Naruto, the Target

Everyone knew what that meant: reading verbatim from lesson plans, drowsy lectures, and the teacher tapping the blackboard at key points to say, "This is on the test, memorize it yourselves." They only ever called on the top students for questions. Compared to Qiushui's classes, it was the difference between hell and heaven.

Just then, Ino Yamanaka stood up.

She braced her hands on the desk, swept her gaze across the classroom, and said earnestly, "If we want Qiushui to remain our homeroom teacher, it's actually quite simple: everyone just needs to give their absolute best on this exam. Besides, Qiushui's lessons are so good—if anyone fails, I'll be the first to look down on them!"

Naruto Uzumaki's face fell instantly; he felt like Ino Yamanaka was targeting him.

Because out of the entire class, he was the only one who frequently failed exams.

But his dejected expression didn't last two seconds before another voice rang out.

Sakura Haruno stood up as well.

She held a thick stack of papers—review materials she had compiled overnight, densely packed with key points. She placed the materials on the desk and said with a serious expression, "These are the notes I've compiled. Even though the exam is tomorrow, if you go home and study these carefully, you can still improve your scores. I'll take them to the copy shop at noon; everyone can come to me after school to pick up a free copy!"

Then she turned her head, her gaze landing precisely on Naruto as she said, "Naruto, especially you. You're the one dragging the class average down every time. I hope you take this exam seriously. If Qiushui is transferred away because of you, none of us will forgive you."

Naruto Uzumaki's scalp began to tingle; he felt like Sakura was targeting him too.

But he didn't refute her.

Because hearing them say that, if he didn't do well on this exam and Qiushui really was replaced, wouldn't the man lose his reason to continue training him?

That couldn't happen.

He clenched his fists.

He had to take the exam seriously; he had to get a good grade.

Aburame Shino adjusted his sunglasses. He sat silently in the corner, already calculating in his mind. His theoretical scores usually trailed only Sakura Haruno, but this time was different—this time, it concerned Qiushui's stay.

He thought it over: if Naruto dragged the average down, he decided he would release a few bugs during the exam to copy Sakura Haruno's test paper.

He wouldn't normally do such a thing, but the situation was different now. He wasn't doing it for himself, but for Qiushui and all his classmates.

Uchiha Sasuke listened to their discussion with an expressionless face. Although he didn't have much interaction with Qiushui and hadn't even spoken many words to him, Qiushui's teaching style did make him feel more comfortable. He wasn't long-winded like the previous teachers, and the content of his lectures truly allowed him to notice many of his own shortcomings.

For this practical exam, he would take first place in the entire grade.

Choji Akimichi stuffed potato chips into his mouth while nudging Shikamaru Nara with his elbow. "Shikamaru, don't just aim for the passing line on this exam. Otherwise, if Qiushui gets transferred, we'll have to go back to a teacher with boring lectures."

Shikamaru Nara held his forehead and sighed.

Troublesome.

Truly troublesome.

If it were before, he wouldn't have bothered with such nonsense. Exams were just exams; he'd just aim for a passing grade. Anything more was a waste.

But now, he glanced at the agitated classmates around him and recalled the way Qiushui taught.

To be honest, Qiushui's lectures were indeed good. He didn't read from a script like other teachers, nor did he constantly call students out for criticism. His classes felt relaxed, time passed quickly, and most importantly, Qiushui never called on him when he slept in class.

If Qiushui were really replaced by a boring teacher, he wouldn't even be able to sleep peacefully in class anymore.

Fine.

He wouldn't hold back his score this time.

Hinata Hyuga sat quietly at her seat, her hands on her knees and her back straight. She listened to her classmates' back-and-forth, her small face filled with seriousness.

She had to do well.

She had to do very well.

Not for the sake of rankings, nor to compete with anyone, but so that Qiushui could stay and their daily training could continue.

Qiushui, who entered the classroom right on time, was unaware of what had just happened.

A second before the bell rang, he pushed the door open and stepped onto the podium. He placed his lesson plan down, cleared his throat, and began, "This exam is divided into three days. The first day is the theory exam. Remember to bring two pens: one for the test and one as a backup. If you run out of ink halfway through, no one will lend you one."

"The second day is the physical fitness test," he continued. "The third day is the practical. Watch your diet these two days; don't eat anything too spicy or greasy. If you get diarrhea and it affects your performance, don't blame me for not warning you. Also, check your ninja tools—shuriken, kunai—if you're missing anything, replenish it now. Don't wait until you're in the exam hall to find out your tool pouch is empty."

After speaking, he opened his lesson plan. "Alright, let's begin the lesson."

For the remainder of the class, Qiushui focused on explaining important scoring points.

He explained things even more meticulously than usual: what was guaranteed to be on the test, what were common pitfalls, and what techniques could be used to solve certain problems quickly.

But as he lectured, a trace of doubt arose in Qiushui's heart.

What was going on?

Why were these students acting like they'd been injected with adrenaline today?

Although many students usually raised their hands to answer, today, as soon as he asked a question, a forest of hands shot up, scrambling to be chosen.

Qiushui was puzzled. He remembered that when he was a student, everyone was incredibly nervous in the two days leading up to an exam. How were the students now not afraid of the test at all?

But he didn't dwell on it, because this positive, upward trend was a good thing.

[Talent Cultivation Complete]
[Overall Evaluation: A]
[Reward Obtained: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (Intermediate)]

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough is a C-rank wind-style ninjutsu and a mandatory introductory course for every wind-style ninja, much like the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique is for fire-style users; it is a signature jutsu used with high frequency.

The user converts a large amount of chakra into a gale, releasing it from their mouth or palms to form a violent gust of wind. While its power is not top-tier, its strengths lie in its low consumption, rapid activation, and wide range of application.

Qiushui looked at this newly acquired ninjutsu on the system panel, his eyes lighting up slightly.

He had previously obtained several fire-style ninjutsu, and fire-style combined with wind-style meant fire could borrow the momentum of the wind, while the wind bolstered the might of the fire.

A flame that might originally only burn a patch could burn a wall with the boost of the wind; a fireball that might only fly ten meters could fly twenty with the reinforcement of the wind, increasing its power by at least half.

Qiushui closed the system panel, pushed open the door, and walked into the office.