Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

Another year at the ninja academy had come and gone in a blur, and man, what a ride it had been. Looking back, this third year felt like the teachers were on some sort of mission to break us—or at least separate the "future shinobi legends" from the "cannon fodder."

When Bekkou-sensei decided to crank up the difficulty, I half-expected someone to stand up and scream, "We're just kids, for crying out loud!" But nope. Everyone just silently endured the torture. Ninja life wasn't for the faint-hearted, after all.

The three basic ninjutsu? Nailed them, but not without blood, sweat, and a good amount of "how do my hands even work?" moments. I knew the other students were still messing up the techniques, but hey, at least I could brag about mastering the three most basic jutsus in Ninja's world. Not bad, right?

Genjutsu, though? Yeah... let's not talk about that. Let's just say my "talent" for that art is limited to not falling for it—which, honestly, is a win in itself. 

On the flip side, Jimei, turned out to be a genjutsu prodigy. Bekkou-sensei even suggested he make it his specialty. Great for him, but watching him practice was a reminder of how far I still had to go.

And now, here we were: the final challenge. The graduation exam. Or, more accurately, an early one because, apparently, someone upstairs thought we were ready for it. I'm betting it's Danzo's fault, everything that happens in this village is his fault.

Honestly, I was feeling the pressure. Sure, I won that survival exercise, and we'd even learned the Shunshin no Jutsu as a reward. But I didn't know if this was going to be enough.

Okay, now I was officially worried. Sure, if I failed the exam, I could just stay in the academy and keep training. No big deal, right? But I really didn't want that.

I'd heard some rumors that Uchiha Itachi was going to take the Chuunin Exams this year, and here I was, not even a Genin yet. I thought I'd graduate in a year or two, but nope—three years later, and I was still here, trying to level up my ninja skills.

I couldn't spend another two or three years stuck in this never-ending cycle of ninja school. I needed to pass now if I wanted to improve as a shinobi.

"Are you all ready to show what you've learned?" Bekkou-sensei's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I quickly glanced at my classmates. A few rows down, Hiyomi was completely knocked out, snoozing like this was nap time, not an exam. Natori... well, that guy's face never changed. He probably wouldn't flinch even if the Hokage walked in doing a backflip.

A bit farther away were Hige and Tokuma. Wow. They didn't look alike, but somehow they were both competing for the title of "Biggest Ego in the Room." Different methods, same results: pure arrogance.

Next to me, poor Jimei was chewing his fingernails like his life depended on it. At this rate, he'd have nothing left to chew.

"Listen up." Bekkou-sensei began, voice sharp and commanding. "The exam will have three parts. The first part is a written test covering everything you've learned in the academy. To pass, you need at least 90%."

Wait... 90%? Seriously? That's basically saying "Good luck, suckers."

"We'll begin now." Bekkou-sensei said, forming a hand seal.

With a puff of smoke, test papers appeared in front of us. I took a deep breath and looked at the first question. My eyebrow immediately went up.

"What's the primary duty of a Konoha ninja?" 

A) Protect the Hokage at all costs 

B) Serve the Hidden Leaf Village with loyalty 

C) Eliminate internal and external threats 

D) Complete missions to boost the village's economy

Okaaay... Not subtle at all. The propaganda machine was in full swing here. I picked B since it seemed the most "Go Leaf Village!" option. Next question.

"What are the three basic ninjutsu taught at the Ninja Academy?" 

A) Kawarimi no Jutsu, Bunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu 

B) Nawanuke no Jutsu, Shunshin no Jutsu, Bunshin no Jutsu 

C) Kawarimi no Jutsu, Nawanuke no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu 

D) Shunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, Bunshin no Jutsu

Easy. Marked A and moved on. Maybe that first question was just a fluke. Maybe the rest would actually test our ninja knowledge.

Next question:

"What makes Konoha stand out among other ninja villages?" 

A) Its military strength and strategic alliances 

B) Its clan system, promoting unity and diversity 

C) Its balance of security and citizens' well-being 

D) All of the above

I swear, I almost laughed out loud when I read that one. This wasn't an exam; it was a recruitment poster. I peeked around to see if anyone else found it funny, but nope. Everyone else was dead serious.

Okay, just think like a brainwashed loyalist. Anything that praises Konoha should work.

I picked D and kept going. The questions were mostly Konoha-glorifying fluff, though a few actually tested real knowledge. One asked me to explain the difference between Kawarimi no Jutsu and Shunshin no Jutsu.

Finally, I reached the last question after 29 gloriously pro-Konoha prompts.

"In your own words, describe what it means to be a Konoha ninja."

I grabbed my pencil and wrote some generic stuff about loyalty, courage, and protecting the village with your life. Threw in a reference to the Fourth Hokage for extra points. Honestly, I was just trying not to laugh at my own nonsense.

When the bell rang, I put my pencil down and let out a sigh. That wasn't an exam about knowledge or skill. It was about how much you loved Konoha and how willing you were to follow orders without question.

Made sense, though. This was a military village, and they needed people loyal enough to fight and die for it.

 "Kenshin... do you think you did okay?" Jimei walked over, biting his lip and looking nervous.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." I said, shrugging. "As long as you praised Konoha enough and remembered the academy basics, you're okay."

"Oh…" He blinked. "So that's why there were so many questions about the Hokage."

"Exactly." I said, trying not to sound too bitter. "The village always comes first. Always."