Chapter 8: Perfect Graduation Score
"Such a headache. Who knows how long it'll take to eat all these fish." Shikamaru bent down, poking at the black fish in the basket.
"Naruto must've spent a long time by the river to catch all of these," Shikaku said, rubbing the scar on his face. "I used to fish too, but I'd sit there half a day and not catch a single one."
"That kid… If I invite him over for a meal, he'll definitely refuse. I wonder if he'll even like that thank-you gift."
"No need to worry about stuff like that. Naruto's just like that," Shikamaru said lazily. "Dad, you'll only make people feel pressured."
"What was that, you little brat?! Unbelievable!"
"Naruto's used to being alone. Sometimes, even though it seems like he doesn't care about a lot of things, I don't think family dinners or gatherings make him happy," Shikamaru said as he stood up.
The next day, the Ninja Academy's graduation exam began.
The front gate of the school was far livelier than usual, crowded with parents who had come to accompany their children. They bustled and gathered in front of the entrance.
Before the exam started, the area was always cleared out to prevent noisy parents from disturbing the test.
Naruto had arrived early, sitting on the swing beneath the big oak tree. He stayed there until he spotted Hinata passing by, at which point he jumped down and walked over.
Today, he wasn't wearing his usual orange jacket but a plain black short-sleeve shirt. The cotton jacket was too hot, and he still didn't have the courage to wear it outside.
"Morning, Hinata."
"M-Morning, Na… Naruto-kun."
Hinata flinched, her face instantly turning red. She avoided Naruto's gaze, stammering softly in reply.
"This is for you." Naruto pulled a small item from behind his back.
It was a tiny wooden carving—a chibi version of Hinata, exquisitely detailed despite being only about three fingers tall. It looked especially cute.
"Did you make this yourself, Naruto-kun?" Hinata's face flushed even deeper, her eyes unable to look away from the little wooden figure.
"Yeah. I happened to know how, so… I'm giving it to you."
In truth, he didn't just "happen to know." Before he crossed over into this world, he had been learning woodcarving from his master since he could remember, practicing through every summer and winter for fifteen long years.
Hinata's face grew even redder. She took the carving and murmured a quiet thank-you.
"I remember you've always done well in class, right, Hinata? Good luck on the exam, then." Leaving those words behind, Naruto waved and turned to go.
[Nine-Tails' Approval: 2.2%]
The system wasn't so easily fooled. A wooden carving might make Hinata blush deeply, but it seemed to recognize Naruto's attempts to exploit loopholes.
For such blatant point-farming tactics, the system delivered a fair judgment. Repeated gestures might work on Hinata, but they didn't work on the system.
"Guess I'll have to put some real effort into this," Naruto muttered to himself.
Hinata, at this age, was truly adorable—though even more introverted than in the anime. Dressed in a one-piece tracksuit, small in stature with short, ear-length hair.
Though her voice was soft, she was always polite. A perfect young lady, full of that "future-wife" charm.
Honestly, Naruto couldn't understand what a girl like her could possibly see in him.
The graduation exam was held individually in a separate classroom. Before their turns, the students waited together in a large hall until their names were called.
"The exam begins!"
Iruka's stern voice rang out, accompanied by the electronic school bell.
The exam itself was brief—students were tested on one of the three basic techniques, chosen at random. Naruto's class happened to be scheduled for the first session, and within ten minutes, several had already finished.
Only about a third of the students earned their forehead protectors. And even then, this was just the graduation exam. To become true genin, they would still have to pass their assigned jōnin instructor's test.
"Sakura Haruno!"
"Here!"
Naruto caught sight of a flash of pink as Sakura hurried past into the next room. Sitting by the door, he could easily hear Iruka's voice.
"Clone Technique."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
"Very good. Excellent."
Sakura's excited voice followed: "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"
"Clone Technique, huh?" Naruto murmured, recalling it carefully. It didn't seem too hard.
The passing standard was to create one nearly flawless clone. Two clones counted as "excellent." As for a perfect score—that required far more.
Like what Naruto had shown in yesterday's practice exam: three indistinguishable clones. Only two students in the entire class had achieved full marks—Sasuke and Naruto.
When Sasuke's name was called, he glanced briefly at Naruto as he walked past. Naruto raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
About half an hour later, Naruto's name was finally called.