At last, the day of the Ninja Academy's graduation exam had arrived.
"Ahhhhh! The Clone Technique?!" Naruto wailed the moment he saw the exam topic. "Why does it have to be the Clone Technique?! That's the jutsu I'm worst at!"
Standing nearby, Shikamaru rolled his eyes and said lazily, "Do you even have a jutsu you're good at?"
The Three Basic Techniques were fundamental skills for all ninja, so most students didn't feel much pressure about the test.
Sakura glanced shyly at Sasuke not far away and murmured to herself, "If I want to become a genin with Sasuke… I absolutely have to pass today's exam!"
"Damn it! If I want to be with the cute Sakura, I have to pass too!" Naruto shouted with fiery determination. "Clone Technique, bring it on! I, Uzumaki Naruto, am not afraid of you!"
Sasuke remained calm and indifferent. No matter what the exam topic was, it clearly posed no challenge to him. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Kirito.
After a brief pause, he said, "Hey. It's the Clone Technique—your worst subject. What are you going to do?"
Kirito shrugged casually.
With his easygoing personality, he answered without concern, "Leave it to fate, I guess."
Meanwhile, standing in the last row of the line, Hinata stared at Kirito with worried eyes.
In a voice so soft that only she could hear it, she whispered to herself,
"Kirito-nii… do your best… If you fail, the clan will be very angry…"
Although the Hyuga clan had already stripped Kirito of his guard position years ago and separated the two of them, the bond they formed during their childhood—those innocent days spent growing up together—had long since become an irreplaceable memory.
"Uzumaki Naruto—fail!"
With Iruka's strict announcement, Naruto became the first student of the year to fail the exam—and the first one who would not graduate from the Ninja Academy.
Naruto collapsed onto the ground like a deflated balloon, unable to accept the cruel reality.
Laughter immediately broke out among the surrounding students.
Only Sasuke didn't laugh. He simply frowned slightly while looking at Naruto, though he said nothing.
"Hyuga Kirito—fail."
Iruka let out a quiet sigh.
When he looked at Kirito, his eyes held a trace of regret.
What a pity.
Kirito clearly had excellent talent when it came to shuriken techniques, but his ninjutsu results were simply too terrible.
Calling them disastrous wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
At the very least, Naruto had managed to create a crooked, barely functional clone.
Kirito, on the other hand…
Only produced a puff of smoke.
The laughter around them immediately grew even louder.
Naruto dragged himself up from the ground and patted Kirito on the shoulder weakly.
"Looks like we're suffering together, brother."
Kirito scratched the back of his head with a bitter smile.
"Yeah… guess it really didn't work out."
Even so, he wasn't the type to dwell on failure. His carefree nature meant he rarely worried about things that had already happened.
Not far away, Hinata hesitated in place for a long time.
She wanted to step forward and say something comforting to Kirito.
But in the end, her timid personality held her back.
More importantly, the clan disliked seeing her interact with Kirito. If she approached him now, it might only cause him more trouble.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke snorted heavily.
Without saying another word, he turned and walked away.
There was a faint sense of disappointment in his expression.
Kirito was someone Sasuke had acknowledged—at least when it came to shuriken skills. Yet that same rival couldn't even pass a simple graduation exam.
To Sasuke, that was deeply disappointing.
"Well, let's go," Kirito said, spreading his hands helplessly. "What's done is done. Nothing else to say."
He didn't seem particularly bothered by the exam result.
Soon, he left the academy together with Naruto, who looked utterly depressed.
At the academy gates, many parents had already gathered.
When the newly graduated students came out proudly wearing their ninja headbands, their families rushed forward to celebrate with them.
For the lonely Naruto, the sight was painful to watch.
Kirito opened his mouth, about to say something to comfort him.
But suddenly, his brows furrowed.
"Are you Naruto and Kirito?"
A figure approached them from the academy gate.
With a warm smile and gentle demeanor, he gave off the impression of a friendly older brother.
"Mizuki-sensei…" Naruto muttered gloomily. "If there's nothing important, we're leaving. I'm in a terrible mood."
"Wait," Mizuki said with an even brighter smile. "Is it because of the exam?"
"You two should come with me. I'll tell you a secret."
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds very interesting," Kirito replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
At that very moment, a notification suddenly sounded in his mind.
The system had issued a mission.
…
They arrived at a quiet grove deep in the woods.
Mizuki carefully looked around to make sure no one else was nearby.
After confirming they were alone, he crouched down and spoke to them in a mysterious tone.
"Do you want to know… another way to pass the exam?"
Naruto had been too depressed to listen to Mizuki earlier.
But the moment he heard that, his ears perked up immediately.
He raised his head with hopeful eyes.
"What is it? What is it? Tell me!"
Kirito, however, had no interest in Mizuki's obvious trickery—or Naruto's foolishly eager reaction.
Instead, his attention was focused entirely on the system mission displayed in his mind.
Mission Type: Main Story Quest
Difficulty: D-Rank
Completion Reward: One random draw for a dimensional weapon.
(Instant kill possible. Chance to obtain additional secondary rewards.)