"Hagoromo-kun, Obito, Gai! I found out what the graduation exam is."
"Rin, how did you know?"
At that moment, Nohara Rin walked over. She was probably the only girl willing to get close to this "Idiot + Watermelon-Head" trio.
If you're smart, you've already figured it out: hanging out with Obito and Gai acted as a perfect shield against female harassment for Kamishiraishi Hagoromo. Even though he was incredibly popular, the fact that he spent all his time with these two oddballs allowed him to lead a relatively peaceful life at school.
"Rin, what's the exam?" Obito asked immediately. Clearly, he wasn't as confident about graduation as he claimed to be.
"Combat. The graduation exam is a live combat exercise. Your final ranking will be decided by your performance in battle, and the teachers will judge whether you pass based on how you carry yourself during the fight."
"So, you're saying as long as you perform well, even losing doesn't necessarily mean failing?" Hagoromo concluded after a moment of thought.
"Exactly," Rin confirmed.
Upon hearing this, the "Dead-Last Duo" practically started bouncing. Maito Gai was beyond ecstatic; a combat exam basically guaranteed his success. Obito's relief was simpler: if it were a written exam, he'd be dead meat.
"Uh... Hagoromo, what did you and Rin mean just now?"
After celebrating for a bit, Obito tilted his head. Judging a pass based on performance? The concept was too complex for a dead-last to grasp.
"It means winning doesn't guarantee graduation—you could still fail if your performance is poor. Conversely, losing doesn't mean you're stuck at the Academy; if you show enough skill in battle, you can still pass," Hagoromo explained. He understood the logic well: during wartime, this method of testing was far more practical.
"Oohhh~~"
Obito and Gai nodded in unison, wearing expressions of profound realization.
"Class One, pay attention! Assemble at Training Ground Eight immediately!" shouted a teacher from the direction of the Academy.
Aizawa Ayumu. 35 years old. Academy instructor, Chunin. For a ninja to reach this age during wartime without dying or losing a limb was a statistical anomaly—about as likely as a sixty-year-old woman having a natural, safe childbirth. He was effectively Hagoromo's homeroom teacher.
The group followed Aizawa-sensei to Training Ground Eight.
As expected, the test was live combat. Training Ground Eight wasn't far, and soon the thirty students of Class One had arrived. Aizawa-sensei ignored the groans of the students and formally announced the combat exam.
There was no helping it. Compared to demonstrating a few ninjutsu or filling out a test paper, most people found live combat much more daunting.
Aizawa-sensei gave them zero time to prepare, immediately calling out the first pair of combatants. Hagoromo watched the two "extras" fight and nodded silently; their level was decent.
In wartime, the growth rate of a ninja was different due to the compressed education and the harsh environment. For example, Uchiha Obito—without his Sharingan awakened—was an undisputed dead-last in school, yet he would still become a Chunin at age eleven. In times of peace, an eleven-year-old wouldn't have even graduated from the Academy.
Match after match went by. Soon, it was Hagoromo's turn.
"Sixth Match: Kamishiraishi Hagoromo vs. Yuhi Kurenai!"
Hearing his name, Hagoromo didn't hesitate and stepped into the arena.
Genjutsu: A method of mental assault. By using one's powerful spiritual intent combined with subtle movements, sounds, images, drugs, or objects, one puts the opponent into a trance to induce various hallucinations.
Hagoromo was very interested in a Genjutsu specialist like Yuhi Kurenai. He had never faced a Genjutsu-type opponent in his practical classes before. In this fight, he could finally test whether his own abilities were effective against Genjutsu.
If he couldn't even handle ordinary Genjutsu, he'd have to be extremely careful once he ran into an Uchiha's Sharingan later on.
"Rin, who do you think will win?" Obito asked, leaning in close to Rin, acting as if he were deeply concerned for his "best friend" Hagoromo.
As for his true motive for getting so close to Rin? Take a guess.
"Probably Hagoromo," Rin answered with certainty, though she left the second half of her sentence unsaid.
...Assuming he doesn't forfeit.
You see, in regular combat classes, Hagoromo frequently forfeited under the excuse of "insufficient chakra." His grades in theory were superb, but his overall class ranking hovered around the middle because he skipped so many physical exams—always with an excuse convincing enough for the teachers to buy it.
Rin didn't need to worry this time. Hagoromo wasn't going to forfeit. First, this was the graduation exam; if he did nothing, he definitely wouldn't graduate. Second, he was genuinely curious about his moves against a Genjutsu specialist.
"No way, I think Kurenai will win. Her overall grades are way higher than a low-motivation guy like Hagoromo," Obito argued. Why wasn't he siding with his best friend? Simple: seeing Rin speak up for Hagoromo made him a bit annoyed, though he probably didn't realize it himself.
"Who knows..." Even Rin wasn't entirely sure. Hagoromo's track record of forfeiting was so long it was impossible to count.
If only he had even one-tenth of Maito Gai's motivation...
Rin involuntarily imagined a watermelon-head wig on Hagoromo. She immediately shuddered. No, Hagoromo is fine as he is. He definitely doesn't need to learn anything from Gai—especially not the fashion sense.
"Begin!"
As the Chunin instructor's voice fell, all eyes turned to the arena.
Then, to the bewilderment of Yuhi Kurenai and the entire audience, Hagoromo actually closed his eyes the moment the battle started.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Do you want to fight or not?" Kurenai shouted, baffled by her opponent's behavior.
"I am preparing for the fight. Closing my eyes is the first step," Hagoromo replied in his usual listless, half-dead tone.
Kurenai was nearly fuming. Closing his eyes was the "first step"? Was this guy, who spent half his life forfeiting classes, looking down on her?
She grew irritated and gritted her teeth. "How are you supposed to fight with your eyes closed?"
"Oh, that? Normally I shouldn't reveal intel to my opponent, but I'll explain it for your sake. You're a Genjutsu ninja, right? I closed my eyes specifically to deal with your Genjutsu," Hagoromo said, his tone suggesting he was only telling her out of the goodness of his heart because she had asked so nicely.