The third day of exams moved fast—faster than anyone expected.Only two finalists from each class.Eight classes total.Just sixteen combatants stepping into a killing-floor shaped like a training ground.
Everyone else? Optional attendance.
But the stands were overflowing anyway.
Students who got crushed on Day Two… students who had friends in the finals… or students who just wanted to see who'd dominate Grade Four—They all came.
Then someone blinked in shock.
"…Hah? Is that Obito? Why's he standing with the finalists?"
"You didn't hear the news from Class 2 yesterday?" another whispered.
"No. I lost round one and just went home."
"Well, that explains it. Obito's cracked now. He flattened Uchiha Tetsuka."
The buzz swept through the crowd like wildfire.
Even people who ridiculed Obito and Might Guy before now defended them.Class loyalty was a strange thing—when the school watched, even past mockers became cheerleaders.
Hanyū Yuuma stood at the edge of the field, watching quietly.
Hinata Kamado… Byakugan already this polished? Tch. Early-stage Hyuga are oppressive.
Guy and Obito had talent—but talent didn't erase the Hyuga advantage.
Byakugan required no "activation training."Gentle Fist was inherited, polished, weaponized from childhood.
In contrast, Obito and Guy had only practiced under Yuuma for a single month.Their flaws still outnumbered their strengths.
And when the brackets were announced—
"Uchiha Obito vs. Hinata Kamado."
"Might Guy vs. Grade 4, Class 3's finalist."
It was already over.
Obito didn't even get to weave a single seal.
A blur of pale hands.Precise strikes drilling into tenketsu.His body locked up from the inside out.
Hinata Kamado dismantled him with surgical precision.
Guy did better, but not by much.
His taijutsu was sharp, his movements fierce—yet the Byakugan saw everything.Every shift.Every weight transfer.Every strike before it launched.
Guy pushed forward again and again—
—but the Hyuga prodigy broke down each pattern and countered perfectly.
Loss was inevitable.
Obito sat on a bench afterward, fists clenched, shoulders shaking slightly.
He'd aimed for first place in the grade…He didn't even make top two.
Yuuma approached, voice steady and grounded.
"Don't dwell on the loss. Focus on how far you've climbed since last year."
Obito blinked.
Last year's ranking: 20th place in Class 3's final exam.This year: nearly top two in the entire grade.
The math hit him like a revelation.
"…Then next time… next time I can reach first," Obito murmured, fire returning to his eyes.
Yuuma nodded once, satisfied, and walked on—
Only to find Might Guy looking strangely dejected as well.
That was unexpected.Guy usually shrugged off defeat like it was just another rep he needed to train through.
Yuuma realized why.
The manual I gave him… he must feel like he let my expectations down.
He placed a firm hand on Guy's shoulder.
"Failure is part of the path. Don't fear it. Learn from it."
Guy froze.
Failure…He knew that word too well.
Barely passing the entrance exam.Getting smashed by Kakashi.Ranking last in everything…
He'd been drowning in failure since the moment he set foot in the academy.
But suddenly, his father's words—the ones about youth never fading—felt clearer.
"I understand, Hanyū-sensei."Guy bowed, eyes blazing.The wall inside him crumbled, replaced by raw determination.
I'll train until I stand at the top.
Yuuma smiled faintly and continued on.
Shisui—Grade Champion—was surrounded by students firing questions at him like kunai.
"Teacher Hanyu!"A voice sprinted toward him.
It was Anko, grinning."Teacher! I got second place! Is there a reward?"
Yuuma chuckled, patting her head."What about dumplings?"
"Best teacher ever!"Anko practically exploded with joy.
Hagane Kotetsu pouted nearby."Shisui didn't even ask for his reward yet… Can you not jump the line so fast?"
Yuuma dismissed the crowd gently and guided Shisui toward the commercial street.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
Shisui thought for a moment.
"…Honestly? Bored. There wasn't anyone worth going all out against."
Yuuma didn't hesitate."That's normal. At your level, there's no equal in Grade Four. Even Grade One doesn't compare."
Shisui's next question hit like a thrown kunai.
"Then… should I graduate early?"
Yuuma paused mid-step.
"Early graduation?"
Shisui nodded."I heard some geniuses before me felt the academy couldn't teach them anything anymore and left early…"
Yuuma exhaled.
"I don't recommend it. Not in your first year. Not with a war this close."
He continued:
"Your strength may surpass your peers, but outside the academy, you won't be fighting peers. If school feels meaningless, use a Shadow Clone to attend for you. Your main body can train under my guidance."
Shisui's eyes widened.
A clone would handle boring classes.He could train nonstop.
He bowed lightly."…That's a great idea, sensei."
Yuuma took him to buy dumplings, then returned to school.Before afternoon class began, every student in Class One, Grade One received a portion.
And Anko, because of her earlier request, got an extra one.
"Teacher Hanyu is the best in the world!" she declared proudly.
The class's affection for Yuuma climbed even higher.
Two days later, the school posted all exam results—confirming Yuuma's suspicion:
His class had dominated.