Konoha: Starting by giving Hinata the Tenseigan!

"Observation complete. Enter from the right side, that's where the registration point is at."

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Natsuki levitated slightly, surveyed the area, and then waved to Kurenai outside the crowd.

"Everyone else is traveling light, why did you make me carry this comically huge bag? What's inside?"

Kurenai complained. The crowd was too dense; so she was using this large bag to clear a path through the crowd.

"Uh, you'll see later. Don't open it yet. Come on, let's go register, the test is about to start."

Natsuki waved his hand, leading the way.

Not long after they registered, a ninja wearing a Chunin vest led all the children participating in the entrance exam inside.

The first test was simple: run twenty laps around the field.

This was to assess the children's physical fitness.

Without a strong body that surpassed ordinary people, one couldn't go far on the path of a ninja.

Forget about fighting on the battlefield, even Chakra was a product of the combination of spiritual and physical energy.

Neither could be lacking to become a ninja.

As the whistle blew, the children sprinted onto the track, facing the rising sun.

Their journey began at this moment, like thousands of soldiers passing a narrow bridge. 

It was the basic rule of the ninja world in representation.

Survival of the fittest; only the most outstanding could become ninja students, then struggle and compete, supporting each other along the way, to finally become ninjas.

For them, becoming a ninja meant rising above the rest. The glory and honor that Konoha promoted always belonged to the ninja.

As for the dangers hidden behind the glory, that was something they couldn't yet comprehend.

"Sasuke, how far can your eyes see?"

Among the onlookers, Uchiha stared at Sasuke without blinking.

He watched him face the rising sun, his face brimming with confidence.

He watched him gradually rise from the middle of the pack to the lead.

A faint joy filled his heart.

He was proud of him.

"Is that the Uchiha kid?"

"Yes, such enviable talent. They're going to take first place again this year."

"Where are the Akimichi and Hyuga children? Didn't they say they were also part of this year's enrollment? I came here to see them. It's always the Uchiha faces taking first place, it's getting boring!"

"Uh, I'm not sure. Maybe it's for the sake of the other children. It's enough for them to just show up. Wouldn't it be bullying for them to actually compete?"

"That makes sense."

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion; some marveled at others, some cheered for their own children.

The participants had only just completed one lap.

But the children were already spread out.

The first group was clearly composed of the children of ninja clan. Naruto, with his good physique, also gradually squeezed into this group.

The other commoners without any special talents quickly fell into the second and third groups.

Sasuke could clearly feel the surprised shouts from the crowd.

He was far ahead, in the first place.

This was the first time he had received such glory, and it made him feel a little giddy.

Big brother is watching me.

Big brother was the top student at the Academy at his time, so he could be too.

When he got back, his father would surely praise him.

Compared to the onlookers, he wanted his father's approval even more.

Suddenly, the shouts from the crowd changed.

"Look! Whose child is that kid with the eye patch?"

"So fast!"

"A dark horse! I noticed he only just put on his shoes before the race, dawdling and even starting last."

"What? Ooh!! that slide just now was interesting!" 

"Are you sure he wasn't just showing off?"

"He's overtaking on the curve! He overtook that Uchiha kid! Good heavens, even a horse wouldn't dare to run like that!"

What was going on? Was someone speeding up behind him?

Noticing the commotion in the audience and the increasing noise behind him, Sasuke couldn't help but turn his head and glance back with the corner of his eye.

He saw a delicate and cute little boy, strangely wearing an eye patch, with feet moving like the wind, rapidly catching up.

So fast!

There was a curve ahead as such his position was the most advantageous. 

He could block this kid.

Thinking and acting as one, Sasuke put his cunning little mind to work, planning to cut him off and disrupt his momentum.

But the other boy unexpectedly executed a sliding drift-like maneuver, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He cleverly dodged Sasuke's block and overtook him in one go.

"Deja Vu~~"

A strange, exhilarating BGM... uh, humming sound came from ahead as he passed by.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Dust flew into the air, and Sasuke got a nose full of dirt.

Who was this guy, damn it! He had the energy to sing while running in the lead?

"It's Natsuki! As expected, Natsuki is the strongest!"

A fangirl's voice came from behind. 

Sasuke glanced back.

It was a yellow-haired girl.

So his name was Natsuki?

"Hahaha, Natsuki is so awesome! I'm Naruto, do you see me?"

From behind, Naruto, with his tenacious stamina, gradually squeezed into the first group from the second, shouting loudly.

Another yellow-haired kid.

Damn it, he could still shout so loudly while running at full speed.

Was it that easy for him?

Sasuke's eyes narrowed; the competitors this year were not that simple.

He focused his gaze back on the figure in front.

What?!

In that moment of distraction, the other boy had already overtaken him by a lap and a half.

What did that even mean? He was too fast!

Also, what was that guy doing with his hands in his pockets?

So relaxed?

No! Who did he think he was looking down on?!

Sasuke was truly furious. If he lost like this, he didn't know how his father would react.

That disappointed look...

Ahhh!

Sasuke finally threw caution to the wind and chased with all his might.

"This child..."

Itachi covered his eyes at this scene.

This was only the third lap; there were still seventeen more to go.

If sasuke used up so much energy so early, how would he have the stamina to maintain the pace later?

Itachi glared at the guy who had disrupted his little brother's momentum.

That child was indeed running too fast.

"Wait, shouldn't his frequency of his footsteps be qvery rapid? Why is the frequency of his steps so low?"

"It's like..."

"It's like he has roller skates on his feet..."