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As time passed, the exams quickly began.
When the test papers were handed out, Ryūsei answered the questions while silently complaining in his heart.
This world is truly twisted!
In terms of technology, they already had electric lights and refrigerators, and scientists had even developed computers—yet nobles still relied on horse-drawn carriages for travel.
Even televisions were chakra-powered devices, tools used by the Five Kage for long-distance communication.
What was even more absurd was that children in this world not only understood romance by the age of a few but were also studying subjects like chemistry in the ninja academy.
Yes, the academy's curriculum wasn't just limited to history—it even included chemistry.
When Ryūsei first saw these textbooks, he was stunned.
No wonder, during wartime, prodigies as young as five or six were sent to the battlefield, and Kakashi became a fully-fledged jonin by the age of twelve.
This world was simply too warped. If you weren't a genius or someone with cheats, you'd feel utterly powerless.
Fortunately, Ryūsei was also one of those with cheats.
With the help of shadow clones and his mature mindset, Ryūsei had always scored full marks in his academic subjects.
None of these questions posed any difficulty for him.
The entire morning, the ninja academy was uncharacteristically quiet. Only during breaks did the usual clamor return.
As dismissal time approached, parents gradually began appearing at the school gates.
When the bell rang, students who had finished their exams poured out of the school.
Some searched the crowd for familiar faces—some threw themselves into their parents' arms, others ran up to them excitedly, and eventually, they all left hand in hand.
Others rushed home eagerly.
But there were also students who watched this scene with envy.
These were the children who had lost their families in the Nine-Tails' attack or orphans who had never known their parents.
Naruto was one of those envious children. Right now, he was even hiding inside the school, afraid to come out.
Whenever he appeared in crowded places, the hateful and disgusted stares made him feel like he couldn't breathe.
He couldn't understand why these people treated him this way.
Or rather…
What had he done wrong? Why did everyone hate him so much?
In the entire school, only Ryūsei and teachers like Iruka knew the reason.
But Ryūsei would never tell Naruto—or rather, he dared not.
Ryūsei was warm and friendly to everyone. Before his cheat ability awakened, he had even been calculating in his interactions.
However, the only two people he wasn't warm toward were Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
Their identities were too special. Getting too close to them wouldn't end well.
If he was too friendly, he might even attract the attention of certain powerful figures.
Even now that his cheat ability had awakened, Ryūsei still kept his distance.
After saying goodbye to Ino and Sakura, Ryūsei returned home, had lunch, dispelled the shadow clone he had maintained all morning, set an alarm, and took a nap.
In the afternoon, the exams continued.
Just like the minor tests, the first subject was still shuriken throwing.
This was the only subject that posed any real challenge for Ryūsei.
At least, for the old Ryūsei.
The current Ryūsei could now hit every bullseye with perfect accuracy.
After all, he had shadow clones to cheat with.
Unsurprisingly, Ryūsei scored full marks.
But many other students from ninja families also achieved perfect scores.
These students had parents who were shinobi, and they often received extra training at home.
Unlike the tedious academic subjects, they were far more interested in flashy skills like this.
In his past life, they would have been the type to focus only on their favorite subjects.
Naruto was another severely lopsided student.
His academic scores were pitifully low. If it weren't for the fact that the graduation exam didn't test academic knowledge (since it was only meant to provide an alternative path), Naruto might never have graduated in his life.
After shuriken throwing came the taijutsu sparring matches, just like in the minor exams.
The students gathered in a circle, some standing, some sitting, watching Iruka in the center of the open space.
"When I call your names, step forward. First match… Inuzuka Kiba vs. Oi Yusuke."
As soon as Iruka's voice rang out, Kiba—who already had Akamaru by his side—put his ninken down and stepped forward excitedly.
In contrast, the boy named Oi Yusuke looked nervous.
Clearly, he wasn't confident in his combat skills.
The result was predictable—Oi Yusuke was easily defeated by Kiba, who had grown up playing with ninja dogs and was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
One by one, names continued to be called by Iruka.
There were both boys and girls, but strangely, the matches were always boy vs. boy or girl vs. girl.
Obviously, Iruka had arranged it this way intentionally.
These first-year exams were still far too childish.
In Ryūsei's eyes, it was no different from playing house.
However, unlike Uchiha Itachi—who had sent only a shadow clone to attend school—Ryūsei never skipped class with a clone.
Because shadow clones didn't possess his special trait.
After all, who knew if Iruka might suddenly spring a surprise test, causing Ryūsei to miss a chance to "loot"?
Over the past six months, Ryūsei had fought his classmates many times and won every match.
Yet with each victory, he never saw the familiar glow.
Clearly, his cheat ability didn't reward him for every win—the drop rate was extremely low.
That time with Naruto had just been pure luck.
In fact, it might have used up all his luck in one go.
"Seventh match… Hoshina Ryūsei vs. Uchiha Sasuke."
After another match ended, Ryūsei finally heard his name.
When he heard his opponent's name, his eyes lit up with joy.
After six months, I've finally been matched against the male lead's rival!
It seemed Iruka was pairing opponents based on previous minor exam results.
With great anticipation, Ryūsei stood up.
The same went for Uchiha Sasuke, who was surrounded by his fan club.
"Go, Ryūsei! You have to win!"
"Ryūsei, beat that show-off Sasuke for me!"
"..."
"Sasuke, you can do it! Sasuke for the win!"
"Who should I cheer for? Both Ryūsei and Sasuke are so cute!"
"..."
The showdown between the two most popular students in the class instantly heated up the atmosphere.
The boys—whether they were Ryūsei's friends or just disliked Sasuke's aloof attitude—cheered loudly for Ryūsei.
The girls were split—some rooted for Ryūsei, some for Sasuke, while others bit their lips in indecision, unable to pick a side.
The loudest voice belonged to Ino, who had cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
The more reserved Sakura and the shy Hinata quietly cheered for Ryūsei in their hearts.
Watching the overwhelmingly popular Ryūsei and Sasuke, Naruto couldn't help but feel envious.
However, he didn't resent Ryūsei—because his sharp instincts told him that Ryūsei was one of the few in class who didn't hate him.
As for his dislike of Sasuke… perhaps it was fate. After all, Sakura wasn't obsessed with Sasuke like in the original story.
Strangely enough, Naruto also didn't have a crush on Sakura and never pestered her.
Truly, Naruto and Sasuke are the real love story—Sakura was just an exception.