Today was going to be a special day for Uzumaki Naruto.
After more than a month of practice, Naruto had shown significant improvement in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and even academic subjects. This even included mathematics. When Naruto arrived at the Ninja Academy, he found that the classroom lacked its usual relaxed atmosphere.
"Hey, Naruto! Are you confident about today's exam?"
Inuzuka Kiba raised an eyebrow, his tone holding much less of his former contempt and more of a calculating look. He had already started treating Naruto as an opponent he needed to face with everything he had.
"Tch, he's just putting on an act."
A classmate nearby muttered under his breath, yet subconsciously avoided Naruto's calm gaze. Naruto gave a slight nod to Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji in the corner before heading to his seat.
Iruka-sensei walked into the classroom carrying a stack of exam papers. As his gaze swept over Naruto, Iruka-sensei's eyes paused for an imperceptible moment. Having witnessed Naruto's hard work during this period, he couldn't help but hold higher expectations for him.
Originally, Iruka-sensei only hoped Naruto could pass, which would have been enough to justify his recent efforts. But now, Iruka-sensei hoped Naruto's score would reach the middle of the class. If that happened, and if Naruto performed normally in the practical combat class, he might even break into the top ten!
"Everyone, back to your seats!"
He shouted loudly, and then the exam papers began to be passed toward the back rows. After receiving his paper, Naruto didn't dive straight into writing as usual; instead, he skimmed through the questions first.
In Naruto's memory, the content of past exams always looked like encrypted gibberish, as if a Genjutsu had been cast on them. Just one look made him want to sleep. But looking at them now, how should he put it? They were unexpectedly simple.
Major events of the Shinobi World, basic tactical deductions, the flow of Chakra... the solutions to these problems flowed through his mind as naturally as breathing. Naruto pushed up his glasses and began to answer the questions.
Thanks to [Aizen's Calligraphy Insights] and his systematic reading and memorization, his pen moved as if guided by a god. His handwriting was elegant and neat, and his answering speed was incredibly fast. Only half the time had passed when Naruto put down his pen and began checking his answers.
"So this is what it feels like to be a top student."
Looking at the tidy exam paper, he felt a strange sense of calm. There was no ecstasy, no urgency to prove anything, only a composed certainty that this was how it should be. It turned out that when one has sufficient strength, everything becomes a matter of course.
Then, he rested his chin on one hand and looked out the window. He pondered whether to turn in his paper early and invest his time in the more critical Water Walking training. While Naruto was still weighing whether to be so conspicuous, a very light, almost hesitant touch came from his elbow.
Naruto glanced sideways and saw Hyuga Hinata. Her fair cheeks were flushed deep red, and even her delicate earlobes were tinged with pink. Hinata-chan seemed to have summoned a lifetime's worth of courage just to dare nudge him with her elbow. Then, she nudged her exam paper slightly toward Naruto.
On the paper, the handwriting was neat and the answers were accurate. But to Naruto, the action itself was written with intentions clearer than any exam paper.
She's worried about me.
This thought caused Naruto's blue eyes behind his lenses to flicker slightly. Attention is mutual. Since realizing that Hinata-chan often watched him, Naruto had also started paying more attention to her. Because of this, he noticed many details he hadn't seen before. She was always the first to notice his changes and the one who silently watched him the most.
And now, this clumsy yet pure concern. From beginning to end, the light in her eyes had never changed. Naruto didn't look at her answers; instead, he turned his head and gave her a brilliant smile. This wasn't the smile he had practiced for so long to use as a disguise.
He mouthed silently:
"Thank you."
Then Naruto hesitated no longer, stood up, and handed in his exam paper. He felt a strange sensation in his heart. It was very uncomfortable, so he urgently wanted to go outside and breathe some fresh air.
"..."
Hinata-chan was stunned. Looking at Naruto's smile, her heart pounded fiercely, her face turned so red it seemed steam might rise, and her mind went completely blank. The courage she had managed to muster earlier melted away like snowflakes. She abruptly lowered her head, her forehead nearly hitting the desk, and her fingers gripped the pen tightly.
Just then, Iruka-sensei's voice rang out:
"Fifteen minutes left in the exam! Everyone check your names, and don't look around!"
Hinata-chan trembled all over and buried her face even deeper.
In the classroom, as Naruto stood up, many students with poor grades showed schadenfreude smiles.
"Hey, did that guy really hand in his paper?"
"He definitely couldn't do it and just gave up on himself."
"Hmph, makes sense, after all, he is a dead last..."
Whispers buzzed like mosquitoes. To them, Naruto was still the same Naruto. No matter how he acted usually, he showed his true colors once it was time for an exam.
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at Naruto's back, a cold sneer curling his lips, before retracting his gaze to focus on his paper. He never even considered the possibility of Naruto surpassing him. This exam was somewhat difficult; even he had to concentrate. How could Naruto be faster than him? By virtue of those glasses of his? Such self-abandoning behavior made him too lazy to even feel contempt.
On the podium, Iruka-sensei watched Naruto approach and sighed inwardly.
"Naruto, although this exam is very difficult, you shouldn't just..."
Iruka-sensei was about to lecture him about not giving up and having the courage to face difficulties. But when his gaze casually swept over the neat and fully answered exam paper, the words were stuck in his throat.
Question one, correct. Question two, correct. Question three, correct...
Iruka-sensei's eyes grew wider and wider as he stared at the paper as if he were looking at a set of model answers. No, this handwriting was even more beautiful than the model answers. Upon closer inspection, it even possessed a pleasing aesthetic and charm. He couldn't even find a single typo.
Had he not been proctoring the exam himself, he would never have believed this was Naruto's work. Especially the discourse on the "Will of Fire" at the end of the paper; its unique perspective and profound understanding made even Iruka-sensei feel inferior.
When Iruka-sensei abruptly looked up to ask, Naruto's figure was already gone. Leaving behind a room full of students with strange expressions...
The next morning.
The atmosphere outside the classroom was even more tense than during the exam. Iruka-sensei was posting the exam results.
"This is impossible!!"
A sharp cry broke the brief silence. Haruno Sakura covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on the rankings as if she were seeing something unbelievable.
"What's wrong, Forehead-girl? Making such a fuss..."
The newly arrived Yamanaka Ino squeezed through the crowd, looked up at the rankings, and let out a cry of the same decibel:
"How is this possible? It's a joke, right!"
Uchiha Sasuke's brow furrowed, a wave of irritation rising in his heart. He had arrived early; when the results were posted, he was already sitting in the classroom, not caring much about the rankings outside. He had absolute confidence in himself. Except for the last question, his other answers were absolutely perfect.
But the shouting outside piqued his curiosity as well. So, with one hand in his pocket, he slowly walked to the results board.
[First Place: Uzumaki Naruto, 100 points]
The hand in Uchiha Sasuke's pocket clenched tightly; his originally nonchalant, cool expression instantly froze, and his pupils constricted violently.
"This... how is this possible?!"