Theoretical Exam (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Although she did not speak, her small face was equally filled with earnestness.

Hyuga Hinata quietly raised her head, cast a glance at the tall figure on the podium, and quickly withdrew her gaze.

I must do well.

I absolutely cannot let Teacher Qiushui be punished.

Ino Yamanaka turned her head to look at Sakura Haruno, who was sitting diagonally in front of her, and hesitated before saying, "Sakura."

Sakura Haruno turned back.

Ino looked at her and said seriously, "Don't make any mistakes this time. Try to get the top grade in the entire grade for the written exam."

Sakura Haruno was stunned for a moment.

"Don't worry, Ino," she said with full confidence. "I wouldn't dare guarantee the practical exam, but when it comes to the written exam, if I say I'm second, no one in the fourth grade dares to call themselves first."

This was said without a hint of humility.

Yet, for once, Ino did not refute her, because she knew that Sakura was telling the truth.

Aburame Shino adjusted his sunglasses.

He had planned to release a few bugs during the exam yesterday to copy Sakura's answers, but now, he glanced at Qiushui, who was announcing the rules on the podium, and then at Murata Koji standing in the corner.

Two teachers were proctoring.

Anyone caught would be given a zero.

Aburame Shino was silent for two seconds.

Then, he silently retracted the plan to release his bugs in his heart.

Forget it.

Better to rely on himself.

If he were caught and got a zero, the consequences would be too horrible to imagine.

The ringing of the school bell echoed.

Qiushui and Murata Koji each picked up a stack of test papers and began distributing them.

Afterward, the two of them, one still and one moving, one in front and one behind, began to proctor.

Murata Koji stood above the podium, his gaze sweeping across the classroom, a trace of bewilderment appearing in his eyes.

If Qiushui's popularity with the students had only made him envious at first, the scene before him now was something he could no longer comprehend.

His gaze landed on Shikamaru Nara, who was sitting by the window.

Murata Koji remembered very clearly that when he had proctored this class before, Shikamaru would basically spend the second half of the exam staring out the window, occasionally yawning.

But now?

He was hunched over his desk, his pen tip moving rapidly across the paper, his focus so intense it was as if he were a different person.

Murata Koji looked toward Naruto Uzumaki in another direction.

In his impression, Naruto's state during exams was always fixed: frowning, chewing on his pen, unable to write a single word for a long time, and when he finally handed in his paper, it was basically empty, with nothing written on it but his name, often accompanied by drawings of little cartoon figures.

But now, the Naruto in his eyes was staring at the test paper, his pen moving slowly. Although he was writing slowly and occasionally stopped to chew on his pen in a daze, he was writing.

Murata Koji couldn't figure out how, in just one short month, Qiushui had managed to turn a class that gave countless teachers a headache into what it was now.

At 11:30 in the morning, the bell for the end of class rang on time.

Qiushui stood up, his gaze sweeping across the classroom, and said, "The exam time is over. Please stop writing and wait at your seats."

A flurry of small sounds erupted in the classroom; some put down their pens and let out long sighs of relief; some closed their test papers with expressions of relief; but there were also some students who, the moment Qiushui finished speaking, quickly lowered their heads and scribbled a few more times on their papers.

Qiushui said nothing, simply walking down row by row with Fujino Okuma to collect every test paper.

Some people unwillingly wrote two more characters before reluctantly handing them in.

Some stared at their collected papers with annoyance in their eyes; they had been so close on that last question.

All the papers were collected.

Qiushui stood on the podium, looking at the faces below—some relaxed, some tense—and said, "Gather at the school playground at nine o'clock tomorrow morning for the Clone Technique, ninja tool throwing, and physical fitness tests. Everyone should try to arrive early. If you are fifteen minutes late, you will be disqualified from the practical exam."

After speaking, he left the classroom with Fujino Okuma.

The moment their figures disappeared from the classroom doorway, the room instantly became lively.

"Sasuke." Ino Yamanaka stood up and dashed over in a single bound, moving faster than she usually did when running, and rushed directly to Uchiha Sasuke's seat. She rested her hands on his desk and asked softly, "What did you choose for the third multiple-choice question?"

Since they were discussing grades, Sasuke was not as cold as usual and said, "A."

A brilliant smile instantly bloomed on Ino's face: "That's great! We really have such good chemistry; I chose A too."

When Sakura Haruno saw this, her face immediately darkened.

The brief peace from just a moment ago vanished instantly.

She also rushed over.

The two of them began arguing over Sasuke again.

Hyuga Hinata was sitting in her seat with her head lowered when a voice suddenly rang out beside her ear.

"Hinata."

Hinata jerked her head up, meeting a familiar, smiling face.

Naruto Uzumaki stood before her with a brilliant grin, asking boisterously, "How do you think you did on the exam?"

He had been training with Hinata frequently during this period; although they rarely chatted, Naruto felt that Hinata was already his friend.

The students inside the classroom immediately turned their gazes toward the pair.

Hinata's face flushed crimson instantly, and she nervously poked her index fingers together, yet she still replied in a soft voice, "It... it was okay."

Naruto leaned his head toward hers and said loudly, "What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

Hinata turned into a steam engine immediately.

Naruto didn't press her further, instead placing his hands on his hips and saying with an unprecedented level of confidence, "I finished most of the questions. I have a feeling I did pretty well this time."

The others in the classroom, hearing Naruto say this, immediately felt he was bragging, yet no one denied him as they usually would; some even hoped he was telling the truth.

Sunday morning.

Qiushui arrived at the school half an hour early.

The playground, which at this hour was usually so deserted one could hear the birds chirping, was now bustling with activity: some were jogging to warm up, others were stretching their limbs, and a few were gathered together in a circle discussing something.

Qiushui's gaze swept across the crowd, and he quickly found those two familiar figures.

Naruto Uzumaki was squatting by the edge of the track, diligently stretching his legs, while Hyuga Hinata beside him was performing stretching exercises.

The two of them saw him almost simultaneously.

Naruto's eyes lit up; he immediately straightened his back, jogged over, and called out, "Teacher Qiushui."

Hinata followed behind him, her pace a bit faster than usual, yet she struggled to maintain her composure. She walked up to Qiushui, lowered her head slightly, and called out softly, "Teacher Qiushui."

Qiushui nodded toward them, his gaze sweeping over their forms—both were dressed in neat athletic wear and appeared to be in good condition—and asked, "How is your warm-up coming along?"