Chapter 19 Orochimaru's new apprentice

In the playground of the ninja school, all the students in Class A had formed a large circle. Naoto Yamanaka, holding a roster, stood in the center, organizing the proceedings.

"This test is not only for Lord Orochimaru to choose a disciple but also a test for the school. I expect everyone to give it their all. Do you understand?" Naoto asked.

"Understood!" Natsume and the others replied in unison.

"Good, very spirited," Naoto Yamanaka commented as he flipped through the roster. "I will call out names for you to step forward and compete. The winners will advance to the next round."

Natsume sat cross-legged, observing the scene.

To put it bluntly, the situation on the field could be summarized in four words: rookies competing with each other. The graduation standard at the Ninja School was mastering the Three Body Technique, a challenging feat for first-year students. Natsume had already learned five ninjutsu, which included the Three Body Technique, Instant Body Technique, Water Release, and Water Turbulence.

He couldn't help but think, "He could have simply pointed at them and said, 'Uchiha Itachi, stand up first; everyone else here is mediocre.'"

Natsume watched the proceedings with a discerning eye.

The victors were predominantly ninja students. Civilian students, born without the innate talent for advanced ninja knowledge, seldom found themselves in the winner's circle. Take, for instance, Haruno Sakura.

In the early stages of her training, she delivered a rather average performance. She'd summon Sasuke when idle and call upon Naruto when there was work to be done, dragging her feet in between. However, she had managed to rise as a leader among the civilian students and could be deemed a top student, a feat most others couldn't claim.

"Natsume vs. Kuzuryu Kenji," Naoto Yamanaka announced, eyeing the roster.

Upon hearing his name, Natsume promptly stood up and strolled into the circle.

"Go for it, Natsume!" a group of girls cheered for him.

"Damn it! Are you always this good-looking?" Kuzuryu Kenji grumbled. "I have to defeat you!"

"Can you play shogi?" Natsume asked, a sly grin on his face.

"What... what?" Kuzuryu Kenji was utterly baffled.

["Damn, could you please take this seriously? I'm trying to trash-talk you, and you're asking about shogi? Show me some respect!"]

"Can you play shogi?" Natsume repeated his question and added, "I have a friend with the surname Kuzuryuu. He's a shogi prodigy and goes by the name Dragon King."

"No!" Kuzuryu Kenji replied stiffly, "You're trying to distract me with chit-chat. It won't work."

Natsume decided to stop the banter and swiftly initiated the Instantaneous Body Technique. Chakra surged around his legs, propelling him to appear in front of Kuzuryu Kenji in an instant. A kick from Natsume left Kuzuryu Kenji unable to react, and he landed in the sand in a rather undignified manner.

"Natsume wins," Naoto Yamanaka declared promptly when it became apparent that Kuzuryu Kenji wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Uchiha Itachi, observing not far away, nodded in approval.

The teleportation technique was decent, but it paled in comparison to his brother Shisui's skills.

"Uchiha Itachi vs. Uchiha Neko," Naoto Yamanaka announced. Natsume settled back down, observing Itachi.

Ah, the Three-Second Man. He watched Itachi enter and then exit the arena. All that was left on the playground was an unconscious inner bobcat, moving so swiftly that most couldn't follow it clearly.

Natsume estimated that Uchiha Itachi was now approaching the Chunin level, a testament to the battles they'd faced.

After the intense competition, only two students remained in Class A of the first grade: Natsume and Uchiha Itachi.

Naoto Yamanaka, the instructor, wasn't surprised. The former was Tsunade's apprentice, and the latter was Uchiha Fugaku's son. This was a unique advantage. While their peers were still playing in the mud, they were already mastering ninjutsu.

"Both of you will compete, and the winner will represent our class in contests against other classes. The final ten will have the chance to become Orochimaru-sama's apprentices. So give it your all," Naoto Yamanaka encouraged them and then stepped aside, allowing them to take the stage.

A raised platform stood on the playground.

"Lord Orochimaru, the one on the left is Itachi Uchiha," Vice Principal Yoshiyuki Nara introduced him respectfully. "He excels in both theoretical and practical subjects at school, holding the top spot."

Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation.

Orochimaru harbored some skepticism about the mysterious man's claim regarding Itachi's ability to activate the Mangekyō Sharingan. Nevertheless, whether it was true or false, he felt compelled to investigate it personally. And already planned to accept him as a disciple.

"Who's the other one?" Orochimaru asked casually.

"Natsume, Tsunade-sama's apprentice," Nara Yoshiyuki replied.

Orochimaru's interest was piqued, and he inquired, "What is the extent of his blood inheritance limit?"

Yoshiyuki replied, "None. However, his talent for the Water Escape technique is quite promising."

Orochimaru's newly sparked interest waned as it wasn't tied to bloodline limits and, in his view, had limited utility. Moreover, since he was Tsunade's apprentice, Orochimaru didn't see a need to involve himself further.

While these two men conversed, the battle on the field had already commenced.

Uchiha Itachi stood his ground and hurled six shurikens with precision. Natsume responded without hesitation, the clash of metal filling the air.

But in the next moment, Itachi slightly raised his hands, and the six shurikens, meant to descend, abruptly changed course, spinning around like raindrops. Natsume's eyes narrowed, and he detected something like a wire tied around Itachi's fingers.

This was the art of shuriken manipulation, something beyond the abilities of ordinary genin. Natsume quickly employed the Instantaneous Technique, and his body accelerated, evading the trajectory of the shurikens.

However, Itachi had foreseen this move. As Natsume accelerated, the shurikens also sped up, turning into tracking projectiles.

Natsume used the Water Escape·Water Chaos technique, forming seals with his hands, gathering chakra in his mouth, and spewing out a stream of water almost instantly. Onlookers couldn't help but exclaim. In the ninja school, anyone capable of using the Five Elements Escape Technique was considered an exceptional student.

Uchiha Itachi remained composed, swiftly disconnecting the shurikens with both hands and forming a seal. He unleashed the Fire Escape Art: Fireball, sending a massive fireball hurtling into the water stream.

It became evident that the Water Escape was suppressed by the Fire Escape technique. However, Uchiha Itachi's chakra surpassed Natsume's by a wide margin, allowing him to reverse the elemental nature and evaporate the water.

"I surrender," Natsume declared, using the teleportation technique to appear on the edge of the circle. It was clear that he couldn't defeat Uchiha Itachi at this point. Furthermore, he was unable to use the Wood Escape technique.

"Natsume has performed admirably," Yamanaka Naoto commended with a smile. "Let us congratulate Uchiha Itachi. Who will advance to the next round"

While first-year Class A decided their champion, students from other grades also participated, given Orochimaru's acceptance of an apprentice. Typically, lower-grade students couldn't best their upper-grade counterparts, but the extraordinary Uchiha Itachi emerged as a dominant force, progressing through each round.

By the end of the evening, ten individuals had been selected. They stood on the elevated platform, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they gazed upon Orochimaru. Itachi Uchiha, however, remained relatively calm amidst the anticipation.

Uchiha Shisui had not disclosed his encounter with Orochimaru to Itachi, yet he found himself aligning with Orochimaru now.

Itachi Uchiha believed that becoming Orochimaru's apprentice would allow him to deepen his understanding of the Will of Fire. He assumed that, as the apprentice of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Will of Fire would hold significant power.

Orochimaru casually surveyed the ten individuals before him and, with two clicks, announced, "Just the two of you."

Simultaneously, Natsume received a notification from the Holy Ring of Destiny:

"[Because of your actions, Uchiha Itachi's fate has changed, and you have gained eighteen points of fate.]"

"[Because of your actions, Yūgao Uzuki's fate has changed, and you have gained forty-nine points in destiny.]"