When they arrived at the Ninja Academy, a massive crowd of people had already filled the front gate.
"So many people here. Are they all going to take the Genin Exam?" Mirei said.
Her eyes widening at the sight of the bustling courtyard.
Nervous academy students and their proud parents were gathered everywhere.
Kaito looked around calmly, his new bright blue eyes scanning the crowd with pure curiosity.
He noticed a few familiar faces from his memories.
He pointed slightly and said, "That's Minato Namikaze over there. Did he also come to take the test?"
A young boy with spiky blonde hair and a gentle smile was standing quietly near a tree.
"I think so. He is pretty capable, you know?" Mirei explained.
She then, as if noticing something wrong with praising another boy, quickly added, "But you're definitely better, Kaito."
Kaito chuckled lightly as he walked closer to the academy gate.
He knew exactly what kind of monster Minato would become in the future.
The Yellow Flash of the Leaf.
"Is that you, Kaito?" a loud voice suddenly asked.
Kaito turned his head.
He saw another boy around his age, with vibrant red spiky hair and a brash expression.
When Kaito dug into his newly merged memories, he immediately knew who this was.
"Renji Uzumaki?"
Renji frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
He said, "What's with the full name? We've known each other for years! But man, you sure changed a lot! What happened to your hair?"
"Ahaha... I don't know either. When I woke up today, it was already like this!"
Kaito scratched the back of his head, feigning ignorance.
"But, Kaito, didn't your—?!"
Mirei stepped forward, ready to explain the tragic events of the morning.
However, Kaito quickly reached out and shushed Mirei's mouth with his hand before she could explain what had actually happened.
He couldn't just tell people he awakened a legendary Dōjutsu from another universe.
"Well, I guess someone played a heavy prank on you. I think they dyed your hair while you were completely asleep," Renji claimed, nodding as if he had solved a great mystery.
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Renji! You loud idiot... Are you going inside or not?!"
A young girl suddenly shouted, angrily punching Renji in the back of his head.
Smack!
"You don't need to be that harsh, Kumine. Ouch, that actually hurts!" Renji complained, rubbing his head.
Kumine ignored him and turned her gaze toward Kaito.
"Ah! K-Kaito... Um, you look different today," she said, completely changing her aggressive persona into a shy, blushing maiden.
Her cheeks were completely flushed as she looked at Kaito's striking new appearance.
His white hair and crystalline blue eyes made him look incredibly handsome.
Sensing her obvious affection, Mirei frowned deeply.
She immediately stepped forward, finally breaking free from Kaito's arm, and stood defensively in front of him.
"But you haven't changed at all, Kumine. Will you even pass the Genin Exam today with those grades?" Mirei mocked.
Kumine glared at Mirei with a dismissive, fiery look.
"I think you should say that to yourself, Mirei! I'm definitely scoring higher than you!"
Kaito could only sigh helplessly.
He didn't have time to deal with children arguing over trivial things.
He turned around and walked straight inside the massive academy building.
"Mirei, I'm leaving!" he shouted over his shoulder.
When she heard this, Mirei jolted in panic and quickly ran to chase after him.
"You're mean! Why did you leave me behind?"
They went inside the academy corridors, following the signs to where the exam would take place.
According to his memories, there were three different tests that needed to be completed before a student could officially become a ninja.
The first one was a written test.
Then there was a practical Ninjutsu test.
Lastly, there was a Taijutsu sparring test.
"Wouldn't it be funny if Kumine failed completely and I managed to do it on the first try?" Mirei asked, still petty about her rivalry.
Kaito simply shook his head.
He said, "Focus, Mirei. If you don't pass, we might be separated during the three-man squad grouping."
Mirei's expression instantly turned serious.
"Okay! I will definitely do my best!"
They walked down the hallway and entered the classroom where the written test was taking place.
Inside, there were already several dozen people sitting at their desks, waiting nervously.
Kaito found an empty seat near the window, and Mirei sat right next to him.
"Good luck, Mirei."
"Yes! You too, Kaito."
Just as Kaito comfortably sat down in his wooden chair, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A new mission popped up on a translucent blue screen, almost making him flinch.
[Ding! Summoning Mission...]
[Mission Option A: Finish first place in the written test.
Reward: Taijutsu Mastery (Eight Inner Gates)]
[Mission Option B: Intentionally fail the Genin Exam.
Reward: Ichiraku Ramen Secret Recipe]
[Mission Option C: Face the instructor and shout, 'You don't need a written test to become a Shinobi!'
Reward: All Chakra Nature Affinity]
When Kaito read all the rewards, he immediately frowned.
This system was really trying to mess with him.
The first option was something he desperately needed right now.
Since he lacked proper martial arts training in his previous life on Earth, he couldn't really fight in close combat.
Relying solely on the Six Eyes without physical stats was dangerous.
The Eight Inner Gates would instantly fix his physical shortcomings.
As for the second option, it was completely useless.
Why would he want a ramen recipe when a ninja war was brewing? He wasn't planning on opening a restaurant.
The third reward was actually not bad at all.
Having all five chakra natures would make him a genius on par with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
However, doing that would be incredibly embarrassing.
Not to mention, attracting that much attention to himself right now might draw the gaze of Danzo Shimura or the Anbu.
He wanted to keep a low profile until he was invincible.
'Taijutsu it is...' Kaito concluded.
Not long after, the classroom door slid open.
A stern man wearing a green flak jacket and a Konoha forehead protector stepped inside.
He had a deep, jagged scar under his left eye.
"Morning, everyone. You will have three separate tests today; Written, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu."
He slammed a stack of papers onto the front desk.
"If you fail even in one of these fields, you will be sent straight back to the Academy. So listen up, do it carefully!"
He then began passing out a thick sheet of paper to each student.
It contained complex questions and military theories from what they had learned in the Ninja Academy over the years.
As an ordinary guy from modern Japan, Kaito naturally had no idea about any of it.
Even his inherited memories were a bit fuzzy on the exact dates of historical treaties.
However, he now had the ultimate cheat.
With the help of his Six Eyes, Kaito didn't even need to think.
He could literally see the microscopic muscle movements of the smartest student in the front row.
He could perfectly perceive the sound of their pencil scratching the exact answers onto the paper.
With absolute precision, Kaito simply copied the perfect answers.
In less than ten minutes, when he was completely done with the written test, Kaito stood up.
He walked to the front to submit it.
But before he did, he didn't forget to help Mirei out a little bit.
Using the blind spot of the Jōnin instructor, Kaito flicked his wrist.
He smoothly slipped a small piece of paper containing all the correct answers directly inside Mirei's white kimono sleeve.
Mirei jumped slightly but quickly realized what he had done, hiding a grateful smile.
Kaito placed his paper on the instructor's desk.
"You're already done?" the scarred instructor asked in disbelief.
Kaito nodded calmly before answering, "Yes. Where should I head to now?"
The instructor looked at Kaito's paper, then stared at his bizarre white hair and glowing blue eyes.
He swallowed hard.
"A-Ah... You can go straight to Classroom C-2. There will be another Jōnin instructor waiting for you there."
Kaito left the room with a pleased look on his face.
His next destination was the Ninjutsu Test!