https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-18-Mastery-of-Water-Style-Chakra-Nature-Transformation/12557729/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-20-Smiles-Don-t-Disappear-They-Just-Transfer/12557731/
Chapter 19: Early Graduation?
Chapter 19: Early Graduation?
The exams on the third day were much faster, after all, with only two participants from each class, and eight classes in a grade at the Ninja Academy.
Like the second day, non-examinees had the option to not attend.
However, quite a number of students turned up today to watch the exams, curious to see who would be the first in their grade for the fourth grade.
"Am I seeing things, or is that Uchiha Obito over there with the examinees?" someone asked in confusion.
"Were you not following Class 2's news yesterday?" the person next to him asked.
"No, I had bad luck in the first round and met the strongest person in our class. I lost and was eliminated," he replied.
"Then it makes sense. Uchiha Obito has become very strong now, even defeating Uchiha Tehaya from their class," his classmate explained.
The students gathered to watch the exams discussed the participants from each class with great interest. Sometimes, they would even argue about who was stronger.
Even those who had complained about Obito and Might Guy before would now try to defend them as they were representatives of their class.
"I think only Shisui is a contender for the top spot this year," Mu Yue commented after watching the first round. She felt that Obito and Guy's chances were slim.
That ninja from the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hiromoto, had trained his Gentle Fist style well, and with the advantage of the Byakugan, it would be difficult for Guy to win, let alone Obito.
Mu Yue had to admit that the Hyuga clan's ninjas had a strong advantage early on. Unlike the Sharingan, the Byakugan was not as difficult to unlock, and their clan's Gentle Fist style was an excellent form of taijutsu.
The time the two had spent training with her was still too short. They needed to further develop their strengths and address their weaknesses.
As time passed, the exams progressed to the final two rounds. Obito faced off against Hinata Hiromoto, while Might Guy battled a ninja from Class 3 of the fourth grade.
As Mu Yue had expected, Obito couldn't even use a single ninjutsu before he was overwhelmed by Hinata Hiromoto's Gentle Fist.
In the final match, Might Guy performed much better than Obito, but his techniques were completely seen through by Hinata Hiromoto's Byakugan, and he still lost in the end.
Obito was dejected after his loss, having hoped to come in first. He never expected to not even make it to the top two.
Mu Yue happened to walk by and offered some comfort: "Don't dwell on your failures. Think about how much you've improved since the last time and work hard for the next opportunity."
Obito's mood instantly lifted at Mu Yue's words. In the previous term exams when he was in the third grade, he had only ranked twentieth in his class. This time, he had almost made it to the top two in his grade.
Considering that progress, his improvement was remarkable, and the top spot was surely within reach!
Mu Yue then walked over to Might Guy, who, surprisingly, also looked a bit dejected.
Mu Yue had thought that with Guy's determination, he wouldn't be too affected by a single loss. But upon further reflection, she realized the reason.
It was probably because she had given him the taijutsu training manual yesterday, and he felt that he had let her expectations down.
"Failure is a constant in life," Mu Yue said comfortingly. "Don't let a single setback define you."
Might Guy's body trembled slightly. When it came to failure, he had experienced more than enough.
From nearly failing to become a ninja during the entrance exam, to challenging Kakashi and being defeated in an instant, to consistently ranking last in his class—he had known nothing but failure.
Even at the young age of eight, Might Guy had already endured countless setbacks.
He seemed to understand what his father, Might Dai, had meant when he said that youth never fades.
"I understand, Teacher Mu Yue," Might Guy replied.
When Mu Yue found Shisui, he was surrounded by a group of students asking him various questions.
Upon seeing Mu Yue, the students greeted her enthusiastically.
"Teacher Mu Yue, I came in second in my grade. Do I get a reward?" Anko Mitarashi asked with a cheeky smile.
Mu Yue smiled and rubbed Anko's head fondly. "How about I treat you to some dumplings?"
"Yes! Teacher Mu Yue is the best!" Hearing about the dumplings, Anko immediately became her biggest fan.
"Hold your horses, Red Bean. Even Shisui hasn't asked for a reward yet, and you're already hounding her," Kotetsu Hagane teased from the side.
It wasn't that he truly thought Anko was being impatient, but he couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of her success.
Afraid that his friend might not do well, yet also afraid that he might outperform him—that was the complicated emotion Anko was dealing with at the moment.
Mu Yue cheerfully shooed away the crowd of students and then led Shisui toward the commercial street.
"How do you feel?" Mu Yue asked.
Shisui thought for a moment before honestly answering, "It felt pretty ordinary. There wasn't anyone who really pushed me to go all out."
"That's to be expected," Mu Yue praised without hesitation. "With your strength, there aren't many in your grade, let alone the first years, who can match you."
"Then, Teacher Mu Yue, do you think I should graduate early?" Shisui looked into Mu Yue's eyes as he asked. Her eyes were a unique, sky-blue color.
"Graduate early?"
"I heard that some extremely talented seniors in the past felt they weren't learning anything new at the Ninja Academy and graduated early," Shisui explained.
Mu Yue shook her head. "I don't recommend graduating this early, at least wait until your second or third year."
"Your strength is indeed exceptional among your peers, but once you leave the school, your opponents won't be limited to just your age group, especially with the possibility of a great war breaking out at any moment."
"If you feel that the Ninja School curriculum isn't beneficial, you can use Shadow Clones to attend classes while your main body trains according to my guidance." Mu Yue offered her suggestion.
Although in the original story, Shisui survived the Third Great Ninja War and earned the title 'Teleportation Jutsu: Shisui', there was no Mu Yue in that timeline, and the butterfly effect could be unpredictable.
Mu Yue hoped that Shisui would continue to develop his strength at the Ninja Academy for a few more years. What was the point of graduating if he couldn't even defeat a Chunin?
In her opinion, without at least a Jonin-level strength, walking the streets of Konoha would be unsafe.
Shisui's eyes lit up at Mu Yue's suggestion, and he nodded in agreement, finding her advice quite reasonable.
Soon after, Mu Yue took Shisui to buy a large quantity of dumplings and returned to the school. Before the start of afternoon classes, each student in the first year's Class 1 received a dumpling.
Of course, Mu Yue wouldn't actually give dumplings only to Anko, but since she had promised, she gave Anko an extra dumpling.
"Teacher Mu Yue is the best in the world!" Anko expressed her satisfaction. If she received a few more servings of dumplings, there might soon be a 'Mu Yue Religion' in Konoha.
The other students also expressed their gratitude, and their already high favorability toward Mu Yue increased even further.
The Ninja School was highly efficient, and two days after the exams, the results were calculated and announced, confirming Mu Yue's suspicions.
(End of Chapter)
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