Chapter 33: There’s Value Even in the Lowest Rank
At 11 o'clock in the morning, the bell rang.
"Students, stop writing immediately and remain seated," Kitazawa stood up and instructed.
The classroom briefly descended into chaos. Fortunately, Kitazawa had built enough authority over the past month. Even the students who hadn't finished were obedient and put down their pens.
"Everyone, gather at the school playground by 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. Anyone more than 15 minutes late will have their practical test score canceled." Kitazawa collected the test papers, gave a final reminder, and left the classroom.
Tomorrow was the practical exam, and he needed to finish grading the written tests by the afternoon.
Since practical test results would be announced on the spot, combining them with theoretical scores would allow the final rankings to be revealed immediately, which is very efficient!
After Kitazawa left, the classroom turned noisy again with groans and chatter.
Naruto slumped in his seat and glanced out the window. The sky was clear blue. Only one thought filled his mind: I'm screwed!
The monthly exam had been tougher than expected, and several questions left him completely stumped.
"Didn't do well?" Shikamaru noticed his expression and asked casually.
"It's not that I didn't do well, I just... didn't answer some questions well!" Naruto defended, then turned to him hopefully. "Did you find it hard?"
"Yeah, pretty difficult." Shikamaru sighed lazily, "I think I barely passed—maybe 60 points."
"Same here," Akimichi Choji added, joining the conversation.
Naruto's spirits lifted slightly. If everyone thought it was hard, maybe he still had a shot in first place!
"Sasuke-kun, how was the exam?" Sakura slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and walked over.
"So-so," Sasuke replied casually, hands in his pockets. He had already locked down first place in the practical exam. As long as he placed in the top three for theory, he'd be fine.
"Sasuke-kun, you're too modest!" Sakura's eyes sparkled, heart fluttering.
She didn't believe it. With Sasuke's usual cool demeanor, only first place could possibly suit him.
"I've got something to do. No need to follow me." Sasuke brushed her off and walked out of the classroom.
He was already in a sour mood because of the Fireball Jutsu. Without Kitazawa's encouragement, he wouldn't have even bothered with that polite response.
"Sa..." Sakura raised her hand, but could only watch him walk away.
"Uchiha men are really heartless," Ino shook her head.
"Don't talk about Sasuke like that!" Sakura immediately defended him. "That's not cold—it's cool!"
"You're hopeless, Sakura," Ino sighed dramatically.
"Wait a sec!" Sakura suddenly realized something. "Are you giving up on Sasuke?"
Ino blinked. Now that she thought about it, she didn't feel the same fangirl energy toward Sasuke anymore.
Was it because she'd been focused on tree-climbing training? Or had she developed antibodies after watching Kitazawa too often?
"Better to give up!" Sakura laughed happily. "Sasuke will be mine!"
"Yes, yes, sure." Ino rolled her eyes. Then she noticed Hinata, who was still seated.
Hinata had already packed her stationery but hadn't left yet.
"Hinata," Ino walked over. "Wanna head home together?"
Because of their shared training, Ino had come to see Hinata as a close friend.
"Eh?" Hinata blinked, flustered. "I-I… you go ahead."
Seeing her reaction, Ino didn't insist and left with Sakura.
Hinata quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Once the classroom was empty, she picked up her bag and went to Kitazawa's office.
Knock knock.
"Come in." Kitazawa looked up from grading.
"Kitazawa… Teacher Kitazawa," Hinata smiled shyly upon entering.
"Not heading home?" He set his pen down and asked.
"I… um…" Hinata's heart skipped a beat, and a blush crept across her cheeks. She had come to have lunch like usual, but it seemed Kitazawa hadn't planned for it today.
Now she felt awkward.
"Well, since you're here, let's eat together," Kitazawa smiled, instantly guessing her reason.
He honestly hadn't expected her to show up today, especially since the afternoon was free and tomorrow was the practical exam.
"Okay!" Hinata beamed, removed her shoes, and stepped inside.
Seeing Kitazawa busy grading, she quietly sat on the sofa, her soft white feet moving slightly in rhythm with her mood.
At noon, Kitazawa let out a breath and put down his pen. He looked at Hinata, who was still sitting quietly like a delicate porcelain doll.
His gaze drifted to her smooth legs. If she wore white stockings… No, no, that's too much punishment!
Kitazawa forced the thought away. Focus! I'm into the older models!
"Hinata, dinner is ready!" He said jokingly.
Startled, Hinata jumped up from the sofa and stood straight. When she saw his playful smile, she realized he was teasing her. Her face flushed red.
"Come on, let's go eat." Kitazawa gestured with a grin.
Hinata, trying to suppress her embarrassment, walked over to him.
He patted her head, then took her to Ichiraku Ramen. After their meal, she returned to the Hyuga compound.
Kitazawa, on the other hand, resumed his afternoon work of grading. By dusk, he had finished correcting all the test papers and ranked them.
His eyes landed on Hyuga Hinata—first place. He nodded, pleased. Her recent special training had clearly paid off.
The second name on the list surprised him a little: Haruno Sakura, not Uchiha Sasuke.
But thinking about it, it made sense. In the original work, Sakura was top in theoretical studies. Her high marks were a major factor in her selection for Team 7. That, and her so-called bonds with Naruto and Sasuke.
Kitazawa scanned further down the list and found Uzumaki Naruto. Good news—he wasn't last anymore. Bad news—28th place. Still stuck near the bottom.
How to put it? There's plenty of room for growth.
Just then, three lines of text popped up in Kitazawa's view.
[Current task: Help your lifelong enemy Uzumaki Naruto reach the top ten in next month's exam.
Task reward: Yin Attribute.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa was surprised, but only slightly.
He had received similar missions before. What caught his attention was the lowered expectation—it wasn't second place this time, just top ten.
Does the system have that little faith in Naruto? He sighed. Good grief. But from another perspective, Naruto was the first student with a follow-up ranking mission.
Well then. Kitazawa chose to accept. With the Yin attribute, mastering genjutsu would become much easier.
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