‘Who got a zero?
I got a zero?
Me?
Who?’
‘Impossible.
That makes no sense.’
Obito fell into another state of utter bewilderment.
He stared blankly at Teacher Daiki, then turned his head to glance at Rin, who looked equally surprised.
In that instant, the imaginary child he and Rin had sent off to elementary school regressed all the way back to an embryo.
‘Is it because I didn’t apologize to that coward Kakashi?
But why should I apologize to him…
No, no, Rin wouldn’t do this…
Did I copy the wrong answers?
Wait, the handwriting on that note…
it doesn’t look like Rin’s.’
‘Then who was it?!’
Obito finally spotted the blind spot.
Kaito couldn’t clearly remember Rin’s handwriting, only that it was very pretty—something he couldn’t imitate.
It wasn’t like Obito’s handwriting, where as long as it was written atrociously, Rin wouldn’t be able to tell the difference without looking closely.
Pfft…
The classroom was dead silent, making the sudden sound of Kurenai covering her mouth and giggling in the front row extremely prominent.
Immediately after, the entire class burst into laughter.
As a low-ranking member of the Hyuga branch family with above-average grades, Hizashi Hyuga normally would have taken this opportunity to mock Obito.
However, he didn’t laugh.
Instead, his face was tense and his expression serious.
‘Damn it, which bastard set me up?
Don’t let me find out…’ Obito’s anger reached its peak, and he even felt the urge to tattle to the teacher.
Fortunately, he wasn’t completely stupid.
What would he even tell the teacher?
That someone gave him a fake cheat sheet?
Kurenai, the first to laugh out loud, tightly covered her mouth with her right hand while waving a test paper with her left.
She looked at Obito apologetically, signaling that she didn’t mean to laugh.
Teacher Daiki had thrown Obito’s test paper, and it had fluttered right onto her desk.
She simply couldn’t hold it in.
Daiki’s anger burned for a few seconds before he seemed to find the situation amusing.
As if realizing something, he said, “Kurenai, read Obito’s answers to the class.”
Kurenai snorted and almost laughed again, but quickly held it back and replied, “Yes, sir.”
“Question one: You have just graduated.
Your mission client expresses distrust in you because of your young age.
What should you do?
“Obito’s answer is…
pfft…
Righteously tell the client: He who laughs last, laughs best, so never look down on a poor youth!”
Laughs last?
Laughs best?
Never look down on a poor youth?
Although they had never heard this exact phrasing before, the students thought about it for a moment and roughly understood the meaning.
“Hahahaha…” The laughter instantly grew louder.
This answer really suited Obito’s personality.
Obito was confused.
‘Is it wrong to answer like that?
Never look down on a poor youth—that line is so cool!’
‘But why poor?’
‘Well, I guess it makes sense.
I don’t have much money.’
Kurenai continued reading.
“Question two.” She glanced at Obito and couldn’t help but ask, “Obito, your original answer for this question seemed to be correct.
Why did you cross it out?”
Obito stiffened, his face burning up.
His proficiency with the Fireball Jutsu surely leveled up a notch.
…
“Question six: Briefly describe Rule Twenty-Three of the Shinobi Rules.” Two minutes later, Kurenai finally reached the critical point.
Kaito sat up slightly straighter.
But Kurenai suddenly stopped, acting as annoying as an author leaving a cliffhanger.
She scanned the test paper in astonishment, then looked at Teacher Daiki questioningly.
Teacher Daiki nodded gently, signaling her to read it.
“Briefly describe Rule Twenty-Three of the Shinobi Rules: No matter what unexpected situations arise, a ninja must always prioritize completing the mission,” Kurenai read.
The laughter in the classroom instantly died down.
On one hand, Obito seemed to have answered this question correctly.
On the other hand, the White Fang incident had happened just over half a year ago, and the various details were still vivid in everyone’s minds.
The pride of the Hidden Leaf and the head of the Hatake clan, Sakumo Hatake, had abandoned his mission to save his comrades, bringing massive losses to the village.
Amidst the overwhelming condemnation, he had taken his own life.
Because they were in the same class as Kakashi, the students felt the weight of this event even more deeply.
After all, Kakashi had gone from a top-two student in every exam to a dead-last.
“Obito got this question right,” someone muttered in confusion.
“Why did he get a zero?”
“Obito’s answer isn’t finished,” Kurenai said weakly.
“There’s more…
‘However, when comrades are in danger, an exception can be made.'”
…An exception can be made?
The students paused for a moment, piecing the answer together in their heads: No matter the circumstances, a ninja must always prioritize completing the mission.
However, when comrades are in danger, an exception can be made.
Wasn’t this…
talking exactly about the White Fang incident?
Immediately, many people turned their eyes toward Kakashi, their gazes shifting back and forth between him and Obito.
The atmosphere gradually became awkward…
then solemn.
Kakashi still had that same defeated look, his face completely expressionless.
However, the system prompt flashing before Kaito’s eyes clearly told him that this had deeply moved Kakashi.
“Rules are rules.
How can they be broken so casually?” Hizashi Hyuga, who had kept a stern face the entire time, suddenly broke the silence, pointing the spearhead directly at Obito.
Obito froze for two seconds, still completely bewildered.
‘Is there…
something wrong with my answer?’
A strange look flashed across Kurenai’s face as she added, “It’s still not finished…
‘Those who break the rules of the ninja world are called trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!'”
“…That’s the end of it.”
After Kurenai finished reading, she noticed there was no reaction.
She gave a weak reminder and sat down, completely forgetting that there were still four more questions left to read.
Rin’s eyes flickered repeatedly, and her expression quickly turned to one of relief and joy as she looked back at Obito.
Obito was still clueless.
‘Which bastard handed me these answers?
They sound so profound…
But more importantly, are they wrong?’
‘Why didn’t Teacher Daiki give me any points?!’
The classroom remained silent, and Kakashi once again became the center of attention.
His expression hadn’t changed, but his body trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
After waiting quietly for a few seconds, a barrage of system messages rained down before Kaito’s eyes!
[Kakashi’s Correction Progress: 9%]
[Kakashi’s Correction Progress: 10%]
[Free Attribute Point *1]
…
[Kakashi’s Correction Progress: 34%]
Ultimately, the data stopped at 34%.
Hitting the 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 percent milestones each rewarded Kaito with one free attribute point, totaling five points.
Adding the one point he hadn’t used yet, Kaito felt like a man with a massive savings account.
With savings, he had to consider how to improve his quality of life.
He couldn’t blow it all at once, but he also couldn’t just let it sit there and gather dust.
After all, it most likely didn’t earn any interest.
Kaito only spared half his attention for what happened next.
He watched from the sidelines as a minor argument broke out in the classroom, keeping an eye on the stubborn and rigid Hizashi Hyuga.
‘I’ve never seen this guy in the anime.
Did he die early?
He has a personality similar to young Neji.
Could he have a similar backstory and ending?’
[Kakashi’s Correction Progress: 35%]
[Free Attribute Point *1]
As the text flashed by, Kaito paused for a moment.
‘I get rich just by having everyone discuss this?
That’s fantastic.’
Unfortunately, it was only a single class period, and the comfort came from the annoying Obito.
Kakashi could only accept it to this extent.
By the time class ended, no more text had appeared.
During this time, Kaito had already figured out how he intended to allocate six of his seven attribute points.
The bell rang.
As Kaito was tidying up his desk, he suddenly noticed someone standing in front of him.
It was the cataract kid with a white headband wrapped around his forehead—Hizashi Hyuga.
“Don’t leave after school.
Wait for me at the training grounds.”
“Oh…
huh?”
Kaito replied, feeling a bit bewildered.
‘Did I just get challenged to a fight?’
‘When did I ever provoke him?’
‘Is it because I have more hair than him?’
Hizashi Hyuga offered no explanation.
As if issuing an order, he turned and walked away the moment he finished speaking.
Meanwhile, Obito had finally snapped out of his daze.
Just as he was thinking about tracking down the bastard who set him up, he was immediately thrown back into confusion.
“Obito, I’m sorry.
I misjudged you.
So your prank was actually an attempt to cheer Kakashi up.
Let’s work hard together!”
Rin clasped her hands tightly against her chest, tilting her head slightly.
She looked so sweet it could give someone a toothache.
“Ah, it’s nothing…” The utterly clueless Obito nodded with a blushing face.
He didn’t understand, but he couldn’t refuse.
After all, the imaginary child he and Rin shared had already grown up into an adult.