Saitama felt that the boy in front of him looked familiar.
"My name is Umino Iruka, nice to meet you! Please take care of me!"
The boy, introducing himself as Umino Iruka, smiled brightly.
Ah, so that's who it was. The future teacher of the "Prince" himself.
"Hello! I'm Uchiha Shisui," Shisui also introduced himself politely.
"Nice to meet you," Iruka replied, clearly happy to be making friends on the first day of school.
"I heard there's going to be an entrance exam soon, followed by class placements!" Iruka added.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Saitama was slightly surprised Iruka knew this kind of detail.
"Yeah, I overheard a few teachers talking about it earlier," Iruka explained.
Saitama nodded. So, an entrance exam, huh?
"Everyone, please quiet down!"
A loud voice, amplified with chakra, echoed across the playground.
Instantly, the previously noisy area fell silent as all the children turned to look at the source.
A group of teachers stood atop a raised platform at the front of the playground. In the middle stood a middle-aged, balding man who seemed to be the leader.
"Welcome, students. I am the head instructor of the Academy, and I will be overseeing your education for the next few years."
"First, allow me to welcome all of you to the Konoha Ninja Academy. Today marks the start of your journey as aspiring shinobi."
"Next will be the entrance examination. I ask for your cooperation and best efforts."
Once the man finished, he gestured to the teachers, who began moving off the platform to organize the groups.
Due to the sheer number of students this year, they were divided into several groups and taken to different areas for the exam.
Saitama, Shisui, and their new acquaintance, Iruka, remained in the main playground.
"Alright, everyone," announced one of the instructors, his Konoha forehead protector hanging around his neck, "this entrance exam is simple. You'll be running ten laps around the field. This will test your stamina and willpower. Based on your performance, you'll be placed into classes. If at any point you can't continue, just raise your hand. Understood?"
As soon as he finished, a few groans could be heard, especially from some of the rounder kids.
Saitama glanced over and saw some of the Akimichi clan kids already looking miserable.
He couldn't help but smile knowingly. This kind of exam wasn't exactly favorable to the Akimichi.
Of course, this test posed no challenge for Saitama. He knew his body's condition better than anyone.
Compared to his peers, his physical abilities were already at a freakish level.
Every day he trained swordsmanship with Shisui. While Shisui was usually exhausted like a dead dog afterward, Saitama only felt a bit tired—after a short rest, he'd be back to full energy.
Not to say Shisui had poor stamina—far from it. But compared to Saitama, the difference was like night and day. Probably only the "Prince" of the same generation could match him.
At the teacher's signal, the students took off running.
Saitama knew that only those with the best results would be placed in the top classes.
As soon as the whistle blew, he shot forward like an arrow, immediately taking the lead.
Shisui followed close behind, refusing to let Saitama outpace him.
What surprised Saitama was that Iruka, who didn't look particularly athletic, was right behind them, running without much strain.
Saitama couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Was this really Iruka? Could he actually be a transmigrator like him with some hidden cheat skill?
Otherwise, how could a kid like Iruka keep up with them?
The first lap ended quickly.
Saitama maintained a steady sprinting pace, enough to make the supervising teachers take notice and murmur among themselves.
Shisui and Iruka didn't disappoint, keeping pace behind him.
The exam required ten laps.
Although many of these kids were the children of shinobi, they were still at an age where their bodies were developing and not yet accustomed to harsh physical exertion.
Saitama, Shisui, and Iruka formed the leading group, far ahead of the others.
Two laps. Three laps. Four laps...
Occasionally, someone tried to catch up, but the trio would immediately accelerate, widening the gap once more.
By the eighth lap, Iruka was visibly struggling, while Shisui was gritting his teeth, drenched in sweat. Their bangs were stuck to their foreheads, and their faces were red from the effort.
As for Saitama?
Though sweating, he looked as if he still had plenty of energy to spare.
Meanwhile, many other students had already dropped out around the fifth or sixth lap.
It wasn't surprising—the track was nearly six hundred meters per lap.
For the last two laps, Saitama deliberately slowed down to jog alongside the exhausted Shisui and Iruka, encouraging them to finish strong.
"Saitama, you're a monster..."
Shisui collapsed to the ground once they finished.
"Not really," Saitama replied modestly, waving his hand.
"Saitama is amazing... I've been trained by my dad every day, and I still can't compare. I didn't expect you'd be this strong..."
Iruka said between gasps, sitting on the ground as he caught his breath.
"Breathe slowly... Don't push yourselves too hard," Saitama advised calmly.