After the first two fell, the third first-year challenger stepped onto the stage—yet another girl.
In the shinobi world, kunoichi made up a decent portion of the population. Still, male shinobi dominated the frontlines, while many female ninja specialized in medical ninjutsu or support roles. For a kunoichi to rise to prominence through sheer combat ability, it required more determination, talent, and effort than for most boys.
Despite being only five years old, the girl in front of Uchiha Tatsumi already showed signs of true shinobi potential.
She looked at him warily, her eyes sharp with awareness. Her long hair was tied in a side braid—a style common among the Nara clan. Tatsumi immediately recalled Nara Shikaku, whom he knew would become a future Jonin and the father of Nara Shikamaru. Shikaku often wore the same hairstyle and shared the typical lazy, unmotivated aura of the clan.
But this girl, Nara Akiu, was different. She resembled Shikaku in appearance, but not in temperament. Her eyes carried a seriousness Shikaku rarely displayed. Tatsumi squinted slightly.
I've seen those eyes before… But this one's different.
"Akiu Nara, please go easy on me, senpai," she said politely, bowing.
"Uhh… sure," Tatsumi replied with a bit of awkwardness. After all, her teammate had just said the same line before getting dropped in a second. He figured he'd try to take it easy again—until he realized this girl wasn't bluffing.
Akiu pulled a kunai from her thigh pouch and crouched low, entering a tight stance with surprising focus. She was completely locked onto Tatsumi, tracking every shift in his posture.
"Huh..." Tatsumi raised an eyebrow and casually formed a Genjutsu hand seal.
…Nothing happened.
The Genjutsu, which he usually cast by channeling chakra through his voice, didn't take effect.
So it's not working? Interesting. That only left one explanation—she couldn't hear him.
As Akiu closed the distance with sudden speed, Tatsumi caught a glimpse of white stuffing in her ears.
"Earplugs?" he muttered with amusement. "She picked that up just by watching the fight with Watergate… Smart kid."
She launched into taijutsu—a punch, then a spinning low kick. Tatsumi leaned aside, fluidly dodging both, and responded by drawing a kunai with one hand to block her next strike.
Their weapons clashed with a harsh metallic screech—and in that moment, a single white feather drifted between them.
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Feather Illusion Jutsu."
Akiu blinked, staggered, and collapsed into sleep.
"W-When did he make the hand seals?" Minato muttered from the sidelines, eyes narrowed. "I didn't see him form even one…"
Orochimaru, standing at the edge of the platform with arms crossed, let out a faint hiss. "One-handed seals… Interesting. This kid…"
Tatsumi's illusions were unrivaled in the Academy. If sound was blocked, then sight would do.
The Feather Illusion Technique was simple but versatile. With enough chakra control and training, even one-handed seals could suffice—and Tatsumi had already mastered that, after countless repetitions and scrolls studied in secret.
As he descended from the platform, Nara Akiu lay unconscious, still gripping her kunai.
"Tch… troublesome," Shikaku groaned as he stepped out from the crowd. "Now I've gotta carry her home."
He knelt down and hoisted her over his shoulder. "Better make Chōza help me later. She's heavier than she looks…"
Somewhere back in a classroom, Akimichi Chōza paused mid-snack, a chill running down his spine.
With that, Uchiha Tatsumi had cleanly defeated all three first-year challengers—without a single injury and without relying on brute strength. All wins came via precision Genjutsu.
"Hey, not bad," Tsunade muttered as she observed the scene. "Guess we won't need that many bandages after all. These kids are surprisingly decent."
She'd originally complained that coming to the Academy to heal minor injuries was beneath her. But watching Tatsumi work, she realized the job might be easier than expected.
"Didn't you just compare him to Jiraiya earlier?" Orochimaru muttered dryly. "Now he's an excellent junior?"
"Hmph. Don't bring up that perverted idiot," Tsunade scoffed. "Besides, you didn't even want to come."
"I came because the Hokage asked," Orochimaru replied calmly. "And because I'm curious if any of these brats are worth recruiting. The world may seem peaceful now, but the shadows beneath are stirring. Unlike you, I don't take these things lightly."
"Yeah, yeah," Tsunade yawned. "Whatever you say, snake-boy. You talk about 'recruiting talent,' but it sounds like something a creepy l—"
"Enough," Orochimaru cut in before she could finish.
He stepped to the center of the stage and spoke in a calm, commanding tone.
"That concludes the matches between the first and second years. Up next is the third and fourth year bracket. If you're ready, take the stage."
Then he silently returned to the edge of the platform, his cloak billowing behind him.
From Tatsumi's perspective, most of the real talent at the Academy was clustered in his own year—the second-year students—and in the fifth and sixth years. Many of the future parents of the Konoha Twelve were currently enrolled alongside him.
Uchiha Fugaku, another standout from the Uchiha clan, had already graduated.
As for the current fifth years, the only notable student was a certain Hyuga girl—likely a relative of the Hyuga twins.
And in the upper ranks were two recent graduates: Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi, twin prodigies of the Hyuga clan.
The third-year group did have several Uchiha and other clan kids, but most were average.
The only one that stood out was a quiet boy from the Aburame clan—Aburame Shibi.
He wasn't flashy, but Tatsumi knew from future knowledge just how dangerous the bug-user clan could be when underestimated.
As the next round began, Tatsumi watched from the sidelines, arms folded, calm and unreadable.