On March 18th, the annual final exam day arrived.
This was also the last big exam for Yagyu and his classmates.
In April, they would advance to the sixth grade, and by March next year, the final exam would be their graduation assessment.
As usual, Yagyu woke up early that day.
He began with his morning training in the courtyard, then showered and ate breakfast.
After drinking a full glass of fresh milk, he headed straight for the Ninja Academy.
"Yagyu, good morning!"
While walking to school, a familiar girl's voice called out from behind him.
Immediately, Yagyu felt a weight on his back, causing him to lean forward slightly.
A blonde girl had sneak-attacked him from behind, jumping onto his back.
"Good morning, Ino," Yagyu replied with a smile. He skillfully unhooked her arms from around his neck, placing her down before they continued walking side by side.
As they walked, the sight of this handsome boy and beautiful girl together attracted many glances.
Over the past four years, now at 11 years old, both Yagyu and Ino had undergone significant changes.
Starting with height—Yagyu had initially been the same height as Sasuke Uchiha and the others.
However, after merging with Asura's chakra, Yagyu's growth had accelerated as if it had been boosted.
Unlike Naruto, who suffered from malnutrition, Yagyu had inherited his parents' wealth, as well as annual pensions, ensuring he grew up healthy.
Just like Naruto's growth spurt when he trained with Jiraiya and got proper nutrition, Yagyu went from being short to becoming one of the tallest in his class.
Currently, Yagyu stood at 1.63 meters tall.
While this height might not be impressive in Yagyu's previous world, or in a village like Kumogakure that emphasized physical training, in Konoha, he stood out.
After all, even Sasuke Uchiha was just over 1.5 meters tall when he graduated.
Yagyu was certain he would continue growing and could reach over 1.65 meters, maybe even surpass 1.70 meters by next year.
By then, finding someone above 1.55 meters among the new generation would be difficult.
Standing at 1.63 meters, Yagyu's features had matured quickly.
His sharp and defined facial features, combined with his silver hair that lightly covered his ears and his gem-like red eyes, made him incredibly handsome.
Paired with his mature demeanor, his gaze was deep and captivating, often making the hearts of young girls flutter with admiration.
As they walked, countless young girls who had just started to awaken to romantic feelings shot envious looks at Ino, who walked beside Yagyu.
They wished they could switch places with her!
Over the years, Ino had changed dramatically as well.
She had also shed her childishness, now standing at around 1.45 meters. Her golden hair often changed styles.
Sometimes she wore it in the signature high ponytail from the original story, other times it was long and straight, and sometimes she even wore it in twin tails.
This was all because Yagyu had once commented that Ino's aura would change depending on her hairstyle.
Since then, Ino had become skilled at managing her hair, effortlessly switching between straight, high ponytail, twin tails, or even braided styles.
"Good morning, Yagyu."
"Yagyu-kun, good luck with the exam!"
As they arrived at the Ninja Academy, many classmates greeted Yagyu.
Some were from his class, others from different classes.
Unlike the cold and aloof Sasuke Uchiha or Neji Hyuga, Yagyu was extremely popular at the academy.
Had his hair been blonde, he might have even inherited Minato Namikaze's "Little Sun" nickname.
Yagyu didn't ignore their enthusiasm. He responded with his usual patience and warm demeanor.
This was all part of his "persona."
In the past, it was about making a good impression on the heirs of the great ninja clans. Now, it was all for Hiruzen Sarutobi to see.
By outperforming the heirs of the major ninja clans and having a personality like Minato's, Hiruzen wouldn't just take him seriously but wouldn't let Danzo Shimura take him away either.
This "mask" was Yagyu's way of protecting himself.
Upon arriving in the classroom, Yagyu noticed that Sakura and Hinata had already arrived.
Seeing Ino walk in with Yagyu, Sakura teasingly whispered to her, "No wonder when I went to your house, your mom said you had already left. But when I got to school, you weren't here. Looks like you went to wait for Yagyu again, huh?"
Cough "It's just a coincidence, just a coincidence," Ino replied, lightly coughing to cover her embarrassment.
Sakura merely rolled her eyes in response.
"Good morning, Yagyu-kun," Hinata greeted, still using honorifics when addressing him.
"Good morning, Hinata," Yagyu smiled and waved back.
Just like Ino, both Hinata and Sakura had also undergone significant changes over the years.
The most dramatic transformation was in Hinata.
Unlike her short hair in the original story, Hinata had secretly grown her hair long after learning that Yagyu preferred long hair.
Now, with her long, straight hair, black mesh shirt, and white jacket, Hinata looked like a smaller version of her appearance in the Shippuden arc of the original series.
Even more impressive, Hinata had already surpassed her original Shippuden height of 1.5 meters, currently standing at 1.52 meters.
Among the three girls, Hinata was now the tallest.
This change was undoubtedly brought about by Yagyu.
He had long known about Hinata's "big eater" trait, a characteristic that often correlated with strong ninja potential.
Being able to eat a lot was seen as a blessing, a trait necessary for a strong ninja.
During outdoor training, Yagyu often took Hinata, Ino, and Sakura hunting, cooking barbecue for them afterward.
He purposefully pointed out Hinata's hidden trait during these meals.
When Yagyu mentioned Hinata's "big eater" ability, she was so embarrassed that she almost fainted on the spot.
However, after Yagyu praised her talent, the worry she had carried about eating too much in front of Yagyu and Ino vanished.
Afterward, Yagyu helped her feel more comfortable with her appetite.
The mental energy from her Byakugan and the physical energy from her hearty eating had not only caused Hinata to grow taller than expected, but it had also given her an immense amount of chakra.
If Hinata wasn't still shy and reserved, she would have been a formidable rival to Sasuke, who only saw Yagyu as his competition.
As for Sakura, she still sported her signature pink straight hair, wearing a red cheongsam top paired with various colored pants, looking similar to her appearance in the original series.
But internally, she had also changed significantly.
Having been rescued by Yagyu, Sakura had not developed her second, more aggressive personality. Instead, she remained ladylike, already showing hints of the refined demeanor of her older self in Boruto.
Her exceptional chakra control talent had also been fully nurtured with Yagyu's help.
If she still graduated with Naruto and Sasuke next year, Yagyu was certain her skills would greatly surprise them.
Knowing that all of these changes in the girls were due to his influence filled Yagyu with a strong sense of accomplishment.
If he had been born in the world of Pokémon, Yagyu believed he would have been a master at nurturing and training.
---
Read 20+ Chapters ahead of WN:
Patréon.com/RoseWhisky