Chapter 588: A Different Kind of Genius

Chapter 588: Chapter 588: A Different Kind of Genius

"Neji, you performed very well. Your assessment grade is ’Excellent’!"

Iruka smiled as he recorded Neji’s score in the grade book.

Standing at the front of the classroom, Neji dispelled the Clone Technique he had just performed, bowed calmly to Iruka, and then slowly returned to his seat.

Neji had mastered a ninjutsu as basic as the Clone Technique long ago.

Therefore, an assessment that placed considerable pressure on the other children held absolutely no practical significance for him. Nor did he feel the slightest bit proud of Iruka’s praise just now.

"As expected of a genius from the Hyuga clan!"

Looking at Neji, who remained completely unfazed by either praise or criticism, Iruka couldn’t help but sigh in admiration once again. In his eyes, a student like Neji was practically flawless in every respect.

Turning past Neji’s page, Iruka glanced at the next student listed in the grade book and called out, "Next, Uchiha Sasuke!"

"It’s Sasuke-kun’s turn!"

"Do your best, Sasuke!"

"Sasuke, you’re the best!"

In an instant, a chorus of cheers erupted from below the podium. Without exception, every one of those cheering for Sasuke was a girl in the class who admired him.

Sasuke, meanwhile, maintained his cold expression, shoved both hands into his pockets, and swaggered toward the podium.

Below the podium, Naruto watched with an envious expression. "Damn it! Why is Sasuke so popular with the girls?"

Beside him, Kiba curled his lips. "Tch! That Sasuke is getting more and more arrogant!"

After signaling for the students below to quiet down, Iruka smiled and asked Sasuke, "Sasuke, this assessment requires you to perform one of the Three Basic Techniques. Which one are you going to choose?"

Sasuke cast a provocative glance at Neji, who had just returned to his seat. Ignoring Iruka’s question entirely, he formed hand seals with both hands and activated his ninjutsu.

Poof...

After a puff of white smoke dissipated, another Sasuke, identical to the original, appeared beside him.

"Sasuke chose the Clone Technique!"

"Wow! They’re exactly alike! I can’t even tell which one is the real Sasuke!"

"As expected of Sasuke-kun!"

The moment Sasuke finished performing his ninjutsu, the girls below the podium erupted into excitement once again.

However, Iruka’s expression had turned somewhat solemn.

From the sequence of hand seals Sasuke had performed, he realized that what Sasuke had just used was not the Clone Technique from the Three Basic Techniques at all, but the Shadow Clone Technique—a ninjutsu capable of creating a genuine physical clone that could be used in combat.

"Hmph!"

Neji, seated below, let out a soft snort.

Apart from Iruka, the instructor, he was the only person in the classroom who recognized that Sasuke had performed the Shadow Clone Technique.

However, Neji also knew the Shadow Clone Technique, so he was nowhere near as shocked as Iruka.

At that moment, amid the noise and commotion filling the classroom, Sasuke’s gaze met Neji’s from across the room, and sparks seemed to fly between them!

Ever since Kagami had effortlessly dealt with those Uchiha clansmen who had barged into the Hyuga compound to provoke him, Sasuke and Neji had gone from being ordinary friends to rivals representing their respective clans.

Furthermore, through a strange twist of fate, the two had ended up becoming students of the same class. And since there could only be one ’strongest’ student in their year, the rivalry between these two, both bearing the title of ’genius,’ had grown even fiercer!

Iruka stepped forward, his expression turning serious as he cautioned Sasuke, "Sasuke, what you just performed was the Shadow Clone Technique, wasn’t it? For someone at your current level, this ninjutsu carries certain risks. You need to..."

Before Iruka could finish, Sasuke interrupted him and asked coolly, "Hey, can you give me my grade already?"

"Uh..."

Caught off guard, Iruka shook his head inwardly. He could tell that Sasuke hadn’t taken his warning seriously at all.

"What?! Sasuke just performed the Shadow Clone Technique?!"

"Isn’t that a B-rank ninjutsu that requires at least chunin-level ability to learn?"

"So this is the talent of the Uchiha clan?"

The exchange between Iruka and Sasuke made the already noisy classroom even more chaotic.

This time, it wasn’t just the girls who admired Sasuke. Even Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and the other members of the self-proclaimed alliance of losers who frequently challenged Sasuke were stunned by his display of the Shadow Clone Technique.

Only Lee remained slumped over his desk, clutching his head with both hands as he muttered, "I’m finished! I’m finished!"

Beside him, Shikamaru said lazily, "Lee, what exactly are you worried about? Sasuke showing off his Shadow Clone Technique has nothing to do with us. We just need to perform one of the normal Three Basic Techniques to pass!"

Lee looked as though he were about to cry. "B-but I don’t know how!"

Shikamaru replied nonchalantly, "You can’t perform the Clone Technique? That’s fine. You can just choose the slightly easier Transformation Technique!"

For children born into shinobi clans, basic techniques like the Three Basic Techniques were something they had been exposed to from a very young age. As a result, they could easily pass the assessment without any guidance from an instructor.

Take Shikamaru, for example. Although he always seemed utterly uninterested in everything, he had actually mastered the Three Basic Techniques long ago and wasn’t the least bit worried about the assessment.

Lee said helplessly, "I can’t perform the Transformation Technique either..."

Shikamaru was slightly surprised. "What about the Substitution Technique?"

Lee shook his head again.

Shikamaru broke into a smile and patted Lee on the shoulder. "Then there’s nothing to worry about!"

"W-why?"

Lee looked utterly confused.

Shikamaru grinned. "You can’t perform a single one of the Three Basic Techniques, so you’re obviously going to fail. There’s no point worrying about it!"

On the other side, Tenten covered her mouth and giggled. "Shikamaru, you really don’t know how to comfort people!"

Thud...

Lee collapsed onto his desk, his eyes completely vacant.

...

At the podium.

Watching Sasuke return to his seat as though nothing had happened, Iruka sighed softly before announcing, "Uchiha Sasuke, your assessment grade is ’Excellent’!"

A long while later, after the assessment had concluded, Iruka arrived at the principal’s office with the grade book in hand.

"Principal, the assessment is over. Here is the grade book for this examination."

As he spoke, Iruka handed the grade book to Kagami.

Taking the grade book, Kagami gave it a quick glance, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

Just as expected, Sasuke and Neji had both received excellent grades across the board, temporarily tying for first place in their year. The other students from shinobi clans had also performed quite well in the assessment.

At this moment, Iruka asked, "Principal, are we really going to make the assessment results public? Wouldn’t that be a little unfair to the students from civilian backgrounds?"

The student at the very bottom of this assessment was none other than Rock Lee, who came from a civilian background.

Compared to Naruto, Lee’s talent for ninjutsu was even worse, which was why Iruka had raised this concern.

Kagami replied, "Of course. Rules are rules. Besides, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Rock Lee. After all, he’s a genius unlike the others!"