At noon, the teachers gathered in the office, sharing their experiences from monitoring the combat exam.
"That Hinata Hiashi from Class 4 is incredible! No one seems to last a minute against him," Iketani said, a hint of envy in his voice.
"I bet he'll take first place in this practical exam again."
Iketani wished he were the homeroom teacher of Class 4 instead of Class 2; with that kind of success, the bonuses would be easy pickings, and he could treat a date to a fancy restaurant.
But that was just a dream; with scores that high, switching teachers was out of the question.
"Not necessarily! I think that Uchiha Obito from your class might give him a run for his money," Kimura chimed in.
Iketani looked puzzled. "You mean Uchiha Itachi, right? His skills are impressive."
"No, I mean Uchiha Obito," Kimura insisted, confident in his knowledge.
"Uchiha Obito? No way! What skills could he possibly have?" Iketani doubted, suspecting Kimura was joking.
Obito had a reputation as the class underachiever—if he really had talent, he wouldn't be labeled that way.
"I wouldn't lie to you! Obito's first opponent was Uchiha Itachi, and he won decisively," Kimura continued.
Still skeptical, Iketani turned to Murakami, who had been monitoring the exam alongside Kimura. "Ask Murakami-sensei; he was there too."
Murakami nodded. "It's true; Uchiha Obito defeated Uchiha Itachi in his first match."
"Wow, that's hard to believe!" Iketani scratched his head, struggling to comprehend this unexpected turn of events.
He respected Murakami, who had quickly gained the trust of his peers in just a month of teaching.
"Why would he win against Uchiha Itachi?" Iketani wondered aloud, trying to make sense of it.
It seemed unbelievable that someone known as an underachiever could defeat a top student.
Inwardly amused, Murakami thought how much more surprised Iketani would be if Might Guy also revealed his strength.
Iketani was benefiting from this conversation; Murakami estimated he'd be able to keep his bonuses.
"Sensei Habu's class is truly impressive," Ueda interjected, having been silent until now. She had been monitoring Murakami's first-year class.
"The overall level of their basic techniques is almost on par with my second years," Ueda remarked.
"Especially a genius named Uchiha Shisui; he reminds me of Kakashi a few years back. I'm sure he'll take first place in the practical exam," she concluded.
"Really? Comparing him to Kakashi is quite a statement!" Iketani exclaimed, astonished.
While being first in the grade was one thing, being compared to Kakashi was another level of fearsome.
Kakashi had established himself as a prodigy in recent years, quickly moving up the ranks to Chunin just a year after graduation.
"It's true; he's on a different level compared to other first-year students," Ueda affirmed.
"Wow, you're so lucky, Murakami-sensei! You'll have no problem getting recognition," Iketani said, feeling envious.
"It's not just luck; it's Murakami-sensei's excellent teaching. We can't just assume that all the talented students ended up in his class," Ueda corrected him.
She believed that the success of the first-year class was due to Murakami's teaching skills rather than simply having more geniuses.
Otherwise, why would students from his substitute classes hope for more of his lessons?
It wasn't just a couple of students praising him; all the classes he substituted for had excellent reviews.
"Just a slip of the tongue! I know Murakami-sensei is good. My students wish I'd be busy all the time so Murakami-sensei could take over," Iketani admitted, a bit deflated.
He only occasionally invited Murakami to substitute, but most of the time, he was still teaching, and his students seemed to prefer Murakami.
"It's fine; it's really about the students' hard work," Murakami humbly stated.
After a bit of chatting, he soon returned to practicing calligraphy, waiting for the afternoon exam to begin.
They gathered again at Training Ground 16, though the crowd was noticeably smaller than in the morning.
Students who had already lost were not required to stay, allowing many to skip the afternoon battles.
As time passed, battles unfolded one by one. Yagami, who wasn't great in combat, was eliminated in the first round, while Might Guy started to catch everyone's attention with his impressive performance.
"Wow, Might Guy's physical skills are amazing! His speed is unbelievable—he knocked out Daiki with one kick!" exclaimed a shocked observer.
"What a change! I remember him from third grade; he was just okay back then," another student remarked, confused.
"Maybe he really upped his training over the summer and during the new semester?" he speculated.
"Final match: Number One Uchiha Obito versus Number Forty Might Guy. Contestants, please prepare for battle!" Murakami announced, revealing the last fight of the class exam.
Obito and Guy exchanged determined looks as they quickly moved to the battlefield.
"Guy, I won't let you take first place!" Obito declared, glancing at Rin, his determination flaring.
"Neither will I! If I'm to be the strongest, I have to claim every first place possible!" Guy replied, equally fired up.
Some students who had previously mocked them felt a bit embarrassed now.
It seemed unbelievable that these two, once seen as underachievers, had risen to such heights in just one year.
Before the exams began, who would have guessed that Obito and Guy would be the top contenders instead of Uchiha Itachi?
They couldn't fathom just how hard these two had trained over the summer and into the new semester.
After some pre-match banter, Guy and Obito took their stances and prepared to fight.
"Begin!"