The end-of-year exam arrived as scheduled.
Many of the students showed nervous and uneasy expressions as they gathered for the test.
After Iruka and a few other teachers led Class One outside, he stood before everyone and began announcing the contents of this assessment.
Since this wasn't a graduation exam and most of the students were only five or six years old, the Clone, Substitution, and Transformation Techniques weren't part of the test.
The focus would be on shuriken throwing and one-on-one duels.
After all,
prodigies like Hatake Kusuo were rare.
So far, the only one who knew he had fully mastered the Three Basic Jutsu was Kakashi.
Even the academy instructors had no idea.
Thanks to Kakashi's advice, Kusuo had been intentionally hiding his true strength.
Aside from swordsmanship, which had to be constantly refined, he avoided revealing any more of his abilities whenever possible.
But that was only a temporary measure. Kusuo was confident that once he unlocked more skills and broke through to greater power, it wouldn't matter if Danzo or others started targeting him.
Let the storm rage on—he would cut through it all with a single sword.
That was Kusuo's confidence.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several shuriken flew toward a row of wooden targets, striking dead center.
"Sasuke, score: 98 points!"
The chunin teacher recording the results glanced at the bullseyes and announced the score loudly.
Ninety-eight points meant Sasuke had landed at least nine perfect hits, with just one slightly off.
For his age, that was an excellent result, even though there were no distractions or trajectory adjustments involved.
"Wow! As expected of Sasuke. His shuriken throwing is amazing!"
"So cool!"
"If I could get even half his score, I'd be happy."
A chorus of admiration rose, and Sasuke basked in it, lifting his chin proudly.
As he walked past Kusuo, he deliberately shot him a glare.
Kusuo sighed inwardly.
This kid… did he really need to be so hostile?
"Next: Sasaki Aki!"
The chunin examiner called out the next name.
…
"Sixty-seven points!"
"Yes!"
A scrawny boy with sharp features pumped his fist in excitement.
Coming from an ordinary family, he didn't have the resources of the big clans. His goal was clear—passing was victory.
As long as he met the minimum requirements at each test, he could graduate, become a genin, and earn a forehead protector. Even if his jutsu and other skills weren't top-tier, that much was within reach.
After Sasaki Aki, several more kids celebrated their passing scores.
Every so often, one who truly struggled could only hang their head in defeat as the teachers shook theirs in disappointment.
"Next: Hatake Kusuo!"
Finally, it was Kusuo's turn.
At that moment,
as if on cue, every head turned toward him in unison.
All eyes were on him.
The entire class, and even students from other classes and upper years, stared his way.
Kusuo shook his head helplessly.
All this attention was the opposite of his original plan to stay low-key.
But there was no helping it. He walked steadily to the center of the testing area and picked up ten shuriken from the box.
"Gasp!"
"What's Kusuo doing?"
"Is he planning to throw all ten at once? That's insane!"
"It looks like that's exactly what he's going to do!"
His actions drew gasps from the onlookers.
Until now, everyone had thrown their shuriken one by one, taking careful aim.
Even so-called geniuses like Sasuke or Neji could only manage two at a time.
Kusuo holding ten at once was on a whole other level.
The kids were stunned.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh!
The sound of shuriken slicing through the air filled their ears.
Most of the crowd couldn't even follow what happened. One moment Kusuo's hands were full, the next they were empty.
"That was so fast!"
"As expected of Kusuo!"
"That was incredible!"
The chunin teacher by the targets was speechless.
"This precision…"
"So young, yet so skilled… looks like the Hatake clan has produced another monster."
A veteran of the Third Great Ninja War, the chunin had seen plenty, and he knew talent when he saw it.
Kusuo's strength and speed with shuriken far surpassed his peers.
What was harder to admit was that Kusuo's shuriken technique was better than his own.
"Perfect score!"
After a few stunned seconds, Iruka saw that the scorer was still frozen, so he declared the result himself.
His eyes were filled with admiration for this gifted child.
Iruka liked to see into people's hearts, just as he did with Naruto.
Kusuo's good looks, calm demeanor, and natural charisma impressed him deeply.
Most importantly, unlike Sasuke, Kusuo didn't look down on others. He always maintained a peaceful, friendly attitude.
Yet he wasn't soft on everyone either. Iruka had once seen him drive off thugs harassing an old woman at a market stall.
Kusuo had acted decisively and without hesitation.
"I hope you grow up safely. You'll surely be another figure like the Fourth Hokage one day."
Iruka muttered softly, offering his silent blessing.
"Damn it!"
Meanwhile, Sasuke, still basking in the praise from his earlier turn, scowled as he watched the scene unfold.
Clearly Kusuo had done that on purpose, showing off to steal everyone's attention.
That had to be it!
Jealousy and frustration filled Sasuke's small heart. He glared at Kusuo with growing resentment.
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