The End Arrives

Shinichi listened quietly to their conversation, his face still wearing that gentle and composed expression.

The student who had stirred things up was, naturally, himself.

Just last month, during another overlapping practical class between the two groups, Shinichi still hadn't rushed to challenge Kakashi.

He watched silently from the crowd as Kakashi, with more refined and oppressive Fire Release techniques, cleanly defeated the Hokage's son, Asuma.

When the surrounding classmates exclaimed in awe, "It seems Kakashi can use ninjutsu of all five natures," Shinichi, as if recalling something, casually mentioned in a conversational tone, "Speaking of which, I saw in the library before that the First, Second, and Third Hokage all seemed to have bodies naturally possessing five chakra natures..."

Whether the First, Second, and Third's five natures were all innate didn't matter, nor did whether other such ninja existed in Konoha's history.

What mattered was that a simple, powerful association had been quietly planted in the listeners' minds through that sentence: five chakra natures ≈ Hokage.

Kakashi had the makings of a Hokage!

For Shinichi, the greater Kakashi's fame and the brighter his halo, the better.

"But I still think Shinichi is stronger," Ishizuka Takashi said with undisguised bias. "If Shinichi faced Kakashi, he'd definitely win."

Shizune looked up at that, her gaze pausing for a moment on Shinichi's calm profile.

Shinichi?

In her heart, this deskmate was undoubtedly excellent—the top of their class, flawless in every subject, a model among models.

His daily routine of running around the school grounds carrying a massive boulder before dawn was admittedly a bit abstract, but that day-after-day diligence and persistence was admirable.

Shinichi was indeed very outstanding, but in Shizune's eyes, that excellence was the steady, reliable kind of a model student.

Kakashi, on the other hand... seemed like an existence from another dimension. His talent was too dazzling—five chakra natures, overwhelming strength compared to peers, and the title of "Hokage material" already spreading through the village.

All of it together created an impression of a near-legendary, epoch-making genius.

A light so distant it made comparison impossible.

Shinichi took in the subtle assessment in Shizune's glance, stood up with a smile, and said in a calm tone:

"Whoever I'm matched with, I'll just do my best. I'm going to practice swords first."

[Name: Higashino Shinichi]

[Occupation: Ninja Academy Student / Swordsmanship Apprentice]

[Traits: Natural Strength (Green), Diligence Compensates for Weakness (Green), Intelligent (White), Affinity (White), Foodie (White), Tenacious (White), Agile (White), Calm (White), Wind Release Basics (White), Taijutsu Basics (White), Swordsmanship Basics (White).]

Shinichi withdrew his gaze from the Personal Panel, visible only to himself.

Compared to when he first entered the academy, through this semester's continuous persona management, his panel had undergone considerable changes.

First, the original white Trait [Diligent] had been promoted to green [Diligence Compensates for Weakness].

[Diligence Compensates for Weakness (Green): Diligence compensates for weakness, and there will always be gains! When studying, training, or working, increases focus and reduces fatigue, while ensuring slight progress every time!]

The effect of this Trait was simple yet powerful: increased focus and reduced fatigue—compared to the original white Trait, the magnitude of improvement was only slightly greater.

But its true essence lay in the latter half—"ensuring slight progress every time."

Those few simple words, in Shinichi's view, were almost a divine skill in some sense.

It meant stability, predictability, and no bottlenecks.

As long as he invested time and sweat, he would definitely reap rewards. No matter how meager the return, accumulated day by day, it became a staircase to infinity.

Additionally, two new white Traits had appeared on the panel:

[Taijutsu Basics (White)] and [Swordsmanship Basics (White)].

[Taijutsu Basics (White): Your body's coordination, strength, and endurance are above average. You learn and master taijutsu techniques faster, and in taijutsu combat, you can more easily grasp the timing for exerting force.]

[Swordsmanship Basics (White): You have an excellent feel and intuition for the sword. You learn sword techniques swiftly, maintain a stable stance, and in battle, you can more precisely capture your opponent's openings.]

The changes they brought were direct and practical: Taijutsu Basics improved his control over his body, his efficiency in exerting force, and his timing in taijutsu combat;

Swordsmanship Basics enhanced his perception of the sword, his aptitude for learning techniques, and his sharpness in detecting openings during battle.

Both genuinely raised his floor and growth speed in these two areas.

He collected his thoughts, stopped looking at the panel, and seriously began swinging his sword. The afternoon practical exam would be another occasion to test his current results and continue planting perceptions.

He was practicing swords, and also warming up!

In the afternoon, on the training ground, the homeroom teachers of Class 1 and Class 2 gathered together, exchanging a few quiet words as if confirming the final arrangement.

Then, the Class 2 homeroom teacher, Chunin Matsumoto Fumio, stepped in front of the formation and took out a new form.

"Students, next is the final part of this semester's exam—the practical assessment." Teacher Matsumoto's voice carried clearly across the field. "Considering the comprehensiveness of the evaluation, this exam will be conducted jointly by Class 1 and Class 2. Teacher Inoue and I have matched you with opponents of similar skill based on your past performance records, to test your learning outcomes this semester in taijutsu, basic ninjutsu, and practical response."

He cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the list. "Then, first up will be a match between Class 1's Namiashi Raidō and Class 2's Higashino..."

"Please wait, Teacher Matsumoto."

A calm, clear voice rang out, interrupting the teacher.

The interrupted Teacher Matsumoto was momentarily taken aback, but seeing it was Shinichi, his face showed no displeasure. This student had always been steady and sensible; if he spoke now, there must be a reason. He asked gently, "Shinichi, is there a problem?"

"Teacher, since you said the opponents are assigned based on past results, then..."

Shinichi stepped out from the crowd, his gaze slowly sweeping across the opposing Class One's lineup before finally settling on that quiet silver-haired figure.

"As the top student of Class Two, my opponent should be Class One's top student, Kakashi."

As his words fell, a low murmur spread across the training ground, eyes shifting back and forth between Shinichi and Kakashi.

Ishizuka Takashi suddenly clenched his fists, his eyes lighting up; Shizune's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Shinichi.

Students in Class One's lineup also showed expressions of surprise or curiosity.

Teacher Matsumoto clearly hadn't anticipated this direct and specific request, and he felt troubled inside.

He knew Shinichi was speaking the truth, but the arrangement was also influenced by a bit of his own selfishness.

In his view, although Shinichi was talented, compared to Hatake Kakashi, the gap was still too great.

He worried that such a lopsided match, if Shinichi lost decisively, might severely damage this excellent child's confidence. As a teacher, he couldn't help but feel protective.

Just as Teacher Matsumoto was struggling and thinking of how to smooth things over, a calm, flat voice rang out:

"I have no objection."