The assessnt of theoretical knowledge ended yesterday.
It was basically just a formality.
The real highlight was today's practical skills assessnt, where the Three Basic Techniques were the most important part. Generally speaking, as long as the candidates could successfully demonstrate the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique, they could graduate. This was because mastering these showed that the candidates already possessed the foundation to beco genin.
To put it bluntly, even if such a genin was considered weak, judging from the experience of past wars, they could still serve as qualified cannon fodder! Even when facing terrifying enemies of Kage-level strength, a single genin could still consu chakra and stamina, forcing the enemy to expend energy.
The famous Third Raikage, A, was ultimately dragged down by the Iwagakure forces' endless numbers! Of course, in that war, the Third Raikage also inflicted catastrophic casualties on Iwagakure—over four figures in losses before he finally fell.
From this perspective, even the lowest-ranked genin still had value on the battlefield.
Theory was one thing.
But ninjas were ultimately judged by their imdiate combat capabilities.
nma had always been at the top of the class for six years. Whether it was yesterday's theoretical test or today's practical skills assessnt, there was no problem for him—he was easily the best perforr.
Unless sothing unexpected happened, nma would graduate at the top of his class, possibly even as the strongest graduate of his year. As nma's teacher, Iruka—who had co to treat nma almost like a younger brother—was naturally very satisfied.
"As expected of nma-kun, who's been number one in the class for six years. This ti, it seems he'll be number one among the graduates again. Isn't that right, Iruka-sensei?"
A young man with a gentle smile, standing beside Iruka, spoke with an easy tone.
This man was also in charge of overseeing the graduation assessnt: Mizuki, a staff mber of the Academy—and in the original story, the first traitor revealed.
At a glance, Mizuki looked just like Iruka: a responsible and caring teacher.
But nma knew better. He was fully aware of Mizuki's hidden sches.
nma recalled that when he had first mastered the Clone Technique a few years ago, he had regretted doing it in front of Iruka. Because when he learned it, he had forgotten sothing important from the original story: the incident of the "Forbidden Scroll."
In the manga, Naruto failed the Clone Technique deliberately, which beca the excuse for Mizuki to trick him into stealing the Scroll of Seals. That was how Naruto later learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
But nma had already mastered the Clone Technique subconsciously. That ant he couldn't pretend to be weak later and couldn't recreate that event. He could only regret missing the chance to access the Scroll.
In any case, the Scroll of Seals probably wasn't fully genuine—or, even if it was, not every part of it could be read by just anyone. nma didn't believe that Naruto in the original story had truly stolen the Scroll without Sarutobi Hiruzen's knowledge. That old fox wouldn't leave such a thing unguarded. More likely, Naruto was allowed to succeed—it was under Hiruzen's control the whole ti.
Including Mizuki's betrayal.
Accidents could happen, but there was no way the Hokage would allow anything truly disastrous. Otherwise, it would be an insult to Hiruzen's intelligence.
So, the Scroll's true value was questionable.
But the Shadow Clone Jutsu?
That was still necessary for nma!
With his vast chakra reserves, plus the Nine-Tails' chakra as a foundation, the Shadow Clone Technique was practically tailor-made for him. It was the perfect thod for multiplied training. Missing it was a huge setback.
Still, nma wasn't too worried. With Kakashi in the future, and even Jiraiya later, he had many chances to learn it again. He was confident he wouldn't miss out on such a crucial technique.
"Haha, this also depends on the results of the other students. But—this is your forehead protector, nma. Rember to attend the graduation ceremony tomorrow. There are so things that will be announced then."
Iruka chuckled, shook his head, and then handed nma a forehead protector from the table.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. Thank you!"
nma accepted the protector, bowed respectfully to Iruka and Mizuki, then turned and left the classroom.
He was mildly curious what Mizuki would do without Naruto being tricked, but he didn't intend to waste much thought on it. After all, Mizuki was just a small-ti traitor.
In the original story, Naruto had needed to rely on the massed power of his newly-learned Shadow Clones to defeat Mizuki.
nma didn't need that.
His personal strength alone was already enough.
Not to ntion he had the power of the Nine-Tails.
To put it bluntly, if nma ignored the consequences, there was a real chance he could already shake Konoha itself. Mizuki was nothing in comparison.
Still, as nma walked away, Mizuki's eyes lingered on his back, flickering with a strange expression.
After nma left, the other candidates ca in one by one and also passed the graduation exams. Almost no one failed outright.
Unlike earlier years, in recent tis, nearly all candidates managed to pass the graduation test. nma's class was no exception—aside from a few unlucky ones, the rest succeeded.
Of course, the real test still awaited: the separate examination by the assigned jōnin sensei. If they judged a team unfit, they could send the genin back to the Academy.
The first arc of the manga showed this clearly—Kakashi had famously failed countless teams, year after year, sending every one of them back to the Academy. His standards were brutally strict, but it showed this rule wasn't an exception—it was part of the system.
Most of the graduates didn't know this. They were still overjoyed after receiving their forehead protectors, celebrating as if their path as shinobi was already secure.
As soon as the assessnt ended, groups of students went to dinner to celebrate.
As the undisputed center of attention among this year's graduates, Naruto Uzumaki called on his classmates to celebrate together. Thanks to Naruto's charisma and position, most agreed, though a few declined.
nma was one of those who refused.
The others didn't mind—after all, after six years, everyone knew his personality.
Sasuke Uchiha also declined. As the heir of the Uchiha clan, he had no interest in childish parties. His eyes were fixed firmly on his singular goal: revenge.
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