Slap!
Ebara slammed his hand on the desk, scolding Shino Aburame. "Back to your seat!"
"Teacher Ebara…"
"Shut it! Want to fail the final exam?"
Ebara pulled out his trump card.
Shino instantly fell silent and obediently returned to his seat.
Ebara made a quick trip to his office, hid the book, and grabbed the quiz questions.
"First question, as usual, is a cipher question."
"I'll write it on the board, you answer on your papers, and hand them in later."
Ebara instructed while copying the question onto the blackboard.
Ninja Ah… ahem…
It was raining today, and I saw Nanako-neechan without an umbrella. I remembered what Teacher taught me about helping others, so I gave Masao's umbrella to Nanako-neechan, and we happily went home together. I'm such a good kid…
July 4: Opened this diary to push myself to work harder next semester. First, I'll finish reading Shakespeare's Henry VIII…
July 13: Played cards.
July 14: Played cards.
July 15: Played cards.
July 16: Hu Shih, oh Hu Shih! How could you fall so low? Have you forgotten your study plans? Confucius said, "I reflect on myself thrice daily"… I can't keep going like this!
July 17: Played cards.
July 18: Played cards.
After seeing the first question, many students started answering.
Ebara moved on to the second question.
Suppose a jonin has 1,000 chakra points, consumes an average of 10 points per second in battle, and recovers 3 points per second. How long until their chakra is fully depleted?
Third question…
Ebara quickly wrote all ten questions on the board.
"First question is worth 30 points, the other nine are 10 points each. You have 40 minutes."
No one objected—they were used to this kind of grading.
But when it came to decoding the cipher, some couldn't help but feel nauseated.
"Ugh, this cipher is so gross…"
"Only Teacher Ebara would come up with something like this…"
"I can't—I'll do the cipher question later…"
The 40 minutes passed in a flash.
Everyone turned in their papers.
Ebara casually pulled out a few and tossed them into the trash.
"Those ones failed."
"Why?"
Shikaku Nara asked, confused.
"You'll all be on the battlefield someday."
"Bad luck there could cost you your life."
"This is just a failed quiz—consider yourselves lucky."
Ebara explained offhandedly.
Hearing his reasoning, the kids were furious but didn't dare speak up.
Ebara was infamous at the Ninja Academy for being unhinged.
Arguing with him never ended well.
"Hmm."
"Most of you did well on the cipher question."
"But a few dragged the class down."
"Yamanaka Haiichi, I'm talking about you. Stop looking around."
Ebara pointed at Haiichi.
"Teacher, I answered seriously," Haiichi stood up, feeling wronged.
"What was your decoded cipher?"
Ebara's question made Haiichi's stomach churn, like something was about to come up.
Seeing Ebara squint, Haiichi panicked. "Don't want to answer?"
"Then you're with those who failed…"
"Teacher, I'll answer!"
Haiichi said quickly.
Ebara had said quiz scores were tied to the graduation exam.
What's a little nausea compared to that?
Haiichi, you're going to the battlefield someday.
"My teacher Ebara is dashing, talented, elegant, brilliant, refined, witty, unmatched in the world…"
Listening to Haiichi's translation, Ebara nodded approvingly, as if savoring fine wine.
At the high points, he even danced his eyebrows, as if Haiichi was describing the real him.
The other students, already nauseated from decoding, watched Ebara's smug expression.
They couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Ugh…"
"So gross…"
"I've never seen such a shameless person…"
"Doesn't he feel gross writing this kind of cipher?"
"If he did, he wouldn't be Ebara. His specialty is grossing others out…"
Even Haiichi paused a few times, stomach churning, knowing he wouldn't eat well for days.
"Teacher Ebara's many outstanding qualities are awe-inspiring."
"Inside and outside the class, everyone admires his noble character and takes him as a role model."
"But Teacher Ebara shuns fame and fortune. Though a soaring eagle, he chooses to be a sparrow nurturing fledglings…"
"What a blessing to have such an outstanding teacher!"
Finally done.
Haiichi felt like he'd die of nausea if he kept going.
But his ordeal wasn't over.
Ebara stared at him. "Do you know what you got wrong?"
Haiichi braced himself. "I don't know…"
"You don't even know what you got wrong?"
Ebara's voice shot up several decibels.
Haiichi jumped, desperate to appease him. "Teacher, I know! I'll fix it next time."
The moment he said it, Haiichi regretted it.
"Then tell me, what did you get wrong?"
Haiichi: "…"
Why did I say that?
"Why can't you say it? Still think you're not wrong?"
"I'm wrong."
"Then what's your mistake?"
"I…"
Minato, unable to watch anymore, stepped in to save Haiichi.
"'Inside and outside the class, everyone admires Teacher Ebara's noble character'…"
"It should be, 'Inside and outside Konoha Village, everyone…'"
Ebara looked at Minato with approval. "Exactly."
"It's just a quiz now, but if you're in the cipher division someday and mistranslate critical info…"
"It could lead to a lost war, Konoha's destruction, the fall of the Land of Fire."
"The entire ninja world could be engulfed in war, and the Earth might even explode."
"Can you handle that responsibility?"
Haiichi hung his head. "No…"
"Good. Copy today's cipher translation 100 times and give it to Minato tomorrow."
"He'll check it."
Ebara declared.
Minato was dumbfounded. Why'd I get dragged into this?