I'm in Konoha, and I started with Ashura Chakra.

Chapter 5 The Final Exam: The Brain

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was March of Konoha Year 55.

Before we knew it, our first year of school was coming to an end.

In April, they will move up to the second grade.

However, before the holidays arrive, first graders will have to take a big exam.

This major test will also select the most outstanding student to represent the entire grade as the top student.

3 month 18 day.

At six o'clock in the morning, Liu Sheng had already woken up from his sleep and was exercising in his own yard.

After morning training each day, Liu Sheng took a shower and started making breakfast.

After finishing breakfast and drinking a full glass of milk, Yagyu formed hand seals and created two shadow clones, which then began their work as usual.

Yagyu's true form, however, was heading to the Ninja Academy.

During the day, there are academic exams; you just need to answer the questions.

The important assessment will take place in the afternoon.

It's said to be important, but it's really just an extra survival drill compared to a regular test.

Describing it as a survival exercise is a bit of an exaggeration; it's actually just a game of hide-and-seek.

The sixth-grade graduation exam only tests one of the three body techniques.

First graders mainly study academic subjects. They are not from ninja families and don't even have the training scroll for the Three Body Techniques yet.

The afternoon practical classes consisted of shuriken throwing and hand-to-hand combat; there wasn't even any kunai melee fighting yet.

These courses are designed to help them accumulate mental and physical energy, laying a solid foundation.

Throughout the year, the only skill the school taught them was... invisibility.

Invisibility and teleportation may seem advanced, but they are actually more basic than the Three-Body Technique.

When Naruto first appeared in the original manga, he toyed with the ninjas who were trying to capture him, using the Leaf Village's Body Flicker Technique and Invisibility Technique.

The reason these two techniques feel sophisticated is because many people have come up with all sorts of creative ways to use them.

Liu Sheng felt that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the afternoon's survival exercise would test their skills in stealth.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Yo... Yagyu, good morning!"

"Good morning, Yagyu-kun."

"Yagyu-kun, do you want to come hang out with us after your exams?"

"Yagyu, can I have a cheat sheet during the exam? Please, if I fail, my mom will kill me!"

"..."

When he arrived at the classroom, many male and female students greeted Liu Sheng.

Yagyu responded to them with a smile, sometimes even stopping to exchange a few words with them, showing great patience.

Unlike the aloof Sasuke and Naruto, who has no one to play with, Yagyu portrays himself as a "central air conditioner," being very gentle to everyone.

After all, only he knows how many talented people have emerged from this classroom.

There were two saviors and two Hokage; the others were either ninja clan leaders or heads of some department in Konoha.

Who knows if, besides these little cockroaches, Little Karami, who wasn't mentioned in the rest of the story, will also become a powerful figure in the future?

So before his cheat ability awakened, Yagyu made a good impression on his classmates while he was still a genius.

Even now, having fused with Ashura's chakra, and with his strength undeniably making him the No. 1 in the class, Yagyu hasn't ruined his persona.

Having one more friend is equivalent to having one less enemy.

It focuses on interpersonal relationships and social skills!

After chatting with his classmates, Liu Sheng finally went to his seat.

As soon as he sat down, a small hand patted Liu Sheng on the shoulder from behind.

Ino, sitting behind Yagyu, said with a smile, "Yagyu, good luck on the exam later. Make sure you get the top student title."

"I'll try my best," Yagyu nodded with a smile.

"Yagyu, does your family have some kind of bloodline limit, and you secretly awakened it?"

Just then, a voice rang out from beside Yagyu.

Nara Shikamaru, slumped over the table with dead fish eyes that looked like he hadn't woken up yet, said in a low voice, "Ever since you defeated Naruto a few months ago, you seem like a completely different person."

"You're so smart, why don't you try to guess?" Liu Sheng teased.

"ha……"

Nara Shikamaru yawned, sat up straight, stretched, and said, "Anyway, something will definitely change on you."

Ino said irritably, "Everyone has secrets, why are you being so gossipy?"

"Yes, yes... I was too talkative."

Seeing Ino raise her fist with an expression that said, "If you say another word, I'll beat you up," Nara Shikamaru nodded helplessly.

But at the same time, his curiosity continued to grow day by day.

If it were anyone else, Nara Shikamaru wouldn't bother to be curious.

Even though Naruto's identity was special, he didn't care too much.

The only exception was... Yagyu.

After a year of observation, Nara Shikamaru discovered that his deskmate Yagyu was practically a different person in the first and second halves of the year.

In Nara Shikamaru's eyes, Yagyu's behavior in the first half of the year was really too fake.

To Nara Shikamaru, who possesses a brilliant mind and keen eyes, the smile that effortlessly wins the favor of others is simply natural acting talent.

This guy, Yagyu, is a precocious genius just like me, but he's too goal-oriented.

Therefore, Nara Shikamaru didn't actually have much affection for Yagyu, who deliberately sat next to him at the same table.

However, in the latter half of the year, Nara Shikamaru's perception of Yagyu underwent a significant change.

Because in the latter half of that year, Yagyu became more real.

That purposeful smile, even with its flawless mask, couldn't hide the gloom between his brows; it all vanished.

Nara Shikamaru, who was still young, couldn't understand why a person could change so much, so he asked his father for advice when they were chatting.

After receiving several answers from his father, Nara Shikamaru realized that Yagyu's change was due to a more confident mindset.

Yagyu's transformation began after he defeated Naruto.

That's why Nara Shikamaru was so curious.

How can you become confident if you beat someone who always gets the worst grades in every quiz or even every random test?

Without a doubt, either Yagyu has undergone some kind of change or is hiding some secret.

This change and the secret is that it freed him from being driven by ulterior motives, freed him from constantly acting and cultivating relationships with others, and gave him the confidence to stand above everyone else.

Today's big test might reveal some clues.

Thinking about this, Nara Shikamaru suddenly became somewhat interested in this big exam.

Yagyu was unaware of Nara Shikamaru's thoughts.

If they knew, they would definitely marvel at him, thinking, "No wonder he was the future strategist and the 'Eighth Hokage'."

To be able to see so much at only six or seven years old is no less impressive than Itachi Uchiha's ability to develop Hokage-like thinking at the age of seven.

(End of this chapter)