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After two months of not seeing her, Iruka felt that Hinata before him had undergone an earth-shattering transformation... it made him doubt if this was truly the student he had taught. Or perhaps Hinata had some extraordinary encounter during these two months? Of course... Iruka didn't press for details. Everyone had their secrets. Iruka himself was no exception. If he couldn't even share his own secrets, what right did he have to pry into others'? Iruka understood this principle well, so he said nothing more, burying thousands of questions and doubts deep in his heart. His face, somewhat tanned from years of sun exposure during missions, showed profound shock and disbelief. This expression remained frozen for over ten seconds... before gradually beginning to recover.
"Hiss... this strength is a bit inconceivable, and from a nine-year-old girl at that. Are kids these days... all this fierce?!" Iruka couldn't help but complain inwardly, his heart filled with astonishment. But no matter how astonished he was, the exam had to proceed smoothly. Quickly suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Iruka lightly cleared his throat, bringing the still-shocked students gradually back to their senses. His expression was somewhat complex. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke: "Hinata-san's Kunai throwing technique... 100 points. Next is the Shuriken throwing test." Iruka took out four shuriken and handed them to Hinata.
Hinata, who had just scored her first 100 points, showed a hint of joy on her small face, but quickly masked it. After all, she was still a child. Having achieved the best possible score, she was naturally very happy. And because of the first success, she felt much less nervous. Taking the shuriken from Iruka, Hinata, just like before, instantly immersed herself in the task, throwing all four shuriken at once! Iruka's pupils constricted. "Throwing four shuriken simultaneously... this requires extremely high skill, otherwise even one might not hit the target."
Hinata pursed her lips and said, "It will... it will hit." Because Liu Chen told her she would definitely get another perfect score. So Hinata believed her shuriken would also hit. After more than three months of constant companionship, Liu Chen and Hinata's relationship had surpassed Hinata's sisterly bond with Hanabi. She almost unconditionally believed everything Liu Chen said, including his philosophies and reasoning. This might be a unique kind of trust. As for why she trusted him so much, it might be because when Hinata was feeling despair, Liu Chen's sudden appearance brought her hope and warmth, leading her to trust him so implicitly.
The four shuriken, shooting out, spun rapidly in mid-air. They effortlessly tore through the air before them, even slicing several fallen leaves in half.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Four sounds of blades tearing through the target and tree trunk rang out almost simultaneously. The hard circular target, the thick tree trunk, simply could not withstand the advancement of the four shuriken, and were easily pierced through. Shuriken were very thin throwing weapons, unlike the bulkier kunai. To have shuriken pierce through a large tree, plus a thick circular target... this was completely beyond what mere skill could achieve. Moreover, Hinata had thrown all four shuriken at once, and every single one hit the circular target. Although by visual estimation, only two hit the bullseye, the other two deviated by a few centimeters. But this was still an extremely excellent result. Such shuriken throwing technique... only a Jonin could accomplish it, right?! Iruka, as a Chunin, certainly felt he couldn't do what Hinata did. Of course, it might also be because he wasn't specialized in this area.
Iruka felt his mouth go a little dry. He announced in a somewhat parched voice, "Hinata Hyuga... Shuriken throwing technique, 100 points! Two perfect scores, a total of 200 points. An extremely outstanding performance!" He couldn't find any fault, so he could only give Hinata two 100-point scores. He himself had taught many students as a ninja. He had trained countless Genin, hundreds of them. But never had a single student, like Hinata Hyuga, managed to get a perfect 100 on both the Shuriken and Kunai throwing tests. Even the genius Sasuke Uchiha only scored in the low nineties. Hinata had truly set an unprecedented record. He wondered if, in his lifetime... he would ever see someone break this record. Probably not, he thought.
Meanwhile, the students who had been treating Hinata as their goal to surpass during the two-month holiday now looked somewhat dejected. They realized that no matter how hard they tried, Hinata would always pull far ahead of them. Sasuke Uchiha clenched his fists tightly, his face filled with strong reluctance. "I... I can't even surpass a girl. In this situation, what right do I have to kill that man?! For two months, I've slept less than six hours every day, and yet the gap is still so wide?!" There was little jealousy in his heart, only profound unwillingness.
Sasuke Uchiha slowly took a deep breath. He looked at the scars covering his palms, acquired from two months of frantic training. He muttered to himself, "I won't be weaker than anyone. Before I kill that man, my goal is to surpass you... Hinata Hyuga! I will not... absolutely not, lose to a girl."
"This guy... his mood seems a bit off." Naruto Uzumaki, his gaze fixed on Sasuke Uchiha, couldn't help but scratch his head. He watched Sasuke Uchiha's constantly changing expression, perplexed by why his rival's face was so expressive. He then looked at Hinata Hyuga, his expression growing even more baffled. Why had such a normally low-key classmate suddenly surpassed Sasuke for first place?