Hyuga Hinata saw how happy Naruto was, and she was happy too.
"Hinata's amazing. She actually ranked ahead of so many boys," several girls began to whisper.
Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno had placed fifteenth and sixteenth, respectively. Seeing Hinata, another girl, take second place, they couldn't help feeling envious.
If they could place that high too, Sasuke would definitely see them in a new light. And then they could run side by side with him.
Aburame Shino stood nearby and pushed up his sunglasses.
His original goal had been second place. Based on a rational analysis, his stamina and endurance had been precisely calculated, and he should have been able to hold steady in the top three. But second place was what he'd expected.
However, when he glanced at Uchiha Sasuke, whose face was sour as he stood not far away, he felt delighted. This was the first time he'd beaten Sasuke in a running competition. Even if he hadn't achieved his ideal result, he was still in an excellent mood.
Inuzuka Kiba slumped onto the ground, panting heavily.
Fifth place wasn't bad, really. The problem was that Naruto had actually come in first. Remembering what he'd said to Naruto before the race, Kiba felt his face burn.
Not far away, Uchiha Sasuke stood silently, his fists clenched slightly. His expression was grim.
He could barely accept not taking first place, let alone missing the top three and dropping all the way to fourth. It was the worst result he'd gotten since enrolling.
Sasuke's gaze drifted unconsciously to Qiushui, who was standing nearby, talking with Naruto and Hinata.
Before, he'd thought Qiushui was just an interesting teacher who kept the class from getting boring. Even when he'd seen Qiushui use Fire Release Ninjutsu last time, he hadn't been all that impressed. Fire Release was nothing special; as a member of the Uchiha Clan, he'd seen countless skilled Fire Release users.
But today was different. Naruto Uzumaki and Hyuga Hinata's results in the race and kunai throwing had made him start to doubt himself.
In just one month, the two of them had improved at a pace that seemed almost unnatural.
Sasuke furrowed his brow slightly.
Could it really be because of Qiushui?
He thought it over, then shook his head.
What did running and throwing kunai prove?
Good physical conditioning was just a matter of building endurance and technique. Accuracy came from practice. None of that was true strength. True strength was tested in battle.
He'd only made one mistake today.
The practical exams over the next two days would be the real chance to show his abilities.
Training Ground No. 1.
Students from every grade had gathered there, and the training ground, usually so spacious, was now buzzing with voices.
Since the whole school was taking the exam together, the practical test required enough space and varied terrain. The school grounds clearly couldn't hold several hundred students, so the monthly and final exams were always held at the village's training grounds.
Qiushui stood at the front of Class 1 of the 4th Grade, holding the attendance sheet and checking the students off one by one.
"Sakura Haruno."
"Here!"
"Ino Yamanaka."
"Here!"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Here!"
Naruto's voice rang out especially loudly, drawing glances from students in several nearby classes.
Qiushui continued down the list. One name after another was called, and each was answered with a "Here!" Once he'd confirmed that everyone was present, he closed the attendance sheet and picked up a cardboard box from beside him.
A circular hole had been cut into the box, which was filled with folded slips of paper.
Matsumoto Mie stood beside him, ready to help record the results.
"Listen up," Qiushui said, raising his voice so the whole class could hear. "The rules for the practical exam are simple. Come up in attendance-sheet order and draw a slip. The number you draw determines your opponent. Number one fights number two, number three fights number four, and so on. If a class has an odd number of students, one lucky person will get a bye and advance straight to the next round."
"Start drawing."
The students came forward one by one, reaching into the box and taking out their numbers.
After drawing his slip, Naruto glanced at the number in his hand. Instead of returning to his place, he trotted straight over to Hinata. "Hinata, I got number one. What number did you get?"
Hinata had just drawn her slip and was looking down at it. At the sound of Naruto's voice, she looked up and replied softly, "I'm number eleven."
Perhaps because she'd been seeing and talking with Naruto so often lately, she still got nervous when speaking to him, but she no longer blushed or got too shy to speak like she had before.
"Good luck, Hinata! Let's both try to get good results and make Teacher Qiushui proud," Naruto said.
In the month he'd spent training with Qiushui, his physical abilities and theoretical knowledge had improved noticeably, and he'd even learned the Shadow Clone Technique. He felt more than a little stronger than he had a month ago, and he'd been itching to try his hand at today's practical exam.
He'd also gotten to know Hinata's personality a little by now. She was gentle and timid, and always hesitant to let loose. Encouraging her by bringing up Teacher Qiushui should work, right?
Hinata paused at his words, then nodded earnestly. "Mm. You have to do your best too, Naruto-kun. You're going first."
Nearby, Ino Yamanaka clutched her number-three slip and walked over to Sakura Haruno. "Sakura, what number did you get?"
Sakura looked up at her but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "You tell me first. What number did you get?"
Ino waved her slip, a teasing smile on her lips. "Four. I hope you didn't get number three. This time, you won't be as lucky as last time. I'm definitely going to beat you."
Sakura's expression stiffened slightly.
She looked down at the slip in her hand. It was number three.
Sakura knew where she stood in a real fight. She was indeed a step behind Ino, and honestly, luck had played a part in their draw last time.
But she couldn't admit defeat.
She lifted her head and glared back without backing down. "Hmph. What do you mean, lucky? If you're not good enough, don't make excuses."
Ino arched a brow but said nothing more.
Choji Akimichi had, for once, put away his snacks. Holding the slip in his hand, he walked over to Shikamaru Nara. "Shikamaru, I got number seven. What number did you get?"
Shikamaru paused, then sighed and held up his slip. "Eight."
"What a drag..." Shikamaru muttered. He'd planned to have a few good matches this time and try to get a decent result, but instead he'd drawn his best friend in the first round.
Maybe he should just forfeit like he used to?
The thought had only just come to him when Choji's voice interrupted.
"Shikamaru," Choji said, looking at him with unusual seriousness. "Don't just forfeit like you used to. It wouldn't feel right to win that way, and besides, that would let down Teacher Qiushui, who's been teaching us all this time."
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