It Never Ends, Doesn't It? Do You Really Think I Have No Temper?

Takasaki did not know how he had offended Sakura Haruno, nor did he understand why Kurenai Yuhi would help him.

It did not matter; these things could be figured out slowly later, but for now, dealing with the exam was the priority.

However, after glancing at the incomprehensible questions on the test paper, he immediately lost interest.

Takasaki tilted his head toward Naruto, winked at him with a smile, and mouthed a few words.

Takasaki was not worried about Naruto's situation.

He understood the ways of the world.

Since Kurenai Yuhi intended to protect him, she certainly would not send Naruto to the Academic Affairs Office.

Otherwise, the teachers at the Academic Affairs Office could easily identify him by comparing the handwriting on Naruto's palm.

Naruto, for his part, let out a sigh of relief, his heart finally settling.

It was good that he hadn't dragged Takasaki down with him.

He couldn't help but grumble inwardly that Kurenai Yuhi's teaching standards seemed a bit poor if she couldn't even recognize her own student's handwriting.

He saw Takasaki making faces and smiling at him.

He even saw Takasaki mouthing the words: "Don't be afraid, you'll be fine."

He knew Takasaki was definitely trying to comfort him.

Naruto couldn't bring himself to smile at all.

He said he would be fine?

How could he possibly be fine!

The Ninja Academy wasn't run by Takasaki.

If you get caught cheating, you have to own up to it.

The punishment of being disqualified from the exam and having to repeat the year was surely unavoidable.

Just as Naruto had resigned himself to the penalty and was preparing to stand up and head to the Academic Affairs Office, Kurenai Yuhi sighed, "Forget it, Naruto. After all, you are a student I've watched grow up. I'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."

What?!

Naruto could hardly believe what he had just heard.

He was being forgiven? He didn't have to face punishment?

Kurenai Yuhi acted as if she were dealing with a trivial matter. Ignoring Naruto's reaction, she turned to scan the examinees in the classroom and said with stern seriousness, "There are only 40 minutes left in the exam! Continue with your tests, everyone focus, and no looking around!"

After speaking, Kurenai Yuhi returned to the podium and sat down with her legs crossed. She no longer paid attention to Takasaki as she had before, resuming the demeanor of a proper teacher.

In truth, Kurenai Yuhi knew very well that cheating was not strictly forbidden in exams.

After all, cheating itself was a form of gathering intelligence.

As long as one didn't get caught by the proctor, it was fine.

She had already helped Takasaki twice.

Others might not have noticed, but Takasaki himself certainly knew.

Therefore, there was a high chance that Takasaki would write her name more often in his next diary entry, helping her obtain a reward.

Naruto sat at his desk, dazed for ten minutes, before he could accept the fact that he hadn't been taken to the Academic Affairs Office by Kurenai Yuhi to face punishment.

Come to think of it, why didn't Kurenai Yuhi punish him?

It made no sense at all.

Something clicked in Naruto's mind, and he suddenly realized something.

He remembered that Takasaki had just mouthed to him that he would be fine and not to be afraid.

Sure enough.

He really was fine!

It was as if everything was under Takasaki's control; it was truly incredible!

It must be Takasaki helping me from the shadows... Naruto thought, unable to reach any other conclusion.

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. He looked at Takasaki again, and he couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but he felt that Takasaki seemed like a completely different person than before.

In the past, Takasaki had been a dead weight in the class just like him, but today, he had a feeling that Takasaki had become the leader of the pack.

There were 40 minutes left in the exam.

Naruto certainly didn't dare to cheat again.

Teacher Kurenai Yuhi had given him one chance, but she might not give him a second.

In fact, as if terrified that Kurenai Yuhi might still drag him to the Academic Affairs Office, Naruto took the initiative to use his pen to black out all the notes on his palm, destroying the evidence.

With the evidence of cheating destroyed, Naruto would indeed no longer be at risk of being disqualified for cheating.

The problem was, if he failed the written exam, he would also be ineligible to participate in the ninjutsu exam ten days later.

And Naruto's test paper—the multiple-choice questions, the fill-in-the-blanks, and more than half of the long-form questions—were all left completely blank.

The only two long-form questions he had managed to fill out were the ones he had just scribbled down while cheating.

What was he supposed to do about the rest of the test?

Given his usual academic performance as a dead-last student, it was impossible for him to pass the written exam without resorting to cheating.

There were only 30 minutes left in the exam.

Naruto grew increasingly anxious.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he muttered to himself, "I don't know how Takasaki managed to destroy the evidence of his cheating earlier, but he must be in the same boat as me. He probably only relied on a cheat sheet for one or two of the big questions, and he definitely doesn't know how to do the rest either."

"Takasaki must be panicking right now, too, right?"

For some reason, whenever Naruto was at his wit's end, he habitually thought of Takasaki.

He looked up toward Takasaki, only to see him writing furiously.

With a pen in his hand, he was scratching away at his test paper with a rapid swish-swish-swish.

Naruto was stunned. "Takasaki actually knows how to write the answers?"

The thought had barely surfaced in his mind before he dismissed it.

Both he and Takasaki were the bottom-feeders of the class, with grades that were at the very rock bottom.

If Takasaki could pass the written exam on his own merits, why would he even need to cheat?

Therefore, Takasaki must be cheating.

The problem was, the evidence of Takasaki's cheat sheet had already been destroyed.

"It's Hinata..."

Naruto saw Hinata, who sat in front of Takasaki, shift her position slightly to the side, revealing the majority of her fully completed test paper.

At that moment, it dawned on Naruto.

He finally remembered that Takasaki had told him earlier that he had already arranged the cheating plan with Hinata.

Takasaki had two different cheating strategies!

Takasaki seemed to notice Naruto looking his way. He turned his head, locked eyes with Naruto, and flashed a smile, silently mouthing to him, "Copy off me!"

As he spoke, Takasaki slid his test paper toward Naruto, making it clearly visible.

What is true friendship in times of adversity?

In Naruto's eyes, this was it.

Sakura Haruno, the girl he had been shamelessly pursuing, had taken the initiative to report him for cheating.

His classmates didn't understand him and mocked him.

Only Takasaki, who was a fellow bottom-feeder like him, was trying every possible way to help him.

Even when he was caught cheating by Kurenai Yuhi, Takasaki had somehow managed to get her to show him leniency.

At this moment, tears welled up in his eyes, and he almost broke down crying.

Takasaki finished copying Hinata's multiple-choice answers and was about to move on to the fill-in-the-blank section when he glanced back at Naruto.

Noticing Naruto looking at him with a face full of emotion and red-rimmed eyes, Takasaki mouthed a reminder: "No, don't cry right now. Just finish copying my answers first, you idiot."

Naruto wiped away his tears and mouthed back, "I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen after the exam."

Feeling that treating Takasaki to just one meal at Ichiraku Ramen wasn't enough for such a huge favor, Naruto added, "I'll treat you to dinner, too!"

Takasaki gave him an "OK" sign and buried his head back into copying Hinata's answers.

In truth, Takasaki didn't think he was being particularly good to Naruto; he was simply lending a hand when Naruto needed it most.

Besides, Naruto had the Nine-Tails as a cheat code and was destined to become the Hokage in the original story, and he was incredibly loyal to his friends.

As long as one became someone recognized by Naruto, he would forgive them for anything they did in the future—even if they committed an act like killing his parents.

He was, arguably, the most cost-effective friend one could have.

So, since he had already helped Naruto successfully cheat on his exam, surely Naruto would forgive him if he snatched away Hinata, Naruto's wife from the original story, right?

The more Takasaki looked at Hinata, who sat in front of him, the more he liked her.

Especially when she shifted her paper toward him as if afraid he couldn't see it, and then peeked back at him cautiously.

The moment their eyes met, Hinata would blush, turn her head away, and lower her gaze to pick at her fingernails, obediently letting him copy her paper.

Her shy, bashful expression made Takasaki want to pull her into his arms and steal a kiss.

Just as Takasaki was copying Hinata's answers while imagining a life of shameless bliss with her after they were married, a loud, familiar voice rang out to his left: "Teacher, I'm reporting..."

It was Sakura Haruno again!

And she was coming for him?

A sudden wave of irritation washed over Takasaki.

When exactly had he ever provoked Sakura Haruno? Was there no end to this? Did she really think he had no temper?

With a loud thud, Takasaki slammed his pen onto the desk and turned his head to glare at Sakura Haruno.