There were three graduating classes in Liumu's year.
And this time, as chance would have it, the class Liumu was assessing was the very one he had once belonged to.
Looking at the familiar man's smiling face before him...
"What, don't recognize me after a few years?"
Liumu: ???
"That's understandable. I got married these past few years, so I've put on quite a bit of weight."
Hearing the teasing tone in his voice, a figure instantly surfaced in Liumu's mind.
"Naiku-sensei? Is that you?"
Meichuan Neiku had been Liumu's main teacher back then.
He was also the Chunin who had happened to be teaching the class when Jiraiya came to assess Liumu.
Looking at his former teacher, whose appearance could practically be described as... having an entirely different head, Liumu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"How did you... how..."
"How did I get so fat, you mean?"
Naiku-sensei laughed heartily, not the least bit shy about his weight.
"This is happy-marriage weight. You'll understand someday."
Inside the Ninja Academy.
Everyone's mouths fell open in surprise when they saw Liumu walk into the classroom with Naiku-sensei.
Standing at the very back of the classroom, Guy called out, "Liumu, didn't you say you weren't handling the assessment?"
Hearing him, Naiku reprimanded him mildly. "Quiet! The assessment is about to begin. Shouldn't you be practicing your Clone Technique?"
Everyone in Liumu's class had learned the Clone Technique years ago.
So if it was only a graduation assessment, it hardly counted as difficult.
Sure enough, Quexing Yanzi, the first to go up, performed the Clone Technique the moment he stepped forward, without waiting for Naiku-sensei's reminder.
With a pop, a perfectly formed clone greeted Liumu.
"That'll do. Next."
With that, Liumu took a ninja Forehead Protector from Naiku-sensei and handed