Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed.
...
"Naruto!"
"Are you causing trouble again!"
"Get back to your seat right now!"
Iruka stood with his hands on his hips, looking exasperatedly at Naruto, who was jumping all over the classroom.
Once the room had finally quieted down, he walked to the podium, holding a long document in his hand.
"Class, half a year of learning has already gone by. Many students have performed exceptionally well, and I am very pleased. For those of you who are temporarily falling behind, don't be discouraged. With hard work and determination, you still have a chance to catch up."
"Alright, I have an announcement to make. The final exam of the school year is coming up soon. Everyone, please pay attention to your rest and diet when you go home. You must face the upcoming assessment in your best condition."
Iruka's words caused an uproar among the students.
"No way."
"The final exam? I'm doomed!"
"This is too hard for me."
"Sigh, I haven't even learned the Three Basic Jutsu yet! My shuriken aim is terrible too."
"Don't even mention it, who isn't in the same boat? You think everyone is a genius like Sasuke and Kusuo?"
"It's over, it's over! If I don't get a good grade on the exam, my father will definitely punish me severely!"
Almost all the students hung their heads and sighed, whispering to each other with long faces. Only Hatake Kusuo remained unmoved.
He had been learning the Ninja Academy's curriculum. He had achieved an "excellent" rating in all practical skills, including the Three Basic Jutsu and shurikenjutsu. It was just the academic classes that he didn't pay much attention to.
The main reason was that he spent every day trying to master Total Concentration: Constant. This training required his full attention and a state of high mental tension; he was even practicing it in his sleep. Any remaining time was spent on sword practice. Naturally, there was no time left to study academic subjects that did little to improve his actual strength.
Besides, what was the point of learning that stuff? In Kusuo's own words, all he needed was a sword to cut down any enemy. Why bother with all the other miscellaneous things? It was just a waste of time.
"Kusuo, you don't have to worry. I'm sure you'll get a great score!" said a shy little girl sitting next to him, her head bowed as she spoke in a small voice.
"Oh, it's you, Hinata. Thank you for your concern," Kusuo said with a smile, looking at the young Hyuga heiress who was now too shy to even look at him directly.
His seating arrangement was quite blissful. He was flanked by Hinata and Ino. Being accompanied by such lovely girls every day and occasionally flirting with them made his life at the Ninja Academy not so dull after all.
Hearing Kusuo's words, Hinata's face turned an even deeper shade of red. Her pure white eyes spun, and she felt dizzy as a puff of hot air seemed to rise from the top of her head. Ever since her father, Hiashi Hyuga, had learned that her deskmate was Kusuo, he had mentioned Kusuo's name countless times every day, constantly comparing her to him. Over time, the name "Hatake Kusuo" became firmly engraved in Hinata's heart.
"Don't worry, Hinata! You know how strong Kusuo is. He'll definitely be number one in our class!" Ino Yamanaka declared, looking at Kusuo with adoration. Her tone was absolutely certain, as if she had already seen the results.
Nearby, Sasuke, who was sitting in front of them, heard this, raised an eyebrow, and snorted through his nose with clear dissatisfaction. "Hmph!"
On the podium, Iruka looked at Kusuo. The constant smile on his face was like seeing the Fourth Hokage all over again.
The resemblance...
It's uncanny.
The two of them were just so similar. Both were like radiant suns, warmly illuminating the world. Yes, compared to the cold and aloof Sasuke, Kusuo, who always maintained a gentle demeanor, was extremely popular.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for increasing the Role-Play Percentage!]
[Current Role-Play Percentage: 40%! Reward: Sun Breathing, Third Form - Raging Sun's Crimson Mirror!]
The sudden sound of the system rang in his ears. A faint smile played on Kusuo's lips. As he thought, emulating Yoriichi's personality was indeed a very important part of the role-play.
But one thing that gave him a headache was that over the past six months, he had practically become a "central air conditioner"—in other words, a universal nice guy. If he were ugly and lacked other redeeming qualities, it would be fine. But he just had to be ridiculously handsome and incredibly strong. Now, almost every girl in school considered him her dream valentine. This had unintentionally brought him a lot of trouble.
"Oh well, I'll take it one step at a time. What can I do if I'm too handsome? I'm helpless too," Kusuo sighed internally, resigned to his own charisma. There was nothing to be done. Being handsome meant he could do whatever he wanted.
...
Hokage's Office.
The elderly Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat dressed in his official robes, puffing on a pipe as he looked at the report in his hands.
"How has Naruto been recently? Have there been any uncontrollable phenomena?" he asked an ANBU member at his side casually.
The ANBU, wearing a cat mask, knelt on one knee and answered in a deep voice, "Reporting to Lord Hokage, Naruto's condition has been stable for the past six months. He has made many friends at the Ninja Academy, and his emotional state is quite stable."
"Mm," Hiruzen responded faintly, continuing to read the student performance report from the Ninja Academy. "As expected of an Uchiha child. Although Sasuke isn't as stunning as Itachi was, his grades are still far ahead of the others."
He made the comment casually, but the ANBU member kneeling on the floor felt a chill. He wasn't sure if the Third's words had a double meaning. Recently, the village's attitude towards the Uchiha had become increasingly intense. Especially Lord Danzo...
"This Hatake Kusuo is interesting. His scores in ninjutsu and taijutsu are in a league of their own, even surpassing many of the graduating students."
"Hm?"
"Why are his theory grades so poor?!"
Hiruzen had just been about to say that the Hatake clan had finally produced another incredible genius—after all, both the White Fang and Kakashi were considered part of his Hokage lineage. But the next second, he was completely blindsided by Kusuo's unbearably disastrous academic scores.
"This won't do!"
"Someone who only focuses on martial training and neglects their inner strength will sooner or later become a problem. It seems it's time for this old man to visit the school and spread the Will of Fire..."
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