At noon, the teachers in the office were discussing their experiences from invigilating the exams.
“That Hyuga Homon from Class 4A is amazing. As expected of a member of the Hyuga clan, no one in his class could last more than a minute against him,” Ikegaya Yuu said enviously.
“Looks like he’ll be at the top of the grade in the practical exams again.”
Ikegaya Yuu wished he were the homeroom teacher of Class 4A instead of 4B. If that were the case, he could easily win the bonus and have money to take his date to a fancy restaurant.
But that was impossible. With such excellent grades, the teacher would remain the same.
“I don’t think it’s certain. From what I saw, your class’s Uchiha Obito is pretty strong, too. He might be able to compete,” Kimura Sugito chimed in.
Ikegaya Yuu looked puzzled and asked, “Sugito, did you mean Uchiha Tetsuo? His skills are indeed impressive.”
“How could I get the name wrong? I’m talking about Uchiha Obito,” Kimura Sugito insisted.
“Uchiha Obito? That’s impossible. What skills could he have?” Ikegaya Yuu looked at Kimura Sugito sceptically, suspecting he was pulling his leg.
Uchiha Obito was known as the worst of the Uchiha clan. If he had any fundamental skills, he wouldn’t have such a reputation.
“Why would I lie to you? Uchiha Obito’s first opponent was Uchiha Tetsuo, and he won decisively,” Kimura Sugito explained.
Seeing Ikegaya Yuu still didn’t believe him, Kimura Sugito turned to Mokutsuki and said, “Mokutsuki was invigilating with me. You can ask him.”
Ikegaya Yuu looked at Mokutsuki.
Mokutsuki nodded and said, “It’s true. Uchiha Obito defeated Uchiha Tetsuo in the first round.”
“That’s strange,” Ikegaya Yuu scratched his head, finding it hard to believe.
He trusted Mokutsuki’s words since Mokutsuki had earned the respect of all the teachers within just a month of joining. Mokutsuki was reliable.
“Why was Obito able to beat Uchiha Tetsuo?” Ikegaya Yuu couldn’t fathom the reason. The so-called underachiever defeating the former class top seemed unfathomable.
Looking at Ikegaya Yuu’s reaction, Mokutsuki thought to himself, “He’s so surprised by Obito’s performance. If Guy shows his strength, he’d probably think he was under a genjutsu.”
Ikegaya Yuu’s luck seemed to have taken a turn for the better. Mokutsuki figured he’d keep his bonus.
Ikegaya Yuu’s luck wasn’t all undeserved, though. He frequently asked Mokutsuki to cover his classes, which helped Mokutsuki with his own goals. Moreover, Ikegaya Yuu had often treated him to meals, making their relationship relatively amicable.
“Your class is the impressive one, Mokutsuki,” Ueda Aya chimed in. She had invigilated for Mokutsuki’s first-year class.
“The overall level of their Three Basic Techniques is almost on par with my second-year class,” Ueda Aya remarked.
“Especially that super-genius Uchiha Shisui. He reminds me of Hatake Kakashi from a few years ago. He’ll definitely be the first-year practical exam champion.”
“Compared to Kakashi? That’s quite a statement,” Ikegaya Yuu said, surprised.
Being at the top of the grade was one thing, but being compared to Kakashi was extraordinary.
Kakashi was widely regarded as a super-genius at the Academy in recent years, and he had proven his worth by becoming a Chunin within a year of graduation.
“It’s really that impressive. He’s on a different level from the other first-year students,” Ueda Aya nodded.
“That’s incredible. You’re lucky, Mokutsuki. Getting recognised should be a piece of cake for you,” Ikegaya Yuu said enviously. Why couldn’t he have such luck? He’d be content just to keep his bonus.
“It’s not luck; it’s because Mokutsuki teaches so well. That overall performance can’t just be due to having talented students,” Ueda Aya corrected.
She believed the impressive performance of Class 1A was due to Mokutsuki’s excellent teaching skills, not just because they had a bunch of geniuses.
Otherwise, why would the students from the classes he subbed for all want him to come back more often?
It wasn’t just one or two classes; every class he subbed for gave glowing reviews.
“My bad. I know it’s because Mokutsuki’s an excellent teacher. My students would rather have him teach all the time,” Ikegaya Yuu said, feeling a bit down.
He only occasionally asked Mokutsuki to cover for him, but the students clearly preferred Mokutsuki.
“Well, the students are working hard, too,” Mokutsuki said modestly.
After chatting with his colleagues for a while, Mokutsuki began practising calligraphy until the afternoon exam.
The practical exams continued at Training Ground 16 but with fewer people than in the morning.
Students who had already lost were not required to continue and could choose whether to come or not.
As time passed, one battle after another took place. Unfortunately, Rin was eliminated in the first round of the afternoon.
However, Guy’s clean and decisive victories began to attract attention.
“Guy’s taijutsu is so strong. He’s incredibly fast, and he defeated Daisuke with just one kick,” a student exclaimed.
“He’s improved a lot. I remember him being just okay in third grade, but now he’s much stronger,” said a student who knew Guy, puzzled by his sudden improvement.
“Maybe he trained harder over the summer and during the new school term?” They could only speculate.
“The final match: Number One, Uchiha Obito, versus Number Forty, Might Guy. Contestants, please prepare to start,” Mokutsuki announced.
Obito and Guy exchanged glances and quickly moved to the exam area, ready to begin.
“Guy, I won’t let you have this first place,” Obito said, glancing at Rin standing outside the arena, his fighting spirit ignited.
He didn’t want to lose in front of Rin.
“Neither will I. If I aim to be the strongest, I must seize every opportunity for first place!” Guy replied energetically.
“They actually made it to the finals,” the student who had mocked them earlier felt a bit embarrassed.
It seemed ridiculous that just last year, these two were considered underachievers. Who could have predicted they’d become so strong in fourth grade?
No one would have guessed this before the exam started. Everyone assumed Uchiha Tetsuo would be the class’s practical exam champion.
They couldn’t imagine how much these two had trained over the summer and the new school term.
After exchanging some fighting words, Guy and Obito stood facing each other and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
“Begin!”
(End of Chapter)
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