Chapter 35: The Selection
Noon. The Clan Head's main hall.
Masahiko stood before eleven children, his face dark.
He had just dried his bedsheets using a combination of Wind Release and Fire Release and was about to take a nap when the Clan Head summoned him.
Of these children, aside from Nanako (whom Masahiko had specifically requested), the other ten had been recommended by various clan Jonin. There were eight boys and two girls. The oldest was no more than ten, and the youngest was just barely six.
Seeing Masahiko's expression, the Clan Head asked, "Second Uncle, are you dissatisfied with these children?"
Masahiko snapped back to reality. Looking at the nervous faces of the children—especially the youngest girl, who looked like she was about to squeeze out a few tears—he softened his expression.
"I'm not dissatisfied. But I have my own unique selection method, and eleven is a few too many. I'll be eliminating a few."
The Clan Head sighed in relief. "That's fine. Testing them is normal."
"In that case," Masahiko turned to the eleven children, "tomorrow, there will be three tests. The first is a physical fitness test! Go back and prepare. Meet at Training Ground 4 tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon (7:00 - 9:00 AM)!"
The children responded and went back to prepare, but Nanako hesitated and stayed behind.
"Grandpa Masahiko... my talent isn't very good. Tomorrow..."
"It's fine. No harm in taking the test. If you're not good enough, you'll be eliminated tomorrow. Go back and prepare..." Masahiko smiled. "Show me the same spirit you had when you threw that bucket of water at me!"
Nanako blushed furiously and scurried out of the room.
"Second Uncle, isn't a physical fitness test unfair to the younger ones and the three girls?" the Clan Head asked doubtfully after Nanako left.
Masahiko rolled his eyes at him. "I know what I'm doing!"
"I'm going back to sleep. If anyone disturbs me this time, I'll fight them!"
The next day, at the Hour of the Dragon, Masahiko arrived at Training Ground 4.
The eleven children were already waiting. There were also many adults and other children gathered around to watch.
"So many people are paying attention to me taking disciples? I've finally become a 'highly respected elder'..." Masahiko thought, feeling smug.
But as he got closer, his face darkened.
"That's the legendary Uzumaki Masahiko? When I was a kid, my parents told me..."
"Handing these children over to him..."
"Shh! He's the Clan Head's Second Uncle, and the current First Elder..."
"THE TEST BEGINS!" Masahiko shouted, startling not only the eleven children but also the spectating adults.
Seeing the area quiet down, Masahiko nodded in satisfaction.
"First test: Physical Fitness. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Masahiko created eleven clones. "My clones will supervise you doing push-ups. You must use your full strength and do as many as you can!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"Just as unreliable as the rumors say. These kids have huge age gaps, and there are girls too. How can this be fair?"
Masahiko ignored them. Watching the children do push-ups under the supervision of his clones, he nodded with satisfaction.
However, two minutes later, Masahiko got a headache. The youngest girl, barely six years old, collapsed after only 43 push-ups and burst into tears.
Masahiko scratched his head and hurried forward to comfort her.
A young couple rushed out from the crowd, pushed Masahiko aside, and began comforting the girl. They were likely her parents.
About ten minutes later, the ten-year-old boy who had done the most push-ups finally stopped. He had done a total of 1,237. The little girl had also finally stopped crying thanks to her parents' comfort.
Masahiko scanned the group. Seeing all the children sitting and panting, he nodded slightly.
"Rest for one hour. Then we will begin the second half of the physical fitness test."
The young couple quickly looked up. "Uncle Masahiko, our Yiko is still young. A physical fitness test..."
Before they could finish, Masahiko interrupted, "The second half of the test is also push-ups! The final score depends on how many more you do the second time compared to the first!"
The crowd finally realized what was happening. It was a test of willpower.
The children who had done the most in the first round were filled with regret. If they had known, they would have held back...
"While you rest," Masahiko continued, "we will conduct the second test."
"The second test is for memory. Watch my hands closely and memorize the sequence of seals. Your ranking will be determined by how quickly you can repeat the sequence correctly."
"Tiger-Hare-Snake-Horse-Ram-Bird-Tiger-Hare-Snake-Horse-Ram-Bird-Tiger-Hare-Snake-Horse-Ram-Bird-Dog-Rat! Sealing Jutsu: Evil Sealing Method!" In just four seconds, Masahiko formed 20 seals.
"Did anyone memorize it?" Masahiko asked casually, preparing to demonstrate a second time.
"Sniff... sniff... I memorized it... sniff... Grandpa Masahiko," the still-sniffling little girl replied.
Sure enough, although the little girl's hand speed wasn't fast, she successfully performed the twenty seals.
Masahiko nodded slightly. No wonder someone recommended such a young child; that kind of memory was rare.
"Let's continue..."
The other children recovered from their shock. It wasn't until the fourth demonstration that others began to successfully repeat the sequence.
The last one to answer was a red-faced Nanako. In front of these genius younger brothers and sisters, she felt terrible...
"Alright, an hour has passed. Your stamina should have recovered somewhat. Let's finish the first test."
Masahiko once again sent his eleven clones to supervise the push-ups.
The winner was an eight-year-old boy. He had done 670 the first time, and over 800 the second time... Aside from him, three people had negative scores: the boy who had placed first in the first round, and the six-year-old girl, Yiko.
And one more, who was currently glaring at Masahiko while grinding her teeth: Nanako. She felt Masahiko was getting revenge for the bucket of water by humiliating her in front of everyone.
Masahiko just smiled at everything.
The crowd was buzzing again. The spectating Uzumaki clansmen had no more complaints about Masahiko's first two tests and were now discussing what the third test would be.
"The third test should be combat, right? Even with different ages, a ninja needs combat ability..."
"It should be chakra control..."
"It should be the Academy Basic Three..."
Masahiko listened to the discussions and shook his head slightly. These people would never guess his thoughts.
"Third test: Logical Thinking! There are five questions in total. The more you answer correctly, the higher your rank!"
"Question 1: You have two buckets. One holds 3 jin of water, the other holds 5 jin. With an unlimited supply of water, how do you measure out exactly 4 jin?"
"Question 2: ..."
"..."
"Question 5: There are ten birds on a tree. If you kill one with a kunai, how many are left?"
What the hell are these?!
Looking at the dumbfounded faces of the crowd, Masahiko almost burst out laughing...
"Behold the logical thinking puzzles that plunge elementary school students into despair!"
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