Several days had passed since Riku and Kakashi's last sparring session.
On this particular day, Guy was at school, while Riku and Kakashi had both, without consulting each other, used Shadow Clones to skip class and were training at the practice grounds.
But just as they were getting into the swing of things, Riku suddenly clutched his head and cried out in pain.
"Oww, oww, oww…"
Before Kakashi could ask what was wrong, he let out a muffled groan and began rubbing his own head.
It turned out Teacher Oshima was holding midterm exams tomorrow and required everyone to attend "in person." He had therefore dispelled Riku and Kakashi's Shadow Clones, using their information-transferring property to notify the two of them.
"Teacher Oshima's methods are so barbaric."
"He was definitely annoyed with us using Shadow Clones for class. This is just him getting revenge."
Just then, a green blur sped toward them. It was Guy, fresh out of school.
"Hey! My dear comrades! There is a youthful gathering tomorrow!"
"The midterms. We know. Now let's get back to training." Riku slapped Guy on the shoulder, cutting his monologue short. The three of them then resumed their training as usual.
The next day, the midterm exams were held as scheduled, with Teacher Oshima personally presiding.
When Riku and Kakashi arrived at the classroom together, Teacher Oshima approached them with a "kindly" smile and gave each of them a knock on the head.
"Ah! Teacher Oshima, how could you!" Riku said indignantly.
"How else am I supposed to tell if you two are Shadow Clones? My old eyes are failing me, you see." With that, Teacher Oshima walked away, chuckling.
Riku looked at Kakashi.
"This is definitely him abusing his authority for personal revenge. Teacher Oshima has a twisted sense of humor, right, Kakashi?"
But Kakashi wore a solemn expression.
"I couldn't dodge it. I couldn't dodge it at all. With our skills, we could hold our own against an average chunin, so why couldn't we dodge Teacher Oshima's fist?"
Riku's usual carefree demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious look.
"You're right. The ninja world is full of hidden masters. We can't underestimate anyone."
After their exchange, the two returned to their respective seats.
Just then, a pleasant voice called out to Riku.
"Well, if it isn't the Uchiha genius who insists on attending school via Shadow Clone, Riku."
Riku looked over at the speaker. It was Nara Shikamizu. Her large, pretty eyes were fixed on him, full of playful teasing.
"Well, well, I was wondering who it was. If it isn't the Sleeping God of the Nara, Shikamizu, who insists on getting eight hours of sleep in class every day."
Neither of them was willing to lose a war of words, so their conversation was sharp, like a needle against a blade.
"I was planning to use that secret to blackmail you for a big meal. Now Teacher Oshima has gone and exposed you. To make it up to me, you can treat me to a skewer of three-color dango."
Riku found this amusing.
"Alright. Come with me after school."
"Yay! You're so generous, boss!"
*RING-RING-RING!* A shrill school bell cut their conversation short.
The midterm exam officially began!
The exam was divided into two parts: a written test and a practical combat exercise. The written portion came first, covering the basic knowledge from the past two months. Teacher Oshima had written the test himself.
"This test of mine has both simple questions and more advanced ones. If you've studied diligently, scoring an 80 shouldn't be a problem, but getting a perfect 100 won't be so easy," Teacher Oshima said confidently.
But thanks to the "Basic Knowledge Mastery" he had obtained from Ebisu, the questions on the test were a piece of cake for Riku.
His pen flew across the paper like a dragon, and he completed the entire test with the grace of flowing water.
While Obito, sitting next to him, was still scratching his head in frustration, Riku calmly set down his pen and began to relax.
Suddenly, Obito nudged Riku with his elbow, requesting a private chat.
"Brother Riku, do you know this stuff? Gimme the answers."
"Didn't I tell you to study properly?"
"Ah, well, that reminds me of a story…"
*THWACK!* A piece of chalk flew through the air like a kunai and struck Obito squarely on the forehead.
"Uchiha Obito, what are you muttering about down there? Get back to writing," Teacher Oshima scolded.
Seeing Obito get shut down delighted Riku.
"I was talking to him, not you. Are you already done with all the questions?"
Riku walked to the front and gently placed his paper on the teacher's desk. "I'm going to go prepare for the second exam."
Teacher Oshima exclaimed, "It's all correct!"
He knew that if Riku had cheated, it wouldn't have escaped the eyes of a former Anbu member like himself. Therefore, Riku could only have answered it on his own.
"So using a Shadow Clone to attend school can actually improve learning efficiency!"
Only Obito was left weeping. "Once, there was a perfect test paper right in front of me, but I didn't cherish the opportunity… (ToT)/~~~"
Soon after, the time was up. Teacher Oshima collected the papers, ending the first part of the exam. After a short break, the second part officially began!
The rules were simple: students were to form three-person teams on their own, and the teams would then face off against each other. The assessment was not based on winning or losing, but on the performance demonstrated during the matches.
Naturally, Riku teamed up with Kakashi and Guy, aiming to speedrun the exam and get back to training.
But the three of them were so intimidating that no other team was willing to fight them.
Facing the same predicament was the new Ino-Shika-Cho team, led by Nara Shikamizu.
Unlike Riku's team, who were avoided for their overwhelming individual strength, Shikamizu's team was avoided because of their powerful teamwork and coordination.
Thus, the two leftover teams naturally became opponents, and their match drew the most attention.
The exams proceeded in full swing.
"Next match: Uchiha Riku, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy versus Nara Shikamizu, Yamanaka Inobun, and Akimichi Dai."
Both teams took the field and performed the Seal of Confrontation. Without much preamble, the battle was set to begin.
The Ino-Shika-Cho formation had been famous since the Warring States Period precisely for its powerful coordination. Riku knew he couldn't underestimate this fight.
Riku recalled the intel he had on the three of them.
Shikamizu, of course, had a C-rank evaluation in his Ninja System, a testament to her excellent skills. Besides, the terrifying thing about the Nara clan was never their strength, but their intellect.
Yamanaka Inobun was usually quiet, and his skills were unknown.
And Akimichi Dai was, unsurprisingly, a large boy. But unlike other Akimichi, Dai had a wild, spiky hairstyle and a rebellious look on his face. Riku had a gut feeling that Dai might be the strongest of the three.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio stood in a triangular formation. Shikamizu, at the head, smiled. "We've all learned our clan's secret jutsu, you know. You'd better be careful not to lose!"
Shikamizu turned her head to the two behind her. "Stall them for three minutes."
The moment she finished speaking, Inobun and Dai burst forward, rushing toward the trio.
They exchanged a grave look. It was because Riku's team, despite their seemingly relaxed and scattered stances, had no openings whatsoever!
Riku tilted his head slightly. "Guy, Kakashi, you're up."
"Don't order me around!"
Despite his words, Kakashi and Guy charged forward without hesitation.
Just then, Shikamizu, who had been still until now, made her move. She quickly threw several shuriken as a distraction. Riku had known she wouldn't just stand by and do nothing. After all, with such a large gap in strength, only strategy could change the course of the battle.
"Whatever you're planning, I just have to make sure you don't succeed."
As he spoke, he used a kunai to bat away Shikamizu's shuriken one by one.
But what he didn't notice was that Shikamizu had used that brief moment to set up a trap made of explosive tags in front of her.
"Argh!" A cry of pain came from Inobun and Dai, who were fighting at the front. Kakashi and Guy were simply too strong, having dealt with their opponents in short order.
A grim expression appeared on Shikamizu's face. She called out softly, "Do you understand now?"
"Understood!" Dai and Inobun replied in unison.
Riku understood. Inobun was using a secret jutsu of the Yamanaka clan to create a temporary communication network, allowing for truly encrypted conversation.
Inobun struggled back to the trap, then gathered his chakra and stood ready.
"Dai! I need you to block their vision!"
"Got it! Expansion Jutsu!"
Dai's body rapidly expanded, a dangerous power surging from within him.
"Human Bullet Tank!" Dai's body shot forward like a cannonball! It forced Kakashi's team to dodge and weave, but Dai's attacks couldn't harm them in the slightest!
"As long as it doesn't hit, this jutsu is meaningless," Guy said proudly.
"No, it's kicking up dust from the ground. We've lost our line of sight!"