Chapter 263: Graduation Class Division
After graduation, the class assignments weren't distributed immediately. The list would be announced four days later. During that time, the new graduates weren't completely idle—there were still small tasks to complete, such as taking photos for their official Ninja profiles.
These weren't group photos but formal identification pictures.
Obito saw it as a rare opportunity to look cool. He wanted to wear a white robe and a bamboo hat to give off a mysterious aura, but the photographer rejected the idea without mercy. In the end, he had to settle for a plain outfit.
Aside from ID photos, students could also take graduation pictures with their teachers. These weren't organized by the Academy but arranged by each class.
For a teacher like Mugetsu, who was beloved by his students, he appeared in nearly every class photo—after all, he had trained the entire fourth grade during the special training period.
Since Obito had a camera, he took the chance to snap group pictures with his classmates. He even managed to get a few with Rin alone—without Kakashi in the frame.
Once the photos were done, there wasn't much left to do at the Academy except wait for the team assignments to be posted and collect their Ninja profiles.
With time to spare, Obito and the others returned to their regular training schedule. Knowing they would soon be assigned to different squads and could no longer train under Mugetsu every day, they cherished these remaining sessions even more.
However, Obito's enthusiasm dimmed the moment he discovered what the new training entailed—more written problems.
"Hit training: for every minute the Shadow Clone evades successfully, five problems are generated. If you hit it directly, the special training ends. The time limit is ten minutes," Mugetsu explained calmly, outlining the new penalty system for Obito and Shisui.
"Huh? Why are there problems again? We didn't have to do this before," Obito said, visibly distressed.
He had been overjoyed when he first heard "new training," thinking it meant freedom from problem sets.
"Think carefully," Mugetsu replied with a chuckle. "I said temporarily no problems."
"Back then, you were nearing graduation, so I eased your workload. But now that you've passed the exam, there's no reason to go easy anymore."
He looked at Obito with a faint smile. "Or do you think being a Ninja means living easier than a student?"
Obito froze.
If he said yes, wouldn't that make him look lazy? And when he thought back, he realized Mugetsu really had said "temporarily," though at the time he'd been too happy to care.
"Of course not," Obito said quickly, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I just… only remembered half of what you said."
"Five problems per minute, ten-minute limit… that's fifty total if we fail to land a hit," Shisui muttered, already feeling the pressure.
Mugetsu's problems were famously tough. Even after months of practice, each one still required deep thinking and analysis.
"Begin!" Mugetsu shouted, forming a hand sign and creating a Shadow Clone.
Swoosh!
Obito and Shisui both surged forward, chakra flaring around them. Shisui activated his Sharingan immediately—there was no point conserving chakra for such a short exercise.
"I can't just throw Ninjutsu around. I need to find the perfect opening," Shisui thought.
He remembered the pattern: if he used Ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone would respond in kind. But if he relied solely on taijutsu, the clone would never attack first.
"Full Concentration, Flame Breathing!"
He steadied his breathing rhythm. Chakra flowed through his body, energizing his limbs. Each strike came faster, sharper—but still, Mugetsu evaded every blow with effortless precision.
No matter how close Shisui came, he couldn't touch even the edge of Mugetsu's sleeve.
But he didn't lose hope. This was all part of the process. He knew Mugetsu was deliberately maintaining that razor-thin gap to push them toward improvement.
Five minutes passed. Shisui still hadn't landed a hit, though the nearby trees had suffered greatly in the crossfire.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Shisui formed the hand seals and expelled a series of small fireballs, scattering them around Mugetsu.
The Shadow Clone didn't counter with Ninjutsu—it simply dodged, moving gracefully between the streams of fire.
But that was exactly what Shisui wanted. The fireballs struck the already damaged trees nearby, blasting them apart and sending the tall trunks collapsing toward Mugetsu's position.
At that moment, Shisui pushed his Flame Breathing to its limit, bursting forward with a final dash.
The distraction worked—the Shadow Clone was forced to block, and Shisui's fist finally grazed Mugetsu's hand.
Though the attack was caught, it still counted as a hit.
"Excellent," Mugetsu's clone said, releasing Shisui's arm. "You didn't break through with your Breathing Technique, but you used the terrain creatively to turn the tide. Well done."
Unlike previous sessions, this training also rewarded ingenuity. Tactical success could compensate for a lack of pure power—though only temporarily. Once the Shadow Clone learned their tricks, only real growth would prevail.
When Obito's ten minutes ended, Mugetsu gathered them both and announced the results.
"Obito failed to land a hit—fifty problems. Shisui completed the challenge in five minutes—twenty-five problems."
Hearing that, Obito gawked at his friend. "Shisui, that's incredible! You improved so fast this time!"
"No," Shisui said modestly, shaking his head. "I just used a trick."
"How'd you trick him? Teach me! That's twenty-five problems less!" Obito begged.
"Think more during battle," Shisui said calmly. "Observe the environment and use it to your advantage."
He didn't reveal the exact method—since he knew it wouldn't work a second time anyway.
"You should learn from Shisui and Kakashi," Mugetsu said approvingly, then handed each of them their test papers.
Obito glanced at his—and froze.
"Analyze the original purpose behind the founding of the Ninja Academy based on the provided materials…" he read aloud, his expression darkening.
"Mugetsu-sensei, are you sure this one's mine? These questions don't seem right. Did you… maybe mix mine up with Shisui's?"
Obito even went over to peek at Shisui's paper, only to find that his friend's questions hadn't changed. That made him feel uneasy.
"There's no mistake," Mugetsu said with a calm smile. "Now that you've graduated from the Ninja Academy, the level of your assignments naturally has to change."
Originally, Mugetsu had given Obito those problems because his foundation was too weak and needed reinforcement. They were meant to strengthen his basics, boost his exam performance, and increase his system rewards.
But now, after a full year of tutoring and officially graduating, it was time to move forward. The new set of questions aimed to help Obito absorb knowledge from history. Later, Mugetsu even planned to introduce specialized political classes.
He couldn't change the entire shinobi world overnight—but he could start by shaping the minds of his own disciples.
At that moment, Obito experienced a strange, almost terrifying thought—he actually started to miss the old test papers.
It was something he never imagined possible, but now it had happened. Because what awaited him next was far more frightening than anything before.
His gaze toward the two test papers changed. To him, this exam was an enemy more powerful and dreadful than any jonin from the Land of Lightning.
"You must take the questions seriously," Mugetsu instructed. "Even if you don't know the answer, write down your thoughts. When you're finished, bring them to me, and we'll review them together."
He preferred to assign problems instead of direct lectures—it forced his students to think first, making the later discussions sink in more effectively. That way, the knowledge would stick naturally.
"I'll definitely finish them," Obito promised weakly. He had a bad feeling he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.
After their special training ended, they continued with their usual Constant State drills until it was time to leave.
That evening, Obito dragged his tired body home, had dinner, then went upstairs to his room. He pulled out the test papers and sighed deeply before starting.
Even though he hated it, he couldn't go against Mugetsu's instructions. No matter how difficult, he had to take them seriously.
Looking at the long lines of text on the paper, Obito felt his head ache. After a brief pause, he made a hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Two puffs of smoke appeared—two Shadow Clones stood beside him.
Cough, cough. "You don't want to disappoint Mugetsu-sensei, right? Help me finish these," Obito said, pointing to the papers on the table.
"Not a chance," one clone replied immediately, throwing himself onto the bed. "There's no way I'm doing that."
"You wouldn't want to be beaten by your own Shadow Clone, would you?" the other clone said threateningly.
Bang! Bang!!
Moments later, Obito sighed and dispelled both clones. He'd learned his lesson—it was useless to rely on them. If they fought, the pain would just come back to him anyway.
"This jutsu really has too many flaws," he grumbled, glaring at the papers before reluctantly beginning.
"Material 1: After becoming the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama established many institutions, and the Ninja Academy was one of them. After its founding, with few exceptions among the major clans, anyone who wished to become a shinobi had to study at the Academy and pass the graduation exam to become a Genin."
"Carefully read the two materials below and analyze Senju Tobirama's original intention and the significance behind establishing the Ninja Academy."
Obito muttered the question to himself, already feeling dizzy.
There were two sets of material: one a written description, the other a chart showing the ratio of clan-born and civilian shinobi in Konoha across three different periods.
He read them both word for word, but the connection between the data and the question eluded him completely.
"Damn it, so Tobirama was the one who made the Ninja Academy too…" Obito grumbled, realizing that the same man who invented the Shadow Clone Technique had also founded the very institution that forced him to study.
After giving up on understanding the deeper meaning, Obito decided to just write whatever came to mind—it was better than leaving the space blank.
"The original intention was to train stronger shinobi and make the village's ninjas more excellent. The significance is that all children in Konoha now have a school to attend."
He nodded slightly, pleased with his answer.
Then, a stray thought crossed his mind—what did kids even do before schools existed?
After a short daydream, he checked the clock and realized twenty minutes had already passed. Panicking, he continued writing. If he didn't finish tonight, the work would pile up—and more installments meant more suffering.
Obito spent the entire night doing problems. When he finally lay on his bed, his mind was full of names—Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama—all appearing in strange scenarios, analyzing one another's "intentions and significance."
He couldn't sleep. Even when he closed his eyes, he imagined Tobirama staring at him, asking, "What is the true purpose behind my actions?"
It wasn't until exhaustion overwhelmed him that Obito finally fell asleep, only to wake up early the next morning, driven by his own internal clock.
Since starting these assignments, Obito noticed something strange: daytime felt shorter, while nighttime stretched endlessly. A few hours of problem-solving always felt longer than an entire day of training.
Days of training and nights of homework—his life was so full that he nearly forgot about graduation entirely.
It wasn't until Mugetsu reminded him that he remembered.
"Tomorrow, the results and class assignments will be announced," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile. "Take the day off to rest and prepare for your new life as a ninja."
"Yay~" Obito cheered weakly. His joy was real, but part of it came from having more time to battle those infernal test papers.
"Obito, are you alright? You don't look so good," Rin asked with concern.
Before, Obito's voice was always full of energy. Today, though still cheerful, it lacked its usual spark.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," he replied, waving it off.
He secretly hoped that once he joined a new squad, the number of test papers would finally decrease. Fewer lessons with Mugetsu meant fewer "training exercises" in the form of written torture.
"Then rest well tonight," Rin said kindly. "Tomorrow we'll check the class lists and pick up our ninja profiles."
Obito nodded, then hurried home after dinner to keep working on the remaining problems.
"Ahh… what were you thinking, Senju Tobirama?" he muttered. "Why did you have to create so many things?"
That night, his sleep was even worse. Every time he drifted off.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]