The final exam arrived as scheduled. Many students had looks of nervousness and apprehension on their faces as they participated.
Iruka and several other teachers led the first-year class outside and stood before them to announce the contents of the assessment. Because it wasn't the graduating year and most of the children were only five or six years old, subjects like the Three Basic Jutsu were not included in the exam. The assessment would mainly consist of shurikenjutsu and one-on-one spars.
After all, prodigies like Hatake Kusuo were extremely rare. The only person who knew that he had already completely mastered the Three Basic Jutsu was Kakashi. Even the academy teachers were unaware. Following Kakashi's advice, Kusuo had begun to intentionally hide his strength. Aside from his swordsmanship, which needed constant polishing, he tried not to reveal his abilities unless necessary.
But this was only a temporary measure. Kusuo was confident that once he unlocked more skills and broke through to a new level of strength, he wouldn't have to care even if he was being watched by Danzo and the others. Let the floods rage, I will sever them all with a single strike. That was the confidence Hatake Kusuo possessed.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several shuriken flew rapidly towards the row of wooden posts, hitting the bullseye.
"Sasuke, score: 98 points!"
The chunin instructor recording the scores glanced at the kunai on the targets and announced the result loudly. A score of 98 meant that Sasuke had hit at least nine bullseyes, with only one being slightly off. For a child his age, this was an excellent result, even without any distractions or trajectory calculations.
"Wow! As expected of Sasuke! To be able to throw shuriken so accurately!"
"So cool!"
"I'll be happy if I can get even half of Sasuke's score."
A wave of envious gasps swept through the crowd, which Sasuke enjoyed immensely, lifting his chin with a cool arrogance. As he walked past Kusuo, he deliberately shot him a glare.
"Er..." Kusuo was speechless. This little brat. Is there really a need to be so hostile towards me?
"Next, Sasaki Akihiko!" the chunin examiner called out the next student.
...
"67 points!"
"Alright!" A boy with sharp, monkey-like features pumped his fist in excitement. As members of ordinary families, they didn't have the abundant resources of the great clans. Their goal was simple: passing is winning! As long as they could meet the passing grade in every exam, they would graduate smoothly and become a ninja. Even if their skills weren't outstanding, getting a Genin headband wasn't a problem.
After Sasaki, several more children celebrated achieving a passing grade. Occasionally, a few who did extremely poorly could only hang their heads in dejection as the chunin instructor shook his head.
"Next, Hatake Kusuo!"
Finally, it was Kusuo's turn.
At that moment, as if by silent agreement, every single person looked up at him in unison.
All eyes were on him. The entire class, and even students from other classes and upper years, were watching.
Kusuo shook his head helplessly. This much attention didn't align with his initial intention to keep a low profile.
With no other choice, he walked to the center of the testing area and took ten shuriken from the box.
"Hiss!"
"What is Kusuo doing?"
"Is he... planning to throw ten shuriken at once? Isn't that too insane?"
"It looks like that's exactly his plan!"
Seeing his actions, the onlookers gasped in amazement. Everyone before him had aimed and thrown their shuriken one by one. Even so-called geniuses like Sasuke and Neji could only manage two at a time. To see Kusuo holding ten shuriken at once was a completely different level of exaggeration. The kids were all stunned.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of blades cutting through the air echoed instantly. Many people didn't even have time to react before Kusuo's hands were empty.
"Th-that was too fast!"
"As expected of Kusuo!"
"That move was so cool!"
The chunin instructor standing next to the targets was even more dumbfounded. "Uh... this accuracy..."
"Such skill at such a young age. It seems the Hatake clan has produced another monster." He was a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War and had seen a lot. The power and speed of Kusuo's throws far surpassed anyone else in his age group. He was even reluctant to admit that Kusuo's shuriken technique was superior to his own.
"Full marks!" Iruka announced loudly after a few seconds, seeing that the scoring instructor was still in a daze. His eyes were filled with admiration for this gifted child.
Iruka saw Kusuo much like he saw Naruto, preferring to observe a person's inner world. Kusuo was exceptionally good-looking, and his every move held an intangible charm. Most importantly, unlike Sasuke, he wasn't arrogant and always maintained a peaceful and friendly heart. But this gentleness wasn't extended to everyone. Iruka had once personally witnessed Kusuo decisively drive off several thugs who were bullying an old vegetable vendor. His actions were swift and without a hint of hesitation.
"I hope you can grow up safely. In the future, you will surely be an influential figure like Lord Fourth, won't you?" Iruka murmured, expressing his blessing for Kusuo.
"D... dammit!"
On the other side, Sasuke, who had just been basking in the congratulations and envy of the crowd, curled his lip in disdain, his eyes filled with anger. No one else threw their shuriken all at once. He must have done it on purpose just to attract everyone's attention! That has to be it!
Sasuke's young heart filled with frustration, and he began to glare at Kusuo with resentment.
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