Why are these people not taking their exams properly and looking at me instead?

Hinata and Ino both already had plans to help Takasaki cheat.

Sakura Haruno, on the other hand, had a plan to report Takasaki.

The goal for all three girls was the same: to have Takasaki write their names in his diary more often, thereby earning rewards.

At the same time.

They were not the only ones looking to gain rewards by interacting with Takasaki during this final exam.

There was also their teacher, Kurenai Yuhi.

Right now.

In the office.

Kurenai Yuhi tore open the sealed bag of exam papers, though her attention was actually focused on the diary within her consciousness.

She had read both of Takasaki's previous diary entries.

The first entry had mentioned her for the first time, and the diary had rewarded her with a 10% increase in her chakra reserves.

It was only after feeling the tangible increase in her chakra that she realized the diary could make her stronger.

Through the second entry, Kurenai Yuhi discovered that she wasn't the only one who possessed a diary; Hinata had one as well.

Hinata had taken the initiative to seduce Takasaki, teaching him the Three Body Technique so that the content of the second entry was almost entirely about her, which resulted in Hinata receiving an additional reward from the diary.

A 10% increase in physical strength.

Such an effect was enough to tempt not just young girls like Sakura Haruno and Ino.

Even she, a teacher at the Ninja Academy, found it truly enticing.

Hinata was a student in her class, and as her teacher, she couldn't possibly let herself be outdone by her own student, could she?

As Kurenai Yuhi diligently organized the exam papers, she pondered a plan to get closer to Takasaki.

It wasn't just about getting close; she needed to leave a deep impression on him so that he would record her name in his diary.

She had a plan!

"Takasaki is the dead-last in the class; he's unlikely to pass the written exam. Since that's the case, as his teacher, I shall give him a helping hand."

Even Kurenai Yuhi herself hadn't expected this.

As a teacher at the Ninja Academy, she never thought there would come a day when she would help her own student cheat.

There was no helping it; the temptation of the diary was simply too great.

At this moment.

In the classroom, Takasaki had no idea that Kurenai Yuhi had set her sights on him.

Naruto, sitting beside him, pulled down his rolled-up sleeves and clutched his head with both hands, looking distressed and confused. "Takasaki, I don't get it. Ino clearly said her clan practices mental arts and that she wants to help her classmates, so why is she only helping you and not me?"

They were both dead-last, so why was Takasaki's treatment so obviously better than his?

Naruto felt the unfairness of fate.

Takasaki pulled Naruto's hand over. "It's alright, Naruto. I can help you; my pen still has ink."

Naruto watched as Takasaki compared the notes Ino had written on his palm with the content he was carefully copying onto Naruto's own palm.

He was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears.

He knew that everyone in the village looked down on him.

Since he was little, they had called him the Demon Fox and cursed him for having no parents.

He pulled pranks everywhere just to attract attention, but he never expected that it would only make people dislike him even more.

In truth, Naruto understood everything in his heart. The Sakura he liked hated him.

Ino hated him too, though she hadn't said it out loud.

Naruto understood them.

After all, he was full of flaws; sometimes, he even hated himself.

Fortunately, he still had Takasaki as a friend.

In his life, the only person who didn't shun him and brought him hope was surely Takasaki.

"No, Naruto, why are you crying again?" Takasaki found it amusing when he noticed Naruto shedding tears again.

"Takasaki, you're so good to me. You're the only one who treats me like this."

"There will be many people who are good to you in the future. After all, you're going to be the Hokage one day."

Takasaki took out a tissue to wipe Naruto's tears, adding, "Stop crying. And don't use the hand I just wrote the notes on to wipe your eyes, or the ink will smudge and my effort to help you cheat will be for nothing."

"Mm-hmm!" Naruto nodded vigorously.

As if suddenly remembering something, Takasaki emphasized, "When you take the test in a bit, look at the notes I wrote for you secretly. If the proctor catches you, make sure you don't sell me out!"

"Mm-hmm! I definitely won't sell you out this time!"

Naruto nodded heavily once more. "I promise!"

Naruto continued, "Besides, I have a great mindset. Even if I cheat on the exam, I can do it without the proctors noticing a single flaw."

That was what Naruto said, yet when he watched Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma walk into the exam hall carrying stacks of test papers, he grew nervous instinctively.

Especially when the seating was assigned and Naruto sat at his desk, listening to Asuma solemnly announce the exam rules and the consequences of cheating from the podium, Naruto trembled with nerves.

The written exam had begun.

The classroom was silent.

The sound of flipping pages and the rustling of pens against paper were exceptionally clear.

Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma, acting as proctors, stood at the podium, watching the students' movements with stern expressions.

Naruto bit his finger, feeling guilty.

The moment he had the thought to compare the questions on the paper with the notes Takasaki had written on his palm, he instinctively looked up at the proctors.

After meeting Asuma's cold, sharp gaze, Naruto hurriedly pressed his palm against the desk, not daring to look again.

At this moment, he finally understood that the mindset one has when taking an exam on their own merits is truly different from the mindset when cheating.

Surely Takasaki, who was a class dead-last just like him, must be just as nervous?

Naruto looked toward his front-left; that was Takasaki's seat.

Indeed.

Takasaki sat at his desk, head bowed, eyes fixed on the paper, sitting perfectly still with the palm Ino had written notes on pressed firmly against the desk, looking for all the world like someone who wouldn't dare to cheat.

Seeing this, Naruto felt much more at ease.

At least he wasn't the only one planning to cheat.

In a little while, when Takasaki started cheating, he would do the same.

For some reason, he had a feeling that as long as he followed Takasaki's lead, he couldn't go wrong.

Takasaki and Naruto looked equally nervous.

In reality, the pressure Takasaki was under was several times greater than Naruto's.

After all, Asuma's gaze had only landed on Naruto by accident, and it had already made him tremble with guilt.

But Takasaki felt that there were five people in the exam hall watching him.

Why aren't these people focusing on their own exams? Why are they all looking at me? Takasaki thought to himself, head bowed.

In his memory, he had never received this much attention during previous exams.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable.

As a student planning to cheat at any moment, he didn't dare to make a move until he figured out the source of these prying eyes.

Takasaki lifted his head slightly and glanced around.

The first gaze came from Hinata, who sat in front of him.

The second gaze came from Sakura Haruno, sitting to his left.

The third gaze came from Naruto, sitting behind him to the right.

The fourth gaze came from Ino, sitting in the first row.

He understood why Hinata and Ino were watching him; after all, both girls were kind enough to help him cheat, and naturally, they were worried that if he failed, he would drag them down with him.

He also understood why Naruto was watching him.

But he couldn't quite understand why Sakura Haruno was watching him.

If Sakura Haruno was going to pay attention to any boy in class, shouldn't it be Sasuke?

He hadn't discussed cheating with her at all—could it be that she liked him?

Takasaki didn't have the heart to dwell on these things; most importantly, the fifth gaze upon him made him feel under immense pressure.

Takasaki raised his head a little higher and looked toward the podium.

Kurenai Yuhi, with her crimson eyes, sat on a stool, her high-heeled shoe dangling from her foot as she crossed her legs.

She reached up to brush her hair aside, exposing her full chest, which strained against her red knit robe.

Asuma, her boyfriend, stood beside her, his gaze sweeping over the students in the classroom.

Kurenai Yuhi wasn't looking at her boyfriend; her rose-red eyes were fixed directly on Takasaki. When she met his gaze, her red lips parted slightly:

"Student Takasaki, focus on your answers. Don't look around, and certainly don't even think about cheating."