Six months after enrollment, the first small exam for the first year came around, it was a cultural knowledge assessment. After the cultural exam, the pace of teaching at the Ninja Academy significantly increased.
At the start, the school mainly provided students with common knowledge of the ninja world, introducing them to basic concepts. However, for ninjas, cultural knowledge was secondary; true strength was always the primary focus. As a result, after the exam, it became clear to Haruma that cultural subjects were being reduced, while ninja-related knowledge and practical skills were increasing. The outdoor courses expanded, with a shift from just throwing shuriken to adding taijutsu (physical combat) training.
The second half of the year's curriculum was heavy, but it was only the beginning. According to Iruka, the teacher, second-year students would start survival exercises. Yes, survival exercises, not just for graduation but also as part of regular training. Survival training was crucial for ninjas, as they are often assassins who rely on stealth and waiting for the right moment, rather than direct confrontations. Survival exercises would teach them how to endure in the wild, work in teams, and other important skills. Ignoring these teachings could result in many students being held back even after six years of study.
However, these things were of no concern to Haruma. Unlike the fake ninjas, who needed to wait for opportunities, a true ninja like him could just push through without hesitation.
As the year progressed into the latter months of 54, the Academy held its first major exam. This exam included cultural subjects, Stealth Jutsu, shuriken throwing, taijutsu, and survival exercises. Based on these combined results, the top student of each grade would be chosen, the First in Class.
Haruma won the title of First in Class without any suspense. He could have scored full marks in every subject, but in order to avoid drawing too much attention and ending up like Itachi, who had to graduate early due to his overwhelming talent, he deliberately kept his scores just under perfection. His results were still far superior to the second-place winner, Sasuke Uchiha. As a result, Haruma's name quickly spread throughout the academy, especially among the upper grades. The First in Class was not from the Uchiha or Hyuga clan, nor any other prominent ninja family, but a commoner, a civilian.
For Haruma, who had crushed both the two major clans and the other ninja families' children, the title of "civilian genius" was quickly attached to him. The last person to receive such a title was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. As for Kakashi, his Hatake clan wasn't considered a civilian family.
Now, years after Minato's time, Konoha had another civilian genius. If Haruma continued to hold his position as the top student, it was highly likely that, upon graduation, he would catch the attention of the Third Hokage, and might even surpass some of the top ninjas like Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, or Kurenai Yuhi, potentially becoming their student. Becoming the student of an elite jonin or a prominent family member would give him the chance to learn higher-level jutsu. This was the only way for a genin to access advanced techniques.
Even Minato had to learn from Jiraiya in order to acquire the Flying Thunder God Technique. Without a teacher, a genin could only complete missions and participate in the Chunin and Jonin exams, eventually gaining the village's attention and access to higher-level ninjutsu.
This was the harsh reality of the ninja world.
Haruma's parents were both chunin, but they had left behind only C-rank jutsu scrolls, with not even a single A-rank technique. Neither of them had mastered Chakra Nature Transformation, which was one of the reasons why Haruma had started to feel discouraged. Without some kind of extraordinary ability, if Haruma were just a regular person in this world, he would have focused on building a relationship with Ino and perhaps eventually marrying into the Yamanaka clan.
But with the mysterious orb that had appeared, Haruma felt confident that he could pursue all his ambitions.
As time passed, the year quickly turned to 55. The year was significant because it marked the fall of the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's two major clans, which was eventually wiped out. It was also the year that Obito Uchiha, with his ability to bypass barriers, would frequently enter the village. To avoid drawing attention, Haruma decided to limit his time spent training outdoors. Though he knew his current strength was insufficient to attract Obito's notice, he wasn't willing to take any risks.
He had infinite potential, but he was still at his weakest. He needed to be cautious.
Even during the infamous Uchiha clan massacre, when there would be a large number of bodies in the clan's estate, Haruma knew that consuming those bodies would give him an explosive boost in both power and eye abilities. However, he decided not to participate. His devouring ability was a unique existence, and his shadow clones lacked the ability to devour the power of others. Attempting to take the abilities of the three top ninjas, including Danzo, would be beyond him for now.
Therefore, for this year, Haruma decided to focus on attending class and maintaining his relationships with his teachers and classmates.
A year passed quickly, and by now, Haruma had become close with a few of his classmates. namely the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Hinata. Among them, his closest bond was with Ino, followed by Hinata. Hinata, due to her shy and non-competitive nature, couldn't compare to Ino's enthusiasm and initiative.
Now, Haruma and his friends formed their own tight-knit group. Sakura occasionally joined their circle, but she often spent more time at Sasuke's fan club. Haruma also had his own fan club, but it quickly disbanded. Ino and Hinata, both in the top ten of the grade, were simply too outstanding, and there was no room for anyone else.
During the holidays, Haruma would also spend time with Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and Hinata. Yes, even Hinata could come out and play. While the Hyuga clan usually wouldn't allow it if Haruma had invited her, Hinata's social interactions were allowed because of the efforts of her uncle, Hizashi Hyuga.
Perhaps it was because Hinata finally had a chance to spend time with friends outside her family's restrictions, but she started to open up more. She was no longer as shy, though she still couldn't look Haruma in the eyes for more than five seconds. She would only steal glances when Haruma wasn't looking.