"If I were you, I would be very happy," Iruka began, his voice soft. "I know that all of you think I'm biased towards Naruto, and I don't deny that. That's because he needs me. But actually, I also know that you, Sasuke, need him too."
Sasuke's heart moved slightly, but his face remained expressionless.
Iruka-sensei continued, "Naruto is the dead last, a loser. What he needs most is a victory, especially a victory against you. You're just the opposite. Sasuke, you are a genius, an elite, and a winner, so what you need is a failure. And it would be best if you were to lose in a battle with Naruto. It is precisely because of failure that you will come to know yourself better and work harder to improve. You and Naruto are each other's mirrors. You can see your truest self in each other. If I were you, I would thank Naruto, thank him for this failure, and then make a promise with him to make progress together, to become stronger and better versions of yourselves. Think about it carefully."
After saying this, Iruka-sensei was silent for a moment, and then his footsteps gradually faded away. Sasuke looked at the river and suddenly threw the small stone in his hand into it. *Plink—* The small stone splashed into the water and then sank to the bottom of the river.
"Naruto…"
The next day was the day the Ninja Academy would announce the results. Naruto arrived in the classroom early, waiting for Iruka-sensei's final verdict. This also determined whether he would be "baptized" by the System. Although it was not graduation season, every year's final exams were equally important and would determine everyone's future. The whole classroom was in a chaotic state of chatter.
Until… Iruka-sensei pushed the door open, and everyone fell silent. Although Naruto was full of confidence, he couldn't help but sweat nervously.
"Ahem… Now I will announce the final assessment results for this semester. The student in first place is…"
Naruto clenched his fists, his heart beating wildly. *'Could it be me?!'* However, he himself knew that the chances were slim. The main reason was that although his academic performance had improved rapidly, it was still only around 80 points, which was a big gap from the real top students. Even so, he couldn't help but fantasize a little. *'Even if it's not me, it definitely can't be that Sasuke! Generally speaking, it should be Sakura. She always gets the highest score in academic subjects, and she's also excellent in ninjutsu. But Hinata is also very likely!'* At this moment, Naruto suddenly realized that the name he had been longing to hear was actually Hinata's.
As if to echo Naruto's thoughts, the next moment, Iruka-sensei shouted, "Hyuga Hinata!"
Naruto was stunned, then overjoyed. "That's great!"
Hinata was even more stunned and couldn't believe that she had actually taken first place. It wasn't until Ino, who was sitting behind her, gently tapped her with her finger that she finally reacted. She quickly stood up and lowered her head shyly.
Sakura Haruno suddenly felt her body go empty, as if she were falling. A sense of emptiness and loss enveloped her entire body. *'Even if it wasn't me, I would have thought it would be Sasuke-kun.'* But the result…
Iruka-sensei announced the results with a smile. "Hinata, 97 points in academics, 90 points in ninjutsu, plus 10 bonus points for winning the ninja sparring match, for a total score of 197 points! Congratulations!"
There was warm applause in the classroom. Hinata blushed and nodded slightly, then quickly sat down. But Naruto stood up and cheered. "That's great, Hinata!"
Iruka-sensei held his forehead and sighed. "Naruto, Hinata got first place. Why are you so happy?"
Naruto chuckled, "I'm just happy for Hinata!"
Hinata's face suddenly turned even redder, but her heart felt very sweet. Ino's snickering behind her made even her fair and delicate neck turn red.
"Ahem, the second place is…"
Naruto didn't sit down either; he jumped up and down and pointed at his own nose. "Me! Me…"
However… "Haruno Sakura!"
*Thump—* Naruto almost fell to the ground. "Why?"
Sakura couldn't help but get angry. "Naruto! Aren't you happy that I got second place?! Don't I deserve it?!"
Naruto waved his hands hurriedly. "No, no! I just, just… hahaha, nothing, nothing…"
Iruka-sensei said, "Sakura, you got 100 points in academics, 95 points in ninjutsu, and no extra points for the ninja sparring match. Your total score is 195! Congratulations!"
There was sparse applause in the classroom. Of course, most people just thought it was fun; after all, Sakura Haruno had always been number one. She sat back down with some dissatisfaction.
"Ahem, third place is…"
Naruto couldn't help but jump up again. "Isn't it my turn now?!"
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Ah—" Naruto couldn't believe his ears! "Why! Why! Ah! Didn't I defeat him?!"
Iruka-sensei said, "Sasuke scored 92 points in the cultural course and 100 points in the ninjutsu course, with no extra points for the ninja sparring, so his total score is 192 points!"
Sasuke didn't care and didn't even stand up. He just crossed his arms and lowered his head with an indifferent expression.
Iruka-sensei said, "The fourth place is… Uzumaki Naruto!"
The whole classroom suddenly fell into silence. Even Naruto, who had been jumping around just now, couldn't help but become stunned when he heard his own name. "Fourth place?" Although he had been looking forward to taking first place, when he heard that he had taken fourth, Naruto could no longer hide his joy. You have to remember, he was originally the dead last in the class! In just over a month, he had jumped directly to fourth place! This was simply a miracle!
Iruka-sensei also smiled with pride. "Naruto, 81 points in academics, 100 points in ninjutsu, plus 10 points for the ninja sparring match, for a total score of… 191 points!"
When Naruto heard this, he immediately put his hands on his head and got angry. "191 points?! Ahhhh— isn't that just one point behind Sasuke?!"
Iruka-sensei nodded. "It's still the gap in your cultural studies, but Naruto, you've done very well. Congratulations."
Naruto was stunned, then couldn't help but laugh embarrassedly. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei! I… I will continue to work hard!"
Iruka-sensei continued his announcement, but Naruto no longer had the heart to listen.
[Congratulations to the host for winning fourth place in the class, exceeding the small goal of being in the top ten in this year's assessment!]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a random reward! Do you wish to draw it now?!]
Naruto was overjoyed