Chapter 20: The Evil Written Exam

Chapter 20: The Evil Written Exam

The holiday didn't last long, and Deidara was back at the ninja academy once more. Unlike his first day, when he felt excitement about the unknown and gaining practical experience, this time he was actually feeling reluctant.

In the academy, he realized he would be quite bored. No one there was truly his match in one-on-one combat, and he had already learned and grasped all the knowledge taught at the ninja school.

Staying here felt like a waste of time; this was the most honest thought in Deidara's mind.

It was clear that his peers felt the same way. Although they were not quite up to Deidara's level, they had already reached the rank of genin, so the academy held little value for them as well.

Deidara still remembered the privilege of early graduation for his class. It seemed like it was time to talk to their teacher about making that happen.

The six-year duration of the ninja academy was not solely meant to give children a decent childhood; more importantly, it was designed to successfully develop their potential.

This world was mature, and children were expected to take on responsibilities at the age of twelve or thirteen. By then, their bodies had not fully developed, and their chakra reserves were still growing.

In such cases, becoming a ninja can significantly improve one's chances of survival, as the typical survival rate for non-ninjas under twelve or thirteen is exceedingly low. This only applies to ordinary people, though.

For those with exceptional potential and talent, once they had absorbed all the value from the ninja academy, staying on campus truly became a waste.

During times of war, the demand for ninja surged, leading to many relatively outstanding ordinary individuals graduating early to join the battlefield.

However, in this relatively peaceful era, children were usually not allowed to graduate early for their protection.

Nonetheless, Deidara and his friends had already planned this out. Since the Tsuchikage agreed to their homeroom teacher's request, arrangements were made for a Jōnin to lead them, ensuring they would be protected while becoming stronger.

After class, Deidara gathered his friends and laid out his proposal, which received unanimous support. They then elected Deidara as their representative to speak to their homeroom teacher.

Deidara felt a bit set up, but since he was the one to suggest it in the first place, he didn't argue against it.

With the encouragement (or rather, isolation) of his friends' gazes, Deidara knocked on the homeroom teacher's office door.

Shortly after, they saw Deidara emerge looking dejected.

"Just as I thought, even though we have become genin, there's no way we can graduate early. That privilege is just a carrot dangled in front of us," said Dōjō, voicing his opinion first, clearly not suspecting Deidara.

Others somewhat agreed with Dōjō's thoughts, but Kurotsuchi began to have her doubts.

Deidara usually had an indifferent demeanor, unperturbed by honors or slights, yet today he looked genuinely disappointed. While this reflected Deidara's dismay, Kurotsuchi was more inclined to believe that Deidara was intentionally behaving this way, and that their request for early graduation had actually been approved.

Kurotsuchi really seemed to understand Deidara well.

Amidst the agreement from most people with Dōjō, Deidara spoke up, "Sigh, we need to pass a written exam first, and then a skill test to graduate early. Ugh! It's just so troublesome!"

"Right! So troublesome!" Chitatsu nodded emphatically, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, are you saying our request was granted?!"

"Deidara, how dare you trick us! Get him! Everyone, charge!"

"Hey, wait, I just said we hadn't passed yet! Honestly, I didn't say it was denied! Ugh, don't slap my face!"

They were all just joking, and no one would genuinely hit Deidara.

Upon learning that there would be a written exam, everyone felt less bored over the next few days. Many of the topics they would be tested on were things they hadn't yet learned.

So, they required the teacher to give them a crash course, dedicating themselves to tackling various subjects. This reminded Deidara of the college entrance exams in his previous life, where everyone crammed to study different exam papers and focus on key questions right before the tests.

In his previous life, although he achieved good grades on the entrance exams, his heart wasn't into it, and he chose to abandon further studies to inherit the traditional craft of clay sculpture.

He felt a wave of nostalgia but didn't neglect his lessons. The homeroom teacher's teaching level was quite high; he could explain complex concepts in simple terms, making it easy for Deidara and his friends to understand.

Nevertheless, even with the teacher's full assistance, they barely finished learning all the theoretical courses they needed to master before the exam.

Deidara let out a long sigh of relief, realizing that tomorrow was the written exam. They had just finished studying today, and the teacher advised them to relax a bit to better prepare for the test.

For Deidara, relaxing meant practicing. He had allowed his training in ninjutsu to wane a bit over the past few days due to the focus on theoretical study, but his chakra training continued daily.

Thus, he decided to review the advanced ninjutsu he currently possessed, namely the Earth Release: Heavy Rock Technique and Earth Release: Light Rock Technique.

Unlike Deidara's way of unwinding, everyone chose their methods.

Chitatsu opted for a large feast to compensate for his fragile spirit after a few tough days. Yifan made plans to go outside the village with Shikari, claiming they wanted to check out the sights of a nearby town.

Others scoffed at those two, considering what could possibly be discovered in just one day? After becoming ninjas, there would be plenty of chances to leave the village.

Dōjō went off with his father somewhere unknown. He didn't disclose it, and the others didn't pry.

Firelight, as usual, went home to show off his skills to his father to earn new ninjutsu; he was also an avid practicer.

Dōjō finally found some time to train his taijutsu. The technique he acquired wasn't fully mastered, and there was still significant room for improvement—he wouldn't waste any time.

As for Kurotsuchi, she wandered through the village, buying various snacks, eventually arriving at Deidara's house, wanting to share her delicious treats with him.

Deidara gladly accepted. He was growing more fond of this thoughtful little girl. It was a warm affection akin to an adult's love for a child.

Kurotsuchi had managed to persevere through these days, but she still had grievances. This made Deidara reminisce about a term from his previous life: "What a truly evil examination!"