At noon, inside the office, various sensei were discussing their observations during the exam.
"Hyuga Kamon from Class 1 of the fourth year is really amazing. He deserves to be a ninja of the Hyuga Clan. Almost no one in the first class can last a minute against him," said Chitani Isamu with some envy.
"I reckon he'll be the top in the practical combat rankings again this time."
Chitani Isamu wished he were the homeroom teacher for Class 1 of the fourth year instead of Class 2. That way, he could casually take the bonus and have money to go on arranged dates to high-end restaurants.
But it was impossible. With such good grades, it was naturally impossible to switch sensei.
"Not necessarily. I think Uchiha Obito from your class is quite strong too. Maybe he can compete for the top spot," Kimura Sugito interjected.
Chitani Isamu wore a puzzled expression and asked:
"Sugito, did you mention the wrong name? It's Uchiha Tekka, right? His strength is indeed impressive,"
"How could I mention the wrong name? I'm talking about Uchiha Obito," Kimura Sugito asserted that he was still very young and not suffering from senility, and he was indeed referring to Uchiha Obito.
"Uchiha Obito? That's impossible. What kind of strength could he have?" Chitani Isamu looked at Kimura Sugito with suspicion, doubting that he was trying to deceive him.
Uchiha Obito was known for being the weakest among the Uchiha, and how could someone with real strength have such a nickname?
"I can't fool you. Uchiha Obito's first opponent was indeed the Uchiha Tekka you mentioned, and he won decisively," continued Kimura Sugito.
Seeing that Chitani Isamu still had some doubts, Kimura Sugito directly brought Mutsuki into the conversation:
"Mutsuki-sensei and I were invigilating together. If you don't believe me, ask him."
Chitani Isamu looked at Mutsuki.
Mutsuki nodded and said, "Indeed, what Kimura-sensei said is true. Uchiha Obito defeated Uchiha Tekka in the first round."
"Hey, this is really strange," Chitani Isamu scratched his head, feeling quite incredulous.
He believed Mutsuki's words; after all, Mutsuki-sensei had gained the recognition of all the sensei within just one month of joining. He was incredibly reliable.
"Why could he defeat Uchiha Tekka?" Chitani Isamu, scratching his head to the point of breaking the skin, couldn't figure out why things had turned out this way.
What happened to being the weakest among the Uchiha? How did he manage to defeat the former top student in the class?
It couldn't be that a mysterious sensei secretly taught him advanced Ninjutsu, right?
Watching Chitani Isamu's reaction, Mutsuki thought to himself, "Just because Obito showed some strength, and you're already this perplexed. If Might Guy were to demonstrate his strength, you might suspect you're under a Genjutsu."
Chitani Isamu could be considered to have won without much effort in this situation. Mutsuki estimated that his bonus was probably secure.
Thinking it over, Mutsuki acknowledged that Chitani Isamu didn't entirely win effortlessly; he had contributed too. Chitani Isamu often asked him to substitute teach, assisting him in recruiting students and earning rewards. It was a bit of merit, and on top of that, he indeed didn't skimp on treating him to meals – a savvy way of navigating things.
"Yumi-sensei's class is really impressive," Ueda Aya, who had been silent, spoke up. She was invigilating Mutsuki's first-year class.
"The overall level of the Three Basic Jutsu feels almost on par with the second-year class I teach," Ueda Aya exclaimed.
"Especially this super genius named Uchiha Shisui. He reminds me of that Hatake Kakashi from a few years ago. He's definitely going to be the top in practical combat for the first year this time."
"Can it be that exaggerated, comparing him to Hatake Kakashi?" Chitani Isamu looked surprised.
Being the top in the class was one thing, but being on par with Kakashi was terrifying.
Keep in mind that Kakashi is recognized as a super genius by the ninja school in recent years, and his subsequent performance has been outstanding. He was promoted to Chunin directly within a year after graduating.
"It's just that extreme. He's simply on a different level compared to the other first-year students," Ueda Aya nodded.
"This is too cool! Yumi-sensei, you're really lucky. You just casually get outstanding students," Chitani Isamu, wearing an envy-filled expression, wished he had that kind of luck. He would be content if he could secure his bonus.
"What luck? It's because Yumi-sensei teaches well. You can't say that all the talented students end up in Yumi-sensei's class," Ueda Aya corrected.
She didn't think that Class 1 of the first year had such strength because there were more geniuses. Instead, she believed it was due to Mutsuki's excellent teaching skills.
Otherwise, why would students from classes where Mutsuki occasionally substituted hope for Mutsuki to come more often? It's not just one or two classes; all the classes where he substituted received positive feedback.
"My bad, my bad. I certainly know Yumi-sensei's teaching is excellent. My students even wish I'm busy every day so that Yumi-sensei can take the classes," Chitani Isamu said, correcting himself.
As he spoke, Chitani Isamu became a bit disheartened. He only occasionally had Mutsuki substitute for him, with most of the time being spent teaching by himself. However, the students preferred Mutsuki.
"It's alright. It's because the students work hard on their own," Mutsuki modestly remarked.
After chatting with colleagues for a while, Mutsuki quickly began practicing calligraphy until the afternoon exams started.
The location remained Training Ground 16, but there were considerably fewer people compared to the morning.
"Because the exams don't force students who have already lost to continue participating, they can decide whether to come or not on their own.
As time passed, the battles unfolded one after another. Nohara Rin, who wasn't very adept at combat, was eliminated in the first round of the afternoon.
Might Guy, who could cleanly handle any opponent he encountered, finally caught everyone's attention.
"So Might Guy's Taijutsu is this strong? His speed is incredible; he defeated Daisuke with just one kick," exclaimed the students watching.
"What a significant change. I remember in the third grade, he was just okay, not this powerful," a student who knew Might Guy expressed some confusion.
"Maybe he worked harder on training during the summer break and the new semester?" He could only speculate about this possibility.
"For the final battle, Number 1, Uchiha Obito, will face off against Number 40, Might Guy. Prepare for the fight, candidates," Mutsuki announced the lineup for the final round of the class practical combat exam.
Might Guy and Obito exchanged a glance upon hearing this, swiftly walking to the exam arena, ready to begin their battle.
"Guy, I won't let you have this first place," Obito glanced at Rin standing outside, his determination instantly reaching its peak.
In front of Rin, he absolutely didn't want to lose.
"I feel the same way. If I'm going to become the strongest, I have to take all the first places that I can!" Might Guy replied with heightened determination.
"They really made it to the end." A student who had criticized the two before felt a bit regretful.
It felt surreal to them. In the third grade, they were both considered underachievers, and who could have thought that in the fourth grade, they would suddenly become so powerful?
Before the exam started, who would dare to think this way? Everyone assumed Uchiha Tekka would be the top in practical combat in the class.
They couldn't imagine what these two had become over the vacation and the new semester.
After exchanging harsh words before the match, Might Guy and Obito fell silent. The two of them stood facing each other, creating an atmosphere of confrontation.
"Begin!"
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