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A/N: Sorry for not updating, I had my midterms. Funny how I'm writing a midterm chapter right after my own
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Akira didn't like school. That was a fact. What he didn't like more than school was the exams that followed soon after. That was another fact.
The disasters that would follow after him, aka his mother, if he failed the written exam would nag and scold endlessly. Akira didn't like studying. Not in his previous life, and not in this life. He wouldn't mind one bit if he was rememorising some things about his favourite manga though.
So he comforted his lazy self that he was simply learning about the manga instead of studying. He had no reason to worry about the practical part of the exam though. It was kind of a given based on the fact that the midterms were only focused on the three basic ninjutsu, kunai skills and shuriken throwing.
Though it was easy for Akira, any ninja who ever went to the Konoha shinobi academy would have their mouths wide open if they knew of the first year elite class' curriculum. After all, ordinary classes only learnt those three jutsu in the entire six years of the academy, but here the elite class learnt those in only the first term.
If they knew of the normal subjects like mathematics and science everyone was taught, their jaws would be touching the floor now. Apparently, it wasn't that the subjects taught at school was that hard, it was just that this year's elite class had it hard. Very hard.
Tsunade in particular was struggling. Definitely not in the clone, substitution, and transformation jutsu, as she had learnt that ages ago, but in the theoretical part. Not that she would ever admit it, but she had trouble with remorising all the dates in history and whatnot.
It wasn't really her fault, as the Hokage had deliberately made them learn beyond the scope of the normal classes. His intention was to let this year's elite classes to all graduate, making sure Konoha had a fresh batch of young, talented shinobi and kunoichi.
In a more perspective ninja's view though, Tobirama was just setting up the deaths of those young, talented shinobi and kunoichi. Sending children to the battlefield? Yeah, that wasn't exactly the best idea.
After falling asleep many times, Tsunade finally went to ask her brother for help, albeit very reluctantly. Akira wasn't surprised at this, because he had already expected her plea of help hours ago. In his mind, he had already calculated around a hundred ways of asking her to beg for his 'generous' help.
Tsunade was angry at first, not particularly desiring to humiliate herself in that manner, but after she imagined their mother's iron fist coming down for failing, she complied. With a smirk and a air of glory, Akira finally let her on some tricks he learnt from his past life of last-minute cram studying.
To Akira, who had learnt these topics before, getting full marks was a piece of cake and he had no need to do so, though he was just to lazy to study in reality. Luckily, this was the first term, because according to their sensei, the next term would be harder.
And by harder, he meant hard. Full on calculations of shuriken trajectories, more in-depth genjutsu theories, advanced taijutsu moves. It was a miracle and a curse, for every student in the class was befuddled at how they could jump from now-simple multiplication to such extreme topics, all in the span of a single term.
They decided that was a problem for their future selves as the 'simple' multiplication and division was already giving them headaches.
After what seemed like an eternity of mindless memorizing and studying, the dreaded exams arrived in its usual gloom and doom. The usually chattering students were uncharacteristically quiet as they tried their bests to fit any remaining information into their short-term memories.
The only ones who appeared unaffected were the Senju siblings, Orochimaru, Jiraiya - despite the fact that he was the most likely to fail - and some other clan prodigies. The future toad sage still had a easy-going attitude, almost acting as if he was going to score full marks.
As usual, Tsunade and Akira had a competition to see who would get higher marks in the theoretical exam, another for the practical, and lastly, one for the overall rankings of the term.
Orochimaru seemed unfazed as usual, with a small smile on his young and girlish face as he listened to his friends banter and chatter, much unlike their classmates.
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"Alright class, settle down. The theoretical exams will start in two minutes."
Then proceeded the rule explanations, and the time durations, which Akira promptly blocked out.
"Start!" was the thing that finally snapped him out of his trance.
Sounds of pencils clicking and scratching on papers, sounds of sighs of frustration, sounds of erasers furiously rubbing onto wrong answers were all you could hear.
At the front stood their sensei, Nakama Chiasa, who occasionally walked around the class to ensure no one was cheating. It seemed like a perfectly normal school, except that these five or six year olds were learning about stuff that most would deem fictional.
Exams were never a favourite thing, well, at least for most people, and thankfully they were over soon. As soon as the papers left the final table, almost everyone breathed a breath of relief, then grouped together to discuss their answers.
The same ritual happened with the sanin plus Akira and others group, though they mostly seemed more chill and relaxed than others. Everyone was dismissed a little early to get ready for the practicals the next day.
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"Next! Senju Tsunade!"
A depressed looking boy came out of the examining room, while Nakama-sensei calls out for the next student.
"That's me!" Tsunade announced.
"Good luck, you'll need it!" Akira teased.
Her face flushed red before she stomped off in a rather unlady-like manner, if you asked him.
Despite his remarks, both Akira and Tsunade knew that they wouldn't need it, but Jiraiya on the other hand... yeah, it would be better to direct their blessings to the perverted white-haired boy.
The practical part of the exams were relatively simple: a analysis of the three basic jutsu, shuriken throwing skills, as well as a spar against their sensei with only wooden kunai, of which performances would be graded upon.
For many in the class, as they were made up of clan members with very few civilians, the first two would be no problem. The real challenge lay in the latter examination. To five and six years old with little or no previous training, facing a seasoned and battle-hardened elite chunin, it was tough to say the least.
And though both Akira and Tsunade were sure that they would lose ten times out of ten, the siblings were almost certain that they would qualify for at least the passing mark.
Tsunade came out of the examination room, with a unidentifiable expression on her face, a smug and triumphant gleam on her soft brown eyes, but a unnerved crease to her lips. It was expected, Akira guessed, because while she probably did well in the first two tests, but got utterly humiliated or some other in the final.
"Next! Senju Akira!"
The call was given and he strode into the hallway with confidence and underlying attentiveness.
He was given the instruction to perform the henge no jutsu, bunshin no jutsu, and the kawarimi no jutsu. Akira had worked on performing these jutsus before with no hand seals, but so far, he could only shorten the henge no jutsu and bunshin no jutsu by one hand seal. The kawarimi jutsu could be performed without them, though.
This display of excellent chakra control stunned Nakama, and he made a mental note to report this to his student's own grand uncle, the Nidaime Hokage.
Akira already passed this aspect with flying colours, as did he do so with the next test of shuriken throwing. Every shuriken thrown hit it's respective target with deadly precision, and if you had no ninja training, one could only hear the sound of metal tearing through the air before it pierced through the wood.
The spar however proved far more difficult, showing the sheer disparity of power difference between a child, albeit a prodigy among prodigies, and a elite chunin who had suffered the cruelties on the frontlines.
He could only graze Nakama's clothes slightly, and while he was huffing and panting, his opponent and teacher remained nonchalant and unbothered. Wiping off his sweat with the back of his hand, he exclaimed admiringly, "Nakama-sensei is so strong! Even though I gave my best, I couldn't even land a solid hit!"
It was true that although he was undoubtedly a genius, one that even created his own B-rank ninjutsu at the mere age of five, it is to be noted he only did so under the guidance of the creator of many high-ranked jutsu and the Hokage. Anyone with some decent ninja capabilities could do so, though at a much older age if they had such guidance.
But Nakama Chiasa was a genius in his own right. He wasn't exactly young anymore, but he was promoted to elite chunin even before the war started, which meant he was anything but undeserving of the title. It made perfect sense Akira couldn't hit, let alone win against, this man.
Chuckling, he rubbed his head with a hand, admitting, "Hahaha, you flatter me. It's great that you managed to even graze my clothes."
Blinking happily, he thanked his teacher before being dismissed. The same monotone and repetitive tests happened until everyone was finished. Once again, they were dismissed early for the week-long holiday.
Joy and relief flooded throughout the crowd of students when they were let out of the academy gates, the bubbling sounds of chatter and gossip filling the air once again.
A bouncy blockhead went up to the Senju twins, chirping loudly, "Are you going to the summer festival next week Akira, Tsunade?"
Orochimaru popped up from nowhere and added, "I'm going as well, are you two coming?"
"Oh right! I completely forgot about it!"
Smacking a palm on her forehead, Tsunade answered for the both of them, "Yup. Of course we're going!"
"Cool, then we can meet up there together!" Jiraiya shouted happily, spreading his arms wide.
"Alright!"
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Words ~ 1742
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