Naruto had stopped short of the lectern all on his own.
That quieted the classroom even more than his completing the initial phase of the brief transformation.
After entering, the Academic Affairs Director did not immediately call Mizuki away. He set his document pouch on the lectern, first examined the rules for the consecutive tests on the blackboard, then looked at the original records in Teacher Mizuno's hands.
"Continue the lesson."
Those words left every child stunned.
Kiyo whispered, "We can still have class at a time like this?"
Morita Yu said, "The Ninja Academy is terrifying."
As though he had expected this all along, Iruka called the next student's name. The lesson did not stop; instead, it picked up speed. Observation, judgment, brief transformation-the students went through them one after another. No one dared slack off, because the Academic Affairs Director stood right beside the lectern, and Mizuki stood by the window, his smile thinner than usual.
Che was among the last three.
He drew the female apprentice from the Medical Hall. The person in the portrait had clean cuffs, a medicine pouch hanging to the left, and an unsteady stance, as if she had just run out of the back courtyard. After giving his observations, Che also classified "she is very kind" as an assessment. When forming his hand seals, he deliberately gave only eighty percent. A faint outer silhouette emerged, capturing both the medicine pouch and the cuffs, but he did not let his face transform completely.
Iruka looked at him. "Why?"
Che released his seals. "Chakra stability first, completeness second."
Mizuki finally spoke. "It's not that you can't do it."
Che smiled a little. "Teacher, that's an assessment."
Someone in the classroom drew a sharp breath. Kiyo covered his mouth with both hands, clearly making a