The comments from the observing parents reached Uchiha Sasuke's ears. At his young age, Sasuke didn't fully understand the weight of their words or feel as if he was living in the shadow of his father and brother.
On the contrary, he was pleased to be praised by everyone. After finishing his target shooting, Sasuke glanced toward where his parents were seated, an expectant look on his face.
"Well done, Sasuke!" Uchiha Mikoto cheered enthusiastically. Even Fugaku, after noticing Sasuke's gaze, gave him an approving nod and a small wave.
Seeing how pleased his parents were, Sasuke smiled. But when he turned his head and caught sight of Naruto, his expression immediately grew serious.
"It's your turn now!"
That was the message in Sasuke's eyes. Naruto, noticing his gaze, clenched his fists, waiting impatiently for his own assessment.
After several more rounds of student evaluations, Iruka finally called Naruto's name.
"Uzumaki Naruto? So that's the full name of Lord Minato's son?"
"He still carries Lady Kushina's surname."
Iruka was momentarily taken aback when he read Naruto's full name on the list, hesitating briefly before calling it out.
Naruto's identity was well known among the Jonin class—after all, he was the son of the Hokage and Kushina, as well as a Jinchuriki. It was impossible for them not to know him.
However, among Chunin and Genin, only a small number were aware of him, and even fewer knew his full name. Minato had intentionally kept his son's identity somewhat protected.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Karin Senju, Shino Yume, Rock Lee, and Choji Akimichi."
"You are the final group—do your best!"
As soon as Iruka called their names, murmurs erupted among the crowd.
"Hey, did you hear that? Uzumaki Naruto is up next!"
"Yeah! The son of the Fifth Hokage! The Fourth Hokage's nephew! His talent must be incredible—he might even be stronger than Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Wait, did you notice? There's also someone from the Senju Clan in this group!"
"I thought the Senju had vanished!"
"Karin Senju… Pay close attention!"
As the audience buzzed with discussion, the children whose names had been called slowly stepped forward.
"Karin?" Naruto caught a flash of familiar red hair in the corner of his eye. He rubbed his head before walking over and taking Karin's hand, unsure.
"It's me, Naruto-chan," Karin replied with a bright smile.
The two had always been close, frequently spending time together during holidays. Even as small children, they had played together often.
But what surprised Naruto was seeing Karin participating in the Ninja School entrance exam. Until now, he had been so focused on Sasuke that he hadn't even noticed her presence.
"Didn't you leave the village with Aunt Tsunade to travel? When did you come back?"
Years ago, Orochimaru's defection had caused a major uproar in Konoha. In pursuit of him, Jiraiya—one of the Legendary Sannin—had also left the village. Meanwhile, Tsunade had taken Shizune and members of Nawaki's family on a long journey. Naruto hadn't expected them to return so soon.
"I only came back recently. Since the Ninja School was about to start, I returned for the entrance exam."
Though they hadn't seen each other for years, there was no awkwardness between them—they were family, after all.
Naruto nodded at her answer, then waved as he stepped away.
Under Iruka's guidance, the final group of students took their positions in front of the targets.
Naruto Uzumaki stood before his target, closing his eyes slightly to focus.
He was actually quite skilled with shuriken, and he had known about the entrance exam format for a while—after all, his father was the Hokage. This kind of information wasn't a secret, and it was easy to find out.
Determined to surpass Sasuke, Naruto had put in a lot of private training. However, he knew that even on his best days, his highest score had only been 92 rings. Sasuke's 96-ring score seemed just out of reach.
"Damn it, focus!"
Naruto lightly patted his cheeks, trying to psych himself up. At that moment, Iruka walked over and handed him ten shuriken.
Feeling the cool metal in his hands, Naruto took a deep breath, his mind sharpening.
"You may begin when ready!" Iruka announced. Since this was the final group, he was eager to wrap up the assessment.
As soon as Iruka gave the command, the children started throwing their shuriken at their targets, and the sound of metal striking wood filled the air.
"Oh! That girl is incredible—96 rings! She tied with Sasuke!"
"So strong! She's from the Senju Clan—the legendary Sannin Tsunade-hime's niece!"
The excited voices of the watching parents caused Naruto to pause. Curious, he glanced at the targets—only to be stunned.
Karin had matched Sasuke's score.
This discovery made Naruto feel as if he had fallen behind.
Just a few years ago, she was just a kid who liked playing house…
"Naruto-chan, do your best~" Karin smiled and waved before leaving the shooting range.
However, her words didn't encourage Naruto—they only made him feel more pressured.
A childhood friend whom he had once surpassed had suddenly caught up. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Huff."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto closed his eyes momentarily, then launched his shuriken with full concentration.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sharp sound of shuriken striking the target rang out. When he finished his throws, Naruto let out a deep breath, his small face a mix of relief and disappointment.
"93 rings. It seems the Hokage's son isn't particularly skilled with shuriken."
"Still, that's a solid score. Only two students placed higher—one from the Uchiha Clan and one from the Senju Clan. And talent isn't measured by shuriken skills alone."
Iruka finished recording the scores and glanced at Naruto, noticing his downcast expression. He considered offering words of encouragement but was surprised when Naruto suddenly snapped back to his usual energetic self.
Nodding slightly in approval, Iruka gathered the students and announced the next test.
"The next assessment will be a one-on-one combat test. Your performance will be scored by three judges."
"For the judges, we have invited the best Jonin in the village!"
"Please welcome Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Nara Shikaku!"
"As for your test opponent… We have invited the leader of our village!"
"The Fifth Hokage—Namikaze Minato!"
Gasps filled the air as Iruka's voice rang out.
As Fugaku, Hiashi, and Shikaku rose from the parents' seats and stepped into the field, a gust of wind suddenly blew past Iruka.
In the blink of an eye, a man in a white Hokage robe appeared beside him.
"Dad?!"
Naruto shouted in surprise as he saw Minato standing next to Iruka.
(End of this chapter)