Year-End Exams

Time flew by, and seven days had passed since his last clash with Uchiha Feng.

Looking at himself in the mirror—black hair, black eyes, and slightly reddened skin from the perm—Bing San couldn't help murmuring, "Orochimaru's work is amazing. Oh, I'm so handsome I could die! I love it, I love it!"

With that, Bing San dumped the Lego set he'd won in yesterday's lottery into the trash. Who knew why they were giving away toys as prizes?

After a quick wash-up, he got ready to head to school for the exam.

As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Asuma and the others. Asuma called out from a distance, all worked up, "Big Brother, who are we beating up today?"

Bing San gave Asuma a punch and a dark look. "Don't call me something so ominous! And we're not gangsters. What do you mean, 'who are we beating up'?"

Then he strolled toward the school.

The roadside stalls and vendors were becoming fewer and fewer, and the occasional shop had shut down for good.

When they reached the school gates, Namiashi Raidō couldn't help complaining, "It's just an exam. Why are there so many people? Are they all in a hurry to arrange blind dates?"

Some of the civilian parents were repeatedly reminding their children of one thing after another, as if they were about to take the college entrance exam.

Bing San shook his head slightly and thought, The Third Shinobi World War is about to start. What are parents thinking, rushing to send their children off to the battlefield?

As soon as he entered, he ran into Rin Nohara and Kato Shizune walking over together, chatting and laughing. "Good morning, Bing San-kun."

"Good morning, Rin, Shizune. Why are you dressed like that today?"

Kato Shizune was wearing a grayish-black kimono today. She looked thin and small, and the outfit didn't fit her at all.

Rin was wearing a floral dress. She looked as if she were going on a picnic in the countryside.

Even though today's exams were all written, it was still strange to dress like that.

Ever since Dan Katō died two years ago, Kato Shizune had grown quiet and withdrawn. If not for Tsunade Hime's influence, Kato Shizune wouldn't even have been able to pay her school tuition.

(Danzo: You're still too young. I'll hold on to this compensation and Dan's estate for the Katō family.)

"Um, well, Tsunade-sama returned to the village yesterday and sent word that she wanted to see me today, so..." Kato Shizune's voice grew softer and softer as she lowered her head.

Bing San scratched his head. "Oh, is that so? What about you, Rin? Why are you dressed so strangely too?"

Rin's eyes curved into crescents. "Today's Kakashi-kun's graduation day. We're going to take a picture together after he finishes his exam."

Asuma suddenly bounced over and shouted, "Wow, my Rin is as beautiful as a flower today!"

He even gave Bing San a meaningful look, as if to say, Boss, I've learned all your tricks!

Rin jumped in surprise, one hand on her chest. "Oh, it's Asuma. Come on, let's go in together. We don't want to be late."

The group walked into the school.

There were several cliques in Bing San's class. The most famous was the "Noble Clan Group," made up of the Hyuga Kuji brothers, the Uchiha siblings, and some children from their subordinate families.

Next came the children from the smaller clans, led by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

The third group was a jumble of kids led by "Big Brother" Bing San.

The "Noble Clan Group" looked down on everyone, but they were the strongest and best fighters. There wasn't much anyone could do about it, even if they disliked them.

Besides, the Uchiha siblings were good-looking, and the Hyuga brothers were rich.

The children from the smaller clans kept a low profile, and most of them were older.

Bing San figured those children from the smaller clans were just at school to kill time.

His own underlings were all sorts of kids.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Obito and Kakashi, for example, were the kind who never really played with anyone. They only had eyes for each other.

Perhaps after this exam, all the children would go their separate ways and face the destinies that awaited them.

By the time they reached the classroom, Kakashi was already sitting at his desk, staring into space.

His father's death had dealt Kakashi a terrible blow.

The somewhat arrogant and scheming Kakashi had begun to grow darker.

The Hyuga brothers had arrived too, but Hyuga Kuji was smiling as he spoke to Hyuga Go.

Hyuga Go stood there listening, drenched in cold sweat. For some reason, he seemed absolutely terrified of Hyuga Kuji.

The Uchiha siblings hadn't arrived yet. Ebisu and Gekko Hayate were playing a game of toss the pouch.

How childish.

Might Guy was actually asleep today. It seemed even a Taijutsu fanatic could get worn out.

Mizuki was reading in the corner. He looked refined and gentle, but was actually rather clueless. He was mild-mannered and good-natured.

Yūhi Kurenai was practicing Hand Seals. There was no denying how hard she worked. Perhaps it was because she was older than the others.

Bing San and the others burst into the classroom and hurried to their seats to prepare for the exam.

Before long, the teacher came in. The big-faced teacher was just an ordinary Chunin named Koichimi Taka, a civilian Ninja.

Rumor had it that he'd once been directly under the Third Hokage, but had later been assigned to teach at the school because he truly had no talent for combat.

"Students, you have your exam today. After it's over, you'll have a month off from school. Of course, don't get ahead of yourselves thinking about the holidays. If you fail the exam, you'll have to repeat the year. So do your best."

After that, the teacher began handing out the papers. The first-year exam was entirely written; there were no combat skills to demonstrate.

Once all the papers had been handed out, the big-faced teacher frowned and counted the students. Several were missing. He said nothing, just shook his head.

With a bang, Obito pushed open the door and ran in.

"Obito!" A pulsing vein appeared on the big-faced teacher's forehead. "Get back to your seat and take the exam!"

Obito didn't even get a chance to say what he'd prepared before the teacher shut him down. Ever since joining this class, Obito had been late five days a week, taken one day off, and arrived on time just once. Something like that.

The exam questions weren't difficult, and everyone scribbled away at their papers. The teacher didn't supervise too strictly; after all, they were only children.

When the exam ended, nobody went home. They all headed to Training Ground Twelve, where the classmates taking their graduation tests were being examined.

The graduation test was simple and straightforward. There was no written exam; all they had to do was fight a Genin for five minutes without losing.

By the time Bing San had gathered his things and made his way to Training Ground Twelve, surrounded by his entourage, several matches had already taken place.

The student taking the test now was Choza, the Cho of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Shikaku and Inoichi seemed to have already finished their tests and were watching from the sidelines.

Choza's opponent was an ordinary Genin wearing a gray shirt and cloth shoes with cotton stuffing poking out.

The gray-shirted Genin endured Choza's punches and kicks with a determined expression, trading blows with him in a fierce, vigorous fight!

Bing San shook his head and thought, The children of the major clans have completely blocked off the path to advancement. No wonder the civilians are so at odds with them.