Perfect Graduation Score

"Such a headache. Who knows how long it'll take to eat all these fish." Shikamaru bent down and rummaged through the black fish in the basket.

"Naruto must have worked hard by the river for a long time to catch all these fish." Shikaku rubbed the scar on his face. "I went fishing back then too, but I waited half a day without getting a single bite."

"That child would definitely refuse if I invited him over for dinner. I wonder whether he liked that thank-you gift."

"Don't worry about that stuff. Naruto's just like that." Shikamaru spoke lazily. "Dad, you'll just put pressure on him."

"What did you say, brat?! Damn it!"

"Naruto's used to being alone. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't care about anything, but things like family dinners would probably just make him feel awkward and miserable." Shikamaru stood up as he spoke.

Shikaku said nothing. Thinking of Naruto's background, he fell into a long silence.

The next day, the Ninja Academy graduation exams began.

The area outside the school gates was much livelier than usual. Most of the crowd consisted of parents accompanying their children to the graduation exams, gathered densely at the entrance.

Before the exams began, the grounds were usually cleared to keep overly noisy parents from disrupting the proceedings.

Naruto arrived at school early and sat on the swing beneath the Great Green Tree. Only when he saw Hinata passing by did he jump down and walk over.

He was not wearing that orange jacket today, but an ordinary black short-sleeved shirt. The padded jacket was too hot, and he still lacked the courage to wear it out.

"Morning, Hinata."

"G-good morning, Naruto."

Hinata jumped in surprise, her face instantly turning red. Avoiding Naruto's gaze, she answered in a soft stammer.

"This is for you." Naruto took a small item from behind his back.

It was a small wooden carving, vividly carved into a chibi version of Hinata. Only three fingers tall, it looked especially adorable.

"Did you make it yourself, Naruto?" Hinata's face reddened, but her eyes could no longer leave the little carving.

"Yeah. I happen to know a little, so... it's for you."

He did not merely know a little. Before his transmigration, he had studied wood carving under his master from the time he could remember, never stopping through fifteen years of spring, autumn, winter, or summer breaks.

Hinata's face grew even redder. She accepted the carving and softly thanked him.

"I remember your grades have always been good, right? Then do your best on the exam." Leaving those words behind, Naruto waved and turned to leave.

Nine-Tails' Recognition 2.2%

The system really was not so easy to fool. A wooden carving could make Hinata blush furiously, but the system seemed to have noticed Naruto's attempt to farm points.

The system made a fair judgment regarding Naruto's wishful attempt to exploit a loophole. Repeated scenarios might work on Hinata, but they did not work on the system.

"Looks like I still have to put some thought into it," Naruto muttered to himself.

Hinata at this age was still very cute, and even more reserved than she was in the anime. She wore a one-piece tracksuit, with a small build and short hair that reached her ears.

Although she spoke rather quietly, she was polite to everyone. Her wife material traits were maxed out; she was a perfect young lady in every way.

Honestly, Naruto could not understand what he had done to deserve being liked by a girl like this. What exactly did Hinata see in him?

The graduation exam was conducted individually in a classroom. Before that, the students taking the exam were gathered in a large classroom to wait for their names to be called.

"The exam begins!"

Iruka's stern voice rang out, accompanied by the school's electronic bell.

The exam was brief. Only one of the Three Jutsu would be selected for testing. Naruto's class happened to be in the first group, and after ten minutes, several people had already finished.

Not many received forehead protectors, perhaps around one-third. And this was only the graduation exam; to become true genin, they still had to pass their squad leader's test.

"Sakura Haruno!"

"Here!"

Naruto caught sight of a flash of pink hurrying like the wind toward the neighboring classroom. Sitting near the doorway, he could easily hear Iruka's voice.

"Clone Technique."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"

"Very good. Excellent."

Sakura Haruno's excited voice came through. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"

"The Clone Technique?" Naruto murmured, thinking it over carefully and finding that it was not difficult.

The passing standard was creating one clone with almost no flaws. Creating two meant an excellent grade. A perfect score, however, required far more stringent conditions.

For example, the three clones Naruto had displayed during yesterday's Clone Technique review test, so convincing they were almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Only two people in the entire class had received perfect scores: Sasuke and Naruto.

Sasuke's name was called. Before leaving the classroom, he turned and glanced at Naruto, who sat by the door. Naruto raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

About half an hour later, Naruto's name was finally called.

To his surprise, Naruto drew the Substitution Technique. It was a relatively difficult ninjutsu. Though it was also one of the basic techniques, it was a level harder than the Transformation Jutsu and Clone Technique.

The main issue was hand seal speed. The Substitution Technique had two assessment criteria: speed and accuracy. Speed tested how quickly one formed hand seals, while accuracy tested how perfectly one executed the technique.

Passing was not difficult if one put in the effort, and excellence could also be achieved through hard work.

"Huh? Someone drew the Substitution Technique!" Someone in the classroom with sharp ears shouted, and with a boom, everyone who had already been assessed and everyone who had not yet taken the exam crowded around the front and back doors of the examination room.

"What kind of rotten luck did Naruto get? He actually drew the Substitution Technique, something you only see once in a thousand years?" Shikamaru muttered, frowning slightly.

No matter which technique Naruto drew, his strength meant the result would be the same: he would fail.

But after eating the fish Naruto had caught yesterday, Shikamaru suddenly felt somewhat indebted to him. He silently decided that no matter how funny it was, he could not laugh.

This was no joke. It would cost him karma.

"Hahaha! I hope that guy doesn't turn into something weird!" Ino laughed gleefully nearby.

As she laughed, she patted Shikamaru on the back.

"Remember his last Substitution Technique? He turned into some half-human, half-log thing. Hahaha, I laughed so hard I nearly lost my breath!"

Shikamaru showed little reaction, merely shrugging.

"That's just how Naruto is. He clearly works so hard, but he still can't use ninjutsu."

The exam did not take long. Iruka's slightly hesitant voice rang out, carrying a trace of uncertainty.

"Perfect score."

"Who got a perfect score?" Ino looked at Shikamaru with a questioning gaze.

"How would I know?" Shikamaru looked indifferent. "Iruka-sensei didn't say the name."

"Naruto Uzumaki, perfect score!"