Naruto: Becoming Stronger through Bonds

Chapter 13: Ervin Vs Itachi

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The next day, the students arrived at the school, and the exams began promptly.

The students of the Ninja Academy lead rigorous lives. Even first-year students have an intense schedule filled with daily learning.

The curriculum includes fundamental Chakra refining, ninja tool throwing sessions twice a week, two taijutsu classes every day, and at least four hours of academic lessons.

By the standards of elementary schools in a previous life, this would already qualify as a heavy workload.

The academic lessons themselves cover a wide range of topics. The Eight Gates, physics, chemistry, poisons, and the history and geography of various countries are all crammed into a hodgepodge of information.

Looking at the numbers and symbols on the test paper, Ervin sighed before beginning to answer the questions.

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Question: There is a ninja 30 meters away in the southeast direction. At this time, the wind direction and wind speed are 10 meters per second from north to south. Please draw a parabola and describe the approximate throwing force.

Answer: Tie a detonating talisman and throw it however you want. If it doesn't explode, I lose.

Question: The assassination target is protected by three ninjas (positions shown in the figure). Please design a route to successfully complete the assassination and escape.

Answer: Use the Flying Thunder God Technique to kill the three ninjas first, then kill the target, and return the same way.

Question: Please list three contributions the Third Hokage has made to Konoha.

Answer:

1. Prohibited the opening of casinos in the village.

2. No more.

3. No more.

Question: Please write an essay to express your feelings for the village.

Answer: " Hokage Assists My Grandpa."

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In less than an hour, Ervin finished all the test papers. He didn't hand them in early, instead waiting until the allotted time was up before submitting them with his classmates.

As he prepared to find a place to eat lunch with Izumi, Kazama called him aside.

"Ervin-sama," Kazama said, his tone very friendly. "This afternoon, there will be a shuriken throwing test. The Third Hokage wants to see your true strength, not your financial resources."

"So, please don't use the Exploding Talisman during the test."

Ever since Ervin had shocked everyone by attaching Exploding Talismans to his shuriken, it had become a habit for him to blow up several targets during practice. While Kazama had tolerated it so far, today was different.

With the Third Hokage in attendance, such antics wouldn't be acceptable.

"I can refrain from using the Exploding Talisman, but Kazama Sensei must agree to one of my requests," Ervin replied, flashing a bright smile.

In the afternoon, the first-year students gathered at the test site. They didn't have to wait long before Hiruzen arrived, wearing the Hokage hat and ceremonial robes, accompanied by his guards.

The students were visibly excited and rushed forward to greet him.

Hiruzen gestured for his guards to stand down, greeting the students with a kind smile. If not for his Hokage robes and hat, he could easily have been mistaken for an ordinary, friendly grandfather.

Ervin, however, didn't join the crowd. Instead, he stood at a distance, observing this "Fire Renzong."

Although Hiruzen and his grandfather had a deep history, this was the first time Ervin had seen the Third Hokage in person.

There were still ten years before the start of the main plot, so Hiruzen didn't have as many wrinkles on his face. At less than sixty years old, he still appeared energetic.

Suddenly, as though he felt someone's gaze, Hiruzen, who had been smiling and chatting with a little chubby boy, looked up and met Ervin's eyes. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly remembered the boy's identity and walked over with a large group of people following him.

"You're Ervin, aren't you?" Sarutobi asked with a smile.

"That's right," Ervin nodded. "Hello, old monkey."

Everyone around froze in shock. Kazama's mouth dropped open, and only one thought filled his mind:

- It's over. My ninja career is over.

"Old monkey?" Hiruzen didn't react as angrily as everyone expected. Instead, he frowned slightly and then lightly slapped Ervin's head in mock annoyance.

"It must be that old guy Danzo who taught you this, huh? Don't learn from him—he's the real old guy here."

Ervin: "..."

This is bad. The biggest obstacle to brushing bond rewards turned out to be my own grandfather.

Danzo's reputation as the "Shadow of Blame" was so powerful that Sarutobi instinctively pinned the rudeness on him without a second thought.

The reason Ervin dared to make such a bold comment was partly his identity and partly because of the persona Hiruzen presented to the public. The Third Hokage's kind image ensured he wouldn't take offense at a child's words.

Unfortunately, not only did Hiruzen not mind, but he also didn't take it seriously at all. As a result, no bond was triggered.

Seeing Ervin's face droop in disappointment, Hiruzen ruffled the boy's hair.

"I'll be paying close attention to your performance later. If I'm not satisfied, I'll complain to your grandfather."

With a final smile, he walked away.

Soon, the test began.

One by one, students stepped forward to throw shuriken. When it was Itachi's turn, Hiruzen, who had maintained a casual demeanor until now, visibly perked up.

When Itachi threw five shuriken simultaneously, all of them hitting the bullseye, Sarutobi couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan. Their control over ninja tools is exceptional, even without the Sharingan."

What surprised him was when Ervin used the same method to throw his shuriken.

"Is that... Uchiha's throwing technique?" Even Itachi looked surprised.

As the grandson of a high-ranking village official, Ervin's training was kept highly confidential. Danzo had even forbidden Shisui from revealing that he was teaching Ervin, leaving Itachi completely unaware of the situation.

Hiruzen leaned over and whispered something to a guard beside him before his expression returned to normal.

The shuriken throwing test concluded, and the next event was the taijutsu duels.

"Students whose names are called, come forward and perform the seal of opposition. Begin fighting only after I say 'start.' Once the match is over, you must perform the seal of reconciliation, as I taught you in class," Kazama announced.

After going over the rules, he called out the first pair.

"The first group: Kenta Arakawa and Koichi Horikawa."

The two boys stepped into the center of the venue.

The first-year taijutsu duels were unimpressive. The only thing that set them apart from ordinary playground scuffles was the use of Chakra, which made their speed and strength slightly better, though their techniques were rudimentary at best.

After just a few moves, Koichi gave up, clutching his stomach in pain and tearing up as he walked off the field.

Kazama shook his head helplessly and glanced at Hiruzen, whose face remained expressionless. Then, looking at the next names on the order list, his eyes fell on the final pair.

"The second group: Ervin versus Itachi!"