Chapter 57: The Real Exam Started Before Entering the Examination Room
The physical training was much harder than Shisui had anticipated.
Before this, he usually exercised by running—and even then, rarely to the point of exhaustion.
But today was different. Today, he trained every part of his body.
After completing eight hundred push-ups, Shisui felt like his arms no longer belonged to him. After eight hundred squats, his legs felt as heavy as lead. And after eight hundred sit-ups, his abdomen ached with every breath.
Leaning against a tree, Shisui felt like his entire body was no longer under his control.
He used to watch Might Guy train intensely and never thought much of it—but now, actually doing it himself, he realized just how brutal it was.
Toward the end, he was running on sheer willpower. His senses were dulled; he was just mechanically repeating the movements, driven only by determination.
He almost couldn't resist the urge to use Chakra to assist his body—it was just too exhausting.
Just imagine—your eyes blurred by sweat, the sting of salt burning them, every movement of your limbs like dragging boulders—and yet, you couldn't stop, not until you'd reached your training goal.
"Four hundred twelve... four hundred thirteen..."
Shisui glanced over at Might Guy, who was still doing frog jumps not far away, and couldn't help but feel admiration.
They had started training at the same time, yet Might Guy's regimen was even more intense than his. Shisui was doing regular push-ups; Might Guy was doing them with a boulder strapped to his back.
Even so, within the same span of time, Might Guy completed more repetitions. And even now, when Shisui was completely spent, Might Guy still had energy left to keep going.
In pure Taijutsu combat, Shisui wasn't necessarily weaker. He might even be stronger. But in terms of raw physical strength, he was clearly far behind.
When Might Guy finally paused to rest, Shisui asked, "Guy, have you always trained like this? Your endurance is incredible."
Might Guy nodded. "I started before I even entered the Academy. My father trained with me."
Hearing that, Shisui's expression turned slightly melancholic. He felt a pang of envy. He had lost his parents at a young age.
If they had still been alive, they surely would have guided him in the way of the ninja too.
"Shisui, do you feel like it's too much to keep going?" Might Guy suddenly asked. "I have a secret for training. Want to hear it?"
Shisui looked up with interest. "A secret?"
"Self-restraint," Might Guy said seriously. "Set challenges for yourself. If you don't complete them, you get punished—like, if you fail to finish three thousand push-ups in time, you do an extra five hundred."
"Forcing yourself to grow by placing limits on yourself..." Shisui thought for a moment and nodded. "That's actually a great method."
He found that Might Guy's approach had a similar logic to Mugetsu's way of solving problems in battle.
He hadn't expected that Might Guy—who always seemed a bit clumsy and loud—would have such a disciplined and effective training philosophy.
"It's great, right?" Might Guy laughed and scratched his head. "My father taught me. Whenever I hit a wall, I impose more self-restraint!"
"Then your father must be a powerful Jonin," Shisui praised.
To raise a son like Might Guy, his father had to be exceptional.
"Haha, he's just a Genin," Might Guy grinned. "But I still think my dad is amazing."
A Genin...
Shisui was a little surprised. Most ninja were promoted long before reaching that age. It was rare for someone older than thirty to still be a Genin.
Now he was even more curious about Might Guy's father.
"In return, I'll show you a Chakra application technique for Taijutsu," Shisui offered.
---
Meanwhile, in the Grade 1, Class 1 classroom at the Ninja Academy—
"That's the end of the Ninjutsu Theory Class 1," Mugetsu announced. "The final exam is in two weeks, so start reviewing and get ready."
Originally, the class was scheduled to finish a week later, but Mugetsu's pace was fast, so he had intentionally left two weeks for review.
"Mugetsu-sensei, don't forget my dango!" Anko shouted.
"As long as you do well on the exam, you'll get your dango," Mugetsu said with a smile.
"I want snacks too!" Kotetsu raised his hand.
"Prepare well and there'll be plenty of rewards," Mugetsu said, organizing his lesson materials.
Ring, ring, ring— The bell for dismissal rang, and just as the students began to stir, a system message popped up in Mugetsu's mind.
[Lecture Completed]
[Evaluation: A]
[Reward: Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson]
Mugetsu glanced at the lesson plan, nodded slightly, and thought to himself—Not bad. That's a fairly practical Fire Release jutsu.
"Two weeks of reviewing... Just thinking about it feels exhausting," Kotetsu groaned.
"Then don't review," Izumo said. "It's not like you weren't listening in class."
Lately, Izumo had realized he couldn't count on Kotetsu when it came to getting a girlfriend. He had his eyes on a girl from his neighborhood—currently in Grade 6—and planned to impress her by becoming top of the class in the theory exam.
Though Kotetsu's last score had been just a few points lower, their mock test results were neck and neck. If Kotetsu studied seriously, Izumo wasn't sure he'd win.
So naturally, he wanted to convince Kotetsu to slack off.
"Not reviewing, huh? That's actually a great idea." Kotetsu nodded. "My cousin in the upper grades told me that sometimes, going into an exam relaxed without reviewing can actually help you do better."
Of course, his first complaint had just been bait. His real goal was to trick Izumo into slacking—because he had already promised Miho he'd get first place.
"Is that true?" Anko asked, tempted. "Reviewing for two weeks sounds awful."
Kotetsu and Izumo both nodded solemnly.
"Shisui, do you usually review for exams?" Anko turned around to ask.
Shisui shook his head. "I remember everything from class."
Hearing that, Anko's eyes sparkled. If even Shisui—last exam's top scorer—didn't need to review, then surely she didn't either.
"Then let's go play this weekend!" she invited cheerfully.
"No, I have something to do at home," Kotetsu quickly refused. He wasn't about to waste time—he'd be reviewing nonstop.
"What about you, Izumo?" Anko asked.
"Same," Izumo replied. "My family's been busy lately, so I can't go out."
They had successfully tricked her into not reviewing, and both had no intention of playing around this weekend.
"Oh, okay. I'll find someone else to play with then," Anko said casually, not suspecting anything.
The real exam had already started—outside the classroom—and Anko had just been eliminated.
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