"It's my first exam, and my hands are shaking."
"Want me to help you cheat?"
"Hey! cheating is wrong."
"I heard that the final exam results will be announced to the entire school, and the report cards will be mailed to our parents."
"Then I'm done for! I won't escape a beating this time!"
As Shinho entered the classroom, he could hear the buzz of students discussing the upcoming final exams.
In an hour, the written part of the exam would officially begin.
"Shinho-kun," Yamanaka Ino leaned over and asked, "Do you feel confident?"
"It's okay," Shinho replied casually.
"I'll translate that for you," Nara Shikamaru chimed in with a smirk. "When he says 'okay,' it means he's going to be first again."
"Not necessarily!" Uzumaki Naruto said with newfound confidence.
"You?" Inuzuka Kiba snorted. "You're more likely to fail than pass."
"Passing is easy," Naruto huffed. "As long as you've got hands, right?"
"You didn't even get sixty points in the last two mock exams," Sakura Haruno bluntly pointed out.
"Those were fake exams!" Naruto argued, his face turning red. "It doesn't matter how well you do in a mock exam—it's not the real thing!"
Sakura had no response for that. She sighed and quickly shifted her focus back to Sasuke, her hands propping up her chin as she gazed at him dreamily.
"The final exam scores are a combination of the written and practical tests," Shinho mentioned offhandedly. "Naruto should be able to pass with his current strength, ."
"See? Shinho understands me!" Naruto beamed, giving Shinho a thumbs-up. "That's why a real rival in life is necessary!"
"Give him a little sunshine, and he shines too bright," Kiba said with a shake of his head. "A lifelong rival is supposed to be someone at your level, not someone you can never beat!"
"Do you know who Guy-sensei's lifelong rival is?" Naruto said mysteriously. "I bet you'll be shocked!"
"Who?" Ino asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"Hatake Kakashi," Naruto announced proudly. "Now you see how amazing Guy-sensei is!"
The group gasped in astonishment.
Hatake Kakashi was a living legend. Graduating from the academy at five, becoming a Chūnin at six, and a Jōnin at twelve—his record even surpassed that of Uchiha Itachi's.
"But he's not your teacher," Kiba delivered the killing blow.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Naruto's smile froze, but he quickly turned to Shinho for backup. "What do you think, Shinho?"
"Guy-sensei is indeed very strong," Shinho replied earnestly.
"See? Shinho gets it!" Naruto was back to being excited. "Just wait for my challenge, Shinho! This time, I'll make sure you enjoy it!"
"Idiot," Uchiha Sasuke muttered from the sidelines, having been eavesdropping. He was convinced that he would be the ultimate victor in this final exam.
However, hearing Kakashi's name had stirred something in his memory. After a moment's thought, he recalled that Kakashi had been one of his brother's teammates in the ANBU.
"It doesn't matter; Shinho-kun will always be first," Ino said proudly, hands on her hips, as if his achievements were her own.
"And what about you?" Shinho asked, glancing at her golden hair.
"Me?" Ino beamed, "As long as I can be close to Shinho-kun, I'm happy!"
Hinata, sitting in the front row and overhearing their conversation, turned to glance at Ino. She had arrived late today and couldn't get her usual seat near Shinho, so she could only listen quietly.
Being close to Shinho-kun? Hinata thought, her small face filling with determination. She had the same goal.
"Everyone, return to your seats," Iruka-sensei announced as he walked into the room, carrying a stack of test papers. "The exam will begin in ten minutes."
With the sound of chairs scraping the floor, the classroom fell into silence.
"The only rule is no cheating," Iruka said sternly. "If you're caught cheating, your score will be ruled out, and I'll have to notify your parents."
There it was—the teacher's ultimate weapon: notifying the parents.
It was surprisingly effective, as the room grew even quieter, the students' faces tense with concentration.
But... what if you don't have any parents? Shinho thought, shaking his head. That was a dark place to dwell.
"Sit still, no talking, and make sure to write your name on the test paper once you get it," Iruka instructed as he handed out the exam papers.
When he reached Shinho, he gave an encouraging nod.
The academy's teachers were evaluated largely based on their students' performance in the final exams. The better the students did, the higher the teacher's rating. However, the results of the top students were what really mattered.
And in this class, Shinho was the top student.
Iruka silently hoped that Shinho would once again pull off something as spectacular as the time he knocked out Neji with one punch. If that happened, Iruka's reputation would soar.
"Alright, the exam begins now," Iruka clapped his hands and returned to the podium.
Shinho glanced over the test paper. The questions were all related to topics covered in class: flower arranging, astronomy and mathematics, intelligence gathering, trap setting, and, of course, the Will of Fire.
He picked up his pen and started writing smoothly, like a masterfully flowing river.
Seeing this, Iruka nodded confidently. I'm set! I'll just let Shinho carry me through this.
The feeling of riding on the coattails of a star student was incredibly satisfying. Iruka remembered his earlier classes, where he had to strain himself to get results, but it was never as promising as this one. This class was, without a doubt, the best he had ever taught.
Iruka snapped out of his reverie, and his mouth twitched as his gaze landed on Naruto, who was scratching his head in frustration.
Of course, this guy never fails to disappoint in just how much he struggles, Iruka sighed internally. At least Naruto's taijutsu had improved.
He might pass... hopefully. If not, Iruka wondered, would he have to summon the Hokage to deal with it? That didn't seem like a good idea at all.
Two hours later, the bell rang.
"Pens down," Iruka called out, tapping the podium.
"Ugh!" Naruto groaned, clutching his head as he reluctantly dropped his pen. He hadn't finished.
Sasuke, on the other hand, had finished long ago and looked calm. He even took a moment to glance at Shinho, who appeared equally composed.
Hmph! This time, I'm going to win! I've changed—I'm not the same as before! Sasuke thought to himself.
"The practical exam will be held this afternoon," Iruka informed the class as he gathered the test papers. "Don't eat too much during lunch and keep yourself in good shape."
After he left, Ino leaned over to Shinho's desk.
"So, how did it go, Shinho-kun?"
She rested her hands on his desk, her golden bangs swayed, half-covering her eyes as she gazed at him expectantly.
"Not bad," Shinho replied casually.
"That means you nailed it," Ino giggled, her face lighting up with confidence.
"Why do you and Shikamaru keep twisting my words?" Shinho opened his lunchbox and asked, "Want to try some?"
"Yes!" Ino nodded enthusiastically.
"I made it myself," Shinho said, opening the box.
"Wow, those meatballs are huge!" Ino exclaimed, her eyes widening in awe.
"They're called lion's head meatballs."
Shinho pushed the bento box toward Ino.
"Mmm, it's delicious." Yamanaka Ino picked up her chopsticks and took a bite, her small cherry lips opening as wide as they could, but she still only managed to take half a bite.
Shinho then moved the bento box to his left.
Shino glanced at his brother, then at Hinata, who had leaned in closer.
Yep. Got it.
It wasn't meant for him.
Shino stood up and made room.
"Thank you," Hinata said as she took the seat next to Shinho.
After lunch came the noon break.
Since there was a practical exam in the afternoon, even Naruto, who was usually full of energy, went to sleep early to conserve his strength.
The bell rang.
Iruka-sensei stood at the door, clapping twice to get their attention. "Everyone, gather at the training field."
Shinho opened his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping, instead spending his time practicing.
"Brother," Shino hesitated, "should I use my Parasitic Beetles: Explosive technique?"
"No need, they're all classmates. You can't fully control it yet, so something might go wrong."
Shinho paused, then added, "Besides, even if you use it, you won't get first place."
Those words struck deep, like a knife in Shino's heart, but he couldn't argue.
During their Sage Chakra training, Shinho had always endured explosions without issue, using his White Jade Gu to protect himself.
"Don't worry, it's only the first semester," Shinho said, trying to console his brother out of a sense of responsibility.
Shino nodded in agreement. It wasn't that he cared about the rankings so much—he just wanted to stand out more. But thinking it over, there wasn't much point in doing so.
The students filed out of the classroom and headed to the training field.
"The purpose of the practical exam is not solely to win," Iruka-sensei announced as he stood in front of them. "Your performance during the fight will also be graded."
The rule was meant to give students who lost against strong opponents like Shinho a chance. They might lose, but as long as they demonstrated good form and effort, they could still earn decent marks.
Though, in Iruka's mind, it still seemed like a tough feat—he remembered how Neji was utterly defeated by Shinho in the last bout. He couldn't exactly ask Shinho to hold back, as that would defeat the purpose of the exam.
"Now, I will call out names for the match-ups."
Iruka pulled out a list of pairings. It was based on student rankings from the semester, with closely-matched students paired together.
Naturally, Shinho was at the top of the list, followed by Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki.
Iruka started calling names from the bottom up.
Shinho watched two matches and found them painful to watch. It was no wonder that the graduation standard for Genin was so low—you only needed to master the three basic techniques. Talented students were, after all, rare.
"I wonder who my opponent will be," Ino muttered to herself.
"Who would you want to spar with?" Shinho asked casually.
"Huh?" Ino was caught off guard that Shinho had heard her. After a moment of thought, she answered, "Sakura, I guess."
Because of the butterfly effect of Shinho's presence, Ino and Sakura had never fought over Sasuke like in the original story. Instead, their friendship had deepened. Ino even played the role of Sakura's strategist, though Sasuke remained unmoved, only absorbed in his training.
"What about you, Shinho-kun?" Ino asked.
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone nearby, including Sasuke and Naruto, perked up to hear his answer.
"Doesn't really matter," Shinho replied nonchalantly.
"I knew you'd say that," Ino smiled.
"You'll regret that, Shinho!" Naruto clenched his fist dramatically.
"I am the one who…wait…" Shinho almost blurted out "become Hokage," but stopped himself in time.
Sasuke snorted. This wasn't the answer he wanted. Saying it didn't matter implied that Sasuke wasn't any different from the others. He felt insulted.
We'll see about that!
Hinata clasped her hands together, nervously praying that she wouldn't have to face Shinho. If that happened, she had no idea what she would do.
"Aburame Shino versus Inuzuka Kiba," Iruka called out, glancing at the match-up sheet.
"What? I'm up against Shino?" Kiba exclaimed, then grinned. "No hard feelings, but I won't go easy on you bud!"
Shino remained silent as he walked to the center of the field.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Naruto muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Why?" Sakura gave him a sideways glance. "Since when did you start analyzing fights?"
If you really were that insightful, you wouldn't be so obsessed with challenging Shinho, she thought. That guy wasn't even human—he was like an alien in human skin.
"Because I can't remember Shino doing anything impressive," Naruto replied matter-of-factly.
Sakura was at a loss for words.
Thinking back, she realized she didn't have a clear memory of Shino either. She knew he was there, but what he could actually do was fuzzy at best.
"He's Shinho-kun's brother," Ino said loyally, backing up her earlier statement. "I think he'll win."
"Just because they're brothers doesn't mean they're the same," Sakura instinctively retorted.
"Cough, cough," Ino noticed Sasuke's change in expression and quickly tugged on Sakura's sleeve to stop her from saying more.
"Begin!" Iruka's voice cut through their conversation, signaling the start of the match.
Kiba formed the Seal of Confrontation and immediately dropped to all fours. His nails grew longer as his body lowered to the ground, like a dog. It was the signature technique of the Inuzuka Clan: Four Legs Technique.
Though Kiba didn't have Akamaru with him, he could transform into a more animalistic form himself, increasing his agility and attack power.
Shino instinctively stepped back, keeping his distance as he threw four shuriken with both hands.
Kiba, moving at high speed, dodged the shuriken and closed the gap between them. His claws, glowing with chakra, slashed toward Shino's side.
Shino raised his arm in defence, and Kiba froze. The surface of Shino's skin was crawling with swarms of Kaikachu insects. [1]
Kiba's instincts kicked in, and he quickly redirected his attack to Shino's other side, aiming for his waist.
Thud!
Kiba hit his target, but it wasn't Shino. Instead, he struck a wooden log—Shino had used the Substitution Jutsu.
Kiba sniffed the air, immediately turning around to find Shino, who was already preparing his next move.
Shino extended his arms, and three of his Kikaichu insects, each shimmering in the light, flew toward Kiba.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kiba roared. He didn't see these bugs as a threat and swiped at them angrily with his claw, enveloped in chakra.
But the moment his fingers made contact, Kiba's hand stung painfully. Before he could react, the three insects sped up and slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground.
"What just happened?" Naruto gaped in disbelief. "Did Kiba just lose to three bugs?"
Nara Shikamaru furrowed his brows. There was something strange about those insects.
"Were the Aburame Clan's insects always this strong?" Sakura asked, her mouth slightly open in shock. She instinctively glanced at Shinho.
Shinho had never used his clan's signature insects in any of their training. Could it be that he just didn't need them?
The idea that Shinho didn't use insects because he had no reason to seemed likely. After all, if he could take down someone like Neji with a single punch, what use did he have for insects?
[Tl/n:
[1] So, the mutated insect Shinho gifted Shino and the one's Shino was shown nurturing and blowing up all this while were this kaikachu insects.
The Japanese name of the insect literally translate to Parasitic destruction insects--the various types of bugs used by the Aburame clan is listed in the wiki if you want to check it put later.
Anyway, I've been translating the term as just insects all this while until I looked up the wiki just now, I apologize if this caused any confusion.]
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