"Number ten! Sugimoto, Nao!" Iori Sensei said. Her eyes were soft and warm, which clashed with her harsh voice and the scar that curved from her cheek to her chin. She wore her headband around her neck, and her thick curly hair hung loosely to her shoulders, her bangs framing the Sunagakure symbol on the headband. Iori had been in charge of the Class One students while her counterpart, Fujimori Sensei, oversaw the Class Two, Iori's, students' testing. The teachers had switched classes because of a minor bet that they were having. Which class would test better? The winner buys the other Katsu. "Heh heh heh," Iori giggled to herself as she failed another student whose clone hunched on the floor. "Dinner is always better when it's free!" Peering at her list, Iori called out a familiar name. "Number eleven! Chimasa, Genji!"
Iori chuckled to herself even harder, her face reddened as she held in her laughter. Chimasa, Genji was the worst-graded student in the class. His Taijutsu was in the top five in his class; she would give him that. But his apparent lack of motivation had stunted his growth almost entirely. As sad as it was, right now it was Iori's boon. She looked to Genji as he hopped to his place in front of her. His carrot-colored hair peeked out under a light black hood. He had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his oversized shorts, arrogantly swaying on the balls of his feet. He was so confident, although he hadn't been. "You may begin!"
"Alright!" Genji cheered as he flashed through the Clone Jutsu signs: Ram, Snake, Tiger. Three eruptions of smoke rose from the ground, and in their wake, three exact copies of Chimasa appeared, grinning at Iori. The clipboard that was previously in Iori's hand had clattered to the floor, and Genji's onlooking class had gone silent. No one thought that Genji would pass. It would've been pleasantly surprising if he had, but to excel by making three clones? It was an obvious bid for attention but impressive nonetheless. That's what Genji's classmates thought, at least. Iori, however, was on all fours, cursing the earth. The sudden appearance of a hidden genius had completely derailed her free dinner plan. That's what the grades will reflect anyway.
"I-Iori Sensei?" Iori glanced up to see the eyes of all four Genjis looking at her. Clearing her throat, Iori picked up her clipboard and gave Genji a check.
"Pass. Wait on the sidelines for the Practical." Genji released his clones and thanked Iori before jogging to the sidelines. He saw him high-five a girl who had also passed. Iori visibly deflated as she thought of her paycheck and how broke she was. She would need to take some missions to cover this dinner at this rate. Sighing, she called for the next student, "Number twelve! Kon, Bunko!"
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Running up to Yuko, she held her sleeved hands up. Grinning, I let my hands meet her in a cheer, "YAY!" we said together in unison. Standing next to Yuko, I mentally opened my info sheet. A neat trick I had picked up while training at home.
{Genji Chimasa. Chakra reserves: 995 out of 1,000.
Justu: Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu.
Fire Jutsu: more details
Wind Jutsu: more details
Mastery:
Taijutsu Mastery 9.2%
Fire Mastery .5%
Wind Mastery .7%
Skills: Chakra God, Fuma}
My reserves had gone up dramatically after my week of training. I even had enough time to learn some new Jutsu along with the Clone Jutsu. Well, at least I get the gist of them. I learned only two new Jutsu—one from each of the fire and wind elements. I shuddered, remembering the number of times I fainted while training. Or it could've been Yuko staring into my soul directly next to me that I felt. Leaning away, I made my confusion known. "Yes? Yuko?"
Yuko leaned in after me, peering into my eyes suspiciously. "I still can't believe you managed to squeak out three clones. I bet Lord Kankuro had something to do with it." She brought her hand to her chin in mock thought. "A slacker getting one up on me is impossible," Yuko puffed out her chest, pride swelling in her chest. She may not look like it, but Yuko's grades were second in the class. She was so talented, in fact, that she already knew many ninjutsu and had begun to study her clan's cloth sealing technique. Her Aunt, Maki, had been an integral part of the war against Madara and the Ten-Tails, inspiring the attention to sealing techniques.
I could only nervously laugh, not knowing how to move on before being interrupted by the senseis who had finished the Skill Testing. Baki Sensei had once again appeared before the children who had passed the Skill testing. Baki held his hands behind his back, letting the wind push his turban out of his face. His old scars were visible to the students. Some recoiled, unable to handle the damage that scarred Baki's face. Other children remained unfazed. Those same children were from various ninja clans and had been used to the perils that accompanied the occupation. I grimaced slightly at the sight of the scarring, but, on the other hand, I couldn't compare to Yuko's reaction. As soon as she caught a glimpse of Baki's scars, her face contorted into a look of pure disgust. It was all I could do not to bust out laughing.
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Baki's turban once again fell peacefully over his face, his expression never changing despite his students' reactions to the minor disturbance. "Students! As of this moment, you will all participate in a friendly no-holds-bar spar." Baki threw his hand at the crowd of restless academy students, silencing the voices that had begun to stir. "C rank Jutsu and above are forbidden in the spar, Kunai and Shuriken are the only weapons allowed!" At the mention of restrictions, the children groaned in protest. Although young, many of the children from the main clans wanted to show off their training to their peers. A few civilian academy students, children who had awakened to chakra but not from a main clan, sighed in relief. One of those breaths definitely came from me. I may have Kankuro's support, but it's more on the financial side after all. I'm not a clan-supported ninja like Yuko is.
Baki surveilled the remaining ninja who had passed this year's test based on skill alone. "A mere nine," Baki thought to himself. He knew he had to pass one based on overwhelming skill, glancing at the orange-haired child. "That one? Of all the academy students?" Baki knew of Genji's history—his unwillingness to learn any Jutsu, his natural physical ability. Genji needed to take a test that he couldn't weasel out of. With a flick of a finger, he motioned Iori Sensei to come to his side. "The first sparring match will be between Sawada, Iori, and..." Baki's cool, unbothered gaze met Genji's. "Chimasa, Genji!"