The afternoon lesson was the practical session for tool throwing.
Standing in front of a dozen wooden targets, Teacher Young Kishimoto looked at all the students, cleared his throat, and announced, "I have already taught you the techniques for throwing Ninja tools. Today, let's see how well you have done."
"Of course, don't be discouraged if your scores aren't good. This is just a small practical lesson."
"So, who wants to volunteer first?"
The Ninja Academy curriculum progresses steadily; when and what courses are taught are all pre-arranged.
The first month is dedicated solely to building a foundation, such as refining Chakra and mastering fundamental knowledge. Practical application begins once some basic skills are acquired.
Ninja tool throwing is one such application, and it is an essential skill for a Ninja.
"Teacher, I'll go first..." Kakashi Hatake, who ranked second in the written exam, raised his hand. He was highly motivated and possessed a fiercely competitive spirit.
Losing the written exam to Qing Liu bothered him slightly.
He absolutely had to perform well and strive for first place!
Kakashi Hatake's performance was flawless. Out of ten Senbon thrown, six hit the bullseye directly, one was close to the bullseye, and the rest hit the target.
None missed the target!
For a five-year-old child, this score was already astonishing!
At the very least, Chunin Teacher Young Kishimoto was surprised and led the applause, exclaiming, "That's a very impressive score! Even students in the higher grades might not achieve this!"
'Clap, clap, clap!'
The students all clapped, marveling at Kakashi Hatake's score. Not only were his written exam results outstanding, but his Ninja tool throwing practical skills were strong too.
Truly worthy of being called the class genius.
They wondered how Qing Liu, who had surpassed Kakashi Hatake in the written exam, would fare.
"Mm." Perhaps because his mask concealed his expression, it was impossible to tell that Kakashi Hatake was actually quite pleased. In any case... Kakashi Hatake simply responded coolly.
He glanced at Qing Liu, who was clapping enthusiastically, and then retreated into the crowd... 'Kazi-ge is still very reliable!' Qing Liu was indeed surprised. He wasn't perfect, occasionally missing the target when throwing ten tools. Kazi-ge was strong.
He couldn't afford to slack off either!
In the crowd, Might Guy, dressed in a green jumpsuit and wearing a bowl cut, gave a thumbs-up to the returning Kakashi, flashing a wide grin full of white teeth: "As expected of one of the rivals I've chosen, Kakashi! But I won't surrender!"
"Yes, yes..." Kakashi Hatake shifted his feet, moving slightly further away from Might Guy.
For some reason, this guy with the strange behavior had fixated on him.
Being viewed as a rival made him feel quite helpless... But 'one of the rivals'? Who were the others? Qing Liu?
"Teacher, let me go next! I'm fired up!" Might Guy volunteered, his tone full of passion. His green jumpsuit combined with his expression was somewhat bizarre... Teacher Young Kishimoto was used to it; the class was full of talented individuals: "Alright, begin!"
He was certainly fired up, but his score was mediocre, which was evident from Might Guy's less-than-ideal expression.
Fortunately, he was an optimist who believed he was a genius of hard work.
Hard work can catch up to genius!
He didn't feel particularly discouraged; being discouraged was useless!
Optimism was useful, unlike Uchiha Obito, who missed the target with seven out of ten throws. Due to nervousness, his score was even worse than when he practiced at home, and he was nearly in tears... feeling utterly dejected.
He had lost to Kakashi Hatake again and couldn't impress Rin Nohara. He felt like a total failure. He wondered if the "cramming" Qing Liu mentioned could also improve practical scores.
Probably not. Qing Liu himself said he wasn't practically inclined and often missed the target... Kurenai Yuhi also stepped up. Her score was decent, with only one miss and four bullseyes. This made her very happy, as she had learned not to compare herself to the monster that was Qing Liu.
She would always be the younger sister, and big brothers were naturally supposed to be better than their little sisters!
Qing Liu did not hold back his praise for his adorable, frightening little sister. He rubbed her head; her hair was soft and felt nice: "Good job, that's better than your practice score at home."
Kurenai Yuhi no longer resisted having her head rubbed, and she said haughtily, "Hehe, of course! So, can we reduce the amount of cramming now?"
Qing Liu thought about it, concluding that a balance between work and rest was better, and said, "No cramming today. Take it easy."
"Yay!" Kurenai Yuhi was overjoyed and grabbed Qing Liu's right hand, shaking it.
"That despicable Qing Liu!" Seeing this made a certain boy grit his teeth. He also wanted Kurenai Yuhi to treat him like that, but unfortunately, Kurenai Yuhi mostly ignored him.
He wasn't Kurenai Yuhi's brother!
It was a good thing he wasn't Kurenai Yuhi's brother, giving him a chance... Determined to perform well and impress everyone, Asuma Sarutobi also stepped forward: "Teacher, is it my turn now?"
The son of the hokage took the stage, naturally drawing attention. With his status, others couldn't possibly ignore him!
His final score was good, second only to Kakashi and better than Kurenai Yuhi's. He hit the bullseye five times and had no misses, which drew continuous gasps of surprise from the other students... 'That was close, I almost missed one. Still... this is an exceptional performance, even if I didn't surpass Kakashi Hatake...' Asuma Sarutobi sighed in relief, satisfied with his score.
He then looked toward Qing Liu, curled his lip, and thought to himself: 'But I should definitely be stronger than Qing Liu! Hmph, if you're not practically inclined, you're guaranteed to lose!'
He had "coincidentally" overheard the conversation between Qing Liu and Uchiha Obito earlier. What good was a high written exam score if it couldn't be applied in practice? It was useless!!
He was certain!
"Next up, Qing Liu!"
Following Teacher Oda's announcement, it was Qing Liu's turn to step forward.
Many people watched intently. Several students with good written scores had already achieved decent results in the tool throwing practice.
So, what kind of performance would Qing Liu, the top scorer, deliver?
'Doddododo...'
Qing Liu moved incredibly fast. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the Senbon. Ten soft sounds followed, and nine of them hit the bullseye, completely encircling the small center target.
Only one was off the bullseye by one centimeter... This sight caused everyone, including the teacher, to widen their eyes and gasp sharply!
Uchiha Obito and Asuma Sarutobi, in particular, felt utterly deceived... This was the person Qing Liu who kept insisting he wasn't practically inclined?
Both of them wore the mask of pain... "Done." Although he "missed" one, Qing Liu was quite satisfied with his score. Having shown off a little, the feeling was unexpectedly exhilarating.
Feigning indifference, he quietly returned to his original spot.
Watching Qing Liu walk back, Uchiha Obito opened his mouth and said blankly, "Didn't you say you often miss the target?"
Qing Liu nodded: "Yes, didn't one miss the bullseye?"
"..." Uchiha Obito took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat up Qing Liu.
So your standard for hitting the target is hitting the bullseye?
You can't just bully people like that!
Qing Liu's performance made the girls in the class even more fervent. Being handsome and having excellent scores perfectly matched their ideal standards!
Some couldn't help but cheer excitedly, gathering around Qing Liu and chattering non-stop.
"Ugh..." Kurenai Yuhi pouted, having been squeezed aside. She felt an inexplicable pressure. Damn it, how could Qing Liu be so outstanding?
The pressure on her, as his younger sister, was immense.
Moreover, it seemed some girls were trying to steal Qing Liu from her and become her sister-in-law. That was absolutely unacceptable! She wouldn't allow it!!
Stop them!!
This scene, however, greatly displeased many of the little boys. Their eyes burned with jealousy, as if flames were about to shoot out, and their fists were tightly clenched.
Why are you so popular with the girls?
Good grades and good looks?
Hmph!
One boy was so jealous his eyes almost turned red, though he was still too young for that to happen... Uchiha Ryota utterly detested people who "showed off for attention." He couldn't help but sneer: "A Ninja relies on strength. Written exams and practical scores are the most insignificant things. Actual combat is the true standard for judging strength, and the Uchiha Clan excels most in this area!"
This drew nods of agreement from several nearby boys... Exactly, exactly. Whether it was the written exam or the practical lesson, scores didn't mean anything. Actual combat was the standard for judging strength.
Just to be clear, they definitely weren't jealous...