Grade Exam

Time flows like water and years fly by. Seven days have passed since my last conflict with Uchiha Feng.

Bing San looked at his reflection in the mirror, his black hair and black eyes, his skin slightly red from the perm. He couldn't help but murmur, "Orochimaru's craftsmanship is truly amazing. Oh my, I'm going to die from my own handsomeness! I love it, I love it!"

With that, Bing San poured the LEGOs he'd won from the lottery yesterday into the trash can with a clatter. Who knew why the lottery would give out toys!

After a simple tidy-up, he prepared to head to school for his exams.

As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Asuma and the others. Asuma shouted from afar, "Big Brother, who are we beating up today?"

Bing San gave Asuma a punch with a dark expression. "Don't use such an ominous nickname. And we're not gangsters, what are we fighting for?"

With that, he leisurely walked towards the school.

The roadside stalls and vendors gradually thinned out, and some shops were already closed.

Upon reaching the school entrance, Namiashi Raidō couldn't help but complain, "It's just an exam, why are there so many people? Are they in a hurry to find a spouse?"

Some civilian parents were giving their children endless instructions, as if they were about to take the college entrance examination.

Bing San shook his head slightly and thought, The Third Great Ninja War is about to begin. What are these parents thinking, rushing their children to the battlefield!

As soon as he entered, he met Rin Nohara and Shizune Kato, who were chatting and laughing as they walked over. "Good morning, Bing San-kun."

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

Today, Shizune Kato was wearing a gray and black kimono, looking thin and small, her clothes completely ill-fitting.

Rin, on the other hand, was wearing a floral dress that made her look like she was going for a picnic in the countryside.

Even though today's exams were all written tests, dressing like this was too strange.

Ever since Dan Katō passed away two years ago, Shizune Kato had become withdrawn and taciturn. If it weren't for Tsunade Hime's influence, Shizune Kato wouldn't even be able to afford her school tuition.

(Danzo: You're still too young. The survivor benefits and Dan's inheritance, I, old man, will help keep them safe for your Kato family.)

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

Bing San scratched his head and said, "Is that so? What about you, Rin? Why are you also dressed so strangely?"

Rin's eyes curved into crescents as she said, "Today is Kakashi-kun's graduation day. We're going to take a photo after Kakashi-kun finishes his exam."

Asuma suddenly jumped out and shouted, "Wow, Rin, you're as beautiful as a flower today!"

With that, he winked at Bing San, as if to say, Boss, I've learned all your moves!

Rin patted her chest, startled, and said, "Oh, it's Asuma. Let's go in together, we'll be late if we don't."

Several of them walked towards the inside of the school together.

In Bing San's class, there were several small cliques. The most famous was the "Noble Combination" of the Hyuga Kuji brothers and the Uchiha siblings, along with some disciples from their subordinate families.

Then there were the disciples from the smaller families led by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

The third was the group of miscellaneous children led by "Big Brother" Bing San.

The "Noble Combination" were arrogant, but they were also the strongest and most capable. There was nothing anyone could do if they didn't like them.

Moreover, the Uchiha siblings had high attractiveness, and the Hyuga brothers were rich.

The disciples from the smaller families were very low-key, and they were also older.

Bing San speculated that these disciples from the smaller families were just here to slack off.

Bing San's followers were of all sorts.

Of course, it wasn't absolute.

For example, Obito and Kakashi were the types who didn't get along well with anyone. Their eyes were only on "each other."

Perhaps after this exam, all the children would have to go their separate ways and face the destinies they were meant to face.

When they arrived at the classroom, Kakashi was already sitting at his seat, lost in thought.

The death of Kakashi's father had been a huge blow to him.

Kakashi, who was originally somewhat tsundere and cunning, had become somewhat dark.

The Hyuga brothers also arrived, but Hyuga Kuji was smiling and saying something to Hyuga Go.

Hyuga Go stood there sweating profusely, listening. For some reason, Hyuga Go was terrified of Hyuga Kuji.

The Uchiha siblings hadn't arrived yet. Ebisu and Gekko Hayate were playing a game of throwing pockets.

Heh, childish.

Might Guy was actually sleeping today. It seemed even this taijutsu fanatic had his limits.

Mizuki was reading in a corner. This seemingly refined guy was actually very naive and soft-tempered.

Yūhi Kurenai was practicing hand seals. It had to be said that Yūhi Kurenai was very diligent, perhaps because she was older.

Bing San and his group barged into the classroom, rushed back to their seats, and prepared for today's exam.

Soon, the teacher walked in. This flat-faced teacher was just an ordinary Chunin named Koichimi Taka, a civilian ninja.

It was said that he was once a direct subordinate of the Third Hokage, but later, due to his lack of combat ability, he was assigned to teach at the academy.

"Class, today is the exam. After the exam, there will be a one-month break. Of course, don't be in a hurry to think about the holiday. If you fail the exam, you will have to repeat the grade. Everyone needs to work hard."

After speaking, the teacher began distributing the exam papers. All the exams for the first-year students were written tests; there were no combat skill assessments.

Once all the papers were handed out, the teacher with the round face frowned and counted the students, noticing several were missing. He didn't say anything, just shook his head.

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

"Obito," the round-faced teacher's forehead twitched with a visible 'well' character. "Hurry back to your seat and take the exam."

Before Obito could utter his prepared excuse, the teacher cut him off. Ever since he joined this class, Obito had been late an average of five days a week, with one day off and one day on time. That was roughly his schedule.

The exam questions weren't difficult. Everyone was busily writing on their papers. The teacher wasn't supervising too strictly, as they were just children, after all.

After the exam ended, no one dispersed. They all headed to Training Ground 12, which was the venue for their classmates undergoing their graduation assessments today.

The graduation assessment was simple and brutal. It required no written tests or answer sheets; students only needed to fight a genin for five minutes without failing.

By the time Bing San tidied up his things and was ushered to Training Ground 12 with a crowd, several matches had already concluded.

The one currently being tested was the 'Butterfly' of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, Akimichi Choza. Shikaku and Inoichi seemed to have already finished their exams and were watching from the sidelines.

His opponent was an ordinary genin wearing a gray top and cloth shoes with stuffing peeking out.

The genin in the gray top stoically endured Choza's punches and kicks, fighting fiercely against him!

Bing San shook his head and thought, The scions of great clans have completely blocked the channels for advancement. No wonder the commoners are so at odds with them.