https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-261-Surprises-from-the-Disciples/12558269/
Chapter 260: Graduation Exam
Chapter 260: Graduation Exam
On Monday, early in the morning, Obito was awakened by his internal alarm clock. After washing up, he ate the breakfast his grandmother had prepared and got ready to head to the Ninja Academy.
Today was the day of the Ninja Academy's final exam, but for Obito, this exam was different from any other he had taken before. This was the graduation exam; passing it meant receiving a forehead protector on the spot, symbolizing graduation from the academy.
"Obito, are you up? It's your graduation exam today, isn't it?"
Just as Obito was about to leave, he heard Hinata Hyuga's voice, and he quickly replied while putting on his shoes, "How could I sleep in today? I've already had breakfast."
Obito hurriedly finished tying his shoes and stepped out, only to see Hinata standing there with a smile on her face, waving at him.
"I was worried you'd be late like you were on the first day of school, so I came to call for you. Looks like I underestimated you, Obito," Hinata said with a laugh.
Hinata couldn't even begin to imagine the consequences of being late for the graduation exam, but she had a feeling they wouldn't be pleasant, so she had made sure to get up early, finish her morning routine, and then head over to Obito's house to make sure he was up.
"I'm the man who will bring an end to wars and become the Hokage. I won't make the same mistake twice," Obito said, puffing out his chest and lifting his head high in confidence.
Even if he came across someone who needed help today, Obito now had a plan to ensure he wouldn't be late. He could use the Shadow Clone Technique and send a clone to assist the elderly while he went to take the exam.
"So, does that mean you won't need my help anymore, Obito?" Hinata asked, her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward, and looking at Obito with a playful smile.
"Th-That... I... I..." Obito stammered, feeling his face heat up. Saying yes would be a blow to his own ego, but there was no way he could deny needing Hinata's help.
"That's not the same thing," Obito quickly recovered. "Even the Hokage needs the support of his companions, just like Hashirama Senju became the Hokage with the support of the people. Of course, I need your help too, Hinata." His mind raced, and he suddenly recalled a case that Mu Yue had mentioned in class.
At that moment, he was grateful that he had paid attention during Mu Yue's lesson, even if he hadn't understood everything at the time. But he had remembered it, and now it came in handy.
"Then let's head to the academy," Hinata said, covering her mouth to hide her smile as she watched Obito's flustered reaction.
In truth, she had only been teasing him, and she knew very well that Obito would never say he didn't need her help.
"Yeah, let's go. We can deal with anything that comes our way if we leave early," Obito agreed, feeling relieved to see Hinata's smile. He nodded firmly. "I wonder what this year's graduation exam will be."
As they walked, Obito tried to strike up a conversation with Hinata, as opportunities for the two of them to stroll through the streets like this were rare.
"No matter what jutsu it is, you'll definitely be fine, Obito," Hinata assured him, full of confidence in his ninja skills.
In preparation for the exam, Mu Yue had specifically reviewed the basic ninja skills of the students who would be taking the exam, and even Might Guy could perform decent basic jutsu now. As for Obito, he was extremely proficient.
"Haha, these basic jutsu are nothing compared to the fire jutsu Mu Yue-sensei taught us," Obito boasted, unable to hide the proud smile on his face.
The graduation exam didn't include any theoretical component; it solely focused on practical application of the basic jutsu they had been taught, and the exam could cover any of the jutsu in their curriculum. Obito was confident that he would ace the exam, no matter which jutsu was chosen.
"I wish they'd get rid of the theoretical part for every exam," Obito sighed longingly.
Theory was his arch-nemesis. It was his poor performance in theory that had earned him the nickname "dead last." In reality, his practical skills weren't that bad.
Because of his abysmal theory grades, he had solved countless practice questions, but it still wasn't enough to escape Kakashi's mockery about his lack of theoretical knowledge.
"Once I become Hokage, I'll abolish theory exams!" Obito vowed to himself.
But then another thought occurred to him. Once he became Hokage, no one would test his theoretical knowledge anymore. The struggles he had endured at the academy would be something only he could understand.
"Never mind," Obito thought. "This exam exists for a reason, and it's probably best to just leave it be."
Not only did he decide against abolishing theory exams, but he also considered assigning more practice tests as homework to improve the overall theoretical level of the students.
"Obito, you can't stop learning after you graduate, you know. Kakashi mentioned that the Chunin Exams also have a theory test," Hinata reminded him, recalling Kakashi's words.
Hearing the name he dreaded and the mention of yet another exam, Obito felt a headache coming on.
"Let's worry about future problems in the future. For now, let's just focus on passing this graduation exam!" Obito said, tugging at his hair in exasperation.
After much contemplation, he decided to leave future worries for his future self to deal with. "You can do it, future me!"
"Good morning, Obito-senpai, Hinata-senpai!"
A lively and cute female voice called out from behind them, accompanied by two male voices. Obito turned to see a few students from Mu Yue's class.
"Obito-senpai, why the long face so early in the morning? Even someone as strong as you has troubles?"
"Haha, it's nothing serious. I was just thinking about something unpleasant," Obito laughed, brushing off the question.
He didn't want his adoring juniors to know about his fear of theory exams.
"Perhaps that's the loneliness of the strong, Obito-senpai. You've defeated everyone in the academy," Kotetsu Hagane said with a melancholy expression, thinking that Obito was a lonely powerhouse.
"You've been reading too many novels, Kotetsu. I think Obito-senpai is just sad about graduating and parting with his friends and classmates," Izumo Kamizuki teased.
"I've been reading quite a few novels lately, and I feel like I'm going to mess up this exam," Kotetsu nodded, looking regretful.
"Now that you mention it, I've been gaming every day without reviewing. I feel like I'll do much worse than last time. I can't let this happen again," Izumo also showed a remorseful expression.
"Really? I studied for three days, so will I do better than you two this time?" Anko said, a little pleased, but because of her two mischievous friends' past behavior, she still had a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
No matter how naive and innocent she was, she should have some guard up after being tricked so many times.
"That's not going to happen. No matter how badly I do, I can't score lower than you, Anko," Kotetsu shook his head.
He felt that no matter how poorly he performed, he wouldn't drop below ninety-five, while Anko had never scored above ninety.
"That's true. To score lower than Anko, you'd probably have to not read any books for two straight months. In a sense, that's pretty hard too," Izumo nodded in agreement.
"Aah, I knew you two jerks were up to something. Have you eaten breakfast? If not, eat my fist!" Anko, unable to hold back, chased after the two.
Kotetsu and Izumo sprinted towards the school, and even after entering the exam room, Anko didn't dare to be reckless.
"What a wonderful friendship," Rin Nohara smiled as she watched the three of them running after each other.
Kotetsu and Izumo were ruthless with their words, but Anko's attacks were swift, and Rin could tell that they were good friends. Anko didn't hit them with full strength, and Kotetsu and Izumo were mostly joking around.
"I see a reflection of you and Kakashi in them," Rin covered her mouth and laughed.
Although their behavior was different, they shared a similar trait of enjoying teasing each other.
"That's not true," Obito denied it.
As they were about to arrive at the Ninja School, they ran into Might Guy, who was jogging towards them.
"I've finished my half-hour morning warm-up, and now I'm ready to take on the exam with full power!" Might Guy showed his shiny white teeth, giving himself a thumbs-up and laughing heartily.
"Yeah, good luck," Rin Nohara clenched her fist to cheer him on.
Might Guy was the worst student in Mu Yue's class when it came to ninjutsu. His learning efficiency was abysmal, and his ninjutsu talent was truly embarrassing. However, having a little talent was better than having none, as it meant he could learn the Body Flicker Technique. For Might Guy, mastering the Body Flicker Technique was already a huge gain.
"Good luck, Guy," Obito also smiled and encouraged him. With no practical combat in the graduation exam, they wouldn't be rivals this time.
"Yeah, let's all pass the exam with our passionate youth!" Might Guy laughed and nodded, giving Obito and Rin thumbs-ups as well.
Then the three of them walked into the classroom together.
They arrived relatively early, and there was still some time before the graduation exam started. The students in the classroom had not yet gathered.
As soon as the three of them entered the classroom, they immediately attracted a lot of attention, especially Obito and Might Guy.
After seeing their grades, Might Guy and Obito had left the classroom, but they had left many legends in the Ninja Academy.
For example, the interaction between Obito, Kakashi, and Might Guy revealed that Obito and Might Guy had defeated Kakashi in actual combat.
Another example was Obito's two mysterious A-rank missions. Some Jonin teachers had personally said that they had never taken on A-rank missions, and everyone was curious about how Obito's team had completed such high-difficulty missions, especially since Obito mentioned encountering Jonin on those missions.
However, since it was the graduation exam, which determined whether they would become ninjas, the students took it very seriously. Only a few students close to Obito took the opportunity to ask him a question, and there was no scene of students crowding around to discuss the matter.
When the exam time arrived, the homeroom teacher of Class 4-2, Yu Ikeda, walked into the classroom with another teacher from Class 4-1.
Usually, the graduation exam was supervised by the class teachers, and the homeroom teacher had to be present.
"Everyone, quiet down. The graduation exam is about to begin. When your name is called, follow us to the next classroom for the exam," Yu Ikeda said.
"This year's exam topic is the Clone Technique!" Yu Ikeda announced the graduation exam topic.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
