"It truly gladdens me to see you reach such an understanding," Moto Kouda said, then gave a soft chuckle, placing full trust in his students.
Indeed, among his class there were several promising young talents, and Minato was the most outstanding of them all.
Once everyone had gathered, Moto Kouda announced the Chakra Aptitude Test and made it clear that every single student had to take part. This declaration immediately caused quite a stir in the classroom, even catching Mikoto by surprise. The only one unfazed was Minato, who already knew about it.
It appeared even their teacher wasn't told the exact method or location of the trial. More than likely, this secrecy was enforced by the village to preserve the fairness of the test.
Judging from its scale alone, this trial wouldn't be a simple strength test like before—it wasn't just about combat ability either. After all, for students at the Ninja Academy, brute strength alone didn't give much of an edge. When power and experience were evenly matched, brains became the deciding factor.
How they used their skills would depend completely on the trial's setting and rules.
Minato was certain the Chakra Aptitude Test wouldn't be that simple—especially considering what the Third had hinted at earlier.
If the goal was merely to determine whether he was worthy of becoming Kushina's guardian, wouldn't an Anbu evaluation of his strength have been enough?
When they found out the trial wasn't limited to Academy students—but included graduated Genin too—many faces turned grim.
Yet sitting not far from Minato, Kushina looked absolutely thrilled.
Seeing that, Minato gave an uneasy smile. With her current strength, ordinary Genin were no longer a match for Kushina.
In the next classroom over, most students wore similarly anxious expressions. Sitting in the front row, Yan Uchiha—who usually wore an expressionless face—slowly curled his lips into a faint smile.
"Minato Namikaze, let's see this time… who is truly stronger between us."
At the same time, in some corner of Konoha, Nawaki—a teenager wearing a Leaf forehead protector—received the news, eyes gleaming with excitement.
His thoughts naturally drifted back to the blond-haired boy he'd sparred with just before graduating a year ago.
One year had passed. How much had he grown under Jiraiya's mentorship?
"Water Gate, I'm really looking forward to meeting you again," Nawaki laughed, then gently patted the forehead protector resting on his head.
His eyes followed the street ahead, settling on the Hokage Rock—the symbol of Konoha.
"Grandfather, I won't disgrace your name!"
Three days later, the Chakra Aptitude Test was set to begin...
...
With feelings of nervousness, anticipation, and more, those three days quickly passed for everyone.
By the third day, just before school was about to end, an unfamiliar man entered Minato's classroom.
He wore the standard Chunin vest of Konoha, yet his aura was drastically different from Teacher Kouda's. A heavy, violent presence radiated from him, and a long, jagged scar ran along the left side of his face.
Although his facial features weren't inherently hideous, many students flinched at the sight of him.
He scanned the room indifferently, observing these youthful faces. Wherever his gaze landed, students instinctively avoided meeting it—until he locked eyes with Kushina, who stared back without any trace of fear, prompting a faint flicker in his otherwise emotionless expression.
This wasn't because Kushina was careless or naive. She was, after all, an orphan of war, and her experiences had been vastly different from those of her classmates. Even though this Konoha Chunin had a frightening appearance, she had long grown used to such sights.
Next, he turned his attention to Mikoto sitting beside Kushina, who also showed no reaction whatsoever.
Within the Uchiha clan, there were countless powerful figures whose auras were far fiercer than his; for Mikoto, this man's presence was nothing special.
Finally, his eyes fell on Minato, seated at the corner of the room. Unlike the previous two who remained unaffected, Minato met his gaze without hesitation.
A faint smile crept onto the man's scarred face. He had expected all the students to be frightened upon seeing him—but apparently, there were always exceptions.
Drawing his gaze back, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I'm one of the staff members assigned to the Chakra Aptitude Test. I'm here to inform you about the upcoming test details. I'll say this only once—listen carefully and remember every word."
Many instinctively nodded, while Minato, Kushina, and others didn't want to miss a single word.
"This Chakra Aptitude Test—designed to determine if you have what it takes to become a ninja—will test both your natural talent and current skills. There's no room for quitting—and certainly no excuse for surrendering without a fight. As for the consequences, I believe your teacher has already warned you. If you truly intend to become a ninja, don't treat this trial merely as an exam—it should be regarded as an actual mission."
"A ninja fulfills every mission with the resolve to lay down their life. Remember that well," the man said coldly, creating a heavy, tense atmosphere that made everyone realize—the trial was no joke.
Sure enough, when he emphasized the word "life," even Minato couldn't help but frown slightly, just like everyone else.
The man gave a low, mocking chuckle before continuing, "But don't worry too much. After all, most of you are destined to fail. Only the strong can pass this Chakra Aptitude Test—and obtain its reward!"
"Reward?!" Minato murmured inwardly. That detail hadn't come up during Teacher Kouda's explanation.
"As for what that reward truly is… Only those who survive will live to discover it," he added teasingly, further demoralizing the students before him.
"It's just a trial anyway. How difficult could it possibly be? I'll show you—I *will* pass!"
The silence in the classroom was broken when Kushina suddenly shot to her feet.
Mikoto couldn't stop her, but Minato kept his eyes on the Chakra Aptitude Test official, turning over all the information he'd gathered about the trial so far in his mind.
"Oh, is that so?" The man studied Kushina with a smirk, clearly amused. "Then I'll be looking forward to your performance. Let me tell you all about the location of this Chakra Aptitude Test…"
"The Trial Grounds… are located in the Forest of Death."
...
...
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