The exam on the third day is much faster, as only two people from each class participate, and there are only eight classes in a grade at the Ninja Academy.
Just like the second day, those not taking exams can choose not to come.
However, quite a few students attended today to watch the exam, curious to see who would be the first in the fourth grade.
"Am I seeing things, isn't that Uchiha Obito? Why is he standing with the examinees?" someone asked in confusion.
"You didn't keep up with Class 2's news, did you?" the person next to them asked.
"Yeah, I was unlucky and faced the strongest from our class in the first round yesterday, lost and went home."
"That explains it. Uchiha Obito has become very strong now, even defeating Uchiha Tekka from their class."
The onlooking students were eagerly discussing the contestants from each class.
Sometimes debates arose over who was stronger.
At this time, even those who had previously mocked Obito and Might Guy tried to defend them, considering they were representing their class.
"This time, the first in the grade is likely to be Shisui," Mokgetsu remarked after watching the first round, feeling that both Obito and Might Guy were unlikely to win.
That Hyuga Kamon's Gentle Fist is well-cultivated, and with the advantage of Byakugan, Might Guy would have a hard time winning, let alone Obito.
Mokgetsu could only say that ninjas of the Hyuga Clan have an early advantage; the Byakugan is not as hard to awaken as the Sharingan, and their inherited Gentle Fist is an excellent Taijutsu.
The two of them had followed him for too short a time in cultivation; their strengths weren't strong enough, and they had many weaknesses.
As time passed, it came to the last two rounds of battles: Obito versus Hyuga Kamon, and Might Guy against a ninja from Class 3, Year 4.
As Mokgetsu expected, against Hyuga Kamon, Obito couldn't even use a single Ninjutsu and was rendered completely disoriented by the Gentle Fist.
In the final match, Might Guy performed much better than Obito, but his moves were entirely seen through by Hyuga Kamon's Byakugan, leading to an inevitable defeat.
Defeated in the match, Obito was somewhat dejected. He had hoped to compete for first place, only to not even make it to the top two.
Mokgetsu happened to walk by and consoled him: "Don't always dwell on your failures; think about how much you've improved since last time and work hard for the next opportunity."
Hearing this, Obito instantly felt much better, recalling that he was ranked twentieth in his class during last year's third-grade finals, and this time he nearly made it to the top two in the grade.
By that math, his progress was significant, and first place was within reach!
Then Mokgetsu walked over to Might Guy, unexpectedly finding him a bit dejected as well.
Mokgetsu originally thought that with Guy's determination, a win or loss wouldn't matter much. After thinking carefully, he found the reason.
It might be because he gave Might Guy the Taijutsu Cultivation Manual yesterday, which made Guy feel burdened with Mokgetsu's expectations.
"Failure is part of life, this is life. Don't let a single failure bring you down," Mokgetsu comforted.
Might Guy's body trembled; if it was about failure, he had plenty of experience to speak of.
His initial entrance exam almost barred him from becoming a ninja, then a challenge to Kakashi resulted in a one-move defeat, and he was last in all subjects, earning the nickname "dunce"...
Though only eight years old, Might Guy experienced too many failures.
He seemed to understand better his father Might Duy's words that youth never fades.
"I understand, Teacher Mokgetsu." Might Guy's eyes became even more determined.
He needed to do more than reflect dejectedly on his gains and losses; he must train hard to win the next battle until he becomes the strongest.
Mokgetsu nodded with satisfaction and then went over to Shisui.
When Mokgetsu found Shisui, he was surrounded by students asking questions.
Seeing Mokgetsu arrive, the students all greeted him.
"Teacher Habu, I got second in the grade. Is there a reward?" Anko smiled cheekily as she walked up to Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu smiled, patted Anko's head, and pondered, "How about I treat you to dango?"
"Great, Teacher Habu is the best," Anko immediately became Mokgetsu's number one fan upon hearing she'd get dango.
"Shisui hasn't even asked for a reward for being first, Anko, you're way too eager," Hagane Kotetsu couldn't help but tease.
He didn't truly think Anko was eager, but he was simply feeling a bit envious of her success.
Worried a friend might not do well, yet also worried they might do too well, that was the situation with Anko now.
Mokgetsu laughed and sent away the crowd of students before taking Shisui to the shopping street.
"How are you feeling?" Mokgetsu asked.
Shisui thought for a moment and said honestly:
"It felt ordinary, I didn't even meet anyone I needed to go all out against."
"That's normal. With your strength, there's hardly anyone in the fourth grade who could challenge you, let alone the first grade." Mokgetsu praised without holding back.
"Do you think I should graduate early, Teacher Mokgetsu?" Shisui asked, looking into Mokgetsu's very uniquely blue eyes.
"Graduate early?"
"I heard that some prodigy seniors in the past found the courses at Ninja School unfulfilling and graduated quickly," Shisui replied.
Mokgetsu shook his head, "I wouldn't recommend graduating in your first year, at least wait until your second or third year."
"Though your skills may be outstanding among your peers, once you leave school, your opponents won't just be your age group, especially with a major war likely to break out at any moment."
"If you find the Ninja Academy courses unhelpful, you can use a Shadow Clone to attend school on your behalf, while the real you trains according to my guidance," Mokgetsu suggested.
Although in the original story Shisui safely survived the Third Ninja World War and earned the name Shisui of the Body Flicker, the original didn't include Habu Mokgetsu, and butterfly effects are unpredictable.
Mokgetsu still hoped that Shisui would stay and develop at the Ninja School for a few years; without the ability to defeat a Chunin instantly, graduating wouldn't mean much.
If it were him, without the strength of a Jonin, he wouldn't even feel safe walking down the streets of Konoha.
Hearing Mokgetsu's advice, Shisui's eyes lit up, agreeing that his suggestion was quite good.
Soon after, Mokgetsu bought a bunch of dango with Shisui and returned to school, ensuring every student in Class 1, Year 1 received a portion before the afternoon class.
Mokgetsu wouldn't just let Anko have dango alone, but keeping his word, he gave Anko an extra portion.
"Teacher Habu is number one!" Anko was very pleased, joking that if he kept supplying dango, Konoha might have a Habu cult in the future.
The other students also expressed gratitude, boosting their already positive feelings further.
The Ninja Academy was efficient, consolidating and publishing all results just two days after the exam, confirming Mokgetsu's predictions.