As Beizawa walked, he pondered why Hiruzen Sarutobi had summoned him.
At the very least, he could be sure that Hiruzen Sarutobi would not bring out Enma to punish him with six strikes in one second, because he had done nothing wrong.
He guessed it had something to do with this Monthly Exam's results. Perhaps there would even be a reward.
"Go in."
The Anbu ninja stopped before the door to the Hokage's Office.
Beizawa gave a slight nod and pushed open the door.
"You're here, Beizawa."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and spoke.
"Lord Hokage."
Beizawa hurriedly bowed.
"I looked over your class's score sheet. Very good."
Hiruzen Sarutobi praised him. "Your class had more students scoring above eighty than any other class in the school."
The theory exam was worth a full one hundred points, and so was the Combat Exam.
The final ranking combined the theory and Combat Exam scores, with one hundred points as the maximum.
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, students who scored above eighty could be called Konoha's hope for the future.
"It is all thanks to Lord Hokage's excellent guidance."
Beizawa spoke with a serious expression.
"There is no need for pleasantries. I have seen everything you have done."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Handing First Year Class A over to you was indeed the right choice."
"I will do my best to teach them well and nurture a group of outstanding inheritors of the Will of Fire."
Beizawa stated his position.
"Very good."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction and asked, "I have always rewarded merit and punished wrongdoing fairly. What reward do you want? Money, or Ninjutsu?"
"I would like Wind Style Ninjutsu."
After thinking for a moment, Beizawa answered.
Money was important, but he did not lack it for the time being. Solving the problem of where the system's rewarded Ninjutsu came from was the pressing matter.
"Go with Haru later and choose one B-rank Wind Style Ninjutsu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke after a brief consideration.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Beizawa was immediately somewhat surprised.
Setting aside ninja from ninja clans, ordinary ninja rarely had access to B-rank Ninjutsu.
Giving away a B-rank Ninjutsu over nothing more than Monthly Exam results was undoubtedly generous.
For Beizawa, it was help in a time of need.
The Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere he had just received was a B-rank Wind Style Ninjutsu.
"You have earned it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, then asked, "What do you think of Naruto?"
"Naruto?"
Beizawa organized his thoughts before answering, "He is an optimistic, cheerful child who values loyalty and affection."
"Naruto's parents rendered great service to Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Beizawa an approving look. "I hope you will look after him more, especially in his studies."
He did not directly say that Naruto Uzumaki was the Fourth Hokage's son.
After all, that was a top-secret matter in Konoha.
With Beizawa's current strength and status, he was not qualified to know.
"Alright."
Beizawa agreed without hesitation.
He already had a system-issued mission, and now Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him another. It was simply a win-win situation—he won twice.
"Then I'll leave him to you, Beizawa."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Haru is already waiting outside."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I will take my leave."
Beizawa understood the dismissal and turned to leave.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his departing figure, a distant look appeared on his face as countless memories surfaced.
He thought of Minato Namikaze from back then.
Though Minato Namikaze had risen to fame during the Third Shinobi World War, he had already been a renowned outstanding student throughout Konoha while at the Ninja Academy.
Whether in theory or actual combat, he had always ranked first—and he had been a civilian ninja.
It was precisely because of his exceptional talent that he had been assigned as Jiraiya's student.
Minato Namikaze had not disappointed expectations either. He had turned the tide and helped Konoha win the Third Shinobi World War.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
That vibrant vitality, that flourishing state where all things burst forth, still seemed to linger before his eyes.
"I hope Naruto can become the next Minato."
Hiruzen Sarutobi came back to his senses and spoke.
Led by Haru, Beizawa arrived at the Ninjutsu Storage Room.
"The scrolls on this shelf all contain B-rank Wind Style Ninjutsu."
Haru pointed at a bookshelf in the distance. "You may take one scroll, but remember not to read the scrolls on any other shelves."
"Alright."
Beizawa nodded and walked over to the shelf.
After one glance, he locked onto Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.
But he did not act immediately. Instead, he lingered for several minutes before picking it up.
"Memorize the contents after you take it back. I will come retrieve the scroll in one week."
Haru reminded him.
"Mm."
Beizawa put away the scroll and returned to the Ninja Academy.
For the students, the Monthly Exam was already over.
But he was a teacher, and he still had work to do.
After lunch, the teachers gathered again for a meeting.
The moment Beizawa entered the meeting room, everyone's eyes fell on him.
It could not be helped. He had just been summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Senior Beizawa!"
Umino Iruka excitedly waved at him.
He and Beizawa both taught First Year Class A, so he had benefited as well and was naturally delighted.
Only Mizuki beside him wore an expression as changeable as a Sichuan opera face, his emotions complicated.
"Beizawa, congratulations."
Mizuki finally put on his usual smile.
"Thanks."
Beizawa replied and sat down.
"How did it feel to meet Lord Hokage?"
Umino Iruka asked in an envious tone.
"Didn't feel like much."
Beizawa shook his head. "It wasn't my first time meeting Lord Hokage."
The deadliest show-off was the invisible kind.
Umino Iruka was immediately at a loss for words.
Mizuki, meanwhile, unconsciously clenched his fists.
If the occasion had not been inappropriate, he truly would have wanted to throw a punch.
After all, in the original story, he had been willing to kill an injured teammate just to complete a mission.
"What did Lord Hokage say?"
Umino Iruka asked curiously.
"He praised the results achieved by First Year Class A's students."
Beizawa paused, then added, "And he gave me a B-rank Wind Style Ninjutsu."
"B-rank?"
Umino Iruka sucked in a sharp breath and immediately exclaimed, "Lord Hokage is truly generous!"
"If you work hard, you can earn Lord Hokage's rewards too."
Beizawa patted his shoulder.
"I'll work hard!"
Umino Iruka declared, full of fighting spirit.
Watching them, Mizuki ground his teeth together. He had taught a student who earned a perfect score, so why had he received no reward?
How was Lord Hokage generous? He was clearly playing favorites!
After they chatted for a while, Hisao Sarutobi walked in.
The first thing he did was hand out the grade-wide ranking sheets.
Beizawa glanced over his.
The top ten students in the entire grade were the top ten students of First Year Class A.
He was not surprised, because when the classes had been assigned, the best students had all been placed in Class A.
"Now, we will announce the outstanding student representative for this Monthly Exam."
Hisao Sarutobi paused before saying, "Hinata Hyuga."
The smile on Mizuki's face froze.
The moment he heard the first two words, he could barely suppress his wild joy, but the final two words plunged him into an icy abyss.
"Why isn't it Neji Hyuga?"
Mizuki immediately lost his composure, subconsciously rising to his feet as he asked.
"This was Lord Hokage's decision."
Hisao Sarutobi answered calmly.
"But..."
Mizuki was deeply unwilling to accept it.
Beizawa had been selected for more exam questions than him. That was one loss.
He had been summoned by the Hokage. That was the second loss.
He had lost the outstanding student representative position. That was the third loss.
Three losses in one month—what meaning was there left in living?
Before you continue