My Techniques are a bit off

The Ninja Academy entrance exam placed no restrictions on the jutsu applicants could use.

In fact, the more advanced and impressive the jutsu, the better, as the examiners' subjective judgment was also part of the assessment.

This subjective evaluation permeated the entire ninja system of the Konohagakure. For example, Might Guy and Rock Lee, despite failing to perform any jutsu during their exams, demonstrated exceptional physical abilities in subsequent tests and were ultimately given special admission to the academy.

Similarly, graduation from the Ninja Academy operated on the same principle. Even if a student failed the exam, a teacher's approval could allow them to bypass it and directly become a genin.

Of the two paths for a genin to be promoted to chunin, the Chunin Exams focused not on pure strength but on the rather vague quality of "leadership and coordination." The other promotion method was even more subjective: if the higher-ups deemed someone qualified, they would be promoted.

This subjectivity extended further up the hierarchy. A chunin could promote a Ninja Academy student directly to genin if they saw potential. Similarly, a jonin who believed their genin teammate had talent could recommend them for chunin promotion. Ultimately, the Hokage's approval would elevate a chunin to special jonin or jonin.

Given this system, it was natural that the exam criteria were not strictly rigid or impossible to overcome.

Link silently pondered these thoughts as someone called his name. Shaking off his distractions, he walked into the exam room.

"Good morning, examiners," he said with a slight bow before standing upright to face the two examiners.

"You may begin," one of the examiners instructed.

Link bowed again. In such a subjective exam, leaving a positive impression on the examiners was critical.

Then, he began forming hand seals—

[Very precise and practiced hand seals. Not bad speed. A Clone Jutsu? A solid choice.]

Mizuki nodded slightly as he observed. So far, the boy's performance was textbook. As long as he had no issues refining chakra, he should be able to release the jutsu, regardless of its success.

[Link... an orphaned child of fallen ninjas? What a shame.]

Just as Mizuki was about to comment, seeing Link fail to produce a clone after finishing the hand seals—

"?!"

Mizuki's eyes widened as Link calmly removed his own head, mimicking his colleague's earlier motion to disrupt his internal chakra.

"Release!"

The scene before him remained the same: the boy holding his detached head. Mizuki's eye twitched as he glanced at his colleague, who also looked shocked.

The two chunin exchanged looks, both seeing the astonishment mirrored in each other's expressions.

"...?"

Their thoughts and faces were filled with confusion as Mizuki turned back to see Link reattach his head, then detach an arm and wave it around.

"Does this suffice?" Link asked.

"..."

[An illusion? A special secret technique? Or perhaps a kekkei genkai?]

Mizuki didn't panic. After some thought, he marked "pass" on the evaluation sheet and wrote:

[Successfully performed ninjutsu. Demonstrates unique abilities.]

"Link, you've been accepted," he announced.

…

"Phew..."

Walking out of the exam room, Link exhaled deeply, feeling a wave of relief. Being accepted into the Ninja Academy meant he would inevitably have a jonin or special jonin as his mentor.

Even if he didn't become a powerhouse, he could at least benefit from their guidance. And if he died, it wouldn't be an unremarkable or pointless death—he now had a solid stepping stone to the future.

Next on the agenda: graduate as quickly as possible and turn "potential" into "reality."

Holding his acceptance letter, Link weaved through the crowd of envious children and parents and sprinted home.

With a week left before the semester began, Link knew the Ninja Academy was similar to Japanese schools in his previous life, with three terms per year and three relatively short breaks.

He had seven days to prepare himself before starting his school life.

…

Back home, Link carefully stored the acceptance letter before heading out to buy supplies.

Interestingly, the letter included a list of essential tools required for the academy—basic ninja equipment.

The list included items such as:

A scroll case

Leg guards

Waist pouches

Holsters for shuriken and kunai

A set of shuriken, kunai, and other tools

Beyond these consumables, other essentials like open-toed sandals, gloves, vests, and forehead protectors were typically issued after reaching certain ranks. Forehead protectors, for instance, were provided upon becoming a genin, while vests were given to chunin.

While the items seemed trivial, the expenses added up.

Before his father's death, Link's family had plenty of such tools, but over time, they had been used up or sold to make ends meet.

If he weren't pursuing the ninja path, he wouldn't need to buy these things. However, as an aspiring ninja and a soon-to-be student of the academy, these tools were non-negotiable.

Ninja tool throwing was part of the academy's taijutsu curriculum and couldn't be skipped.

…

The academy evaluated students based on five key areas:

Ninjutsu

Taijutsu

Individual performance (simulated combat)

Team performance (team combat simulations)

Tactics (combat strategy)

Additionally, the academy offered a wide range of foundational courses, including:

Physical training

Basic knowledge and theory

Cultural subjects (team strategies, formations, code-breaking, ninja ethics, etc.)

Specialized courses, such as herbal medicine, astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, and history

Electives like flower arrangement for female ninjas

While these courses weren't always part of exams or graduation criteria, they were integral to the curriculum.

Just reading the course list in the acceptance letter gave Link a headache.

Having completed his education in his previous life, he had little desire to study again. Now, as a transmigrator, he was faced with an overwhelming amount of material.

Fortunately, poor performance in cultural subjects—or even skipping them entirely—didn't prevent one from becoming a genin.

For example, Uzumaki Naruto, whose academic performance was abysmal, still became a genin despite lacking even basic knowledge about chakra or its elemental nature until much later in Shippuden.

It was ironic, considering D-rank jutsu for genin often included elemental variations, such as those with "X-Release" prefixes.

Laughably, Naruto's lack of understanding explained his prolonged status as a genin.