Q: What is Naruto?
A: Whatever Hokage means, the Hyuga clan is the strongest!
Q: What do you think of the Will of Fire?
A: Whatever the Will is, the Hyuga clan is the strongest!
Q: What do you think of your companions?
A: The Hyuga clan is the strongest!
Q: What do you do when faced with an impossible task?
A: The Hyuga clan is the strongest!
Throughout the entire test, the same phrase echoed over and over: The Hyuga clan is the strongest.
It was clearly intentional.
If memory served right, this child was the daughter of that old monster, Hyuga Tennin.
The way the strokes pressed into the paper—sharp, heavy, almost angry—spoke volumes.
Was she from the main house? Or the branch family?
The Hyuga's cruel traditions spared no one—not even their own children.
And yet, this child… she wasn't unintelligent. Normally, she wouldn't write something so arrogantly repetitive.
So, was this her way of rebelling?
Another oil-less lamp, burning on stubborn pride.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. As Ichisuke's father, he understood too well. But he couldn't do anything to help.
His power wasn't enough.
It had never been enough.
He moved on to other children's test papers. Most were simple and sincere, their answers unpolished but honest.
Then came one paper that was almost too perfect. Elegant handwriting, overly refined wording, filled with veiled flattery and forced idealism.
It was beautiful, but soulless.
"This isn't how a child thinks," Sarutobi muttered.
He glanced at the name: Renji.
He sighed, set it aside, and reached for the next one.
And then he laughed.
This paper was a mess—cramped, awkward handwriting, words misspelled here and there—but it was full of clumsy sincerity. It was stupidly cute, the kind of effort only a child who truly thought hard would make.
Jiraiya.
Yes, a bit of a fool, but a good-hearted child.
And as Hokage, it was his duty to ensure kids like Jiraiya had a happy childhood.
He took another puff of his cigarette, moving on to the next paper.
This one was neat, tidy, and clearly written. The penmanship was beautiful, and while the thoughts were still youthful and naïve, they were also kind, modest, and surprisingly deep.
It was more mature than Jiraiya's. The kind of answer that earned respect with its tone alone.
Uchiha Naori.
He read the name and sighed again.
"Uchiha..."
"What a shame," Sarutobi murmured. "Family or village... which will you choose, in the end?"
He stared at the mountain of test papers still left to grade.
No time to waste. They all had to be read today.
Thinking that, the Third Hokage reached for his crystal ball.
---
In the afternoon, it was time for the physical exams.
The training grounds were lively, almost like a mini sports festival.
Each class was assigned its area, and students were tested on basic physical skills: sprinting, long-distance running, high jump, and long jump.
Everyone had three attempts at each event, with their best score recorded.
Despite the number of participants, the process moved quickly.
Maki performed as usual—reliable, consistent—among the top ranks.
Naori, on the other hand, was still just average. Careless as ever.
No relatives showed up to see her scores, so she had no motivation to stand out.
She wasn't showy like Jiraiya, who sought attention. Because of that, she had no real motivation to perform.
Maki acted to gain a certain amount of attention and resources. So far, she had been riding a tiger—unable to afford being lazy or careless.
Though Maki could be willful, the three elders didn't have many years left, so it was best to keep them pleased.
That's why the personality of a genius couldn't be lost.
But what was that girl's motivation?
Hyuga Hitomi.
---
"What are you looking at?" Naori approached Maki and asked.
"I'm watching a little bird take flight," Maki replied.
"Huh?" Naori followed Maki's gaze. "Is Hitomi acting any different than usual?"
Naori didn't notice anything strange.
"The scent is different," Maki said. "It smells like confidence."
"Why do you smell that?" Naori sniffed but only detected the usual smell of youthful sweat.
"It's what insects smell. Pheromones—chemicals secreted by the human body used for communication," Maki explained. "Most people can't detect them."
"Can I smell pheromones? Then we'd have a secret way to communicate," Naori asked.
"Not for now," Maki said. "But I can sense them, and my behavior is unconsciously influenced by pheromones."
"For example, both happiness and fear are controlled by pheromones—they can be contagious."
"Pheromones can control emotions?" Naori asked.
"Yes," Maki replied. "Not only emotions, but also the five senses and behaviors can be affected by pheromones. Human behavior and social interaction influence each other heavily through them."
"That's dangerous," Naori said. "Isn't it just an illusion? I can't detect any of it!"
Maki glanced sharply at Naori.
"Here's how it works," she said.
Her "butterfly dance" and illusions use pheromones as a medium.
This is the true form of the flame-sending illusion technique.
Though the chakra is weak and the effect is slow to take hold, it's still more effective than being completely invisible.
While it can't create large, complex illusions, it's enough to interfere with the five senses and alter simple illusion content.
And simple doesn't mean harmless.
"However, it's not impossible to detect," Maki said. "Human subjective consciousness is enough to notice something's off."
"In short, that girl is dangerous now," Maki concluded. "She's radiating a risky aura."
"Who? Hitomi?" Naori asked.
Maki nodded.
Naori looked thoughtfully at Hyuga Hitomi.
Hitomi's test scores were already much improved—better than before and better than Maki's.
She seemed to have some energy left to give.
Looking more closely, Naori noticed many details.
"She's grown much stronger. Hitomi was hiding her strength really well before."
---
The exam continued, and more people gathered.
Some parents came to watch the excitement.
But the atmosphere gradually grew tense.
Even unrelated people showed up.
But they were all important.
Most were ninja leaders or influential figures silently watching.
Senju, Uchiha, Hinata, Kurama, Ino-shika-cho, Sarutobi, Shimura.
Many had come secretly.
Everyone wanted to see what kind of person could become a disciple of the Third Hokage.
And whether the Senju princess could bear the future of Konoha.
All eyes were on them.
---
The exam moved on smoothly.
After the shuriken technique test, it was time for the highly anticipated one-on-one battles.
The crowd cheered loudly.
Candidates faced off in single combat.
As each battle ended with a win or loss, the spectators' expressions changed.
Even the competitors laughed and joked with each other.
Until the real challenger appeared.
"Tsunade-hime!"
"The battle…"
"Aburame Maki!"
The crowd stirred at the announcement.
Maki squinted, looking at Tsunade's surprised face.
The exam was rigged.
Konoha's traditional arts.
The three elders were inseparable in this.
---
"Players, enter!"
Tsunade and Maki stepped out from the crowd and faced each other across the field.
"Do you understand the exam rules?"
The rule was simple: no rules. Neither side could give up or get back up once down.
They both nodded.
"Form the Seal of Opposition."
Simultaneously, they raised their hands to form the seal.
"At the risk of your life, I will beat you until you cry today. Be prepared to wake up, insect girl!" Tsunade said harshly.
"Laugh to death, but don't really die," Maki replied coldly, just like the first time they met.
Tsunade's face twisted in anger.
Still, her hand held the seal honestly.
Because the opponent had already formed her own seal.
"Start!"
_____________
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