Before long, Iruka walked into the classroom. After scanning the room, he said in a deep voice, "Class, another year of training has passed, and I'm sure you have all made significant progress. In a moment, we will begin our new round of final exams. As before, the results of this exam will be used as the standard for your final end-of-term evaluation."
After speaking, Iruka led the students out of the classroom one by one.
Hatake Kusuo's shadow clone wore its usual calm expression. In his eyes, this kind of exam was like children's play—completely meaningless.
With the exception of Hinata, the other students all subconsciously took a step away from him. Although the possibility was small, the one-on-one combat portion of the exam allowed for designated challenges. No one wanted any accidents. What if Kusuo thought they were looking at him the wrong way and decided to challenge them?
In the end, no one voluntarily challenged Hatake Kusuo. A "lucky student" was eventually chosen by drawing lots, and the match concluded with a one-sided beatdown.
...
"I declare that this year's first-place student is: Hatake Kusuo!" Iruka announced loudly, holding up the arm of Kusuo's shadow clone.
The students below looked on with plain expressions; they were already used to it. How could something entirely expected be called a surprise?
Only Hinata's pure white eyes were filled with joy and blessings.
On the way home from school, Hinata ran to catch up with Kusuo's shadow clone. Before it could disperse, she asked eagerly, "Kusuo, can I train with you in the future?"
She looked at him with great anticipation, desperate for an affirmative answer.
Kusuo hesitated for a moment, but seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he smiled and agreed.
Poof!
With a puff of white smoke, his shadow clone dispersed.
Hinata stood on the spot, her face filled with joy and a small, certain happiness.
This is great! I just learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and now I can train together with Kusuo, she thought to herself, her heart full.
The following years passed by in a flash. The Konoha 12 all progressed at incredible speeds. Among them, Sasuke and Hinata's progress was the most remarkable. Sasuke had hatred buried in his heart and didn't dare to slack off for a single moment. Hinata's improvement, therefore, was all the more surprising.
In the yearly tests, Hinata, who consistently achieved good results, had grown accustomed to everyone's praise. She would smile knowingly in the face of their sincere admiration.
To catch up to Kusuo's pace, I can't fall behind! This was Hinata's sole wish.
Of course, when the students compared their own strengths, they had automatically excluded Kusuo from the rankings. This was because they discovered that in the year leading up to graduation, Kusuo was actually able to fight on par with a chunin instructor without being at a disadvantage. This revelation had sent a massive shock through them, leaving everyone speechless with their jaws agape.
Only Sasuke clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. "Dammit! That guy is just a shadow clone, and he's already that strong! When will I ever be able to catch up to him?"
Meanwhile, Hinata, whose eyes were always filled with Kusuo, was laughing secretly in her heart. "Kusuo is getting more and more amazing. He didn't even draw his sword, and he was able to beat Iruka-sensei!"
They all thought they knew the full extent of Kusuo's strength and strived towards that goal.
Only Kusuo and Hinata continued their daily, harmonious training at the practice grounds. When he was tired, Hinata would come forward to wipe his sweat. When he was thirsty, she would hand him ice-cold water. He had managed to turn the arduous life of sword training into a public display of affection.
"Kusuo, time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, we're about to graduate," Hinata said, her voice full of melancholy as she leaned against him after a training session.
Kusuo's heart was not particularly stirred. Unlike Hinata, the shadow clone he sent to school every day was merely a formality to appease the village. He didn't have much of an emotional connection with his classmates. At most, they were just classmates. In his heart, having Hinata by his side was more than enough.
"It's only human to feel emotional about graduating and parting ways," Kusuo said with a smile, comforting her.
"Mm," Hinata replied in a small voice, hiding in his embrace.
Before long, she felt Kusuo getting mischievous with her again. His hands wrapped around her slender waist, his arms feeling the surprising weight she carried there. After four or five years of his "training," Hinata's courage had grown considerably, and her tolerance was no longer as fragile as before. She wouldn't just faint at the drop of a hat anymore.
Most importantly, Kusuo had mastered the exact point at which Hinata was about to faint. He could always bring her to the brink of passing out and back to consciousness, leaving her dazed and letting him have his way with her. Hinata could only spend this hazy time caught between passive acceptance and playful resistance.
"Mm...?" After a long while, Hinata opened her hazy eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Kusuo replied, snapping out of his thoughts. He had been thinking about something and had accidentally zoned out. Seeing her like this, he said with a mischievous grin, "What's the matter? Want to go again?"
"No!" Seeing his wicked smile, Hinata scurried out of his arms like a frightened little rabbit.
Kusuo smiled faintly, looking at Hinata, and then at the scenery around them, muttering to himself.
"It's starting... the windmill of the plot is beginning to turn..."
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