When Kotetsu thought of Anko's boast in front of Mokgetsu, and the outcome awaiting Anko in the classroom, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Seeing Kotetsu's strange expression, Anko glanced at Izumo and felt something was off, so she asked, "What are your scores?"
"Ninety-eight," answered Izumo.
"Ninety-seven," replied Kotetsu.
"I thought it was supposed to be easy. Why are your scores lower than last time?" Anko began rolling up her sleeves, ready for action.
Clearly, all the talk of simplicity and improvement was just the two of them ganging up to dupe her.
"This exam covers this semester's material, so it doesn't necessarily relate to last semester's grades," Izumo tried to explain but found that Kotetsu had already slipped away.
"Izumo, you can do it! Show some spirit! You're just dealing with someone who always fails the first round of practical exams," Kotetsu shouted from a distance to cheer on Izumo.
"Kotetsu is so disloyal. How about we team up and teach him a lesson?" Izumo asked with a serious expression.
Anko chose to restrain Izumo by the neck and gave him a few flicks on the forehead before running towards Kotetsu.
After exacting revenge on the two troublemakers, Anko walked into the classroom, trying to act like nothing happened.
But when she saw the test paper on the desk, she knew it was all in vain.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm ready," Anko said, laying down with a resigned look.
Smack!
Mokgetsu gave her a light knock on the head, just as Anko expected.
"Didn't review again, did you?" Mokgetsu said.
"Hehe, I did review, just didn't have much time," Anko giggled, feeling better as Mokgetsu only tapped her once.
She only got one hit from Mokgetsu, while both Izumo and Kotetsu got hit three times, so she felt she came out on top.
Izumo and Kotetsu silently noted that Mokgetsu's punishment was too light; he should have given them ten taps.
The morning was Ninjutsu class, so Mokgetsu didn't discuss the test paper.
Originally, the papers were supposed to be handed back during the afternoon theory class, but since it was his own class, Mokgetsu brought them in advance.
[Disciple Uchiha Shisui worked hard in the academic assessment, achieving perfect marks and receiving rewards: Chakra +300, Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll]
[Disciple Uchiha Obito worked hard in the academic assessment, achieving excellent marks and receiving a reward: Chakra +250]
[Disciple Might Guy worked hard in the academic assessment, achieving good marks and receiving a reward: Chakra +200]
The exam rewards were settled: seven hundred fifty Chakra points and a Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll in hand.
Mokgetsu glanced at the latest panel.
[Name: Habu Mokgetsu]
[Chakra: 20030]
His Chakra had successfully broken through twenty thousand, reaching eight kilocalories.
After finishing the morning's classes, his 20030 became 20050. Although the change wasn't significant, this instant positive feedback provided motivation to keep striving.
In the afternoon, Mokgetsu chose to call out names and announce scores for students to collect their papers.
Normally, he wouldn't do this because it makes some people uncomfortable with even a short walk.
But this time was different. Aside from his own Class 1-A, the other classes had never been taught by him before, and they saw a general increase in scores.
"I actually got seventy this time. My mom will definitely praise me when I get home. I improved by over thirty points in one go."
"Your improvement is indeed significant; I, however, only improved by over ten points."
"How many points did you get?"
"Eighty-five."
"Konoha profanity!"
The classroom was filled with a joyful atmosphere, with everyone discussing how much they had improved.
Only the students of Class 1-A were calm; among them, some improved and some didn't, but overall their average score only increased by two points, not much change.
It wasn't that they hadn't studied seriously but rather their average score was already high, and the eighty points rarely seen in other classes were commonplace in theirs.
"I really envy that your class teacher is Teacher Mokgetsu; he's so skilled and strong in teaching," someone said during the break, talking to a friend from Class 1-A about their practical scores.
Before attending Mokgetsu's class, even those who had heard of his reputation didn't expect his teaching to be this strong. With a change of teacher, the whole class's collective scores skyrocketed.
And this time, anyone who looked at Class 1-A's practical scores would find them outrageous. Just picking anyone would give a total score over thirty, knowing that the practical exam's total is forty.
Their Ninjutsu scores were uniformly tens, making people think Class 1-A was under a different grading standard.
"Teacher Mokgetsu is indeed strong, but it also depends on the students. Some people regress even after being taught by Teacher Mokgetsu," Kotetsu whispered.
"Oh, who might that be?"
"Obviously it's Anko..."
Kotetsu realized something was off as he spoke, noticing that Izumo was no longer beside him, and it was Anko who was sitting there, while Izumo, five seats away, was smiling at him.
"Kotetsu, that's what you get for running off earlier," Izumo chuckled.
If Kotetsu was disloyal, he couldn't blame Izumo for being ruthless.
"I was going to say that Anko's soup is delicious," Kotetsu tried to explain.
"Do you think I'd believe that?" Anko replied, with a look that said, "Do I look stupid to you?"
Kotetsu thought to himself that if it weren't possible, he wouldn't have said it. However, considering it might add fuel to the fire, he didn't say it out loud.
"Class is starting."
In the end, the class bell and Mokgetsu's voice temporarily saved Kotetsu. Anko wouldn't dare to cause trouble during Mokgetsu's class.
"Actually, Izumo hinted at me with his eyes this morning..." To avoid being left alone after school, Kotetsu immediately ratted out his close friend.
Anko nodded, decided to focus on the lesson, and planned to settle scores after school.
"Under Konoha's call, the shadows of the other four great nations gathered together. This was the first time since the Ninja Village era that five shadows gathered together, and it hasn't happened again since.
The Five Kage Summit resulted in Konoha distributing the Tailed Beasts evenly. The Five Kage signed a peace treaty, marking a tentative period of comprehensive peace in the Ninja World..."
By the time Mokgetsu finished explaining the Five Kage Summit's details, its significance, and its impact on subsequent generations, the dismissal bell rang.
[Completed large class teaching]
[Rating: B]
[Reward: Chakra +40]
Under Mokgetsu's watchful gaze, the panel's Chakra changed to 20090.
Mokgetsu announced the end of school, then went home to cook before heading to the Southern Border Forest to teach students.
"Next, you will learn to make your regular breathing technique more concentrated and explosive," Mokgetsu told Shisui and Obito.
"This is ordinary breathing." Mokgetsu performed Fire Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation on his palm, instantly causing a basketball-sized flame to erupt.
Then, Mokgetsu released the Chakra, readjusted his breathing, and gathered Chakra again, resulting in a fireball twice the size of the previous one on his palm.
"And this is Full Concentration Breath," Mokgetsu said.
"While your current breathing can also be considered Full Concentration Breath, to reach this step, you must focus even more during your concentrated breath," Mokgetsu explained.
"Completing this step in cultivation means you've truly learned the Breath of Flame, which not only greatly enhances Ninjutsu but quickly boosts physical abilities in a short time."
Finally, Mokgetsu reminded them, "You need to be mindful of physical and Chakra consumption. Don't use Full Concentration Breath lightly; save it for critical moments."
The powerful boost also represents significant consumption, and concentrated breathing puts a lot of stress on the body.
The two nodded.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, what happened to your hand?" Shisui asked, pointing to the bandages on Mokgetsu's fingers.
He had noticed during Mokgetsu's demonstration but didn't interrupt.
"I've been practicing some things recently, no big deal. Don't worry about it," Mokgetsu replied with a gentle smile.