Hearing Kamizuki Izumo's praise, Anko couldn't help but puff up with pride—she practically walked with a breeze behind her, looking every bit like a big sister figure.
As they approached the school, the trio happened to run into Shisui and the rest of their classmates.
"Shisui, how did you do on the test?" Anko asked curiously.
"Just average," Shisui replied calmly.
That got Anko even more excited about her own results. If even Shisui did just "average," could she have scored the top?
"Well, maybe not first place, but top five, surely?" she reasoned, not completely losing her sense of proportion—her usual scores were somewhere in the middle of the pack.
As they arrived at the announcement board, it was already crowded with students buzzing about their grades.
"This class's scores are insane, so many are in the 70s and 80s!"
"There's even a perfect score—and that student was also ranked first in the practicals. That's scary."
"No surprise—it's Auron-sensei's class…"
"Let me through, let me through!" Anko wasn't in the mood to care what others were saying. Eager to see her own score, she pushed through the crowd with Izumo and Kotetsu and finally spotted the results for Class 2.
"Eighty points! Yes!!" She spotted her name and score immediately and cheered out loud in delight.
But then she noticed something strange—her rank didn't seem right.
"Kotetsu, Izumo, did you find your scores?" Anko asked quickly.
"Yeah, 92," Kotetsu nodded.
"Wait—what?!" Anko looked at him in disbelief.
"Ninety-two," Kotetsu repeated with a grin.
"Are you kidding me?!"
She gave Kotetsu a heavy slap on the shoulder and stared at him with wide brown-gray eyes full of disbelief.
"You said you didn't do well—and you got ninety-two?!"
"Just lucky, I thought I did worse," he said with a sheepish smile.
"Izumo, what about you?" Kotetsu turned to ask.
"Ninety-seven," Izumo replied with a calm smile.
"Wh-what?!"
Now Kotetsu was the one stunned. That was nearly a perfect score!
"Ninety-seven," Izumo repeated, smile growing.
Kotetsu's expression stiffened as the truth sank in. Then, in mock frustration, he put Izumo in a headlock and dragged him off playfully.
Anko, seeing this familiar scene unfold, immediately joined the scuffle, sneaking in a few playful punches at Kotetsu too.
These two traitors—they did so well and still played with her feelings!
System Notification:
[Shisui Uchiha studied diligently for a month and achieved perfect marks in the academic exam. Reward: Chakra +300, Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll x1][Obito Uchiha achieved excellent results. Reward: Chakra +150][Might Guy achieved excellent results. Reward: Chakra +150]
As Auron expected, exams came with system rewards—and far more generous than lecture-based rewards. After all, he could lecture until his throat went hoarse and still only earn about 600 Chakra in three days. A B-rank performance only netted him 20 Chakra.
And this was with Obito and Guy's weak theory dragging things down—if they had excelled across the board, the reward would've been even higher.
Auron was almost tempted to suggest more exams each term. Normally, the ninja academy only held two per semester.
If they did ten a semester, he'd be flying high.
But that thought only lasted a second before he dismissed it. The system didn't count his own pop quizzes as exams, and the school would never approve of such a grueling schedule.
He figured he might as well use the Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll. There were three semesters a year—six potential scrolls annually. He could afford to use one now to boost his combat readiness in case of emergencies.
He used the scroll on Water Severing Wave (Suiryūdan no Jutsu), instantly flooding his mind with memories and techniques, reaching mastery in an instant.
Though Auron had learned many jutsu, in terms of sheer power, he still believed Water Severing Wave was his strongest.
Later that day, in the teachers' office:
Auron had become the center of attention.
"Sensei Auron, how exactly do you teach? Your students' theory scores are absurdly high—thirty points above average," Kimura couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, Auron-sensei, got any tips? My class barely passed this time—I'm worried they'll flunk next time," added Ikeya.
Might Guy and Obito had shocked everyone—ranking first and second in practicals and managing to pass their written exams.
Just as Auron was about to answer, another teacher walked in and said:
"Auron-sensei, the principal wants to see you."
"Please proceed to the principal's office at once."
"The principal?!" Ueda Aya gasped softly.
Most of the academy's instructors were just average Chuunin, but the principal… that was another matter entirely.
There had only been two principals: the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, and now the Third—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Though technically the principal, he rarely showed his face—only appearing briefly during opening ceremonies before returning to the Hokage's office.
That's why Aya was so shocked: the Third Hokage was actually in the building and had summoned a teacher personally? Practically unheard of.
"I'll head there immediately," Auron nodded, then turned to his fellow teachers with a polite smile. "Sorry, everyone—I'll continue our discussion once I'm back."
"What are you apologizing for? Hurry up—you don't keep the Hokage waiting," said Ikeya with envy barely hidden behind a smile. His eyes practically turned lemon-yellow with jealousy.
He'd been teaching for years and never even entered the principal's office, let alone got called in.
Then again, when he thought about Auron's class average—mid-70s compared to everyone else's 40s or 50s—he couldn't feel bitter anymore.
Even the practical scores were impressive—his class had the top two performers, and Shisui Uchiha had already been dubbed a genius.
Auron made his way upstairs to the top floor—his own office was on the second floor.
Standing before the door marked Principal's Office, Auron knocked.
"Come in." The voice was deep and commanding.
Auron entered.
The room was simple. Bookshelves and a desk near the window. Near the door, a table and chairs for visitors.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not yet the elderly figure Auron remembered from the anime—his hair and beard still black, only a few wrinkles on his face, but his gaze was sharp and full of natural authority. He wasn't wearing the Hokage hat today.
"You must be Auron-sensei. Please, sit."
Hiruzen gestured with a warm smile.
"Lord Third," Auron greeted respectfully, then sat down without hesitation.
Back in his previous world, the Third Hokage's reputation was… complicated. Many viewed him with suspicion.
But Auron didn't know what kind of person this world's Hiruzen truly was. Still, as a teacher, he knew better than to show disrespect.
"You have a gift for teaching, Auron," Hiruzen said, smiling.
"I heard about your class—their theory scores are more than thirty points above the average. And in practicals, your students took the top two spots."
"Even the supervising instructors said your class showed far better control over basic jutsu like the Clone and Transformation Techniques."
"I simply did my best to teach them—it was their own hard work that paid off," Auron replied modestly.
He wasn't being falsely humble. He made sure to acknowledge both the students' effort and his own dedication.
"Well said—'doing your best to teach'... That's the kind of attitude we need," Hiruzen nodded, pleased.
"If only we had more teachers like you, we wouldn't need to worry about the next generation."
Auron stayed silent, simply nodding with a serious expression.
Agreeing would be an insult to other teachers. Disagreeing might imply that Sarutobi was wrong. Best to simply listen.
"Based on your performance, I'm making the call now—you'll be this semester's Outstanding Educator," Hiruzen declared with a grin.
Auron feigned surprise, then quickly expressed his gratitude.
"But… Lord Third, isn't it a bit premature? It's only been one month—wouldn't this affect your reputation?" Auron asked, playing the part of the cautious subordinate.
"An Outstanding Educator award is for those who deserve it," Hiruzen replied with authority. "If others can match your results, they'll earn it too."