Morning sunlight crawled over the rooftops as students trudged toward the Academy with a tension usually reserved for battlefield marches.
"Izumo, morning!"Hagane Kotetsu spotted Kamizuki Hayato down the road and threw an arm around his neck in a sloppy half-lock.
Hayato looked like a man attending his own funeral.
"…Morning."
Kotetsu narrowed his eyes."What's with that dead-fish face?"
Hayato sighed, head tilting up at a melodramatic 45-degree angle."Did you forget? Today's the day they post the exam results."
Kotetsu blinked."Oh. Right. That's… yeah."
"It went terribly," Hayato muttered. "I just know the score will be low."
Kotetsu clapped him on the shoulder."It's fine. I didn't do great either. We'll suffer together."
They walked on—two condemned men awaiting judgment—until someone bounced into their path.
"Good morning, Izumo, Zitetsu!"Anko beamed like she hadn't tasted anxiety a single day in her life.
They greeted her back, slower and gloomier than ever.
"You two look awful," Anko said bluntly. "Nightmares?"
Kotetsu answered with a groan."No. Results day."
"We both feel like we bombed the exam."
Anko's eyes sparkled with dangerous confidence."Hehe… really? I think I did great. Maybe even high score great."
Kotetsu and Hayato exchanged looks.Of course she was in a good mood.
"And once I see my score, I'm going to ask Hanyū-sensei for a reward."She puffed her cheeks, hands on her hips like an empress ready to claim tribute.
Hayato sighed."I really envy you, Anko… second place in the grade for practicals, and good theory too."
Anko practically floated from how inflated she'd become, her walk suddenly "big boss" level dramatic.
They ran into Shisui shortly after entering the building.
"Shisui! How'd you do?" Anko asked.
"Average," he replied calmly, as if average and perfection were synonyms.
Anko's pupils dilated.
If Shisui says "average"… am I getting first place?
She shook her head.No—stay humble. Maybe top five. Maybe.
The bulletin board was already drowning in students.Dozens pushed in tight, murmuring:
"Why is this class's average so high?""Somebody got a perfect score again—probably the actual combat champ.""As expected of Hanyū-sensei's class…"
Anko shoved her way forward, dragging Kotetsu and Hayato with her.
Then she saw it.
80 points.
She practically exploded."Yes! Yes!! Eighty!"
Her joy lasted all of three seconds.
Because something was wrong.
"…Kotetsu, Izumo—your scores?" she asked, very slowly.
Kotetsu shrugged casually."Ninety-two."
"…What?" Anko asked, voice cracking.
"Ninety-two."
"Konoha swear to Kami—"She smacked Kotetsu's shoulder like she was trying to exorcise a demon.
"You said you didn't do well!"
Kotetsu scratched his cheek."Thought I didn't. Guess it was fine."
"What about you, Izumo?" Kotetsu asked.
Hayato smiled like a cat who'd stolen the fish."Ninety-seven."
Kotetsu froze."…How many?"
"Ninety. Seven."
The smile on Kotetsu's face evaporated.Hayato's smile got brighter.Anko's expression cracked like broken glass.
Kotetsu instantly put Hayato in a headlock."You almost got full marks and you let me comfort you this morning?!"
Anko dove in and started punching both of them.
Traitors.Emotion frauds.How dare they steal her dramatic suffering arc?
Her tiny fists of justice swung freely.
SYSTEM — ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT COMPLETE
Shisui's results hit Yuuma's panel first.
Uchiha Shisui — Academic Excellence Reward Granted[Reward Granted: Chakra +300][Reward Granted: Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll]
The scroll glowed cold-blue on the interface.
[Item: Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll][Effect: Upgrade any learned ninjutsu to Master Level]
Obito and Guy's results appeared next:
Uchiha Obito — Academic Improvement Reward Granted[Reward Granted: Chakra +150]
Might Guy — Academic Improvement Reward Granted[Reward Granted: Chakra +150]
Yuuma nodded. As expected, the reward pool for major exams was far richer than for standard lectures.
A month of nonstop teaching still doesn't give me 600 chakra… but one exam does?
He nearly wanted to ask the Academy to hold ten exams a semester.
Then immediately canceled the thought.
The System wasn't dumb.Daily classroom quizzes never triggered rewards; only official, school-recognized exams did.
Plus, if he submitted a proposal for ten exams per term?
Every teacher and student in the Academy would band together and bury him alive.
So Yuuma shelved that dream.
Instead—
He activated the Mastery Scroll.
A whisper of cold clarity rushed into him.
[System Notice: Skill Upgraded — Water Style: Water Severing Wave (Master Level)]
Memories, insights, micro-adjustments—all the advanced instinct of a seasoned water-style assassin flooded into his mind.
Even among the dozens of techniques he knew, Water Severing Wave was his sharpest blade.
And now it had reached its peak form.
By noon, Yuuma had become the center of gravity in the teacher's office.
Kimura Shanren leaned over his desk."Teacher Hanyū… what did you teach your class? Their averages are absurd. They're scoring tens higher than all other classes."
Iketani Isamu rushed in behind him."Please, Teacher Hanyu—share a trick or two. My students barely passed. Barely!"
Yuuma opened his mouth to reply—
A door slid open.
A senior teacher stuck his head in.
"Teacher Hanyū. The Principal is calling for you."
The room fell silent.
Even the air seemed to tighten.
Yuuma exhaled once and stepped away from his desk, expression calm.
Principal wants to see me…?This will be interesting.