Stepping out of the administration building, Might Guy flashed a thumbs-up.
"Hikari, next stop—the Academy! You nervous?"
"Is enrollment even open today?"
Ignoring Guy's attempt at playful teasing, Hikari tilted her head. She'd meant to ask this since last night.
Was it really just coincidence that enrollment happened the day after she arrived?
Guy chuckled. "Nah. The Academy has three terms per year: April to July, August to November, and January to March. It's August now—kids your age already finished a term. If you don't wanna wait, you'll have to enroll as a transfer student."
Ah.
Hikari nodded. "What's the entrance exam?"
"Exam?"
The word triggered a memory. Guy's voice softened.
"Just one test: chakra extraction. Learn the technique, activate your chakra seed, and you're in. No time limit."
Pride flickered in his eyes.
Back then, he'd failed—unable to extract chakra within the deadline. The examiner's words still stung:
"If you can't master even this, you're trash unfit to be a shinobi."
Only after relentless training—and a personal intervention by the Third Hokage—had he earned his place. Now, the rules had changed. Last year, a kid like him got in too.
"Don't worry, Hikari. You'll pass easy."
Hikari shrugged.
The Chunin Exams might give her trouble—Konoha's genin were monsters. But the Academy test?
…Pathetic.
---
The Academy stood just across the street.
A five-story building, painted orange with the Fire symbol emblazoned atop it. Beyond the gates, an oval training field sprawled under the sun—currently occupied by dozens of tiny figures hurling kunai at battered targets.
Hikari's Byakugan pulsed beneath her blindfold. Veins bulged as her vision pierced through walls, mapping the entire campus—
Training Field:
"Uchiha Sasuke—seven hits, excellent! Next: Uzumaki Naruto!"
Pre-massacre Sasuke strutted back to the crowd, basking in squeals from fangirls (Sakura and Ino loudest among them).
"Tch."
A blond boy with whisker marks scowled, envy plain on his face.
"Quit dawdling!" barked Iruka, clipboard in hand.
"Yeah, yeah! Watch this!"
Naruto grabbed a fistful of kunai, already imagining his victory cheers—
THUNK!
A shuriken suddenly embedded itself in the ground where Hikari and Guy had just walked.
Guy blinked. "How did you—?"
"My sensing range is… adequate," Hikari deadpanned, pinching her fingers slightly apart.
Guy nodded sagely.
Makes sense. A blind girl surviving alone? She'd need tricks like this.
---
Academy Admissions Office
The room was sparse—just a desk and a lean man in a green flak jacket. His moss-colored eyes were lifeless, like a stagnant pond.
"Kazama Koshī. State your business."
"This is my daughter, Hikari," Guy said, nudging her forward. "We'd like to apply for transfer admission."
Kosh's gaze lingered on Hikari's blindfold. Then, icy disdain dripped into his voice:
"Are you joking?"
Guy's smile froze.
Hikari's grip tightened on her cane.
"The blind cannot be shinobi," Koshī said flatly, shuffling papers. "Leave."
"But Hikari can—"
"This isn't a game. Shinobi die."
Koshī's lip curled. "A child's delusions are one thing. A father enabling them? Disgusting."
Guy's fist clenched—
CRACK!
Hikari's cane slammed into the floor, cratering the tiles.
Silence.
"Since we're at an impasse," she said calmly, "here's my proposal."
Koshī stared at the shattered floor, then at her. "…Go on."
"A duel. Winner decides."
Guy perked up—oh, he'd love to teach this guy some respect—
Koshī snorted. "Girl, I'm a jonin. You think your daddy here can beat me?"
"Not him."
Hikari lifted her cane, pointing the dirt-crusted tip at Koshī's face.
"You. Me. Courtyard."
Her lips curved.
"No holding back."
---