Uchiha Shinji and Kimimaro quickly got up from the ground.
Glancing at Kimimaro's arm, which had almost fully healed, Shinji apologized, "Sorry for injuring you."
"It's nothing," Kimimaro replied, shaking his head indifferently.
To him, such minor injuries didn't even warrant attention; his body would heal itself in a short time. As for winning or losing, he didn't particularly care. Without further words, he turned and left.
Shinji smiled slightly, signaling to Haku and Karin to return to their class.
Just now, during the battle when the steam had obscured everyone's vision, Shinji had stealthily placed the kunai, still holding a small piece of Kimimaro's flesh, back into his ninja pouch.
In truth, it was because Kimimaro didn't care about small injuries that Shinji had managed to succeed. Otherwise, even he would have had a hard time injuring Kimimaro.
At that moment, classmates swarmed Shinji, congratulating him.
Neji approached as well. "I lost."
Shinji patted Neji's shoulder and casually said, "It's just a final exam, don't dwell on it too much."
Neji shook his head. "No, even though it was just an exam, I've realized my shortcomings. You defeated both Sasuke and Kimimaro without even awakening your Sharingan, whereas I've only experienced defeat. This shows I'm not as good as you."
Inwardly, Shinji thought, Technically, I'm wielding two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, so it wasn't exactly a fair fight.
"But..." Neji's tone shifted, becoming more determined. "I won't give up here. Next time, I'll be much stronger!"
Seeing Neji's serious expression, Shinji didn't comfort him but instead responded calmly, "I look forward to it."
...
By the water tank on the rooftop.
Kakashi closed his book, Icha Icha Paradise, and with a leap, left the rooftop without looking back.
The academy exams had reached a point where there was no longer any need for him to watch. Sasuke, Shinji, Kimimaro, Neji—these young talents had performed brilliantly, possibly even on par with how Kakashi himself was at their age.
But in Kakashi's eyes, none of these so-called geniuses were qualified.
The academy had arranged the final exam to test teamwork by forming three-man squads. Yet all these brilliant students had failed to realize this crucial point.
Without exception, they had treated their teammates as disposable or, worse, burdens.
If Kakashi had been in charge of the exam, he would have marked every one of them as unqualified.
...
In the Academy Building.
Although the exams on the field were still ongoing, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the village elders had already left.
While the founding of the Hidden Leaf's academy had been intended to balance the influence of the great clans by bringing in civilian shinobi, the village's leadership knew the truth: the fate of the shinobi world was shaped by its geniuses.
A single Namikaze Minato in war was worth more than hundreds or even thousands of average shinobi.
A man like Hanzo of the Salamander could keep a small village like the Hidden Rain alive amidst the conflicts of the larger villages.
This was the harsh reality, and no amount of "Will of Fire" rhetoric could change it.
Thus, once the matches of the few geniuses, like Sasuke and Neji, were over, Hiruzen and the elders saw no point in wasting their time watching the rest of the academy's exams.
Sensing the disappearance of a killing intent, Shinji glanced at the academy building and murmured, "So, they've left..."
Shinji had felt Danzo's killing intent from afar, not just because of his ability to sense it, but because Danzo hadn't bothered to hide it.
In Danzo's eyes, there was no reason to conceal his intent to kill a surviving Uchiha.
...
Later in the afternoon.
The academy exams finally came to an end.
As everyone expected, after Sasuke's team had been defeated, no other team in the academy could stand in the way of Shinji's team.
After several rounds of matches, Shinji's team ultimately claimed victory!
Every student in his class saw their grades improve by a level, and the three members of Shinji's team received the academy's highest S-rank grade for the semester.
After school, Tenten suggested the two teams go to a barbecue restaurant to celebrate.
With Tenten offering to pay, Shinji naturally didn't refuse.
On the way, they bumped into Sasuke, Shion, and their group, who were also heading to a restaurant. Both groups decided to go together.
After a long day of exams, everyone was exhausted and starving. When the first plates of meat and fruit arrived, there was little conversation as everyone focused on eating.
Only after their stomachs were full did people slowly start chatting.
Shikamaru, picking his teeth with a toothpick, sighed, "Sigh, this vacation is going to be tough."
The academy usually gave students a one- or two-month break after the exams.
Kiba asked, "Why?"
Everyone turned to Shikamaru, waiting for an explanation.
Shrugging, Shikamaru said, "It's obvious, isn't it? This whole exam turned into Shinji and the others' spotlight. We performed so poorly. Do you think we'll get off easy when we go home?"
"Ugh..."
Kiba, imagining his hot-tempered mom and sister, shivered as his neck tingled with cold sweat.
Hinata's mood also darkened.
As the heiress of the Hyuga Clan, her performance during the exams hadn't just fallen short of her cousin Neji's but also lagged behind several civilian students. The pressure she'd face at home was unimaginable.
Shikamaru's comment had hit a nerve with many of the students from prestigious clans or families known for secret techniques. Several of them now wore sour expressions, imagining how hard their family training would be over the break.
Sasuke, too, fell silent, lost in thought. If Father were still alive, would he be proud of my performance today, or would he be disappointed?
After a moment, Sasuke looked up at Shinji, who was still focused on his food. He asked, "Shinji, do you have any plans for the break?"
Neji, having put down his chopsticks, also turned his attention to Shinji.
Shinji casually replied, "Me? Not really."
Sasuke immediately suggested, "How about we train together? We're both Uchiha, and I can even share my experience of awakening the Sharingan with you!"
"Uh...I'll pass..."
Shinji shook his head.
He wasn't interested in hearing Sasuke's story about awakening his Sharingan. Besides, he had plenty to keep him busy during the break. Not only did he need to analyze the cells he'd obtained from Kimimaro, but he also needed to prepare for unlocking the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Thinking about it, Shinji glanced discreetly at Karin.
From what he had observed today, it seemed that Karin's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan had mostly recovered.