There are three words that represent the bane of every kid's existence, and the end of an era.
"Today's Exam Day!" Makoto announced.
Of course, those are the thoughts of me, the author, since I've already stated that despite having a countdown shorter than others, Sora actually liked to study and learn more about a variety of subjects.
Without that short timer he has indulged into studies alongside Minato, but that isn't the interesting part, who cares about a written exam in a fanfic? No one! Which is why we will go directly to the Practical Exam.
As everyone was outside, waiting for Makoto-sensei, Sora stood with his group of friends.
"So, any ideas about this exam, Minatopedia?" Sora.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure what we'll do, but it must be high difficulty for our class that's near the top." Minato.
"Great, Shikaku-Yahoo! Analysis." Sora spun back and pointed at Shikaku.
"Well, it's most likely us vs either the class 1-A or some upperclassmen." Shikaku.
"Analysis of the analysis." Sora.
"Given how the Jonin instructors are issued, we're bound to be "competitive" about whom will get to be part of them and who will no. as such, the easiest way to do that is by either showing talent that surpasses out senpais, or that surpasses the top class." Shikaku.
"Huh, I came with the same conclusion but, it's funny how smarty you're trying to sound." Sora.
"Can't hear you, sleeping." Shikaku sat down and went to sleep once again.
"Bummer. Shibi, Choza, Inoichi any plans on how to win?" Sora.
"Well, I'll try to win just using Taijutsu, my partial expansion isn't good enough to do anything." Choza.
"I'd like to end the battle as fast as possible, if my insects can be used then I'll use them as soon as I can." Shibi.
"Not really a plan, the Yamanaka Clan isn't exactly the best when it comes to close combat. I'll just have to rely on my own Taijutsu and Bukijutsu." Inoichi.
Minato looks at Sora.
"What about you?" Minato.
"Well, if things get thick we can always throw a bout like a dynamic duo." Sora.
"Is your body healed enough?" Minato.
"Not really, I don't think I could pull the same shtick I did the last combat, if I did, I'd lose." Sora.
"Well, do you think you'll be able to pass the exam then?" Minato.
"Well, I don't like to take things for granted but, I'm feelin' pretty good about myself right now." Sora.
"Don't tell me… a new jutsu?" Minato.
"More like a better management of one I already had." Sora.
"I want to make my own jutsu one day!" Minato said with stars in his eyes.
As they continued to talk, Makoto arrived and predictably, he brought the students from class 1-A alongside him.
"Alright! This will be the start of the practical exam. You'll be matched with a student from a different class and then fight. Everything goes on the battle until I say that it's over or you admit defeat." Makoto.
"Told you." Shikaku whispered.
"Want a pat on the back?" Sora.
"Nah, but I do need money for a new Shogi table. Choza broke my old one." Shikaku.
"And I said that I would pay it back, just give me some time." Choza joined in.
"Alright!" Makoto yelled, catching everyone's attention.
"First match will be, Uchiha Fugaku vs Suzuki Sora." Makoto.
"Starting strong, eh?" Sora.
"An Uchiha from the get-go, ouch!" Shikaku.
"Bad luck, Sora." Inoichi.
"Well, at least I know it'll be a good fight. Shikaku, any insight?" Sora.
"He's Fugaku Uchiha, heir to be the next Clan Leader, although he's young he's already mastered C-Rank ninjutsus. However, he hasn't awaken the Sharingan." Shikaku.
"How do you know that last part?" Sora.
"Clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga are known to scream to the four winds when a member awakens their eyes." Shikaku.
"Figures, welp, wish me luck lads." Sora.
Sora and Fugaku stood in front of each other as Makoto drew a circle surrounding them.
"This fight will be different from others; you'll need to remain inside the circle at all times or it'll be counted as your loss." Makoto stated.
"Understood." Every student answered.
Sora began to stretch as he looked at Fugaku.
'He's strong, and his chakra is higher than mine, the only downside is that he may have focused a bit too much in Ninjutsu instead of Taijutsu, I may exploit that if I'm capable enough.' Sora thought.
'I've heard the rumors about him. A civilian-family kid that managed to reverse-engineer three jutsus for the sake of his low chakra reserves, I'll end the fight before he has the opportunity to use any tricks.' Fugaku thought.
Yeah, something curious is that despite having all the cards to be an arrogant prick like the rest of his clan, Fugaku wasn't. He acknowledges skill over rankings and such, maybe is because he doesn't have the whole clan's weight down on him but he's not the "bad guy" he'll be on the future, at least not yet.
Makoto raised his hand.
"Begin!" Makoto Announced.
Fugaku wasted no time, forming hand seals in a blur.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" Fugaku.
A barrage of small fireballs shot toward Sora, who immediately dashed to the side, barely avoiding the scorching heat. He knew that dodging wouldn't be enough; Fugaku was fast, but Sora had trained for this.
'Ninja Art: Shippū Shungeki! (Gale Instant Strike).' Sora.
Sora burst forward, closing the distance in an instant. His fist was already swinging toward Fugaku's ribs, but the Uchiha twisted just in time, blocking with his forearm. The force still made him slide back, eyes narrowing in assessment.
"Fast, but predictable." Fugaku commented.
Without missing a beat, he retaliated with a sweeping kick. Sora barely raised his arm in time to block, but the impact sent him skidding dangerously close to the edge of the circle. He dug his heels in, stopping just short of stepping out.
'That was close. Gotta be careful.' Sora thought as he brushed the sand off his feet.
Fugaku didn't let up, weaving more seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Fugaku.
A roaring sphere of flames erupted from his mouth, rushing toward Sora. With no time to dodge, Sora braced himself.
'Ninja Art: Gōtai no Jutsu (Hardened Body Technique)!' Sora braced himself for impact.
His skin hardened just as the fire engulfed him. The searing heat was unbearable, but the jutsu allowed him to endure the worst of it. As the flames dissipated, Sora emerged, smoking but still standing.
Fugaku's eyes widened slightly.
"Tch, stubborn." The Uchiha commented.
Sora smirked through the pain.
"You haven't seen stubborn yet." Sora said defiant.
'He's stronger than Minato, I wanted to keep this a secret for a bit longer but, I can't really risk losing this fight.' Sora.
He took a deep breath, controlling his chakra flow. The breathing technique kicked in, restoring his energy faster than normal. His body burned with heat, but he wasn't done yet.
Fugaku came at him with a flurry of taijutsu attacks. Sora deflected as best as he could, but Fugaku was relentless. He had the upper hand in skill, and every strike forced Sora further back. One more step and he'd be out of bounds.
'Gotta turn this around.' Sora.
Fugaku aimed a decisive punch, but Sora took the hit deliberately, his body tensing.
'Ninja Art: Hangeki Choryoku (Counterattack Power Storage)!' Sora.
All the force from Fugaku's blows rebounded at once, and a shockwave sent the Uchiha staggering backward. Sora saw his chance.
'Now, time to finish this!' Sora thought as he brought all the fire in his body out.
'Fire Style: En Tomoshibi (Embers)!'
He inhaled sharply, his Fire Breathing technique fueling his chakra. A small but intensely concentrated ember formed at his mouth, and he exhaled strongly while directing them at Fugaku. The ember erupted on impact, forcing Fugaku to leap back to avoid the worst of the explosion.
Smoke filled the air, obscuring Fugaku's vision for just a moment. Sora rushed through the haze, fist drawn back, but Fugaku was already spinning into a counter.
Sora's strike and Fugaku's kick connected at the same time.
Both were sent flying back. Sora tumbled toward the edge of the circle, clawing at the ground to stop himself. Fugaku barely managed to land on his feet, but his stance wavered.
The dust settled. The class watched in silent anticipation.
Then—
Sora looked down. His fingertips were an inch over the line.
Makoto clapped his hands.
"Winner: Fugaku Uchiha!" Makoto.
Sora groaned, rolling onto his back, panting.
"Man… that was close." Sora.
Fugaku exhaled, brushing soot off his sleeve.
"You were more troublesome than I expected." Fugaku.
"That's the idea." Sora chuckled.
As Fugaku walked away, Minato and the others rushed over.
"That was amazing, Sora!" Minato beamed. "You almost had him!"
"You got out-skilled, but you kept up well," Shikaku analyzed.
"I was sure that Hangeki Choryoku would've won it for you," Choza added.
Shibi helped Sora get up.
"He really kicked your ass, dude." Inoichi.
Sora grinned despite his exhaustion.
"I'll win next time. No doubt. Hear that, Fugaku?!" Sora told Fugaku as the latter left.
From the side, Fugaku glanced back, a small smirk forming.
"We'll see." Fugaku muttered under his breath.
As he left, the combats continued, Sora didn't had any problems with other combats since he used more "underhanded" tactics to win them. By the end of the school day everyone had at least 1 loss except for Minato and most of the class 1-A kids.
"Well, everyone, I've got an announcement. Those with the most exceptional grades will remain and or be promoted to class 1-A. and those with the lowest grades will be downgraded." Makoto announced.
At his words, everybody tensed up. Even Sora with his easygoing attitude had a hunch of how his test would go.
"Fortunately, many of the students in class 1-A have good grades, however, Yakushi Nono, Uchiha Yakumi and Inuzuka Tsume, all you three will be transferred to class 1-B." Makoto.
The muttering began.
Many were surprised that an Uchiha actually fell in the leaderboard and was forced to transfer. Yakumi himself only tightened his fists in anger. Who could blame him? After all, Minato was his opponent.
This however brought another matter into light, the fact that there's three vacant slots for class 1-A.
"Thos who'll be promoted will be…" Makoto.
Small pause for suspense.
"Namikaze Minato, Shikaku Nara and Hyuga Kiotome." Makoto announced.
Sora sighed a little. Hyuga Kiotome is a member from the Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan. Even though he's from the branch family, he showed great proficiency in the Gentle Fist Techniques.
He was also the only one besides Sora who only lost once. The muttering continued for a while before Makoto interrupted.
"That's all! From now on you should try harder lest you'd want to be either demoted or promoted." Makoto.
At his words, everyone nodded and eventually class ended. Sora simply walked towards his group of friends and began walking aimlessly through the streets of Konoha.
"Well, were do you wanna eat, Minato? Since you're being promoted to class 1-A, I'll treat ya nice." Sora.
"What about me?" Shikaku.
"You're rich so, nah!" Sora joked.
"Screwed. You're kidding, right?" Shikaku.
"I'm not a jerk, of course I'll treat you too." Sora.
As they walk, they look at a shop names Ichiran Ramen. The stand is a modest, rectangular structure with a wooden frame and a light beige fabric canopy extending over the front. The name "Ichiraku Ramen" is displayed prominently on a vertical signboard attached to the top.
The front of the stand features red noren curtains, which hang down from the canopy, displaying the kanji of Ichiran in bold white letters. Inside, there's a simple wooden counter with a few stools for customers. The stand has a warm, inviting glow at night, with paper lanterns or simple overhead lights illuminating the space.
"How 'bout here? They say the ramen's pretty good." Sora.
"Isn't it a bit too expensive for ramen?" Inoichi.
"But it's the best ramen, or so rumors say." Sora.
"Well, I'm curious to try their taste." Choza entered the shop.
Everyone else entered as well and sat, occupying the six seats of the shop.
"Welcome, what can I get for you?" Spoke the owner.
Everyone look at the menu on the right wall and pick their options.
"I want a chasu ramen with extra pork." Choza.
"I'll take a miso ramen with no seaweed please." Inoichi.
"Shoyu Ramen. Please." Shibi.
"Tonkotsu ramen." Shikaku.
"I'll try the Shio ramen then." Minato.
"Boss, I'll have an extra-large bowl of everything." Sora.
Everyone looked at him with a weird expression.
"Ah, I meant that I want my ramen with all the broths combined and all the toppings." Sora.
"Well, I won't lie to you, kid. My ramen's delicious but the flavors of the broths and toppings might not harmonize with each other and will only sour your appetite." The owner explained.
"It's alright, I love to eat my food like that. I vow to not waste a single drop of broth!" Sora declared with a "serious" face.
The boss sighed before preparing the ramen.
"So, what's getting you all irked, Minato?" Sora suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at the blonde in question.
"Well, I just… I don't know, feel a bit off by being promoted and leaving most of you behind." Minato.
"Wow, you're literally suffering from success." Sora.
"Don't think too hard about it, you know that these morons will be promoted, it's just a matter of time." Shikaku.
"He's right, I'll do my best!" Inoichi.
"We won't lag behind." Choza.
Shibi simply nods.
"You worry too much, Minato. You have to relax and wait to see things play out." Sora.
"It's not that, or at least not entirely, I just wanted all of us to be promoted together." Minato.
"First rule of life Minato: Life isn't always fair. There's people that are born blind, or mute, or with any other illness and we can't do nothing about it. That's why we must make the most of what we have. Besides, the end result will be all of us in class 1-A so, there's no real damage done." Sora.
Before Minato could reply, the owner came back with the six servings of ramen, all perfectly balanced on his limbs.
"Sorry for the wait, enjoy!"
"Wow, less than ten minutes, this is already proving that every ryo is worth it." Sora.
"Thank you, I pride myself in my ramen cooking skills." The owner said as he finished serving everyone.
"Itadakimasu!" Everyone.
As they all began to savor the dishes at their own pace, Sora couldn't help but to feel like something was missing.
'Food, check. Friends, check. What could I be missing here? I've always been pretty tame about my tastes, why am I feeling irked?' Sora thought.
Then, it hit him like Truck-kun!
What he was missing was the perfect beverage that makes literally ANY meal 100% better!
Breakfast? Enhanced! Lunch? Upgraded! Dinner? Out of this fricking world!
Yes, I'm talking about the drink that surpasses all other drinks in this world, the drink solely responsible for numerous sugar overflow in everyone's blood. The one true drink above all and below none.
"I need a Coca-Cola." Sora.
"You said something?" Minato.
"Nah, I just confused a piece of pork with my tongue for a second and scared myself." Sora.
"Hehe, only you Sora." Minato.
'That's right! I already introduced crawfish to this ninja world, why couldn't I do the same with Coke?!' Sora.
That's right, what Sora was missing was the effervescent drink that'll captivate his tastebuds.
'Alright, jutsus and training are still gonna be a must, but in the meantime, I'll develop you, Coca-Cola! I'll make your dream come true, John Stith Pemberton!!! Minus the Coca extract.' Sora swore in his mind.
After a few minutes, everyone ate their fill.
"Thanks for the food!" Everyone.
"Here's your bill." The owner gave them their receipt.
Sora took it and immediately paid with his some of his savings, Inoichi, Choza and Shibi paid the rest.
"Come back again!" The owner said as the group of friends left.
"Man~ that was some good noodles!" Choza.
"And the broth was so smooth and savory." Inoichi.
"The toppings felt fresh and crunchy." Minato.
"But not overwhelming." Shikaku.
"It was pretty good." Shibi.
"And it tastes all the better when you combine everything together." Sora.
"No, that's just you." Everyone said back to him.
"Haha! Yeah, I'm one of a kind baby!" Sora.
"What should we do? We have some hours left before going home." Shikaku.
"Let's play tag to digest the food, otherwise our moms will get mad at us for not eating anything." Minato.
"Minato with the clutch play here! Let's go!" Sora immediately pats Minato in the head and runs.
Minato looks for the others and tags Shikaku and runs behind Sora. Everyone else follows suit.
"Cheaters, you know I don't like to run!" Shikaku yelled as he ran towards them.
"Liar! You don't like to do anything!" Sora.
The kids kept playing while running through the village. From the Hokage building Hiruzen saw the scene with the telescope technique and smiled.
"I hope the future of the Hidden Leaf keeps shining as bright as the smiles in these children." Hiruzen.