As March arrived, the third semester was nearing its end.
From this month onward, Izayoi started attending class more frequently in his real body.
Not just in the afternoons—he was also attending morning cultural classes in his real body.
The reason was simple. March wasn't just the month of graduation exams for the sixth graders; it was also the month for final exams for all grades.
Before this semester ended, there would be an important year-end exam.
The scores from the year-end exams, combined with various small and surprise tests from the three terms, would contribute to the overall performance.
Based on the cumulative scores, the school would select one top student from the entire grade, also known as the "Top Student."
To stand out from several classes, dozens, or even over a hundred students—including many from ninja families—and become the number one student in the grade, was undoubtedly a sign of immense talent.
If the student was from a ninja family, they would be considered the most outstanding member of their clan's new generation.
If they were from an ordinary family, it would mean they were a civilian genius who surpassed even ninja clan children.
The top students in each grade were all well-known figures in the ninja school.
Naturally, Izayoi wasn't going to let anyone else take the top spot.
This year's batch of students was special.
Children from major ninja clans were all heirs to their clan's leadership.
To surpass them and become the top student would carry much more weight than other years.
Winning the title of Top Student would prove his talent, and it would make it even easier for Izayoi to pursue Hinata.
With Izayoi's current strength, claiming the top spot was no challenge for him.
Even if his real body didn't attend, a Shadow Clone could easily beat the other students.
However, Izayoi chose to attend in person.
He knew that Konoha was beginning to stir with hidden currents.
In 55th year of Konoha, the Nine Great Powers turned seven.
At the same time, an event shook the entire ninja world.
After the fall of the Senju clan, the Uchiha clan, which had become Konoha's most powerful family, would be eradicated by a thirteen-year-old boy.
This boy was none other than Uchiha Itachi, the older brother of the current clan leader, Uchiha Sasuke.
With this shocking achievement, Uchiha Itachi became the youngest S-rank rogue ninja in history.
However, only a few knew that the Uchiha clan wasn't destroyed solely by Uchiha Itachi. It also involved high-ranking Konoha officials and the help of outsiders.
Izayoi was one of the few who knew this secret.
Around this time, the ninja world's most notorious "lapdog" was frequently visiting Konoha using his Kamui technique.
In order to avoid drawing attention from this "lapdog," Izayoi planned to slow down his training and, before the Uchiha clan's destruction, he would stop taking Hinata to the abandoned training ground.
Better safe than sorry.
Hinata, as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, with her pristine Byakugan, was a valuable asset in the black market.
After all, a single Byakugan eye could make a person the elite of the Mist Village, even landing on Konoha's most-wanted list.
Who knew if Uchiha Obito or the dark forces hidden in the shadows, like Black and White Zetsu, might suddenly target Hinata's Byakugan?
Izayoi, who had already set off the butterfly effect, wasn't about to gamble on the villains' good intentions.
...
March 20th.
Before the sixth graders' graduation exams, the first to fifth graders took their year-end exams.
That morning, Izayoi arrived early at the ninja school.
But Hinata had arrived earlier than him.
After confirming the signal and recognizing that Izayoi was in his real body, Hinata smiled gently and said, "Izayoi-kun, good luck."
"Mm, let's do our best together."
Izayoi smiled widely, softly encouraging, "Let's aim for first and second place."
"Mm!"
Hinata, envisioning herself and Izayoi ranking first and second on the result board, nodded eagerly with a look of aspiration in her eyes.
Before, Hinata didn't care much about her rank.
But now, she didn't want to lose to anyone except Izayoi.
She was determined to compete for second place!
The time for the exams soon arrived.
The morning exam was a cultural test.
Although the Three Bodies Technique had been taught this semester, it wasn't part of the exam.
After all, even among the sixth graders, not everyone had mastered the Three Bodies Technique.
Some even had it as part of a random test among other ninja techniques.
For freshly graduated genin, performing a C-rank jutsu like the Five Elemental Release was enough to impress even Jonin instructors.
This showed that over 90% of first-year students couldn't perform the Three Bodies Technique yet.
Therefore, Uchiha Itachi, despite having only a first-year level of cultural knowledge, used his Shadow Clone to attend classes and was so advanced that his teachers had nothing left to teach him. They even requested permission from the Third Hokage for him to graduate early.
In this world, cultural knowledge was secondary—strength was the most important.
Naruto Uzumaki was the best example of this.
The morning exam posed no difficulty for Izayoi and Hinata.
The afternoon exam consisted of shuriken throwing, taijutsu duels, and new survival exercises.
The first two were also easy; as long as they didn't face Izayoi in the taijutsu duel, even if they faced Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata would get a perfect score.
Hinata, in taijutsu, was already unbeatable in first grade.
Her decisive strikes and acupoint techniques were the stuff of nightmares for children.
But if she faced Izayoi, second place would be out of the question for her.
Why not first place?
It was simple—over these three semesters, Hinata had already faced Izayoi and lost.
Her overall performance was no longer better than his.
Even if she managed to get perfect scores in the year-end exams, she wouldn't be able to take the title of Top Student.
Likewise, even if Izayoi made a careless mistake in the cultural test or lost a match to Sakura Haruno, she would never become the Top Student because her overall score wouldn't be enough.
At present, the only first-year students unbeaten in practical combat were Izayoi, Sasuke Uchiha, and Shiho Yamanaka.
Even though Sasuke and Shiho were strong in cultural exams, their overall scores were still below Izayoi's and Hinata's.
Even if they scored full marks in the year-end exams, they wouldn't surpass Izayoi to claim the Top Student title.
As long as Hinata secured full marks in the practical exam, second place was already a certainty.
Unless someone in another class had a better overall score than Hinata, which was clearly impossible.
Izayoi easily scored full marks in shuriken throwing.
When the taijutsu duels began, he was matched with an unexpected opponent.
"Next match: Izayoi VS Naruto Uzumaki!"
The students in Class 1 gathered in a circle on the open ground.
Iruka Umino stood in the center, holding a clipboard and shouting loudly.
"Eh..."
Upon hearing the name of his opponent, Naruto Uzumaki, holding his head with both hands, sighed in despair, "How did I get matched with Izayoi? This is the end!"
Both cultural tests and shuriken throwing were nightmares for Naruto.
His only slight chance was in the taijutsu duel.
But now, even that chance was gone.
After all, Izayoi was someone who could easily defeat even Hinata, the taijutsu powerhouse.
Unlike the despairing Naruto, Izayoi's eyes lit up.
Finally, he had matched with the child of destiny!