A Little Brother Delivered Right to His Door?

The next day, Lu Yu and Shikamaru were dragged out of bed by their mother, both wearing helpless expressions.

After sleepily finishing breakfast, they were mercilessly kicked out of the house again.

The two shot their heartless mother a resentful look, sighed helplessly, and could only shuffle their way to school.

It was exam week. After the Taijutsu sparring test came the Three Body Technique assessment.

Unlike Taijutsu, Shuriken throwing, and close-quarters Kunai combat, the Three Body Technique didn't require them to go to the training grounds. They could take the test right in their classroom.

This time, when Lu Yu saw that Iruka wasn't asking him to do anything special, he settled for an average score and got through the test without drawing attention.

After all, Lu Yu's guiding principle was to keep as low a profile as possible. That way, skipping class wouldn't cause too much of a stir.

When Iruka noticed the problem, he immediately tried both threats and promises. He told Lu Yu that if he could earn the title of Top Student, Shikamaru would be allowed to keep enjoying the special privileges he'd had before. Lu Yu had no choice but to show off a little.

After all, Shikamaru was his own little brother. What kind of older brother wouldn't look out for his younger brother? And if Shikamaru got caught skipping class, the investigation would eventually lead to Lu Yu, and he'd be in trouble too.

After that, Iruka tested the class on Shuriken throwing and close-quarters Kunai combat.

As expected, Lu Yu earned the highest score in both.

Whether it was Taijutsu or close-quarters Kunai combat, Lu Yu won by defeating his opponents in a single move.

Only then did his classmates realize that this quiet boy, who was always disappearing to who-knew-where, was actually terrifyingly strong.

His Shuriken throwing was more than a cut above Uchiha Sasuke's, too.

That hit Sasuke hard. When he got home, he pestered Itachi to give him special training.

And so, when Iruka finally announced the results, Lu Yu took the Top Student spot without a doubt.

The person most surprised by the test was actually Iruka. He'd realized that Lu Yu seemed to defeat everyone in a single move, while still holding back.

The only way to describe his strength was unfathomable.

This left Iruka utterly shocked. In his opinion, Lu Yu was already strong enough to graduate.

But seeing that Lu Yu showed no intention of graduating, Iruka kept it to himself. The higher-ups continued to believe that Lu Yu was simply a little better than the others academically.

The title of Top Student sent Lu Yu's popularity through the roof.

But the very next day after the exams ended, Lu Yu returned to his idle lifestyle, much to the disappointment of the girls who'd taken an interest in him.

The girls were unhappy, but some of the boys had started hatching plans of their own.

The curious Naruto, especially, had become intensely interested in how Lu Yu could be so strong.

After all, Naruto trained hard every day, but he still couldn't beat Sasuke.

And now, even Sasuke didn't have the courage to challenge Lu Yu.

After Naruto talked him into it, Sasuke uncharacteristically agreed with him. The two of them began skipping class one after the other, with the sole aim of following Lu Yu...

Naruto and Sasuke climbed out the window and sneaked toward the hills behind the school.

The weather wasn't great that day. Thick, dark clouds blanketed the sky, making it look gloomy.

Lu Yu lounged peacefully in his deck chair. He glanced at the lake, whose surface hadn't stirred in ages, then stretched in comfort.

"Ah, those troublesome exams are finally over. From what Iruka said, I'm free until the next round of exams?"

Lu Yu carefully thought back over what Iruka had told him. He was pretty sure he'd understood correctly, and he felt a little pleased.

After all, making him sit in class and listen to lessons was sheer torture. Even sleeping in the classroom wasn't as comfortable as lying here.

The only downside was that he was here all by himself. Shikamaru preferred to lie around up on the mountain.

Lu Yu had to do everything himself, which was less than ideal.

If only the heavens would send me a few underlings. That would be perfect...

Lu Yu was half-asleep, daydreaming, when he suddenly stiffened. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke hiding in the grass in the distance, secretly watching him.

Seeing the two of them skulking around and staring at him left Lu Yu pleasantly surprised.

It was like having food delivered just when you were hungry, or a pillow brought to you just when you were sleepy.

Could it be that the heavens had noticed how hard I've been working and specially sent me some underlings?

At the thought, Lu Yu couldn't help the corners of his mouth from lifting slightly.

Since you've gone out of your way to come to me, I'd be letting you down if I didn't take you on as my underlings...