With that, his figure flashed, and he appeared on the track.
All the examinees ran towards his location. Feng Zheng started running, and everyone followed.
Feng Zheng thought to himself.
“Hmm, this seems simple. I could run this much on my second day after transmigrating here.”
After 10 months of training, running eight kilometers was no problem for him now.
If he used Chakra, he could even run over ten kilometers.
Everyone completed the first three laps, then, slowly, some people began to fall behind.
By the fifth lap, everyone in Feng Zheng's group, except Feng Zheng himself, looked exhausted.
One girl and two boys failed to complete five laps.
Feng Zheng announced loudly.
“Anyone who failed to run five laps is eliminated. Return to the front of the school, find your guardians, and go back to them.”
He continued.
“For those remaining, you have two choices: either run five more laps, or if you feel you can’t, withdraw to the front of the Training Grounds and wait.”
Many decided to withdraw from the Training Grounds, but hundreds still remained.
Among Feng Zheng's group, only Daisuke and another guy named Tatsuya stayed to continue trying.
After organizing the data, Nara Takamasa recorded it.
438 examinees could not complete 5 laps, and 257 examinees attempted to complete the next 5 laps.
Of the 257 participants, 241 completed the additional 5 laps.
Those who couldn't finish were sent back to the group of students waiting at the front of the Training Grounds.
For the remaining 241, the same two choices were offered again.
Ultimately, only 21 examinees decided to try another 5 laps.
Those who did not continue trying were sent back to the Training Grounds and gathered in different groups.
Feng Zheng was the only one left from the orphanage. Most of the remaining people came from various families in Konoha Village.
All 21 participants completed the additional 5 laps and were divided into different groups.
Now the Training Grounds were divided into three different groups.
Feng Zheng was glad they weren't asked to run another 5 laps, or he might have had to withdraw too.
More physical tests followed, eliminating even more examinees.
Nara Takamasa continued to record.
All 21 and 220 participants in Group 2 passed, but many in Group 1 were eliminated. Only 636 people remained in Group 1.
After the first phase, the examinees were given a break and provided with breakfast.
After breakfast, the examiner for the second phase appeared.
Feng Zheng noticed he was from the Hyuga Clan, and he announced.
“In each group, those who have unlocked Chakra, step forward.”
Many, including Feng Zheng, stepped forward.
In total, nearly a hundred children had unlocked Chakra.
Those from Ninja clans all had their Chakra unlocked.
Seeing that quite a few commoner children also stepped forward, Feng Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
This way, his unlocked Chakra wouldn't be too conspicuous.
The Hyuga Clan examiner activated his Byakugan and checked the Chakra of those who stepped forward.
He had to check the quantity and quality of their Chakra.
All twenty people in Feng Zheng's group passed.
The remaining 64 students also passed, while other students were disqualified.
Subsequently, several Chunin moved to help all the remaining students unlock their Chakra.
Feng Zheng thought in surprise.
“Wow, I didn’t expect them to help all the remaining people unlock Chakra. It seems Konoha Village is in urgent need of Ninja.”
This meant that many examinees who wouldn't normally pass the entrance exam could also enroll.
So, the direct result of this action was that many 'commoners' would be able to use Chakra.
He wondered what role these people would play, and how many more such people Konoha Village needed?
While the Chakra unlocking was in progress, Nara Takamasa was also observing the situation.
The examiner for the second phase, Hyuga Hachiro, walked up to him and looked at him, saying.
“I don’t understand why the Third Hokage ordered all these children’s Chakra to be unlocked.”
Nara Takamasa nodded and replied.
“Yes, he had no choice. We’ve lost too many Ninja in recent years. In these years, he ordered the reserve Ninja to be trained quickly to fill the vacant Ninja positions.”
“But even so, although most of these children here won’t become Ninja, with their enhanced Chakra, they will help fill many other roles in the future.”
Nara Takamasa continued.
“Honestly, I’m impressed by the Hokage’s efforts to ensure so many children participated in the exam, even expanding the school.”
Hyuga Hachiro replied.
“Yes, we just need a few years and no major conflicts.”
Nara Takamasa replied dejectedly.
“Yes, but before that, these exams are a headache.”
Hyuga Hachiro saw Nara Takamasa’s frustration and laughed.
The process of unlocking and checking Chakra continued for some time.
---
By evening, all tests were over.
In total, about 430 children passed the exam. The remaining 447 children failed and were asked to be taken back to their guardians.
Those who passed gathered at the Training Grounds.
At this moment, several children then saw an old man with a pipe walking towards them.
Feng Zheng looked to his left and exclaimed in his heart.
“Oh, I finally get to see someone from the ‘Naruto’ series. I didn’t expect the first person I’d see to be the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!”
Upon seeing the Third Hokage, everyone showed reverence.
Most of the children were very surprised that he came to see them personally.
He looked at the children and smiled gently.
He began to speak.
“Congratulations on passing the entrance exam.”
He paused.
All the children were very happy, excitedly waiting for him to continue speaking.
The surrounding Chunin requested silence so that Hokage-sama could continue speaking.
Feng Zheng, however, was thinking.
“Finally, it’s here. I can finally experience his legendary skill of influencing children.”
In his previous life, everyone talked about Naruto’s talk no jutsu skill.
But no one talked about how Hiruzen influenced Naruto, making Naruto willing to give his life to protect the Konoha villagers who had once rejected and mocked him!
The Third Hokage continued.
“Now that you have entered the school, we will teach you the Konoha Ninja Way and ensure you become true Konoha Village Ninja. This school was founded by the Second Hokage-sama. He himself taught many students in this school, including me. I still remember the fun and battles we had in school. The Ninja who graduated from here are protecting the safety and peace of our village. Soon, it will be your turn to inherit the will of fire.”
The Third Hokage looked at these new students, his eyes full of anticipation.
“Just as the First Hokage-sama said, now you will become people with the will of fire, and you must love your village, ensuring your will of fire maintains peace and prosperity. Let your will of fire shine brighter than anyone else’s, and let every other village know that the will of fire still burns hotter than anything. Possess an unyielding spirit, capable of enduring arduous training and work. At the same time, maintain both mental and physical health. Finally, welcome, future Ninja, to our school.”
As soon as the speech ended, the surging excitement within the children finally erupted, and everyone began to celebrate.
The day finally ended, and everyone began to return to their homes.