As March arrived, the third semester was nearing its end.
Starting this month, Izayoi's main body began attending classes more frequently.
Not only in the afternoons but also in the morning cultural classes, it was his main body.
One reason was that March was not only the graduation month for sixth graders but also the exam month for other grades.
Before the end of this semester, there would be an important annual exam.
The results of the annual exam, along with the various quizzes and random tests from the three semesters, would be included in the comprehensive score.
Then, based on the comprehensive scores, the school would select the top student of the entire grade, known as the valedictorian.
To stand out among several classes, dozens, or even hundreds of students, including many from ninja clans, and become the top student of a grade was undoubtedly the most dazzling genius.
If it was a ninja clan member, they would be the most outstanding member of the new generation in their family.
If they came from an ordinary family, they would be a civilian genius who surpassed the ninja clan members.
These valedictorians were all prominent figures in the ninja school.
Izayoi naturally wouldn't let the title of valedictorian go to someone else.
Their generation was the most special of the new era.
The children of the major ninja clans were all heirs to their clan leaders.
Surpassing them to become the valedictorian carried far more weight than in other grades.
Securing the title of valedictorian and proving his talent would make it even easier for Izayoi to approach Hinata.
With Izayoi's current strength, becoming the valedictorian posed no difficulty for him.
Even if his main body didn't come, a shadow clone could easily defeat the others.
However, Izayoi still came in his main body.
Because he knew that the Leaf Village was already beginning to stir with undercurrents.
In the year 55 of the Leaf Village, the Nine Rookie Ninja were seven years old.
At the same time, a major event occurred this year that shocked the entire Shinobi World.
After the decline of the Senju, the Uchiha Clan, which had become the top clan in the Leaf Village and even the Shinobi World, would be annihilated by a thirteen-year-old boy.
This boy was the son of the current clan leader, Uchiha Sasuke's older brother—Uchiha Itachi.
With this astonishing feat, Uchiha Itachi became the youngest S-rank rogue ninja in the Shinobi World.
However, only a few people knew that the Uchiha Clan was not annihilated by Uchiha Itachi alone; there were shadows of the Leaf Village's higher-ups and assistance from outsiders.
Izayoi was one of the few who knew this secret.
During this period, the Shinobi World's number one sycophant could use Kamui to enter the Leaf Village at any time.
To avoid being discovered by this sycophant or drawing his attention, Izayoi decided to slow down his training speed and not take Hinata to the abandoned training grounds before the Uchiha Clan's downfall.
Better safe than sorry.
Hinata was the Main Family Lady, and her Byakugan, without the Caged Bird Seal, was a priceless commodity on the Black Market.
After all, Ao, who only had one Byakugan, became an Elite Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village and was listed on the Leaf Village's golden bounty list.
Who knew if Uchiha Obito or the hidden Black and White Zetsu might suddenly target Hinata's Byakugan.
Having already caused a butterfly effect, Izayoi wouldn't gamble on the kindness of villains.
...
March 20th.
Students from the first to fifth grades, before the sixth graders' graduation exams, faced their annual exams.
On this day, Izayoi arrived at the ninja academy early.
However, Hinata had arrived in the classroom even earlier than him.
After verifying the code and confirming that Izayoi was indeed the real one, Hinata smiled softly and said gently, "Izayoi-kun, do your best."
"Yeah, let's both do our best."
Izayoi grinned and whispered encouragingly, "Let's aim for first and second place."
"Mm!"
Hinata's mind filled with the image of the results bulletin board, with Izayoi and her names at the top two spots. She nodded with a look of longing in her eyes. In the past, Hinata had never cared much about rankings.
But now, Hinata didn't want to lose to anyone other than Izayoi.
She had the strength to compete for second place! Soon, it was time for the exam to begin.
The morning exam was on academic subjects.
Although the Three Body Technique had been taught this semester, the school did not include it in the exams.
After all, not even all sixth-year students had mastered the Three Body Technique.
In some graduation exams, only one of the Three Body Techniques was randomly tested.
For a newly graduated Genin, being able to perform a C-rank Five Elements Release Technique was enough to astonish their Jonin instructor.
This showed that over ninety percent of first-year students did not have enough Chakra to perform the Three Body Technique.
Thus, even though Uchiha Itachi's academic knowledge was only at a first-year level, the fact that he used Shadow Clones to attend classes made his teacher feel there was nothing left to teach him. The teacher specifically requested the Third Hokage to allow Itachi to graduate early.
In this world, academics were secondary; strength was what truly mattered.
Uzumaki Naruto was the best example of this.
The morning exam posed no difficulty for Izayoi and Hinata.
The afternoon exam consisted of shuriken throwing, a Taijutsu duel, and a newly added survival exercise.
The first two were also not challenging. As long as Hinata didn't get matched against Izayoi in the Taijutsu duel, even if she faced Uchiha Sasuke, she would still score full marks.
In terms of Taijutsu, Hinata was already invincible in the first year.
Her decisive moves and Pressure Point Strikes were a nightmare for the other children.
However, if she were matched against Izayoi, then Hinata would have no hope of securing second place.
As for why she wouldn't lose the top spot? It was simple. Over the past three semesters, Hinata had been matched against Izayoi, and the result was always her defeat.
Her overall grades were already inferior to Izayoi's.
Even if she were lucky enough to score full marks in the final exams, she wouldn't be able to claim the title of top student.
Similarly, even if Izayoi made a careless mistake in the academic exam and lost to Haruno Sakura on one question, Sakura still couldn't become the top student because her overall grades weren't good enough.
In the first year, the only ones who had never lost in practical combat were Izayoi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Aburame Shino.
Among them, both Sasuke and Shino's academic scores were inferior to Izayoi's, and they were also not as good as Hinata's.
Even if they scored full marks in the final exams, they wouldn't be able to claim the top student title.
As long as Hinata scored full marks in the practical combat, she would secure second place.
Unless there was someone from another class whose overall grades were better than Hinata's.
But obviously, that was impossible.
In the shuriken throwing exam, Izayoi easily scored full marks.
When it came to the Taijutsu duel, Izayoi was matched against an unexpected opponent.
"The next match, Izayoi vs. Uzumaki Naruto."
The students of Class 1-A formed a circle on the open ground.
Umino Iruka stood in the center of the circle, holding a clipboard, and announced loudly.
"Eh..."
Hearing the name of his opponent, Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but clutch his head in despair, exclaiming, "Why is my opponent Izayoi? I'm doomed!"
Both cultural studies and Shuriken throwing were like nightmares for Uzumaki Naruto.
The only area where he stood a chance was in Taijutsu Duels.
But now, even that slim hope was gone.
After all, Izayoi was someone even Hinata, the Taijutsu demon, couldn't defeat.
Unlike the despairing Uzumaki Naruto, Izayoi's eyes lit up.
Finally, he had been matched against the Child of Destiny!
(End of Chapter)