Chapter 260: Graduation Examination
Monday morning.
Obito's internal clock woke him up right on time. After washing up, he ate the breakfast his grandmother had prepared and got ready to head to the Ninja Academy.
Today was no ordinary day—it was the final exam. And not just any final exam, but the graduation exam. Passing it meant receiving a forehead protector on the spot, marking his official graduation from the Academy.
"Obito, are you up? It's the graduation exam today!"
Just as Obito was about to leave, Rin's cheerful voice called from outside. He quickly changed his shoes while answering,
"How could I possibly sleep in today? I've already eaten breakfast!"
He hurried out the door and saw Rin standing there, smiling and waving at him.
"I was worried you'd be late again, just like when you first enrolled," Rin said with a teasing smile. "I guess I underestimated you, Obito."
Rin didn't know exactly what would happen if someone arrived late for the exam, but she was sure it wouldn't be good. So, she had woken up early, washed up, eaten, and rushed straight to Obito's house.
"I'm the man who's going to end the war and become Hokage! I won't make the same mistake twice!" Obito declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
Even if he ran into someone who needed help today, he had already thought of a solution—he could leave a Shadow Clone to handle it while he went straight to school for the exam.
"Then, does that mean Obito won't need my help anymore?" Rin asked with a light laugh, placing her hands behind her back and leaning forward slightly as she looked up at him.
"This… well…" Obito froze, flustered. If he said yes, it would sound arrogant—but if he said no, it would sound ungrateful.
"That's not the same thing!" he said quickly, his mind racing for an answer. "Even the Hokage needs help from comrades. Just like how the First Hokage, Hashirama, became Hokage with everyone's support. Of course I need your help, Rin!"
At that moment, he was silently thankful that he'd paid attention during Mugetsu's lectures. He hadn't understood half of them, but he remembered the important parts.
Rin giggled softly at his flustered explanation. "Then let's hurry to school."
"Mm. If we go early, we can handle anything that comes up along the way," Obito said, breathing a sigh of relief as he smiled back at her.
"I wonder what this year's graduation exam will be," Obito muttered as they walked. Opportunities like this—to walk side by side with Rin—were rare, so he tried to keep the conversation going.
"No matter what kind of Ninjutsu it is, you'll definitely pass," Rin said with confidence.
Before the exam, Mugetsu had personally tested each of his students on their basic Ninjutsu. Even Might Guy, who focused more on Taijutsu, could now perform the basics properly. Obito, on the other hand, was far more proficient.
"Haha! Of course! Those basic techniques are way easier than the Fire Release Mugetsu-sensei taught me," Obito said, grinning proudly.
The graduation exam had no written portion—it only tested basic Ninjutsu. Whatever they asked, he was confident he could get full marks.
"If only every exam didn't have theory," he sighed.
Theory had always been his greatest enemy. His "dead last" title came entirely from it. In actual combat, he wasn't at the bottom at all. But those written scores dragged him down, no matter how hard he tried.
Because of those cursed theory tests, he'd solved countless practice questions, only to be mocked by Kakashi every single time.
"When I become Hokage, I'm abolishing theory exams," Obito thought firmly.
But then, another thought struck him—when he became Hokage, no one would test his theory anymore anyway. And without the exam, future students wouldn't suffer like he did.
"Hmm… forget it. It's probably there for a reason," Obito decided. "If anything, I should give out more test papers to improve students' theoretical knowledge."
"Obito, you can't stop studying after graduation," Rin reminded gently. "Didn't Kakashi say the Chunin Exams also have a theory test?"
The moment he heard those words—and Kakashi's name—Obito's head started throbbing.
"I'll worry about that later! For now, let's just pass the graduation exam first!" Obito said helplessly, scratching his head.
After thinking about it for a bit, he decided to let his future self deal with that problem.
Go, future me!
"Senior Obito, Senior Rin! Good morning!"
A lively voice called from behind them, accompanied by two other cheerful greetings.
Obito turned and saw several younger students from Mugetsu's class running up to them. He smiled and waved back in response.
"Senior Obito, why the long face so early in the morning? Do even strong people like you have worries?" Anko asked curiously.
After the results of the last assessment, the quality of Obito and Guy's missions had stunned the entire Ninja Academy. Their reputation spread through every class, and they were now recognized as the two strongest students in the Academy.
"Haha, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something unpleasant," Obito said with an awkward laugh, brushing it off.
He definitely didn't want his admiring juniors to find out that he was dreading the theory exams.
"Perhaps this is the loneliness of the strong," Kotetsu said dramatically. "Senior Obito must feel lonely at the top, with no rivals left in the Academy."
"Kotetsu, you've been reading too many novels lately," Izumo said flatly. "I think Senior Obito's just sad that he's graduating and leaving his friends behind."
Kotetsu nodded solemnly. "You're right. I have been reading a lot lately. I feel like I'm going to bomb this exam."
"Now that you mention it, I've been playing games every day and haven't reviewed at all," Izumo admitted, sighing. "I'll probably do worse than last time. I can't keep this up."
"Really? I actually studied for three days!" Anko said proudly, though her expression held a hint of doubt. Given how often her two friends teased her, she wasn't sure whether to trust them this time.
"That can't be. No matter how bad I score, it won't be lower than yours, Anko," Kotetsu said, shaking his head confidently.
He was sure that no matter how bad his performance was, he'd score at least ninety-five. Anko, on the other hand, had never even reached ninety.
"Right. To do worse than Anko, you'd probably have to skip studying for two straight months," Izumo added with a smirk. "That's actually kind of impressive in its own way."
"Ahhh! I knew you two were up to something! Have you even eaten breakfast yet? If not, take this!" Anko yelled, chasing after them with a raised fist.
Kotetsu and Izumo immediately bolted toward the Academy. Once they were inside the classroom, Anko wouldn't dare get too rowdy.
"That's really nice… that kind of friendship," Rin said softly, smiling as she watched the three of them playfully run through the streets.
Kotetsu and Izumo were sharp-tongued, and Anko was quick to retaliate, but Rin could see they were all genuinely close. Despite all the shouting, Anko never actually hit them with force, and the boys' teasing was all in good fun.
"I feel like I see a bit of you and Kakashi in them," Rin said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
"Absolutely not," Obito said quickly, denying it with a straight face.
Just as they neared the Academy gates, they saw Guy jogging toward them.
"My half-hour morning warm-up is done! Time to give it my all for the exam!" Guy shouted energetically, flashing his gleaming white teeth and striking a thumbs-up pose.
"Good luck!" Rin cheered, clenching her fists in encouragement.
Among Mugetsu's students, Guy had the hardest time with Ninjutsu. His efficiency in learning techniques was painfully low—his Ninjutsu talent could barely be called average. Still, it wasn't nonexistent; after all, if he had no talent at all, he wouldn't have been able to learn Armament Haki. For Guy, even small progress was a major victory.
"Guy, good luck!" Obito said, smiling. Since the graduation exam didn't involve combat, they wouldn't have to compete this time.
"Mm! Let's all pass this exam with the flames of youth!" Guy shouted, giving both of them a thumbs-up before walking beside them toward the classroom.
They arrived early, with some time left before the exam began. Not all the students had arrived yet, but the moment the three walked in, they drew plenty of attention—especially Obito and Guy.
After all, they had already become living legends in the Academy.
Stories about them had spread like wildfire: that Obito and Guy had both defeated Kakashi in actual combat, or that Obito's team had completed two A-rank missions—something even many Chunin hadn't achieved. Rumor had it that they had even faced a Jonin during one of those missions.
Still, since this was the graduation exam—something that determined who would become an official ninja—most students were too focused to gossip. Only a few close to Obito took the chance to whisper quick questions before settling down.
When the exam time finally came, Ikeya, the homeroom teacher of Class 2, Grade 4, entered the room with another teacher from Class 4.
"Everyone, quiet down. The graduation exam is about to begin," Ikeya announced. "The students whose names I call will follow us to the next room."
He looked around the classroom and smiled slightly.
"This year's topic is the Clone Technique."
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