Chapter 5: Exam Secrets

"Teacher Hanyū, please, don't tell Teacher Iketani." Obito continued to beg Muyue stubbornly.

"That depends on how you perform." Muyue said with a smile, not giving a specific answer.

"Teacher, is something the matter?" Might Guy scratched his head, not understanding why he had been called out, since he hadn't done anything wrong.

Muyue looked at Might Guy—this man who had nearly kicked the series finale and was called the strongest taijutsu user by Madara was still very inexperienced now.

Even though he was already wearing that iconic green spandex, setting aside his strength, his conviction still fell far short.

At this point, Might Guy believed that his daily training would surely make him a taijutsu master, but he hadn't fully understood his father's talk of youth and self-discipline. He still needed to grow, and Muyue was happy to lend a hand during this time.

"Your theory scores have been giving Teacher Iketani quite the headache." Muyue began.

Hearing Muyue's words, even someone as thick-skinned as Obito couldn't help but hang his head in embarrassment.

"It's not that I don't want to learn, but the problems are way too hard to understand. Why do they lock those animals together and ask how many of each there are…" Obito tried to make excuses.

Seeing Obito like this, Muyue recalled his own high school days grinding away at math. He could only say it was a good thing his major didn't require advanced math.

But Muyue knew that it was really Obito's problem, because the math taught at the ninja academy was the simplest kind, with fewer lessons than even history.

"But it's not just math you're behind in. History, ninjutsu theory—you're no good at those either." Muyue shook his head.

"What's the use of knowing all that history? It's all in the past." Obito felt that the history class should just be canceled. You might at least use math when buying groceries, but what good was history?

"I think so too." Might Guy nodded vigorously. He really couldn't memorize all that history.

"You'll have to take that up with the Third Hokage; he's the academy's principal." Muyue indicated that he had no say in that matter.

"But going on like this isn't a solution—it's not good for Teacher Iketani, and it's not good for you either."

"Does Teacher Hanyū have some secret for passing exams?" Obito looked at Muyue with hopeful eyes.

Might Guy also looked at Muyue with excitement. No one wanted to be at the bottom of the class if they really couldn't help it.

"I do have a secret for exams: practice problems—go through them while you study!" Muyue revealed his secret.

Given the difficulty of the ninja academy exams, he could easily pass just by applying a bit of his previous life's test-taking experience, because the academy only required half the class average to pass.

"Practice problems?" The two looked blank, not quite understanding.

"You can think of it as special training for exams. And if you pass, I'll give you a reward." Muyue said with a smile.

"What reward? A bowl of dumplings?" Obito asked curiously.

"I can teach you ninjutsu or taijutsu. In short, I can give you pointers on your training." Muyue replied.

"Really?!" The two's eyes went wide, unable to believe such good fortune had fallen from the sky.

"That's only if you pass the exam in a month." Muyue reminded them.

"Could this be youth? I'm fired up!" Might Guy was a little excited.

"I'll definitely pass this time." Obito guaranteed.

Watching the two already motivated, Muyue nodded inwardly. A skilled hunter often appears as the prey.

The two thought they had hit the jackpot—getting the secret to passing along with a reward of training guidance.

Meanwhile, Muyue only needed to naturally become their teacher during the special training process, and he'd profit immensely.

Even if they still failed in the end, it didn't matter. Muyue could say that seeing how hard they worked, he couldn't very well withhold the reward, and might even earn some goodwill.

The reason he hadn't tricked them into becoming disciples like he did with Shisui was, first, the circumstances weren't suitable—he couldn't easily claim repaying a favor—and second, Muyue was only here for one lesson and couldn't maintain long-term contact. If he were the homeroom teacher, it would be easier.

After finalizing the special training with the two, Muyue brought them back to the classroom.

"Obito, what did Teacher Hanyū call you out for? He didn't punish you, did he?" Nohara Rin asked with some concern.

"How could it be punishment? Teacher Hanyū is great—he taught me the secret to passing exams." Obito immediately defended Muyue.

As long as Muyue could help him shake off the 'dead last' label, Obito would become the academy's number one Muyue fan.

"Rin, you should pay more attention in class too. Don't let me surpass you on the next test." Obito chuckled.

"If you could actually beat me, that would be great." Nohara Rin smiled helplessly at the smug Obito. She might not get first place, but she was still among the top.

After the bell rang, Obito showed an unprecedented level of seriousness. He was determined to pass this time, and he had already started thinking about which ninjutsu to learn.

Nohara Rin was a bit surprised at the sight, thinking to herself, "Could Obito be serious this time?"

Three minutes later, looking at Obito slumped over his desk, Nohara Rin could only say Obito was still the same Obito she knew.

Just then, a chalk stub arced in a beautiful parabola and smacked Obito on the head.

Obito looked around bewildered, saw Muyue's face, saw Nohara Rin's face, saw Might Guy writing furiously, and remembered what he had said three minutes ago. His face flushed slightly, and he lost all sleepiness.

After the little episode of Obito falling asleep, the rest of the class went smoothly.

【Lecture Completed】

【Rating: A】

【Reward: Konoha Whirlwind】

This time the reward was not a ninjutsu but a taijutsu, and one that Might Guy would develop in the future.

This taijutsu looked simple, just a kick, but Muyue, who had initially learned it, found that it was not as simple as he imagined. The leg positioning, muscle explosion, chakra burst—all required skill.

Muyue had been worried about having nothing to teach Guy, so he was very satisfied with this reward.

After school, Muyue wandered through the forest south of Konoha, looking for a suitable place to train.

After all, he still had a Root identity; Danzo certainly knew the location of his house.

Given Danzo's level of disgust toward the Uchiha, if he found out that Muyue taught Shisui ninjutsu without reporting it, he would at the very least suspect Muyue of betrayal.

Although he had sensory ninjutsu, he couldn't keep it activated all the time—his chakra couldn't support it.

So Muyue planned to take Shisui outside for training from now on.

In the end, Muyue found a spot by a small river with a nice environment, very secluded—suitable for training.

Muyue memorized the location and went home.

As it turned out, Muyue's caution was not in vain. After entering the courtyard, he found a ninja wearing an animal mask standing inside.