Shirota couldn't help but notice the sudden relaxation in Chiharu's expression, which caught him by surprise. Looking at her confident demeanor, he wondered if the test might actually be too easy for her.
"If you fail even one part of the assessment, you will fail the entire additional test. Do you understand?" he clarified, wanting to ensure she grasped the stakes.
"Mm," Chiharu nodded, her expression remaining calm and untroubled.
Satisfied with her response, Shirota Ben turned to a young teacher beside him. "Iruka, please take her to another room and conduct the test privately."
"Yes, sir," Iruka replied, though his eyes still held a hint of disbelief as he regarded the young girl. He wasn't alone—the other teachers and waiting examinees wore similar expressions of astonishment.
"Come with me," Iruka said, standing up and gesturing for Chiharu to follow, which she did without hesitation.
All eyes in the classroom tracked their departure, silence descending in their wake.
"Ahem," Shirota cleared his throat pointedly, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. He lowered his gaze to the list before him and announced, "Next, Maeda Kazama."
In another classroom, Iruka explained the process to Chiharu. "You'll need to complete four tests in total: theoretical knowledge, chakra control, taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu."
Chiharu nodded attentively as Iruka continued, "We'll start with the assessment of theoretical knowledge."
Since there had been no time to prepare a written exam, Iruka decided to ask the questions verbally. He began with something straightforward, "Who founded the Ninja Academy we're in now?"
"The Second Hokage, Lord Senju Tobirama," Chiharu answered without hesitation, the words flowing naturally.
"Correct," Iruka confirmed with a nod before moving to his next question. "When the Academy was first established, how many students were in the inaugural class?"
"Thirty-six," Chiharu replied immediately, showing no signs of uncertainty.
Iruka's eyes flickered slightly as he continued with increasingly difficult questions, all of which Chiharu answered correctly and confidently. Finally, he reached the last question.
"'Ninja Rules,' Article 25," he stated, watching her carefully.
Chiharu paused momentarily, her bright eyes thoughtful. After a brief moment of consideration, she answered, "A shinobi must never show tears, under any circumstances."
"Congratulations, you've passed," Iruka confirmed with an approving nod, impressed by her knowledge.
"Thank you, teacher," Chiharu responded softly, her voice gentle but clear.
Just then, another Konoha shinobi entered the classroom. Iruka acknowledged the man with a glance before turning back to Chiharu. "Let's proceed to the second assessment."
"Mm," Chiharu agreed, immediately bringing her hands together to form seals. With practiced movements that belied her young age, she formed several hand signs to concentrate her chakra, then slowly closed her eyes in concentration.
Simultaneously, the newly arrived shinobi formed his own set of seals, extending his perceptive abilities to envelop Chiharu and evaluate her chakra.
After a brief interval, the man nodded. "That's sufficient."
Chiharu opened her eyes at his words.
"This child has passed the test," the perceptive ninja informed Iruka, giving Chiharu one last amazed glance before departing from the classroom.
Having breezed through the first two examinations with remarkable ease, Chiharu now faced the remaining challenges. Iruka regarded her with growing respect and offered a small smile. "The final two tests will be conducted outdoors. Let's go."
They made their way to the training ground behind the Academy. Once there, Iruka positioned himself opposite Chiharu.
"Since all students are currently on holiday, we'll have to improvise for the taijutsu portion," he explained. "I want you to attack me with everything you've got."
Chiharu hesitated momentarily before bowing respectfully to her examiner. Iruka made no defensive preparations—regardless of her talent, she was still just a four-year-old child, after all.
But when Chiharu straightened, she didn't attack Iruka directly. Instead, she suddenly increased her speed, darting to his side in a blur of movement.
"What is she planning?" Iruka thought, startled. He had only intended to test her basic taijutsu skills, not engage in actual combat.
Following her movements, he noticed her wrist turning deftly as several wooden shuriken materialized in her small hands.
"Swoosh!"
After producing the shuriken, Chiharu accelerated again. In mere moments, she had circled around Iruka, appearing at his left, right, and behind him in rapid succession, launching shuriken from each position.
Of course, Iruka wasn't actively trying to evade—had he been, she wouldn't have been able to execute these maneuvers so smoothly. Nevertheless, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he realized her shuriken weren't thrown randomly but targeted several of his vital points with surprising precision.
This revelation impressed him considerably; even among his regular students, only a select few could perform such advanced shuriken techniques.
After releasing the projectiles, Chiharu circled back to face Iruka head-on and charged directly toward him. Recognizing her height disadvantage, she wisely abandoned any attempt to strike his upper body, instead focusing her attack on his legs.
Confronted with shuriken approaching from multiple directions as well as Chiharu's frontal assault, Iruka crouched at the last possible moment, evading the projectiles. Then he extended his hand to engage with her directly.
"Bang! Bang!"
After exchanging a few rapid blows, Iruka stepped back, raising his palms in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, that's enough. You've passed both the taijutsu and shurikenjutsu assessments," he announced with a smile.
"Thank you, teacher," Chiharu replied, thin beads of sweat now visible on her smooth forehead. The continuous attacks she had just executed had pushed her to her limits.
Iruka was genuinely impressed. Chiharu's shuriken skills, along with her speed and strength in physical techniques, were among the best he'd seen in his teaching career. Though only four years old, she had clearly inherited Kushina's exceptional physical constitution—her physical abilities even surpassed those of typical third-year students.
"Congratulations," Iruka said, a slight tremor of awe in his voice. "You've passed all tests successfully." What Chiharu had accomplished today had set a new record for Academy admission.
"Mm," Chiharu responded, a smile blooming across her small face. Now she would be able to attend classes alongside her brother, just as she'd hoped.
With the assessment complete, Chiharu departed from the Academy. Several days remained before the start of classes.
In the Academy corridor, Iruka reported the assessment results to Shirota Ben.
"So she passed after all," Shirota chuckled, unsurprised by the outcome.
"This child's performance wasn't merely passable—it was exceptional," Iruka admitted. "In my class, only a handful of students could match her abilities."
He sighed softly. "As expected of the Hokage's daughter."
When he spoke these words, something flickered in his eyes, and Shirota seemed to understand what was on his mind.
"Are you thinking that Naruto and Chiharu, siblings though they are, seem quite different from each other?" Shirota inquired with a knowing smile.
Iruka nodded in confirmation.
"So what do you make of them?" Shirota pressed gently.
"Chiharu is undoubtedly a genius—that much is clear. I'm not sure I have much to teach a child like her," Iruka confessed.
This wasn't self-deprecation on Iruka's part. After all, Kakashi had spent only a single year at the Academy before taking the graduation exam and becoming a Genin. There was relatively little that Academy instructors could impart to students of such extraordinary talent.
"As for Naruto," Iruka continued, his eyes reflecting a mixture of helplessness and something akin to hope, "he seems quite different from Chiharu in terms of natural ability."
"But," he added thoughtfully, "he possesses something that sets him apart from other students—something I believe is the most valuable quality for a shinobi."
"So whether it's Chiharu or Naruto, I have no doubt that both will eventually surpass me, their teacher, as ninjas."
Shirota looked momentarily startled by Iruka's insight, then reached out to clasp the younger man's shoulder with approval.
"You're right," he agreed warmly. "But no matter how skilled they become in the future, as teachers, our duty extends beyond merely instructing our students in the skills needed to become excellent shinobi."
"The most important thing," he emphasized, "is to pass on the Will of Fire—the true spirit of what it means to be a Konoha ninja."