Long Live The Hokage - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Choosing Disciples
In the afternoon, at the patriarch hall.

Masahiko stood in front of eleven children. And looked like he wasn’t pleased.

“I just finished drying my sheets with a variety of wind and fire release Jutsu… Just when I was about to sleep, the patriarch summoned me here.” Masahiko thought.

Besides Nanako, there are 10 other children. Eight boys, two girls. The oldest is around 10 years old, while the youngest is 8 years old.

The patriarch looked at Masahiko and ask, “Uncle, are you dissatisfied with these children?”

Masahiko came back to reality at that moment and looked carefully at the face of these young kids. The youngest girl’s eyes are a little bit wet.

“Not really. It’s just I have a unique selection method. And eleven is too much, so maybe I will eliminate some of them.”

The patriarch sighed with relief, “Oh, it’s not a problem, testing them is normal things to choose the right disciples.”

“In this case…” Masahiko turned to the children. “There will be three tests tomorrow, the first is gonna be a physical test. Now go home and prepare yourself, and tomorrow meet me again at the fourth training ground!”

The children then bow to Masahiko, then left. Everyone except Nanako, she stayed.

“Grandpa Masahiko, Na… Nanako’s talent is not that good, tomorrow I…”

“Don’t worry about it, I will be the one to decide. If you can’t meet my requirements, then I will eliminate you tomorrow. Now go back and prepare yourself…”

Nanako blushed, then bowed her head, then walked out funnily.
“Uncle, the test of physical strength… isn’t it a little bit unfair for these young kids? Especially for these three girls.” The patriarch asked.

Masahiko looked at the patriarch, “I have my own method!”

“Now I want to go back and rest, anyone who tries to disturb me today will have to fight me.”

……

The next day, Masahiko went to the fourth training ground.

The children have been waiting for quite a while there. There’s also some children and adults there who want to see.

“It turns out I have attracted a lot of attention, I’m finally being considered as a highly respected elder…” Masahiko’s heart filled with joy.

But things are not as it seems,
When he walks closer, everyone gave him a cold eye.

“So that is the legendary Uzumaki Masahiko? When I was young, my father told me that he is…”

“These children are going to be handed to him?”

“Look, it’s the second uncle of the patriarch, so now he became an elder…”

“Now, let us begin the test!” Masahiko shouted. Not only the children, but he even shocked the adults watching.

Noticing the silence around him, Masahiko nodded with satisfaction.

“The first test is physical strength. ‘Kagebunshin no Jutsu!’” Masahiko summoned eleven Shadow Clones, “My shadow clones will supervise you while doing the push-ups. Be sure to use all of your energy, the more you do, the better!”

The people around him begin to talk.

“Does he really want these children to do that? Their ages are different, not to mention the girls. How can he call this fair?” The crowds begin to stir up.

Masahiko didn’t pay any attention to them and watched the children doing push-ups while supervising them with his Shadow Clones, nodding with satisfaction.

However, after two minutes, Masahiko got a headache. The youngest girl, the 6-year-old girl, who only managed to do 43 push up, couldn’t do it anymore and ended up crying.

A young woman and man rush from the crowd, they shoved Masahiko aside and tried to calm the girl. It looks like they are the girl’s parents.

Ten minutes later, the 10-year-old boy who did the most push-ups stopped, after he reached the number 1237. It was synchronized with that little girl stopping her crying.

Masahiko glanced around and saw how the kids were barely catching their breaths, then nodded slightly.

“Rest for half an hour, then we will start the second half of the Physical Strength test.”

The young couple quickly looked up to Masahiko,
“Elder Masahiko, my girl is too young, this physical test is…” Before he could even finish his sentence, Masahiko interrupted him saying, “The second half is still push-up! The purpose is to see who can score more than the first half.”

The crowd around finally realized that this is not a test of strength, but a test of perseverance.

The children who overdone it felt stunned.
……..
“The break is over, let’s start the second test.”

“The second test is memory ability. I will perform a series of hand signs, and you have to remember the sequence correctly.”

“Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Tiger → Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Tiger → Hare → Snake → Horse → Ram → Bird → Dog → Rat, Fuinjutsu: Evil Sealing Method!” In just 4 seconds, Masahiko managed to weave 20 seals.
“Okay, is there anyone who could remember this?” Masahiko asked the children.

“Oh… I remember, hey, grandpa Masahiko.” The previously crying girl raised her hand.

“Okay, go ahead.”

Sure the little girl does it slower than Masahiko, but she managed to correctly do the twenty hand seals.

Masahiko nodded slightly, no wonder such a child is recommended. Her memory is quite exceptional.

“Then, we continue…”

He turned to the other kids and started doing the same seals again, not until the fourth time, one after another began to memorize it successfully.

Nanako was the last one to try and do it correctly. In front of these talented kids, she felt uncomfortable…

“Break is over, now we will continue the second half of the physical test!”

Masahiko once again used 11 shadow clones to supervise the children doing the push-ups.

The winner was an 8-year-old boy who managed to do 670 in the first half and 800 in the second half… 3 children get a negative result, the 10-year-old boy from before, the 6-year-old girl.

The third one was the girl who was looking at Masahiko while clenching her teeth. Nanako felt like this test is revenge from Masahiko because she poured the cold water on him yesterday.

Masahiko could see that, and he was barely holding his laugh.

The crowds begin to talk again. Things became interesting after they realized the purpose of the first test, so they were trying to figure out what Masahiko’s third test will be.

“Although there’s a lot of difference in their age, I think it will combat ability test, since it’s the most important thing for a Shinobi…”

“I think it should be about chakra control ability…”

“No, it must be about the basic three-body-technique…”

Upon hearing this, Masahiko shook his head slightly. No one could guess it right.

“The third test is cognitive-test! I will ask five questions, the more you answer correctly, the higher you’re ranking will be!”

“The first question: There are two barrels, one can hold three pounds of water, one can hold five pounds of water, and water can be used at will. How you can get precisely four pounds of water.”

“Second question: …”

“…”

“The last question: There are 10 birds on the tree, If I killed one, how many birds remaining on the tree?”
What the hell is this? Riddles?

Masahiko looked around; he saw the confused faces of the crowd and almost laughed…
“Let’s who’s the smartest kid here!”