately to join were the Aburame and Kurama clans.

Seeing that the Village had ended bloodshed in his lands, the then Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire Kagutsuchi Yorozuya struck a deal with the Village in which he would allow its continued existence in exchange for a shinobi force capable of guarding the border of his lands. Sixteen months after its formation, Hashirama Senju was named the Fire Shadow, finalizing the formation of the Village by inviting sixteen clans to the village.

Around the same time, rulers of other lands from the Yatagarasu Dynasty were slowly being replaced by those from the Yorozuya Family who were pushing clans and factions into uniting under one banner, a banner later to receive the formal name the Hidden Villages System.'

Naruto stared at the next question, 'Outline, in point form, achievements by each of the four Hokage.'

'The Shodaime, Hashirama Senju is well known for spearheading the formation of our home and leading it through the First Shinobi World War in the last eight years of his 24-year tenure. The forests around the village are also his work, as are the fifty-two water bodies. The aforementioned structures enhance the security and privacy of our Hidden Village.

The Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is known for fine-tuning the Academy syllabus, organising the administration structure of our home and controlling the flow of the three rivers and twelve streams flowing through our village. He is known to be the mastermind behind the road and sewer systems, the Leaf's trade lines and improving the relationship with the Feudal Lord by agreeing to host a Representative in exchange for a maximum of three ninja being drafted in the now defunct Guardian Shinobi. Perhaps his greatest achievement is his successes in the Second Shinobi World War on which he took out the Gold and Silver Brothers, dying in the aftermath after ruling the village for sixteen years.

The Sandaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is also known as the Professor for his infinite knowledge of every jutsu in the Leaf's arsenal. Despite becoming Hokage at just 25 years of age and in the middle of a three-year long war, he still led the village to an overwhelming victory against the Hidden Sand, the Hidden Mist and the infamous Titans of the Southeast nine years later. He had participated in the First Shinobi World War at just five years old. In the Third Shinobi World War, he was in the Eastern Front against the Sand and the War-Hammer Squad, a battle that was recorded as the longest stalemate of the century, having lasted for seven years. It ended with a treaty after the Leaf's forces from Rain struck from the south and crushed the Wind.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, is labelled as the Most Perfect Hokage by the Feudal Lord. He led the village to victory in the northwest by single-handedly taking care of 2139 shinobi of the Hidden Rock Village. He became Hokage after the Sandaime retired from a 33-year long rule at just twenty-four years. His reign ended four years later when he sacrificed himself to deal with the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Titan of Freedom.'

'Give a simple outline of the Leaf's administration.'

'The Hokage is the leader of the village, being in charge of all shinobi and civilians. Beneath him are the three Elders who serve as his advisory board, comprised of people who know him well enough without having any personal attachment to him. Then there's the Council, in charge of reporting to the Hokage about any issues that need handling. It has fifteen seats that are occupied as follows: The Hokage at the tippy top, a representative of the Elders, six Clan Heads and two extra seats for the Uchiha and Minor Clans and five Representatives.'

'How many national holidays are there in the Land of Fire and which festivals are celebrated worldwide?'

Naruto finally gave in to the urge to yawn. To think that he had been concerned enough to visit the library instead of taking a much-needed nap. Had he known that the test would have been this boring he would have done something else, like getting in a few seconds of shurikenjutsu into his muscle memory.

But it was a written test. He must have been moved too much by Hinata's words to have expected it to be challenging to his wits. Looking down at the girl in question, he found her deeply engrossed in her test paper. She read the questions and then spared a few moments to think before writing down her answer.

As he read the next query on his paper, an answer had already began to form in his mind.

The test was centered on history alone. History was the one constant among all the students. They would have to select their own preferred disciplines at the start of the next academic year but history would still be compulsory for all students.

Now that Naruto had reached the last two questions, he realized that while the test was kind of a child's play for him, it must have been difficult for others. He was certain that very few knew about the Shodaime's battles with the nine Tailed Beasts. More than that, he knew absolutely nothing about the distribution of said beasts across the world.

He yawned, writing some ridiculous nonsense on the final test. His eyes turned to the clock right above the invigilator's desk. Five minutes past three o'clock. That was a little surprising. It appeared that he had underestimated his pace in answering the questions.

He could not underestimate one thing, however. His restlessness— he was sure that he could not sit idly for twenty-five minutes. He looked around for any who might have had the same opinion as him, snorting when he saw Shikamaru dozing off... that was not surprising. Kiba was almost in the same state, feet perched on the desk. Sasuke had fingers entwined in front of his face.

Inevitably, the blonde's eyes fell on Suzume-sensei's desk. She sat upright on her chair, eyes on the central row. She made few notes on the papers on her desk at irregular intervals. Seeing her seated as opposed to Iruka-sensei was a relief since it meant that he could leave the exam room whenever he desired.

Considering that she had been his instructor when he took the advanced program a few years ago, he was confident that her method of interacting with him had not changed, said method being ignoring his existence whenever possible. Whenever possible basically included any time he was up to his usual hijinks.

Sighing ten minutes after finishing his paper, Naruto walked down towards the front, basking in the surprised looks that were pointed on his back. Walking by Sasuke, he took the raised eyebrow with a smirk. Suzume's eyes never left his person until he opened the door and walked out.

The rustling of test papers was instantly replaced by faint chatter from upperclassmen whose assessment was conducted once every month. With about fifteen minutes in his hand, he chose to do a little stroll through the training grounds. With any luck, perhaps he could get in five minutes of shuriken practice.

The field was deserted, a major portion of its area shaded by the trees along the perimeter. He still remembered the short scuffle between Sasuke and him even though the only trace left of it was displaced soil that could have been the work of a mole.

He stared at the five logs implanted into the ground for target practice with a frown. Weren't they supposed to be three? It did not matter, he realized. He advanced towards them, the scars in the logs' surfaces becoming much clearer to his eyes— simulations of kunai stabs and cuts, shuriken woulds that would have otherwise been inflicted on real persons.

As he got close enough, he studied the perfect circle of dry ground and the base of the posts. All he could see were useless fragments of weapons scattered on the cracked earth. He picked up one of them - the tip of a shuriken by the looks - and made a face when he found it to be what he imagined to be the standard weight.

He let it fall to the ground. He took the few steps to the massive tree a short distance from the stumps. Its shadow fell over the clearing almost every hour of the day, shown by a significant lack of grass or any undergrowth beneath it. The blonde circled around it, his fingers feeling the deep scars on its bark.

Some idiot must have missed on of the stumps and struck the old tree. Crouched down once he was back where he started, Naruto was hardly surprised when he plucked a shuriken from the ground. It had been hidden by the little grass that had managed to thrive by leeching nutrients from the tree. Almost immediately, he could feel a difference.

It was not that obvious. Naruto was sure he would have missed if he had not decided to focus on shurikenjutsu since he was reintroduced to it. The lots of ninja stars that he had hurled at trees were nothing like this one. It would be had to explain to another person but in his words, this one felt less clumsy. Less klutzy.

With the shuriken he usually used, it usually felt like he was trying to throw something that had the gracefulness of a depressed elephant. More than that, he was often trying to bring that gracefulness, or lack thereof, under his control.

Sometimes it felt like he was trying to throw a bucket of water without spilling even a drop. In his case, he ended up spilling more than half the water.

'How would this one feel?' He wondered, standing up with a sigh.

He allowed a miniscule smirk to form on his lips as he stepped back and put the stumps within his range. On the middle stump was a a trio of circles in red, the innermost having a red dot big enough to see but too small to accurately hit. He rotated his right shoulder. Pulling out a shuriken from his pouch, he aimed at the dot and released it. He was not surprised when it landed between the outer circle and the second outermost.

'Still feels like an elephant,' he noted with a dissatisfied frown, setting up the strange weapon in his left palm.

Aiming with just about the same concentration as before, Naruto threw the shuriken. He gasped when he slipped almost as soon as the star was off his hand. He regained his footing quickly enough, crouching with a frown.

Raising his left hand, Naruto studied the palm carefully. It looked like it had always been: healthy and soft despite all his training efforts. There were no calluses like the ones he often saw on the Old Man's hands. He pushed the little detail to the back of his mind, turning his attention to the shuriken he had thrown seconds prior.

"Well, that's a surprise," he said.

He stood up and paced the few metres to the middle log. He carefully plucked his first weapon and tucked it into his pouch before studying the remaining shuriken with intrigue building in his chest. He was not sure what to be surprised about: the fact that the shuriken actually reached the log considering its lack of weight or that it hit the bull's eye.

Maybe he ought to be surprised that it was embedded halfway into the log.

He reached for it, testing just how deep it was in the wood by pulling at it through the end that stuck out to his direction. It did not budge. He tried again, this time hooking his index finger into the hole in the centre. It was hard considering that half of it was in the log but even after he succeeded in that, the metal tool barely shifted.

Naruto stepped back, smirking when he saw a red line on his index finger. He reached to his pouch again, extracting a metre-long piece of ninja wire - the only length he was allowed to possess following his prank - and pushed it through the hole. He pulled at it, placing his feet at the base of the stump for support. That paid out when the shuriken emerged from the wood, the sharp end that had dug into the tree broken.

He was not surprised. The thing must have been under the tree for over three years.

Naruto heard a ringing bell, realizing that whatever minutes he had gotten for himself by leaving the exam room early were gone. Following the sound, Iruka-sensei emerged from the building with his students behind him. The blonde walked over, fingers locked behind his head.

Iruka-sensei turned to face him. "What are you doing outside the exam room?"

"I finished earlier than most of them." He gestured to the boys and girls behind his teacher.

Iruka-sensei turned to face him. He did not look impressed. "As, I'm sure, did many of these behind me. But I didn't see them walk out the classroom."

Naruto shrugged. "Did they try?"

"Yep," a student said, hidden by his fellows. "And a look from Suzume-sensei had us sitting down."

Iruka frowned at Naruto. "Well? Anything to add?"

"Geez old man," Naruto grumbled. "It's not like I could force the invigilator to give me a 'look' that would have me sit down. In fact, I think it's correct to say that she was glad I left the room."

"Just fall back in line." The chuunin sighed and as Naruto dud that, Iruka cleared his throat. "I'm about to explain how the next test will be conducted. For that follow me."

And they did follow him, covering the distance between where they were and their destination in less than two minutes. The destination was a place not unlike the clearing where Naruto had been, only that this one was out in the open. Ten upright logs under the shadow of another massive tree.

"As you already know, the next test will be target practice. You were already introduced to the kunai earlier this year and shurikenjutsu this past week. One of the first requirements for admission had been a stock of five kunai and ten shuriken at all times." Iruka paused when a murmur rose from the students and continued once it passed, "Today's test is on both kunai skills and shurikenjutsu. Even though you're fairly new to shurikenjutsu, I expect that you have practiced enough for today. Each of you will pick kunai and shuriken from the boxes behind me, the number of which will depend on your judgement. You will aim for the targets on the logs over there and your grading will depend on how you hit them."

He picked up a circular wooden disk from his feet. "Shurikenjutsu and kunai skills both have a hundred marks to them and each will be divided according to the number of the weapons you'll choose. If you choose two kunai, for each hit you'll get fifty marks. Same goes for the shuriken. The target in my hands has been divided into two. There's this inner circle and the space between it and the circumference of the disk itself. A hit on the inner circle carries thirty marks while one to the outer circle, no matter how close it is to the inner circle, gets you twenty marks and that's in the case of those that'll take two of each. This applies to both kunai and shuriken."

"You will be called in groups of ten for more time efficiency. Each of you will take stumps one through ten according to the order of your names and you will use the tools provided for you." Iruka smiled then, "I wish you luck. Now on to the names. The first ten shall be Tsunade..."

In a class of sixty-three students, it would take six rotations to finish the whole class. The first ten who were called took about ten minutes to finish their turn. The second group finished even faster than the first. The third group contained some familiar faces.

Naruto looked at a tree behind him before walking to it. He climbed up to the first branch and sat, studying the students three metres below him. Choji was in the third group, as were Ino Yamanaka and Sakura.

Unsurprisingly, the latter two ended up competing on the test. They used an unnecessarily huge number of weapons that scored them little marks . Choji, to his credit, took four kunai and only two shuriken.

Sasuke was in the next one. In the same batch were Hinata, Shino and Shikamaru. Sasuke went with his usual pick of six kunai and settled for six shuriken, all of which hit their mark. Hinata's choice was intriguing, three kunai and four shuriken. Only two shuriken hit the inner circle, the remaining two landing on the outer one. As for the kunai, one totally missed the target but the other hit the inner circle. Shikamaru' final score was just above average while Shino's ended up being a tie with Hinata's.

Naruto paid no attention to the fifth group as there was no one he was interested in. The sixth group, however, had Kiba who scored quite good despite what Naruto had expected.

"Now, the final group will have Naruto Uzumaki, Isamu Ichiro and Kaito Ichiro. Take your places."

Naruto jumped from the tree, rolling to his feet when he hit the ground. Allowing a small grin to form on his face he walked towards the logs. He cupped his chin when it came to selecting the number of required weapons. Studying the shiny weapons laid out for him, the blonde hummed in thought.

Taking more than the necessary number - or any number more than two - meant increasing the chances of failure. Thus far, only Shikamaru had selected the lowest number that whatever little pride he had had allowed him – two kunai and one shuriken. Taking lower than that meant being lower than the Nara heir, something that no one preferred.

The blonde took a kunai in hand, staring at its reflective surface. He angled it such that he could see those behind him. Surprisingly, the first student his eyes landed on was Hinata. Her score was acceptable, as expected.

After sighing, Naruto settled for the bare minimum he could allow himself: two of each. He was better at kunai skill since he had been introduced to eat earlier than most and thus both of his knives landed on the inner circle. As for the shuriken, both of them landed on the outer edge even though one came pretty close to the inner circle.

With that, Iruka announced that it was time for the final test - taijutsu. One-on-one matches where anything was allowed except for ninjutsu and any other skill not taught in the Academy. That included self-taught and home-taught kenjutsu, bōjutsu and the like.

It was the first time shurikenjutsu was allowed in taijutsu matches. That was because all of the basic disciplines that required physical strength were now introduced. Of course, as far as Naruto knew, the basic Academy taijutsu style was yet to be introduced. Other skills included using shuriken and kunai while in the heat of battle, the Fifteen Basic Jutsu and much more.

It was excellent and Naruto liked it the way it was. He dreaded the thought of dealing with boring history lessons for the remaining three years of his learning process. Just the thought of sitting still for five minutes made him feel dizzy.

The student snapped out of his thoughts when Iruka led them to where the battles would take place. It was a simple circle drawn on the sandy ground, fifteen metres in diameter. It made Naruto curious about who could be paired against him.

He glanced at his fellow students. There were a few he had a history with, past run-ins and collaboration. There were some he had sparred with even though they had made the fights too boring.

By the Founder, how he wished he got the chance to battle one of the clan heirs. Someone like Kiba, the history between them consisting of a single battle some time back. Naruto had left the ring when he tripped over his own feet and he was definitely not proud of that. Or say, Shino. The guy was mysterious with a legacy of battles that barely lasted a minute.

The prankster gazed at the Aburame. A bug crawled out of the guy's ear, eliciting an involuntary shiver from Naruto. By the Founder, he prayed not to be pitted against Shino Aburame.

Hinata would be a good opponent. She was good at taijutsu. He had seen her twice before and her style, involving palm strikes, was an admittedly formidable one. If not her, he would go for Sasuke. The sharpest tool in the rack that was their class. The best of their generation in almost everything.

Naruto closed his eyes, a smirk growing into a grin. 'Who am I kidding? It's gonna be Sasuke and that's a fact.'

Iruka-sensei went through the rules of engagement within a minute and afterwards, the matches were underway.

The first few battles were so uninspiring that Naruto almost dozed off. It was therefore a godsend occurrence when a battle worth watching was announced.

"In the next match, Hinata Hyuuga will take on Sakura Haruno."

The blonde smiled, eyes twinkling as a buzz of excitement rose from the gathered students.

"I believe I speak for everyone when I say that this should be interesting."

Dust motes waltzed in the late afternoon sunbeams, dappling the Academy training ground in a mosaic of light and shadow. In the center, a clash unfolded, a dance of pink and white. Sakura Haruno, long hair flying everywhere, moved with the swagger of a fledgling kunoichi, her fists whistling through the air with what appeared to be practiced ease. Hinata Hyuga, her inactive Byakugan longing to paint the world in shades of chakra, countered with the fluid grace of a willow in the wind, her strikes precise but hesitant.

Naruto, sprawled against the fence with a dandelion stem stuck in his mouth, observed the scene with his usual nonchalance. The usual playful taunts had been replaced by a charged silence, broken only by the muted thud of fists meeting flesh. Sakura fought with a ferocity that surprised even him, fueled by a rivalry simmering since childhood. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed trapped in a defensive waltz, her movements lacking the conviction he knew she possessed.

A low hum rippled through the crowd of onlookers. "Sakura! Sakura!" A whisper, barely audible, yet carrying the weight of youthful admiration. Naruto scowled. The usual gaggle of Sakura fanboys, ever eager to shower her with praise. He scanned the onlookers, finding solace in the [temporary] absence of Sakura's blond rival. She was probably off somewhere fixing her hair or doing her makeup for the fiftieth time.

Then, memories flickered through Naruto's mind. Their shared lunch in the forest, where words of persuasion were shot at him with the force a dozen raging elephants. What were her exact words again?

With a jolt, Naruto saw a shift in Hinata's movements. It was subtle, a change in the rhythm of her steps, a sudden flaring of her chakra. She wasn't just dodging anymore; she was anticipating, countering. A well-placed knee strike sent Sakura stumbling back, her face contorted in surprise.

"Weakling!" Sakura spat, regaining her balance. And yet even as the words left her mouth, her face twisted in guilt.

The word, laced with a sting of envy, echoed through the clearing. Naruto's fists clenched, his mind flashing back to Hinata's vulnerability well-hidden underneath her timid exterior and her quiet determination to prove herself.

But Hinata didn't flinch. Instead, she met Sakura's gaze, her pale eyes unwavering.

"I won't give up," she said, her voice barely a whisper, yet it resonated through the clearing like a quiet bell. "Not anymore."

The spar continued, a relentless push and pull of light and shadow, of hesitant grace and raw power. Sakura, frustrated by Hinata's newfound resolve, became sloppy, her attacks predictable. Hinata, on the other hand, moved with a newfound confidence, her strikes precise and purposeful.

Finally, with a well-placed palm strike, Hinata disarmed Sakura, sending her sprawling onto the dusty ground. For a moment, the world held its breath. Then, Kiba, still nursing a bruised ego from a recent encounter with Sakura's fist, let out a loud cheer.

Hinata stood, panting, her chest heaving. But her eyes shone with a newfound light, the light of victory, the light of a flame daring to defy the shadows. As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold, she approached Sakura, offering her a hand up.

Sakura, after a moment's hesitation, accepted. Their faces, once etched with rivalry, now held a grudging respect. The shadows seemed to retreat, giving way to the light of two young kunoichi, each blazing their own path towards strength. And Naruto, dandelion forgotten, grinned.

"I love it when I'm right," he said.

Eventually, the excitement roused by the battle faded away. The following battles seemed lacking in the wake of the one between the two females. Some, however, did pique Naruto's interest. That was any battle where the clan heirs fought.

Kiba's match with a girl named Mai went as well as he might have expected. The girl seemed more focused on Sasuke than the battle which cost her dearly. Shikamaru forfeited his match barely seconds after it had started while Choji ended up disgusting his opponent by his eating habits.

Majority of the clan heirs won their battles and soon it was Naruto's turn. He'd spent the whole afternoon trying to guess who would be his opponent when the answer had been right in front of him. By the time the sun was about half an hour from setting, only three students had not gotten a chance to do battle.

Naruto, Sasuke and Suzuki. The last one was tok sick to be called for a spar which left only Sasuke Uchiha. The realisation cleared his head of any mirth and by the looks of it, it had the same effect on Sasuke whose mouth formed a scowl.

The two walked towards each other, a gust of wind ruffling their hairs. Their eyes clashed, blue against black, indomitable wills fighting for control. They did eventually meet, standing less than an arm's length from each other— each rearing to go.

Iruka-sensei knew better than to dilly-dally any longer. "The final battle, Sasuke against Naruto, may begin!"

To be continued...

Well, guess what fellas? The New Year's Revolution's brought some real surprises but it certainly didn't beat Day 1's motherload of surprises. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is back... or at least I hope he is and is gonna sit at the Head of the Table.

Anyway my people, what's up? It's 2024 darlings and since I updated my first chapter of the year, I've decided that I might as well go on with this one. I mean, I'd hoped to finish Arc 1 by the end of laat year but well nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world.

Y'all know the drill. Rate and Review and point out any errors in my writing. Stay safe y'all.

Haraviel.

7/1/24.