Naruto: Learned Something

"Because I was bullied when I was little, and Takasaki-kun saved me," Hinata said, offering a reasonable explanation. "That's why I really don't want to see Takasaki-kun fail to graduate."

"I see." Takasaki nodded, trusting Hinata's words implicitly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to doubt her; it was mainly because Hinata was genuinely innocent in the original story, not at all the type of girl who would lie.

More importantly, in Takasaki's memories, such an event had indeed occurred.

It was a snowy day by the Shimizu River when a few children mocked Hinata for being a "blind girl who brings misfortune." Takasaki had stepped in to defend her and ended up getting beaten up for his trouble.

It must have been then that Hinata developed feelings for him.

As they grew older, those feelings only deepened.

In truth, this was something the original owner of this body had done, so Takasaki was essentially reaping the benefits.

Since he was already reaping the benefits, he might as well go all the way.

After grinding ninjutsu all night, Takasaki was ravenous, and a single bowl of ramen simply wasn't enough to fill him up. "Could I have another bowl?"

"Of course you can!"

Upon hearing this, Hinata looked up and blurted out, "I'll pay for it."

On the street across from Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto was still desperately trying to cozy up to his classmates, hoping one of them would help him cheat on the upcoming exam.

Yet, his reputation as a dead-last student was so notorious that most of his classmates were repulsed by him.

Just like his failed attempt to get close to Hinata earlier, Naruto stopped over a dozen classmates, using the offer of ramen as bait, but every attempt ended in failure.

Each rejection felt like a bucket of cold water, continuously dousing his high spirits.

Especially when he looked toward Ichiraku Ramen and saw Takasaki eating a second bowl, with Hinata even paying for it, Naruto felt his defenses crumble.

Hinata is actually paying for Takasaki's second bowl of ramen? Have Takasaki and Hinata's relationship really reached this point? How on earth did he manage that?

Naruto felt deeply defeated by Takasaki.

Even among the dead-last students, there were levels of competence, and when it came to roping in classmates to help cheat on the upcoming exam, he had truly lost to Takasaki.

Failure wasn't the scary part.

The scariest part was failing and being unable to learn from the experience.

Naruto decided to learn from Takasaki's success. Instead of continuing to solicit classmates on the street, he walked toward Ichiraku Ramen.

Coincidentally, Takasaki had just finished his second bowl and was lifting it to drink the broth.

Naruto sat on the stool next to Takasaki and gently tapped his shoulder. "Takasaki, give me some advice. You must have successfully roped Hinata into helping you cheat on the upcoming exam, right?"

"Hmm?" Takasaki set down the bowl and tilted his head to look at Naruto, not quite understanding what he meant.

He could tell, however, that Naruto was anxious about the upcoming test.

Naruto whispered into Takasaki's ear, "The exam, of course! Don't play dumb! We're both the dead-lasts of the class. I know your grades—you only know a tiny bit of the Three Body Technique. You might scrape by if you're lucky, but if no one helps you with the written test, you're definitely going to fail!"

Naruto's words served as a wake-up call for Takasaki.

The graduation exam consisted of both a ninjutsu test and a written test.

As for the written test, he was completely clueless.

"I haven't actually asked Hinata to help me cheat on the written test yet."

"You haven't?"

Naruto was shocked.

So, Hinata hadn't agreed to help Takasaki yet.

As expected, getting a classmate to help you cheat wasn't that easy.

Naruto continued, "Hinata is already paying for your second bowl of ramen—I saw it myself. You've brought your relationship with her to this point; it's the perfect time to ask for her help."

"That makes sense. I'll try asking her." Takasaki nodded.

Immediately after.

He turned to Hinata and asked, "Hinata, I remember that my seat for today's exam is near yours. Would you be able to help me cheat on the written test when the time comes?"

Help Takasaki cheat on the exam?

Hinata was startled, feeling a bit hesitant.

The Ninja Academy's graduation exams were always strictly proctored. If a cheater was caught, they would be disqualified on the spot, potentially forced to repeat the year and delay their graduation.

If it were anyone else, she certainly wouldn't agree, but this was Takasaki.

If she helped him, Takasaki would surely record her name in his Diary a few more times.

On one side was the opportunity to be recorded in the Diary more often and receive rewards.

On the other side was the massive risk of being caught by the proctor, leading to disqualification and failure to graduate.

How should she choose?

Young Hinata had always had her life path arranged by her elders and had never made a choice for herself, so she felt a moment of hesitation.

"Ever since I was little, my family elders and the teachers at school have taught me that exams should be fair and just, and that one shouldn't cheat." Hinata kept her head down, nervously clutching the hem of her shirt. "Takasaki-kun, please let me think about it."

Takasaki could certainly see that Hinata was hesitating.

Given Hinata's simple and obedient nature, having been raised to listen to her elders and teachers, the more she hesitated, the harder it would likely be for her to agree.

Therefore, if he wanted to get Hinata to agree, he had to act fast.

"Hinata, if you help me cheat on the exam, I'll owe you a favor. I'll pay you back in the future!" Takasaki said, testing the waters.

He had wanted to use something to tempt Hinata into agreeing, but after thinking it over, he realized he was penniless and truly couldn't come up with anything decent.

He could only use a favor as bait.

Simply put, he was just painting a pie in the sky.

The key was that even Takasaki felt this pie was a bit ridiculous; what use was a favor from a dead-last student like him to Hinata?

Just as Takasaki was preparing to come up with another reason, Hinata looked up. "Okay, Takasaki-kun, I agree."

Takasaki thought his favor was useless to Hinata, but Hinata didn't see it that way at all.

Having Takasaki's favor meant that even after she graduated from the Ninja Academy, she would still have opportunities to interact with him.

In other words, she would still have the chance to be written into his diary.

To Hinata, that was what mattered most.

"You agreed?" Takasaki was stunned.

And he wasn't the only one.

Naruto, who was sitting on a high stool beside him, was also caught off guard.

Helping a classmate cheat on the graduation exam was no small matter; he had spent so much breath on the street earlier, yet not a single classmate had agreed.

And yet, right in front of him, Takasaki had managed to get Hinata to agree?

He'd learned something today!

Naruto pulled a notebook out of his bag and recorded every word Takasaki had just said, planning to use it on other classmates later.

If Takasaki could succeed, he surely could too.

"Since you've agreed, you can't go back on your word later." Takasaki emphasized with delight, "But don't worry, if you help me cheat, I definitely won't let the proctor catch us."

"Takasaki-kun, you can't go back on your word either."

Hinata fidgeted with her fingernails and said timidly, "If I ever need your help with something in the future, you must help me too."

As if afraid Hinata might change her mind, Takasaki held out his pinky finger. "Pinky swear, it's a deal."

Watching this scene from the side, Naruto was stunned at first.

Takasaki seemed to have successfully convinced Hinata to help him cheat!

Did that mean if he followed Takasaki's method, he might also have a chance to get other classmates to help him cheat?

Naruto continued to record silently in his notebook with a pen, thinking to himself, "Learned it, I've learned it again."