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Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone. Over this half-month, both Hinata and Liu Chen had gradually grown accustomed to each other's presence. At first, Hinata didn't even dare to bathe. After all, no matter what... Liu Chen was a boy! However, as time went on, coupled with Liu Chen's persuasion and guidance, Hinata finally, with great reluctance, accepted bathing under a boy's gaze. In the beginning, she might still blush or even faint, but it got much better later. Although her small face still turned crimson, at least she didn't faint anymore. Could this be considered progress?
As morning arrived, Liu Chen, in Hinata's "consciousness sea," was surprised to find that Hinata, this little girl, had actually woken up earlier than him. Judging by the current sky, it should be around 6:00 AM. Doesn't this girl usually get up at 7:00 AM?
Hinata, who was busily brushing her teeth and washing her face, suddenly heard a voice in her mind: "Little girl, why are you up so early today?!" Liu Chen was already twenty-five years old, and Hinata was only nine. Calling her "little girl" was not an exaggeration. Hinata took a clean towel, wiped the water from her fair, delicate face, and subconsciously replied, "Today is the Ninja Academy's semi-annual final exam. I have to get there quickly, or I'll be late."
Hinata, at this point in the timeline, wasn't even a genin yet. She would become a genin at around twelve years old. But she was only nine this year, with three years left until graduation! And Liu Chen fell into contemplation... Ninja Academy final exam, huh?! I didn't expect such a thing to exist. But it seems pretty normal. All schools should have exams, right? It's impossible for a school not to. However, looking at Hinata's timid personality and her pitifully weak strength, Liu Chen's mouth twitched slightly. She didn't look like she could pass the exam. You know, half a month ago, Hinata couldn't even beat three half-grown little brats. And the Ninja Academy's final exam should be very strict, right?
Anyway, when Liu Chen was in the One Piece world, he joined the Marine elite training class at fifteen. Back then, they also had exams... The exam content was to defeat a Marine Headquarters Captain.
Just as he was lost in thought, Hinata had already set off. As the young lady of the Hyuga Clan, she surprisingly had no one escorting her. However, this also seemed normal, because this young lady of the Hyuga Clan, although very talented, was unfortunately not as strong as her younger sister Hanabi due to her personality... This was a truly heartbreaking fact. And in a place like the Naruto world, if your strength wasn't strong enough, even if you were the Hokage's daughter, hardly anyone would take you seriously.
Given Hinata's speed... plus the Ninja Academy wasn't far from the Hyuga Clan's compound, so she arrived in less than half an hour.
"Huff... huff... good, Iruka-sensei said we had to be there before 6:40. Looks like I wasn't late today. Thank goodness, I made it just in time." Hinata held her knees with her small hands, exhaling fragrant orchid-like breaths. A few drops of sweat beaded on her fair, smooth forehead.
Liu Chen, in Hinata's consciousness sea, was observing his surroundings with curiosity. For the past half-month, he had been familiarizing himself with his special "body," which was somewhat like a spiritualized body. But this body could also touch things, no different from a physical body. It was quite strange. So, even though Hinata often came to the Ninja Academy for school during these past two weeks, Liu Chen hadn't had time to observe the school. Now that he was familiar with this body, he finally had time to survey his surroundings. It was pretty much as he imagined. Most of them were little brats. Their ages ranged from seven to twelve. The Ninja Academy was equivalent to an elementary school on Earth! It was a six-year system. Hinata was currently in her third year. However, if she passed the final exam, she might be promoted to fourth year. She was only two or three years away from graduating!
Watching Hinata jog towards the classroom, Liu Chen was content to be idle. He had hardly rested a day during his time in the One Piece world. Every day was either training or killing pirates. Now, taking a break was quite nice. Although being lazy wasn't always comfortable, not trying was definitely very comfortable. Liu Chen instantly understood this principle.
Tap... The classroom door was pushed open by Hinata. Looking at the sparse number of students in the classroom, Hinata secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her small chest, "Indeed, I wasn't late. I hope I can pass the final exam." Her theoretical knowledge was excellent, but her psychological fortitude was lacking. So Hinata was very worried about failing. If she did, she would have to repeat the year.
As she found her seat and sat down, Liu Chen was observing the people around him. He saw many familiar faces, such as the dead last, Naruto Uzumaki, and the expressionless Sasuke Uchiha. The easiest to recognize was probably pink-haired Sakura... After all, pink hair color was not common.
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps approached. A young man wearing a Konoha forehead protector entered, carrying a stack of test papers. This person was none other than the Iruka from the original work! The scar on his face was exactly the same. Soon, a stack of test papers was distributed. After all, ninjas also had to take theoretical exams. And for theoretical exams... Hinata performed very well. In terms of theory, she could be called an academic ace. However, it wasn't just a theoretical exam. After the theoretical exam was over, Iruka, the teacher, said, "Next, we'll test your ninja psychological fortitude. Although you're only nine or ten years old, in times of war, ninjas of this age... can even participate in war!"
"And..." Just as Iruka was about to say something else, a shuriken suddenly pierced through the door, tearing through the air with a "whoosh" sound, and directly struck Iruka's neck. Scarlet blood splattered. Liu Chen, who had been observing his surroundings, was slightly startled, looking at Iruka, who had collapsed onto the ground. He muttered to himself, "Genjutsu?! Too bad it can't fool my Observation Haki."