Shinobi Forehead Protector 22: Exam Passed!
Shinobi Forehead Protector Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Today was the day for Kamiki and Naruto to take the Ninja Academy graduation exam.
That morning, the two excited boys set off together and stepped into the examination grounds.
The written test came first, which posed zero difficulty for Kamiki.
Next came the practical demonstrations of the Substitution Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Transformation Jutsu.
At this moment, Kamiki stood before the academy examiners, preparing to execute the Transformation Jutsu.
This was his first major exam since arriving in this world.
No matter how seasoned he had been at handling tests back in his previous life, he still felt a wave of tension.
The head examiner gave the order: “You may begin.” Kamiki formed the hand seals.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke cleared to reveal the spitting image of the Third Hokage.
The panel of examiners froze in utter disbelief.
It looked too real.
Down to the wrinkles on his face and the faint, subtle ripples of chakra rolling off him, the resemblance was uncanny.
The examiners even started second-guessing reality, wondering if the young Kamiki had actually been Lord Hokage using a Transformation Jutsu all along, and this old man standing before them was the Hokage reverting to his true form!
“Lord Hokage, please stop teasing us.
Did you transform into a student just to experience the exam for yourself?” one examiner asked cautiously.
Question marks filled Kamiki’s head.
He answered in his natural, childish voice, “Huh?
Examiner-sensei, what are you talking about?” The examiner’s face went completely blank with mortification.
What a massive embarrassment!
“All right, all right, you pass!
Now get the hell out of here!” With a dismissive wave of their hands, the examiners shooed Kamiki out the door.
Kamiki scratched his head.
Though slightly puzzled by their reaction, passing the exam was all that mattered!
After a day and a half of testing, Kamiki, who had prepared thoroughly, passed with flying colors.
Naruto, despite barely scraping by on the written section, passed the exam as well.
Now, all the qualified students gathered together, waiting for the instructors to hand out their ninja registration forms and forehead protectors.
“We passed the exam!
Starting tomorrow, the two of us are real shinobi!” Inside the academy grounds, Naruto threw an arm around Kamiki’s shoulder, his voice buzzing with excitement.
“Yeah, but becoming Genin is only the beginning of our path.
We have to work even harder and stay careful from now on,” Kamiki replied.
As a transmigrator living in an unfamiliar ninja world, caution and effort were his only lifelines.
“Why make it sound so serious?
Let’s go grab ramen tonight to celebrate!” Naruto pumped his fist, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“Sure,” Kamiki agreed, smiling at Naruto’s joy.
Not far from them, other academy students whispered among themselves.
“Those two actually graduated?” “Yeah, they were the dead-lasts for four or five years.
Who would’ve thought they’d scrape past the passing line?” “What an insult to the profession.
Did they slip money under the table to the examiners?” “Don’t talk so nasty.
Word has it their jutsu scores weren’t low at all!” “Huh?
How do you know that?
Does someone in your family work at the academy?” “I overheard two examiners talking about Kamiki earlier.
They seemed to think he has terrifying talent…” “He just got lucky learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
If that counts as talent, give me two or three years and I could figure it out too!” a bitter student scoffed, his neck stiff with defiance.
Just then, Ino Yamanaka happened to stroll past.
She shot the boy a look of pure disdain.
“You?
You’re nowhere near as handsome as Kamiki, and you don’t work half as hard.
Give you a hundred years and you still wouldn’t learn it!” “Ino, don’t cross the line!” the boy yelled angrily.
“I said what I said!
What are you gonna do, hit me?” Though a girl, Ino’s sharp tongue and fierce aura were completely intimidating.
The boy raised a fist, but hesitated and backed down.
The exams were over; causing a scene now and risking his graduation would be foolish.
While the two bickered, Iruka stepped out alongside a group of teachers, carrying a stack of documents and a pile of shiny shinobi forehead protectors.
The moment the instructors appeared, the graduates fell dead silent.
“Everyone standing here has officially graduated from this year’s academy class.
We will now distribute your ninja registration forms and forehead protectors.” “Sign your registration forms once you receive them, and submit them to the Hokage’s office tomorrow morning.” “Once registered, every single one of you will be an official Genin of the Hidden Leaf!” Iruka spoke with pride, handing out the documents and protectors one by one.
When he reached Kamiki and Naruto, the normally composed teacher felt tears well up in his eyes.
“You two have truly grown up.
You’re proper shinobi now.” With steady hands, Iruka placed the registration forms and the two metal forehead protectors into their palms.
“Keep working hard from now on.” “Don’t worry, Iruka-sensei!
I’m Naruto Uzumaki, the man who’s gonna become Hokage!” Naruto grinned ear to ear.
Taking the headband, Kamiki nodded firmly.
“I’ve never given up on working hard.” In his memories, Iruka had always been good to the two dead-lasts, never abandoning them.
Knowing both boys were orphans, he had supported them through daily life as well.
Looking at how much the two kids had grown over the past five or six years, Iruka nodded with satisfaction.
“Take your protectors and head home for today.
Once you turn in your registration forms tomorrow morning, you can wear your forehead protectors to the orientation meeting.” Kamiki and Naruto nodded, then made their way out of the academy gates.
Along the road, an ecstatic Naruto chattered nonstop, while Kamiki walked along lost in thought.
Before long, the pair arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
Teuchi, the owner, spotted the metal protectors clutched tightly in their hands.
His eyes crinkled into a warm smile.
“Kamiki, Naruto!
Looks like you two are official Leaf ninja now!
This calls for a real celebration—today’s ramen is on the house!” “Hell yeah!” Naruto leaped into the air with a cheer.
Kamiki smiled.
Nothing felt better than a free meal.
Between the two of them, they polished off over a dozen bowls of ramen.
Teuchi was truly a kind-hearted man; from start to finish, he never uttered a single complaint, simply sharing in the two boys’ happiness.
That night, the cheerful pair took a rare break from their grueling training.
After filling out their registration forms, they drifted peacefully to sleep.
The next morning, they headed straight to the Hokage’s office to turn in their paperwork.
Once the registration was complete, Kamiki and Naruto stepped out of the office and let out a long breath of relief.
Standing on the broad balcony outside the Hokage’s office, they could see the entire village spread out beneath them.
Thanks to days of relentless reconstruction, the damage caused by Kamiki’s Deep Forest Emergence had been completely repaired.
Looking out toward the morning sun rising on the horizon, Kamiki smiled.
“I never realized the Leaf Village was this beautiful.” “Yeah!
Even the air smells sweeter once you’ve passed the exam!” Naruto declared, grinning from ear to ear.