Natsuro's indifference and unresponsiveness caused the crowd around him to disperse. There was no need for them to keep pressing when their attention was clearly unwanted. But if he would maintain his position as the top student, it was unlikely that he would be easily ignored in the future.
Once everyone had left, Ino finally had the chance to approach Natsuro. Nervously, she greeted him.
Ino wasn't sure why she felt nervous. She had spoken to him before without issue, but seeing him ignore everyone else made her think he might not acknowledge her either.
"Natsuro, you've become really popular."
Upon seeing Ino, Natsuro couldn't help but show a wry smile. "I don't want to be this popular. It's quite annoying. I just want to quietly read a book."
Seeing his usual attitude brought Ino some relief. She smiled and said, "It can't be helped, you did score a lot higher than the second place."
Natsuro sighed, "It's such a hassle."
"So, were you deliberately ignoring others?" Ino suddenly seemed to realize something.
Natsuro glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before nodding. Although he didn't usually pay much attention to others, openly admitting it could offend others. So he preferred to pretend acting distant.
"Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret." Ino said with a chuckle after seeing his reaction.
"Yeah, it would be troublesome if others heard." Natsuro said, not adding anything more.
Ino felt satisfied and left, not only because of the shared secret but also because she felt special. She was the only one he had spoken too.
Natsuro didn't think much of it. Having successfully fended off the crowd, there was no need to maintain an aloof demeanor around friends. If Ino knew, she'd probably tease him, saying that he was already cold without needing to fake it.
"Those scary guys finally left." Naruto complained as he returned to his seat, wiping away nonexistent sweat. "I couldn't even get back to my own spot."
"It was indeed quite intimidating." he agreed after some thought. Seeing it in the original story was one thing, but experiencing it firsthand was exhausting.
"It's all your fault." Shikamaru added, walking over with his characteristic lazy eyes. He was displeased that he had to leave his seat because of Natsuro.
"Well, I couldn't just intentionally underperform." he said, glancing at Shikamaru.
"Yeah, I guess." Shikamaru replied, scratching his head, unsure of how to respond. He couldn't very well argue that he had let things slide in the theoretical test, could he?
Natsuro's focus had already returned to his book, and Shikamaru noted that he was indeed worthy of his top position.
The day soon came to an end. Natsuro followed his usual routine: physical training, practicing the Void state, and completing his final Lightning Release massage. He didn't let the fact that he was first place disrupt his habits.
Knowing how easily he could become complacent if he broke his routine, he was determined to avoid any laziness. With his familiarity with his past life, he knew that skipping even once would lead to excuses to slack off.
The following day played out similarly to the previous one. He knew that his mother would want to know about his results.
He didn't make a game of it and handed over the score sheet to her before taking the clean clothes and towel and heading to the bathroom.
Shinai looked at the score sheet with the perfect score and first-place ranking, feeling a bit dazed. Her son, who seemed to be out playing all the time, had such excellent results?
Physical performance made sense since Natsuro was always sweating from his activities. His endurance must have improved through regular exercise.
But how did he manage to get the top score in theoretical knowledge as well? Was her son really such a prodigy?
She pondered this while reflecting on Natsuro's maturity since childhood. It seemed natural that he would be talented. Although he had become more tired recently, seeing his achievements gave her renewed motivation.
She thought about bragging about her son's accomplishments to her colleagues at work. With this thought, a smile spread across her face.
In reality, the increase in Natsuro's appetite was due to the energy required for his Lightning Release massage. Since he needed energy to recover better, his food intake had increased significantly.
To Shinai, this was just a result of Natsuro's diligent efforts at school. Although her salary had to cover basic living expenses and other areas had to be more economical, it was still manageable.
If it became too tight, she could always borrow a bit from colleagues. After all, with Natsuro's impressive results, repaying any borrowed money wouldn't be too difficult.
When Natsuro emerged from the bathroom, she hugged him and tousled his wet hair. "You did great, son. So, what kind of reward do you want?"
"Can it be another ninjutsu?" he asked after some thought.
Her smile froze. The family's savings had already been spent on the Shadow Clone technique, leaving no extra funds for other jutsus. She shook her head.
"Then there's nothing else?" Natsuro said, understanding the family's financial situation. They were almost out of money due to his increased appetite. Thankfully, Shinai worked at a barbecue restaurant, where the meat was cheaper, otherwise, they wouldn't have enough to meet his needs.
"Is there really nothing else you want?" Shinai asked, feeling a bit of a headache.
"Nope." Natsuro confirmed. Rather than spending money on other things, it was better to buy more food.
As for shuriken and kunai, he could practice with stones for now. Although stones were too fragile for kunai practice, Natsuro had set a goal. Based on past customs, first place in the first-grade final exams usually came with a special kunai as a reward.
And he had already set his sights on that special kunai.
"Alright then." Shinai said with a resigned nod. Although he had stated he didn't need anything else, as a mother, she felt she should still reward him for his excellent performance.
With the weather turning colder, she decided to knit a sweater. It had been a long time since she did any knitting, and she hoped she hadn't become rusty. As she thought about it, Shinai smiled.
After all, having such an outstanding and considerate child made her, as a parent, very happy.
She looked closely at Natsuro and nodded to herself. It was time to dress him up properly. Wearing worn clothes like before wasn't suitable anymore. It would be nice to dress him well and perhaps attract some admiring glances from young girls.