He Was Being Singled Out

"Wasn't this supposed to test our ninjutsu? Why is there a sparring section too? Are they deliberately targeting me? Did they forget who I am?"

Ryosuke was the last to receive a test paper.

But the Chunin instructor told him, "You have six minutes to finish the test."

"Are you messing with me?"

Ryosuke immediately stood up.

"This is Lord Hokage's decision. If you can't do it, go back to where you belong."

After saying that, the Chunin instructor immediately turned around and returned to the desk at the front of the classroom.

Meanwhile, the others had already written quite a bit.

Even if Ryosuke could copy their movements, he couldn't match them to the question numbers.

He'd been set up.

Only then did Ryosuke understand why the Third Hokage had agreed to let him take the graduation exam.

Just as he was about to look over the questions and decide what to do,

a crow suddenly cawed outside the window.

A crow?

He turned to look.

A crow was perched on the windowsill, and its eyes had Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Itachi?

Then Ryosuke felt his hands start moving on their own.

Ryosuke didn't resist the force controlling them.

He didn't know why, but Itachi must have been trying to help him.

Soon, time was up.

The Chunin instructor actually came to Ryosuke first to collect his test paper.

"Let's see how much you wrote. Hm?"

The Chunin instructor's expression grew grimmer by the second.

"How did I do, teacher? Did I get them all right?"

The other students were watching now, too.

The Chunin instructor glanced at Ryosuke but said nothing, turning to collect the others' papers.

The results came out soon afterward.

A third of the students had failed the written test.

It seemed the Third Hokage's attempt to target Ryosuke had ended up hurting a lot of other students instead.

The students who failed the written test left the classroom.

Next came the ninjutsu test.

"The ninjutsu test for this graduation exam is Summoning Technique."

After speaking, the Chunin instructor glanced over at Ryosuke.

Ryosuke's heart skipped a beat. Summoning Technique hadn't been among the exam subjects he'd looked up beforehand.

Was this another attempt to target him?

The other students were surprised, too.

"Seriously? We never learned this."

"What is this? How am I supposed to graduate now? I've never heard of a Genin who can use Summoning Technique."

Most of the students began to complain.

But a few remained very calm. They were all from Konoha's major clans, so it seemed they'd been told the exam subject in advance and had prepared for it.

The Nara Kid was the first to step forward.

"Summoning Technique!"

He performed the technique with an exaggerated set of hand signs.

An owl appeared on his arm.

"Passed."

The Chunin instructor marked a check in his notebook.

[ Ding, detected A-rank ninjutsu: Summoning Technique. Recorded. ]

Although the system had recorded Summoning Technique, Ryosuke wasn't happy at all.

Unlike other ninjutsu, Summoning Technique required a contract with a summon animal before it could work.

But where was Ryosuke supposed to find an animal to sign a contract with?

"System? Is there any way you can get me a summon animal?"

Ryosuke could only turn to the system for help.

But the system didn't respond at all.

"Damn it. You always let me down when it matters."

Just then, the crow that had been perched on the windowsill opened the window with its beak and hopped onto Ryosuke's arm.

"You can help me?"

The crow nodded.

Then it pecked Ryosuke's finger, drawing blood.

"Damn it!"

Ryosuke cursed, but the crow suddenly turned into a blot of ink and disappeared.

"Is that all it takes?"

Ryosuke rubbed his finger. A moment later, it had already healed.

"Uchiha Ryosuke, you're up."

At last, the Chunin instructor called on Ryosuke.

The other students had all finished their tests. The results this time were even worse: only four had successfully used Summoning Technique.

This might be the class with the lowest graduation rate in Konoha's history.

Was it really necessary to go this far just to target him?

"Summoning Technique!"

With a bang, the smoke cleared, revealing countless black shapes filling the classroom. They were all crows.

The Chunin instructor saw the sight, immediately clutched his head, and rushed out of the classroom.

"Teacher, did I pass?" Ryosuke called after him.

"You passed. Go see Lord Hokage for the rest."

The Chunin instructor's voice came from far away.

[ Ding, congratulations, host. You have completed the main story quest and become a Genin. You have received 5,000 experience points. ]

A story quest? Why hadn't I gotten a system notification?

At the system's voice, Ryosuke immediately pulled up the system menu.

Only then did he notice a story quest tab. The first quest, "Become a Genin," was marked complete.

The second story quest, "Complete your first ninja mission," had lit up.

"So there are main story quests, too. Damn system, why didn't you tell me?"

Ryosuke complained, then ran toward the Hokage's office.

The other four students who had passed both rounds of testing were already there.

They looked surprised to see Ryosuke, especially the Nara Kid.

The Hokage's office was already filled with smoke.

When the Third Hokage saw Ryosuke come in, surprise flashed in his eyes.

It seemed he hadn't expected Ryosuke to pass the challenges he'd personally set for him.

"Uchiha Ryosuke, congratulations on becoming a Genin. You'll need a three-inch photo for your personal file. Here's your Forehead Protector."

The Third Hokage took a Konoha Forehead Protector from his drawer and placed it beside the other four on his desk. Apparently, he hadn't prepared one for Ryosuke beforehand.

Of course, he had plenty more in his drawer. They'd been meant for the other children in the graduating class, but they wouldn't be needed now.

Ryosuke promptly picked up a Forehead Protector and left the office.

As soon as he stepped outside, he sensed a familiar presence.

He turned around. Itachi was standing in the shadow of the office building.

"Do you know how to get to a photography studio? I'm not familiar with this place," Ryosuke said to Itachi.

Itachi didn't answer. He turned and walked slowly down the street.

Ryosuke followed.

Itachi wasn't wearing the Uchiha Clan's distinctive clothes. Instead, he was dressed in Anbu attire, with a fox mask on the back of his head.

"Why did you help me earlier?" Ryosuke suddenly asked.

"I just wanted to see if you and I were the same kind of person." Itachi didn't even turn his head as he spoke.

"What about now?" Ryosuke asked.

"The fact that you were able to form a contract with a crow tells me we're alike."

Itachi suddenly stopped. They were standing in front of a photography studio.

Ryosuke tied the Forehead Protector around his left arm, then went inside.

"Either way, thanks."

Itachi watched Ryosuke's retreating figure. His Sharingan suddenly appeared.