“Nine of them, huh?
Hmm, there are quite a few promising kids.”
Iruka stroked his chin as he looked toward the students in the distance.
Several had already managed to raise themselves halfway off the ground, but one black-haired boy in particular had almost completely stood up.
“Looks like the most talented one among these kids is this Uchiha Sasuke.
Hmm…
he managed to stand up completely in forty minutes.
His aptitude is quite impressive.”
As he spoke, Iruka wrote a perfect score beside Uchiha Sasuke’s name on his evaluation sheet before turning his attention to the other students who were still struggling.
“Second place is…
well, it looks like there isn’t one.
Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, everyone else’s aptitude is more or less the same.
Still, even if there’s no clear second place, last place is pretty obvious.”
His gaze fell upon Naruto, who was still struggling on one knee.
“The worst physical aptitude, but the strongest willpower…
Interesting.”
Time passed minute by minute, and before long, school was over.
Sasuke had lived up to expectations and taken first place, becoming the only student to stand completely upright within forty minutes.
The others had more or less managed to get themselves up as well.
Iruka naturally classified these students as talents worth cultivating and made a point of remembering each of their names.
As for those who had given up at the beginning or quit halfway through, he gave them all a score of zero.
“Alright, time’s up.
This test is over.”
With that, Iruka made another show of forming a hand seal and deactivated his ability.
The students who had been lying on the ground immediately breathed a sigh of relief and got to their feet.
Meanwhile, the students who had still been struggling to stand were caught off guard by the sudden change in gravity and promptly fell over.
Iruka put away his evaluation sheet and walked toward them as he spoke.
“I have a general understanding of your aptitudes now.
From now on, I’ll develop appropriate training plans based on the results of this test.
Of course, just as I said before, these results won’t count toward your Academy grades, and there won’t be any punishment.”
The students who had chosen to give up immediately began cheering.
One chubby boy even looked disdainfully at the students who had made themselves a mess by stubbornly persevering.
“Hmph.
It was just a meaningless test.
Only idiots would keep struggling.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to just lie there?
You insisted on making yourselves suffer for nothing.
What a bunch of morons.”
With someone taking the lead, several students who were already feeling guilty about giving up quickly joined in.
“Exactly!
A bunch of idiots.
I don’t even know why you bothered.”
“People who act like they’re better than everyone else are the worst.”
“Hmph!
So what if you came in first?”
The remarks caused the students who had persevered, including Sasuke, to darken their expressions.
The hot-tempered Ino immediately stepped forward and shouted, “What did you say?
Say that again if you’ve got the guts!”
“Why wouldn’t I?
Weren’t you just trying to prove that you’re better than everyone else by taking this test?
Too bad it was completely meaningless and doesn’t prove anything.
Only idiots like you would insist on persevering when Sensei clearly said the test didn’t matter.”
“You coward!
You couldn’t do it yourself, and now you have the nerve to look down on us!”
“Who says I couldn’t do it?!”
The chubby boy immediately flushed red and shouted at Ino, “I just didn’t want to do it!
If I got serious, a test like that would be nothing.
I just didn’t think it was worth trying!”
“Stop lying!
You obviously couldn’t do it.”
“I’m not lying!”
Iruka watched the students causing trouble with a helpless expression.
He understood their way of thinking.
It was the familiar habit of affirming oneself by denying others.
When someone made a different choice, they desperately tried to dismiss that person, using the other’s supposed foolishness to prove that their own choice had been correct.
The louder they shouted, the less confident they usually were.
It was an ordinary reaction and a very human way of thinking.
Iruka understood it perfectly well.
Understanding it, however, didn’t mean he agreed with it.
“Alright, that’s enough.
I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
The moment Iruka opened his mouth, the entire training field fell silent.
Even those who had been arguing until their faces turned red immediately separated and stopped.
Naruto’s earlier experience was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and none of them wanted to provoke the Violent Teacher.
Seeing almost everyone standing there like well-behaved children, Iruka nodded in satisfaction.
Making an example out of one person really was remarkably effective.
It seemed that something a certain unscrupulous teacher from his previous life had once told him was actually reliable.
“Although the results of this test won’t count toward your Academy grades and won’t have any effect on your future, they will determine your standing in my eyes.”
“Huh?
But didn’t you say this test didn’t matter, Sensei?”
A meaningful smile appeared on Iruka’s face.
“It doesn’t matter to you.
My opinion can’t determine your future, after all.
Even if I dislike you, I’ll still teach you everything I’m required to teach.
That’s my duty as an Academy instructor.”
“But that’s all I’ll do.
Anything beyond my regular teaching duties, I won’t tell you a single thing.”
The students who had persevered froze when they heard that.
Shikamaru, with his spiky ponytail, was the first to grasp what Iruka meant.
He asked uncertainly, “So…
Sensei, does that mean you’ll teach us something special?”
Iruka nodded and gave Shikamaru an approving glance.
“That’s right.
As a teacher, I can’t choose which students I’m assigned.
But I can choose which students receive my personal attention.”
“This test measured your basic physical abilities, but it also helped me decide who I want to focus on training.”
As he spoke, Iruka suddenly took out the evaluation sheet.
“Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Hyūga Hinata, Akimichi Chōji, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and you, brat—Uzumaki Naruto.”
“All nine of you passed this test.
If you’re interested in your specific results, you can look at them later.
Starting today, in addition to the regular Academy curriculum, I’ll prepare some special training for you.”
Iruka paused, and a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face.
“Of course, if you’re afraid, you don’t have to participate.
But let me make one thing clear: I hate people who change their minds after making a decision.
Once you decide not to join, there will be no taking it back.
No matter how much you beg me later, I won’t change my mind.”
Before any of them had time to think it over, Naruto suddenly shouted from nearby.
“I’ll join!
I’ll join!
I’m not afraid of some special training!
I’m not a scaredy-cat—”
Before he could finish, a pale fist suddenly appeared above his head and came crashing down on it.
Immediately afterward came Sakura’s angry voice.
“You idiot!
What are you saying?!
If the rest of us don’t join, doesn’t that make us all scaredy-cats?”
“Sakura-chan, that hurt…”
“Serves you right.
That’s what you get for talking without thinking.”
Naruto’s careless words had inadvertently eliminated everyone else’s easy way out.
Sasuke shook his head helplessly.
He had intended to participate anyway, but after Naruto’s outburst, it somehow felt as though he was being forced into it, which irritated him.
Even so, Sasuke raised his hand.
“I’ll participate.”
Once Sasuke had agreed, Sakura and Ino immediately raised their hands as well.
Shikamaru hesitated, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
Then he gave Naruto a strange glance for some reason before finally raising his hand.
The moment Chōji saw Shikamaru joining, he raised his hand without hesitation.
Hinata glanced shyly at Naruto and slowly raised her small hand.
Seeing that everyone else had agreed, Kiba and Shino also raised their hands.
And so, all nine students who had earned a score on the test agreed to Iruka’s so-called special training.
As for the students who had received no score, Iruka merely told them that school was over and sent them home.
“Hold this for me.
I’m going to the staff office to get something.”
Iruka casually handed the evaluation sheet to Sakura before turning to the others behind him.
“You guys go wait in the classroom first.
There are a few things I need to discuss with you.”
With that, Iruka left, leaving the group staring at one another in confusion.