Chapter 17. Exams completed.
It was yet another day at the Hidden Leaf Academy, and the atmosphere buzzed with a mix of excitement and anxiety as students settled into their seats for the final day of semester exams. The classroom was arranged meticulously, with desks lined up in neat rows. Iruka-sensei entered, a stack of history answer sheets in hand, and greeted the class warmly, though a subtle tension hung in the air.
"Good morning, everyone!" he announced. "Today, you'll be taking your history, science, and mathematics exam. You have from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM to complete it. Do your best!"
After Iruka distributed the first answer sheets for history, Naruto glanced down at paper, feeling a mix of carefree confidence. History was supposed to be his strong suit since he had watched the entirety of the Naruto series.
However, the first question caught him off guard: Who is the first Daimyo of the Land of Fire? His eyebrows twitched in disbelief. "Who even remembers that?" he mumbled, glancing over at Sasuke, who seemed equally troubled by the question.
Sasuke, who had started off equally confident, now wore a grim expression, as the original Sasuke hadn't read history. He had planned to review it at the end, but this Sasuke hadn't studied either, relying on his confidence instead.
The two looked frustrated as they moved to the next item. What was the name of the grandfather of the First Hokage? They both frowned, their brows knitting together in confusion. This was not starting off well. They skipped the question.
Naruto moved to the third question: What was Tobirama Senju's favorite food? He clenched his fists in anger, frustrated that they were being asked such random trivia. "Seriously? Who wants to know the favorite food of a long-dead Hokage?" he grumbled, shaking his head.
Sasuke mirrored his sentiments, his expression darkening as he thought about punching the creator of this question.
The fourth question finally presented a glimmer of hope: Who created the Shadow Clone Jutsu? Both boys perked up, their faces lighting with recognition. "Finally, something we know!" Naruto exclaimed under his breath, but as he looked ahead, the relief was short-lived.
The final question read: Write an essay on the life of the grandfather of the First Hokage. Naruto's enthusiasm deflated instantly. "Wait, what? The grandfather of the First Hokage? Who even remembers that guy's name?" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I could write ten, twenty—heck, even a hundred pages about all the Hokages, even the unofficial Eighth, but this random guy? No one knows anything about him!"
Naruto rubbed his hair in frustration as he looked around and noticed Kiba glancing over at Shino's paper, discreetly copying his answers.
Meanwhile, Choji was leaning over to catch a glimpse of Shikamaru's test, who, despite his usual laid-back attitude, was writing at an impressive speed. It was clear that Shikamaru was determined to finish quickly so he could nap, unfazed by Choji's copying attempts.
Observing the scene, Naruto smirked and decided to follow suit, copying answers like Kiba and Choji, all while keeping an eye on Iruka-sensei to avoid getting caught.
Everyone else seemed absorbed in writing furiously. Catching sight of Iruka-sensei focused on scribbling something at his desk, Naruto took a chance and sneaked a look at Hinata's paper. She noticed him glancing over and, with a shy smile, shifted her paper slightly so he could see it better.
With occasional nervous glances at Iruka, Naruto began copying the answers. Sasuke, noticing Naruto's technique, decided to do the same, nudging Sakura, who sat beside him.
The moment she realized Sasuke needed her help, she practically glowed, tilting her paper so he could see. Sasuke began copying discreetly, keeping an eye on Iruka to make sure they weren't caught. Fortunately, Iruka remained absorbed in his own work, completely oblivious to their antics.
Ino wanted to shout in frustration when she saw Sasuke looking at Sakura's paper instead of hers, but she calmed herself down, deciding that helping Sasuke keep his secret of copying was more important.
As time ticked away, Iruka-sensei finally rose from his desk, calling, "Time's up!" He began collecting the history papers, moving down the rows as students handed over their exams.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, looking at his fully answered paper as he handed it over to Iruka. Sasuke, meanwhile, wore a look of quiet confidence; having copied from Sakura, a top scorer in academics, he anticipated ranking near the top.
Iruka soon distributed the mathematics test, and Naruto and Sasuke accepted the papers with barely contained confidence. They quickly scanned the questions, realizing the exam was indeed a breeze for them, given their past high school experience.
First question: If a ninja has 20 shuriken and gives 7 to his teammate, how many shuriken does he have left?
Second question: If a kunai costs 15 ryo and you buy 8 of them, how much do you spend in total?
Third question: -------
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Compared to the history test, math was piece of cake for them. With both having completed high school in their previous lives, they tackled the problems swiftly, wrapping up in just ten to twenty minutes.
And, Iruka-sensei was keeping a close eye on everyone during the mathematics test. He believed students would be easily tempted to copy in math, where precise answers could be borrowed more easily. Iruka sensei carefully watched each row of desks, determined to catch any signs of wandering eyes.
Naruto quickly glanced at Sasuke, who was already reclining on his desk, having completed his test. He noticed that Iruka's watchful gaze was making it difficult for Kiba and a few others to sneak a peek at their classmates' work. Iruka's vigilant presence effectively clamped down on any attempts to share answers, keeping the room focused and silent.
Iruka-sensei, preoccupied with paperwork that the Third Hokage needed by the day's end, had let some of the students slip by unnoticed during the history test. Aware of the room's restlessness, though, he was determined not to let anyone cheat on the next subject.
As he moved around the classroom, he noticed Naruto sprawled out on his desk, looking as if he hadn't put in much effort for the math test. Concerned that Naruto hadn't studied, Iruka approached him and said, "Naruto, show me your paper."
Naruto handed over his paper with confidence. Iruka-sensei, initially serious, quickly transformed his demeanor to one of impressed admiration as he reviewed Naruto's answers.
"Good Naruto! You've really put in the effort for theory as well," Iruka praised, a wide smile spreading across his face. He noted how well Naruto had performed, especially in the practical tests, He's becoming a genius like Sasuke, he thought.
The classroom fell silent as all the students turned to look at Naruto, their eyes widened. Whispers spread like wildfire, and the atmosphere shifted.
They instantly understood that Naruto had done exceptionally well this time; he wouldn't be at the bottom of the class anymore whether in theory or practical. In fact, it seemed possible that he might even rank among the top students.
Time ticked by, after the math papers were collected, Iruka handed out the science test sheets and announced, "When you're finished with this, you're free to leave the academy for the day."
Sasuke and Naruto both felt that science would be a piece of cake, just like mathematics had been. However, to their dismay, it wasn't. As they glanced at their papers, they quickly realized that some questions were more challenging while others were easy.
First question: "What are the primary and secondary functions of chakra within the human body?"
Second question: "Explain how rainfall occurs."
Third question: "What role does the nervous system play in allowing a shinobi to react quickly in battle?"
Fourth question: -------
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As Iruka-sensei moved around the classroom, his gaze sweeping across the students like a hawk, everyone felt the pressure mounting. They could sense that the teacher was watching closely, just as he had during the math test.
Naruto and Sasuke realized that copying answers wasn't an option with Iruka-sensei closely monitoring their every move. So, they focused on writing whatever they could recall about the questions, doing their best to piece together their knowledge.
After finishing his answers, Sasuke stood up, eager to hand in his paper and leave. Seeing Sasuke get up, Naruto followed suit, having completed his own test as well, and approached Iruka-sensei.
"Place it on the desk," Iruka-sensei instructed, glancing at another student who was about to peek at a classmate's paper.
Sasuke and Naruto placed their papers on the desk before leaving the academy. They were the first to exit the building, prompting some students to quicken their writing, hoping to finish and leave as well.
End of chapter. _________________________________________________________
Special: Kiba's answers.
Science.
What is the process of water changing from a liquid to a gas?
Answer: That's called evaporation! It happens when water gets tired of being wet and decides to float away like a balloon!
What is the function of the brain?
Answer: The brain is like a computer that runs on snacks and sleep, helping us think and make decisions about what snacks to eat next!
What is the main function of the lungs?
Answer: The lungs are just big balloons that help you hold your breath during swimming races—super important for winning!
What is the process by which plants make their food?
Answer: Plants make their food by sitting in the sun and shouting, "Give me a burger!" until a kind squirrel brings them food.
Explain how rainfall happens.
Answer: Rainfall happens when clouds have a big party and get so excited that they spill their drinks everywhere!
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Power stones, please.