The first-grade survival exercise is even more tedious than the taijutsu duel. After all, the only technique first graders can learn at this stage is the invisibility technique. It is precisely for this reason that when Yagyu showcased his body flicker technique, he amazed everyone present. If he had also used the shadow clone technique, Iruka might have felt, like Uchiha Itachi's teacher, that there was nothing left for him to teach at the ninja school.

The assessment for the survival exercise is quite simple: everyone receives the same item and must use it to disguise themselves within a designated area of the exercise ground. If someone is found by Iruka within the allotted time, they will receive either low or high scores. If they are not found after the time limit, they will receive full marks. However, in Yagyu's eyes, whether anyone can achieve full marks ultimately depends on Iruka's mood. It is impossible to hide from Iruka, a Chunin, using the invisibility technique.

Thus, this assessment aims to filter out the best from all the invisibility techniques. Naturally, Yagyu is among the best. He received full marks in shuriken throwing, taijutsu duels, and the survival exercise. When the cultural course results come out, the first-grade teachers will select one outstanding student from each class based on their grades, small tests, and pop quizzes to be the top student representing the entire grade. In Yagyu's previous life, this was known as being first in the grade.

Without waiting for the results to be announced, Yagyu already knew that the top student would undoubtedly be him. If he hadn’t faced Uchiha Sasuke in the taijutsu duel, perhaps Sasuke would still have had a chance to compete for the title. After all, both Yagyu and Sasuke received full marks in the year's small tests and pop quizzes. However, Sasuke's defeat in the taijutsu duel has already determined that he cannot achieve full marks in this major exam. This means that his overall score will not be as high as Yagyu’s.

Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, no one else is even qualified to compete with Yagyu. The announcement of Yagyu's title as the top student is just around the corner. After finishing the survival exercise assessment, Yagyu, along with Ino and Sakura, left the ninja school together. Watching their backs, Hinata, who had always been paying attention to Yagyu but lacked the courage to greet him, felt very envious of Ino and Sakura.

Everyone else has their own circles, while Hinata has no friends at all. It wasn’t until after graduation that she found companions in Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. If it weren’t for having a younger sister, Hinata might have been all alone before turning twelve. After all, the death of Hyuga Hizashi and Hinata being overshadowed by Hyuga Neji had already disappointed Hyuga Hiashi with this timid daughter. Luckily, Hinata's status as a noble heiress exists, and this is a world of extraordinary abilities, not a mundane world without superpowers. Otherwise, Hinata might have suffered bullying from her classmates like some female protagonists in Japanese manga.

Even so, in the original story, Hinata did not escape bullying from students in other grades and was bullied twice. As if sensing Hinata's gaze, Yagyu suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Meeting Yagyu's gaze, Hinata quickly lowered her head in surprise and started twisting her fingers subconsciously. Seeing this, Yagyu couldn't help but smile slightly.

“Yagyu, what’s wrong?” Ino asked curiously upon seeing Yagyu stop, following his gaze but not spotting Hinata, who had blended into the crowd. Yagyu shook his head with a smile and said, “It’s nothing; I thought I heard someone call me, but I must have misheard. Let’s go!”

After leaving the ninja school, just before parting with Ino and Sakura, Yagyu suddenly asked, “Tomorrow is the holiday; do you want to practice with me?”

“Sure, sure…” Ino immediately raised her hand and said, “I’ve been practicing really hard lately; I’ll show you my results then.”

“Yeah.” Sakura nodded vigorously as well. After seeing that they both agreed, Yagyu continued, “Tomorrow I’ll introduce a new friend to you, but I need your help, Ino.”

“A friend? What help do you need from me?” Ino asked curiously. Yagyu beckoned her with his finger, and Ino immediately leaned in to listen. After Yagyu whispered in her ear, Ino looked at him in surprise but patted her chest and said, “No problem, leave it to me.”

Watching the two of them with curiosity, Sakura didn’t ask further.

———

“Yagyu, we’ve come to find you!”

“The sun’s already high in the sky; Yagyu, have you gotten up yet?”

The next day, at eight in the morning. While Yagyu was at home looking at the ninja technique scrolls, he heard Sakura and Ino’s voices. Putting away the scroll, Yagyu got up and walked out of the house.

“Let’s go, we’re going to find our new friend.”

Yagyu didn’t take the two girls to the training ground; instead, he brought them to the outside of a large mansion. If you looked closely, you would see a big plaque at the entrance of the mansion with the characters “Hyuga” written on it. Yes, this is indeed the land of the Hyuga clan.

Yagyu smiled at Ino and said, “It’s up to you now, Ino.”

“Watch me perform.”

Ino patted her chest and then jogged to the entrance of the Hyuga clan's land, fearlessly communicating with the two guards. One of the guards scrutinized Ino for a moment before suddenly walking into the mansion. Not long after, he came out again, inviting Ino inside.

Seeing this, Sakura couldn’t help but ask, “Yagyu, how did you meet Hinata?”

When Ino came to find Yagyu, Sakura had already learned from Ino who the new friend Yagyu wanted to introduce was. As for this classmate Hinata, both Ino and Sakura had an impression of her, but it wasn’t very deep. They only knew that this noble heiress was very ‘aloof,’ never communicating with others, not joining any groups, and having no friends at all.

They never expected that Yagyu was actually friends with this noble heiress. It’s important to note that Yagyu hadn’t spoken a word to Hinata while at school. Yagyu didn’t hide it and smiled, “I’ve helped her twice; her experience is similar to yours, Sakura. You two will definitely hit it off.”

Upon hearing this, Sakura widened her eyes and said, “Just like me? Does that mean she also…?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Yagyu nod, Sakura suddenly understood, “No wonder she’s so quiet at school. I thought she just didn’t like to communicate with others; it turns out…” Her voice suddenly trailed off, and Sakura found it hard to believe. Clearly, she never thought that a noble heiress could also be bullied. Those who bullied Hinata must be incredibly audacious!

However, after Yagyu's explanation, Sakura began to feel a bit of fondness for Hinata; it was a resonance of shared experiences. At this moment, Ino also came out from the Hyuga clan mansion. Walking beside her was a girl of similar height—Hinata.