The morning passed quickly.
When the bell rang, Nerona Mihawk left the classroom and walked out through the Academy gates.
After returning home and eating a quick meal, he immediately began his daily task.
Over the past month, the act of swinging a sword had become instinctive to him. Even if he casually struck with one hand, his stance and movement remained perfectly standard.
By now, Mihawk had shortened the time required for each swing to approximately two seconds.
He no longer needed to stop and rest between repetitions, either.
As a result, it took him only one hour and six minutes to complete the day’s required sword swings.
No matter how much time passed within the spiritual world, only an instant passed in reality. Comprehending the newly unlocked experiences of the template did not consume much time outside, either.
Mihawk spent the rest of his lunch break practicing his swordsmanship.
Once he felt that he had done enough, he returned to his room and took a short nap.
By the time he woke up and returned to the Academy, he was completely refreshed.
"Everyone, gather on the training grounds."
When the afternoon bell rang, Iruka entered the classroom and organized the students before leading them outside.
It was worth noting that the Academy’s final entrance screening had now concluded.
Over the past month, five students had left.
Only forty-eight remained in the class.
Unless something unexpected happened, those forty-eight students would remain until graduation. Afterward, the graduation survival exercise would eliminate most of them, leaving only five three-man squads—a total of fifteen genin.
With the additional variable created by Mihawk’s presence, that number might become sixteen.
The shinobi world truly was cruel.
Once everyone had assembled on the training grounds, Iruka stood before the students with an assessment sheet in hand.
His expression became serious.
"Over the past month, you’ve received basic instruction in taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, the Three Basic Techniques, and close-quarters combat with kunai."
His gaze swept across the class.
"None of you have mastered those skills yet. Most of you have barely learned the fundamentals. Even so, I’m sure every one of you is curious about who the strongest student in the class is."
The eyes of several children immediately lit up.
"That is what we’ll be finding out over the next few days," Iruka continued. "The first assessment will be..."
He paused briefly.
"A taijutsu examination."
"Iruka-sensei, what kind of examination is that?"
The moment Iruka finished speaking, one of the students raised a hand and asked.
"A practical combat assessment," Iruka explained. "This will no longer be the kind of cooperative exercise where one person attacks and the other practices a predetermined counter."
"You’ll fight one another seriously. I won’t stop the match until a clear winner has been decided."
"Oh! That’s exactly what I wanted!"
A blond-haired boy immediately leaped out of the formation and pointed toward a black-haired child standing nearby.
"Just watch, Sasuke! I’ll show you what Uzumaki Naruto can really do!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Naruto found himself surrounded by hostile glares.
Most of them came from the girls.
Sasuke had not yet experienced the destruction of the Uchiha clan. Although naturally proud, he still possessed the confidence of a child who had grown up admired by his family and classmates.
A smug smile appeared on his face.
"Come at me."
Iruka stared at Naruto, who had disrupted the formation before the assessment had even begun.
A vein nearly appeared on his forehead.
"Naruto..."
His voice became dangerously stiff.
"Get back in line."
"Ahaha..."
Realizing that Iruka was about to lose his temper, Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward laugh.
He quickly returned to his place.
"Ahem."
Iruka cleared his throat and looked sternly at Naruto.
"You don’t get to choose your opponent. I’ll arrange each match according to the results you’ve shown during your usual training."
He lowered his gaze toward the assessment sheet.
"When I call your names, step forward."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
"The first match..."
Iruka examined the list.
"Nerona Mihawk versus Hyūga Hinata."
"...Hm?"
Standing near the back of the group, Mihawk raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had not expected to be chosen for the very first match.
The other students quickly moved aside, leaving a large open space in the center of the training ground.
Mihawk and Hinata stepped forward.
The moment Hinata found herself standing directly in front of him, she lowered her head like a frightened bird.
Every few seconds, she nervously raised her gaze toward him before immediately looking away again.
After several moments, she finally seemed to gather enough courage to speak.
"M-Mihawk-kun..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Hello."
"Hello."
Mihawk looked at her flushed, delicate face and gave a slight nod.
A faint trace of surprise flashed through his crimson eyes.
Before her courage could disappear, Hinata hurriedly continued.
"Th-That day..."
She pressed her fingers together nervously.
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
Mihawk’s expression remained calm.
Actually, I should be the one thanking you.
He did not say the final sentence aloud.
"Hinata knows Mihawk-kun?"
Standing among the other students, Ino watched the two of them speaking quietly.
They were too far away for her to hear what was being said, but the sight alone was enough to surprise her.
Mihawk and Hinata did indeed know one another.
Calling them acquaintances might have been an exaggeration, however.
They had only met once before.
Mihawk’s first real fight after arriving in this world had begun because of Hinata.
More importantly, it had been during that fight that the system, which had remained dormant for an entire year, finally awakened.
In that sense, Mihawk had spoken truthfully.
He truly did owe Hinata his gratitude.
Without her, there was no telling how long the system would have remained inactive.
"Mm..."
After hearing Mihawk’s response, Hinata seemed to deflate like a balloon.
She wanted to say more to him, but the courage she had spent more than a month gathering had already disappeared.
All she could do was lower her head and answer with a voice as quiet as a mosquito’s.
"Are you two ready?"
Iruka had waited long enough.
Judging from their exchange, the two children clearly shared some kind of history, but this was neither the time nor the place to ask about it.
"Ready," Mihawk replied.
"I-I’m ready too."
Hinata answered in a fluster.
Iruka nodded and stepped several paces backward with the assessment sheet in hand.
"Then begin."
Mihawk and Hinata stood facing each other.
His figure was reflected within Hinata’s clear, pale eyes.
As she stared into those crimson eyes, her thoughts became strangely unsteady.
Ever since Mihawk had rescued her more than two months earlier, she had been unable to forget his face.
When the school year began and she discovered that they had been placed in the same class, she had secretly felt happy.
She had always wanted to thank him.
She also wanted to apologize because her family had taken her away that day before she had been able to say anything to him.
However, Mihawk had immediately become popular after entering the Academy.
Girls surrounded him almost every day.
Whenever Hinata considered approaching, she lost her courage before she could take even a single step.
After holding those words inside for more than two months, she had finally managed to say them.
A quiet joy welled up inside her—one that even Hinata herself failed to notice.
She had finally taken one step closer to him.
Starting from this moment...
No.
She could not continue being so timid.
At least not now.
Because she wanted him to remember her.
The hesitation in Hinata’s eyes suddenly disappeared.
In its place appeared a faint but unmistakable determination.
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