Chapter 20: The Smile Will Not Disappear, Only Shift

"Good morning, Izumo."

In the early morning, on the way to the Academy, Hagane Kotetsu greeted Kamizuki Izumo whom he happened to encounter.

"Yeah, good morning," responded Kamizuki Izumo.

Hagane Kotetsu put his arm around Kamizuki Izumo's neck, briefly locking it, and then released it, saying with a smile:

"Why do you look so unenergetic?"

Kamizuki Izumo sighed and said, "Kotetsu, did you forget? Today is the day when the results are announced."

"Oh, right. Did you not perform well in the exam, Izumo?" Hagane Kotetsu recalled that Mutsuki mentioned yesterday that the results would be out today.

"Yeah, I feel like my scores might be low." Kamizuki Izumo tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing at the sky with a hint of sorrow.

"It's okay, I didn't perform well either. I guess it'll be the same for you," comforted Hagane Kotetsu, patting Kamizuki Izumo on the shoulder.

Then, the two walked together towards the Academy. Just as they approached the Academy, they ran into Anko.

"Izumo, Kotetsu, good morning!" Anko greeted them happily.

"Anko, good morning," the two responded.

"Why do you both look like you're not in a good mood? Did you have nightmares last night?" Anko curiously asked.

"No, it's because today is the day the results are announced," sighed Hagane Kotetsu.

"We both didn't do well; we feel like our scores will be low."

"Hehe, really? I feel like I did pretty well. Maybe my scores will be quite high," Anko said proudly upon hearing the reason.

"Then we can ask Yumi-sensei for rewards again," Anko added, even though they hadn't seen the scores yet, she felt like celebrating.

After all, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo's theoretical scores are usually considered quite good. She outperforms them both, so she's definitely getting high scores.

"I really envy you, Anko. Second in practical skills and doing well in theory too," Kamizuki Izumo expressed his admiration.

Upon hearing Kamizuki Izumo's praise, Anko couldn't help but feel even more inflated, walking with an air of confidence, resembling a big sister.

Then, the trio encountered Shisui and other classmates from their class as they entered the school.

"How did you do in the exams, Shisui?" Anko curiously asked.

"Just average," Shisui replied calmly.

Anko couldn't help but raise her expectations for her own scores. If Shisui only got average marks, could she aim for first place?

"First place might be unlikely, but the top five should be possible, right?" Anko, who hadn't yet lost her sanity due to overconfidence, usually scored in the middle range in regular exams.

As they approached the bulletin board, it was already surrounded by a group of students, and the sounds of discussions about the results filled the air.

"These class scores are too high. There are so many in the seventies and eighties."

"And there's even one with a perfect score, seems to be first in practical skills, really terrifying."

"No wonder it's the class led by Mutsuki-sensei..."

"Make way, make way." Anko, eager to know her own results, paid no attention to what others were saying. She led the charge with Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, pushing through to find the Class 2 results board.

"80 points! Yay!" Anko immediately spotted her name next to the eighty, cheering happily.

However, soon she noticed an issue; it seemed like her ranking wasn't quite right.

"Kotetsu, Izumo, have you found your scores?" Anko quickly asked.

"Yeah, found them. 92 points," nodded Hagane Kotetsu.

"H-how much?" Anko suspected she misheard.

"92 points," Hagane Kotetsu repeated.

"Yoouuu, watch your language!"

Anko slapped Hagane Kotetsu's shoulder heavily. Two large hazel eyes stared at Hagane Kotetsu in disbelief.

We agreed we didn't do well, and you scored a 92?

"What do you mean you didn't do well?" Anko couldn't help but ask.

"It's luck, just luck. I thought I didn't do well, but it turned out fine," Hagane Kotetsu chuckled, trying to brush it off.

"Izumo, how about you? What's your score?" Hagane Kotetsu asked.

"97," Kamizuki Izumo replied with a smile.

"H-how much?" Hagane Kotetsu felt like he misheard; this was almost a perfect score.

"97," Kamizuki Izumo repeated.

This time, Hagane Kotetsu heard it clearly. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, while the one on Kamizuki Izumo's face became even more pronounced.

"I comforted you early in the morning, and you ended up doing so well, almost a perfect score," Hagane Kotetsu directly locked his arm around Kamizuki Izumo's neck and took him outside.

Anko, seeing this familiar scene, decisively joined the fray, occasionally sneaking in a few punches for Hagane Kotetsu as well.

These two were too infuriating, scoring so well and still deceiving her emotions.

...

[After a month of hard study, disciple Uchiha Shisui achieved a Perfect score in the academic assessment, rewards: Chakra +300, Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll]

[Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll: Elevates any learnrd Ninjutsu to a proficient level]

[After a month of diligent study, disciple Uchiha Obito achieved a good score in the academic assessment, rewards: Chakra +150]

[After a month of dedicated study, disciple Might Guy achieved a good score in the academic assessment, rewards: Chakra +150]

As Mutsuki expected, there were indeed rewards for the exams, and they were much more abundant than the rewards for teaching. In these three days, he couldn't talk his way to six hundred Chakra even if his throat smoked, as a B-rank evaluation only gave twenty Chakra.

This was still because Obito and Might Guy performed poorly in theory and weren't first in practical skills. Otherwise, the rewards would have been even higher.

Mutsuki suddenly felt an impulse to have the school conduct exams more frequently. Normally, the Academy only had two exams per semester.

If they had ten exams in one semester, he might as well soar into the sky.

This thought only crossed Mutsuki's mind for a moment before he abandoned it. He knew that doing so might not even earn him rewards. The occasional tests he conducted in class were not rewarded by the system either.

Moreover, Mutsuki believed that his proposal wouldn't be accepted by the school. Ten exams in one semester would be overwhelming for both students and senseis.

After some contemplation, Mutsuki decided to use the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll. There were three semesters in a year, with two exams each semester, meaning he could potentially receive six Ninjutsu Proficiency Scrolls per year.

Since he could acquire more later, he decided to enhance his abilities first to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Mutsuki applied the Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll to the Water Severing Wave. In an instant, numerous memories of practicing the Water Severing Wave and various techniques flashed through his mind.

Although Mutsuki has mastered quite a few Ninjutsu techniques now, he believes the most powerful one is still the Water Severing Wave.

During lunchtime in the office, Mutsuki became the center of discussion.

"Yumi-sensei, how do you teach? The theoretical scores of these students are off the charts. The average score is dozens of points higher than other classes," Kimura couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, Mutsuki-sensei, do you have any tips? The two in my class barely passed this time, but who knows about the next one," Chitani Isamu added.

Might Guy and Obito truly shocked him this time, not only dominating the top two in practical skills but also passing in theory.

Just as Mutsuki was about to say something, another teacher entered the office and said to Mutsuki:

"Yumi-sensei, the principal is looking for you."

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