"Izumo, good morning!" Early in the morning, on his way to the Ninja Academy, Kotetsu Hagane greeted Izumo Kamizuki, whom he had met by chance.
"Mhm, good morning," Izumo Kamizuki replied.
Kotetsu put his arm around Izumo's neck, locked it for a moment, then released it and chuckled, "Why do you look so out of it?"
Izumo Kamizuki sighed and said, "Kotetsu, did you forget? Today is the day results are released."
"Oh, right! Did you not do well on the exam, Izumo?" Kotetsu remembered that Muyue had mentioned the results would be out today.
"Yeah, I feel like my score might be really low," Izumo Kamizuki sighed, looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, appearing a bit melancholic.
"It's fine, I didn't do well either. I'll probably be just like you," Kotetsu patted Izumo Kamizuki's shoulder reassuringly.
Then, the two walked together towards the Ninja Academy and happened to run into Anko just as they were approaching the school.
"Izumo, Kotetsu, good morning!" Anko greeted them cheerfully.
"Anko, good morning," both replied.
"Why do you two look so down? Did you have a nightmare last night?" Anko asked curiously.
"No, it's because today is the day the results come out," Kotetsu sighed. "Neither of us did well; we feel like our scores will be really low."
"Hehe, is that so? I feel like I did pretty well, maybe my score will be quite high," Anko chuckled proudly when she heard the reason. "I'll be able to ask Teacher Hanyu for a reward again." Although she hadn't seen her score yet, Anko felt like it was time to pop the champagne. After all, Kotetsu and Izumo Kamizuki's theoretical scores were considered quite good, and she had scored better than them, so it must be a high score for sure.
"I really envy you, Anko. Second place in practicals, and you even did well in theory," Izumo Kamizuki expressed his envy.
Hearing Izumo Kamizuki's praise, Anko couldn't help but swell with pride, walking with a swagger like a big sister.
Then, the Anko trio encountered Shisui and the other students from their class as they entered the school.
"Shisui, how did you do on the exam?" Anko asked curiously.
"Just so-so," Shisui replied calmly.
Anko couldn't help but look forward to her own score even more. If even Shisui thought he did "just so-so," could she actually be first? "First place is probably impossible, but top five should be doable?" Anko hadn't gotten so carried away that she lost her rationality; she usually only got average scores on exams.
When they reached the bulletin board, it was already surrounded by a crowd of students, with discussions about scores everywhere.
"Class One's scores are ridiculously high, so many in the seventies and eighties!"
"There's even a perfect score, who also got first in practicals, truly terrifying!"
"As expected of the class taught by Teacher Muyue..."
"Excuse me, excuse me!" Anko, eager to know her score, wasn't in the mood to pay attention to what others were saying. She directly led the charge, pushing her way in with Kotetsu and Izumo Kamizuki, and found the Class Two score sheet.
"Eighty points! Yes!" Anko immediately saw her name and the eighty next to it, cheering with delight.
However, she quickly noticed a problem: her ranking seemed off. "Kotetsu, Izumo, did you find your scores?" Anko quickly asked.
"Mhm, found it. Ninety-two points," Kotetsu nodded and said.
"H-how much?" Anko suspected she had misheard.
"Ninety-two points," Kotetsu repeated.
This time, Kotetsu heard very clearly. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, while the smile on Izumo Kamizuki's face grew wider.
"And here I was, comforting you this morning, turns out you scored so well, almost full marks," Kotetsu immediately put Izumo Kamizuki in a headlock and dragged him away.
Anko, seeing this familiar scene, decisively joined the fray, occasionally sneaking in a punch to Kotetsu as well. These two were too hateful, scoring so well and still deceiving her emotions.
...
[After a month of diligent study, disciple Uchiha Shisui achieved perfect results in the academic assessment, receiving the reward: Chakra +300, Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll.]
[Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll: Raises any mastered ninjutsu to the proficient level.]
[After a month of diligent study, disciple Uchiha Obito achieved good results in the academic assessment, receiving the reward: Chakra +150.]
[After a month of diligent study, disciple Might Guy achieved good results in the academic assessment, receiving the reward: Chakra +150.]
As Muyue expected, there were indeed rewards for the exams, and they were much more generous than the lecture rewards. Even if he talked himself hoarse for these three days, he wouldn't gain 600 chakra; a single B-rank evaluation only gave 20 chakra. This was still because Obito and Might Guy's theoretical scores were poor, and they didn't get first place in practicals, otherwise the rewards would have been even higher.
Muyue suddenly had an impulse to ask the school to hold more exams. The Ninja Academy generally only had two exams per semester. If there were ten exams in a semester, he would surely soar to the heavens. This thought only appeared for a moment before Muyue dismissed it, because he knew that doing so might not even yield rewards. His usual in-class exams were also considered exams, yet the system never gave him rewards. Moreover, Muyue felt that his suggestion wouldn't be accepted by the school; having ten exams in a semester would exhaust not only the students but also the teachers.
Muyue thought for a moment and used the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll. There were three semesters in a year, with two exams each semester, meaning he could obtain at least six Ninjutsu Proficiency Scrolls per year. Since he could acquire more later, it was better to enhance his strength first to prevent any unexpected situations. Muyue used the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll on Water Release: Severing Wave. Instantly, many memories of practicing Water Release: Severing Wave, as well as various techniques, appeared in his mind. Although Muyue now mastered many ninjutsu, Muyue believed that Water Release: Severing Wave was still the most powerful.
At the office during lunchtime, Muyue became the center of discussion.
"Teacher Hanyu, how do you teach? Your students' theoretical scores are just insane, the average is dozens of points higher than other classes," Kimura Sanjin couldn't help but ask.
"Exactly, Teacher Muyue, do you have any tips? Although the two in my class barely passed this time, who knows about next time," Isamu Ikegaya followed up. Might Guy and Obito truly shocked him this time; not only did they take the top two spots in practicals, but they also passed the theory exam.
Just as Muyue was about to say something, a teacher entered the office and said to Muyue, "Teacher Hanyu, the principal is looking for you."