Chapter 169 The Meaning of "Jade"
"So, do I really have no choice but to take this exam?" Haruko slumped onto the table in anguish. "Actually, being an ordinary person for the rest of my life is pretty good too."
Nohara Rin gently patted her fluffy head and comforted her, "We're going to be ninjas, and the graduation exam is a must."
Haruko chose to side with her underachieving ally, "Obito, you don't want to take the exam either, do you?"
"I want to," Obito Uchiha said nervously, his hands sweating, before he too wore the same pained expression. "But I'm afraid I won't pass the exam!"
Kakashi Hatake raised an eyebrow and replied lazily, "I thought you were fearless."
Absolutely not wanting to be mocked by him, Obito slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and pointed angrily at him, "I will definitely become a ninja before you!"
"Okay, I hope you don't get eliminated." Kakashi Hatake put his hands behind his head, adopting an indifferent attitude.
"What did you say?!" Obito Uchiha instantly bristled, but was quickly pulled back by Rin Nohara beside him.
Rin Nohara felt deeply gratified when she noticed that Kakashi Hatake was teasing Obito Uchiha to ease his tension.
Kakashi has become much more lively too...
However, Kakashi Hatake was indeed exceptionally talented. He passed the exam on his own several months before it was even scheduled. Haruko suspected that if it weren't for his friends holding him back, he probably would have graduated and left long ago.
After hearing that Kakashi Hatake passed the graduation exam, Obito Uchiha was unconvinced and insisted on taking it himself, but failed due to excessive nervousness.
Sitting dejectedly on the bench, Obito Uchiha couldn't help but waver in his belief that he was truly no match for Kakashi Hatake.
"Obito." Haruko finally found him and quickly ran to his side.
Obito Uchiha forced a smile at her. "What brings you here?"
“Because Obito looked like he was running away in a panic, I became curious.” Haruko sat down next to him. “I’m curious about which examiner Obito offended.”
"...I didn't offend the examiner! I just failed the exam!" Obito Uchiha shouted, disregarding everything else.
"I see. But Obito can take the exam with me next time."
Obito Uchiha was taken aback and turned his head to look at her, only to see the gentleness and tenderness in her eyes.
"If I had taken the exam with Obito, I might have been lucky enough to pass quickly!"
"What luck? I clearly failed. Staying with you will only bring you bad luck..." Obito Uchiha lowered his head, unwillingly admitting his defeat.
Haruko took his hand and leaned in to look into his eyes. "But Obito is a symbol of good fortune to me!"
"Am I... a symbol of good fortune?" Obito Uchiha repeated, puzzled.
“That’s right!” Haruko smiled. “As long as Obito is by my side, my mood is always sunny!”
As long as Obito is by her side, she is "lucky" enough to have a walking wallet, which makes her happy.
Obito Uchiha pursed his lips shyly and stammered in response, "Then I'll reluctantly stay with you from now on..."
Encouraged by Haruko, Obito Uchiha took the exam again, along with Rin Nohara and Haruko, who had been persuaded to participate. They were relatively lucky and both passed the exam.
Seeing their good friends graduate early, Sarutobi Asuma and the others also rushed to take the exam.
Unexpectedly, they all graduated early and successfully obtained the Konoha headbands that symbolize ninjas, officially graduating from the Ninja Academy.
To celebrate, a group of children went to a dumpling shop for a meal.
"We can only celebrate at a dango shop, how pathetic!" Obito Uchiha sighed regretfully.
Sarutobi Asuma handed him a cup of hot tea. "Stop howling. With our spending power, what kind of delicacies do you want to eat?"
Obito Uchiha thought about it seriously for a moment, then asked, "Like barbecue or something?"
Haruko's eyes lit up. "Obito is so rich! I want to eat too!"
"No, that's just my wishful thinking." Obito suddenly remembered something and narrowed his eyes at her. "By the way, you're the one who eats up all my allowance, aren't you?"
Haruko refused to take the blame and immediately changed the subject, "What's Thick Eyebrows doing? He's wolfing down his food like he's been abused by his father."
Hearing her words, Nohara Rin looked at Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy sitting together. Hatake Kakashi slowly chewed a string of dumplings, and then Might Guy quickly followed suit, putting two strings of dumplings into his mouth while chewing, giving Hatake Kakashi a smug look.
Might Guy: Kakashi, my nemesis! Let's settle this with dango!
Kakashi Hatake: ...
Nohara Rin chuckled softly, "They have such a good relationship!"
Kurenai was taken aback. No wonder she was able to become friends with Haruko. Her thought process was surprisingly similar to Haruko's. Kurenai couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of awe for Rin Nohara.
Seeing that everyone was focused on eating their meal, Haruko took the opportunity to bring up the topic, "What are everyone's dreams for the future?"
Obito Uchiha was the first to raise his hand. Under their habitually indifferent gazes, he adjusted his goggles and proudly announced, "I will become Hokage!"
Hearing only Nohara Rin's kind applause, Uchiha Obito looked around at them with annoyance, "Why aren't any of you cheering?"
Haruko sighed helplessly, "Your dream has been deeply etched in our hearts for a long time. Obito has said it too many times!"
Obito Uchiha was choked by her words. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, coughed lightly, and then slunk down.
Sarutobi Asuma shook the slip of paper in his hand, feeling a tightness in his chest, and muttered, "What's so good about Naruto?"
Kurenai knew he was thinking about the days when he was labeled "the son of the Hokage," so she gently patted his back.
Despite knowing about Sarutobi Asuma's inner conflict, Obito Uchiha was still a little unhappy that his dreams were being looked down upon. "And what about you? What is your dream?"
“My dream…” Sarutobi Asuma stared blankly at the fortune slip in his hand.
Despite being the Hokage's son, he has a harder time seeing the Hokage than others, and the answer he gets each time is either that he's busy or that he should focus on his training.
He desperately wanted his father's approval and recognition, thinking that as long as he was good enough, he would definitely get his attention, but in the end he received a lecture from his father who did not understand the meaning of "jade" at all.
He worked so hard and gave it his all; he clearly understood that his father looked down on him and deliberately didn't approve of him!
Sarutobi Asuma clenched the skewer in his hand, suppressing his anger as he shouted, "I'm going to walk my own path, do what I want to do, and show him just how powerful I can be without him!"
“Asuma…” Kurenai Yuhi felt a pang of sadness as she looked at him like this.
Startled by his imposing aura, Obito Uchiha awkwardly picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, secretly regretting his loose tongue.
Haruko sighed, "It's so nice that Asuma became an adult before us."
"Does this mean I've become an adult?" Although he was envious, Sarutobi Asuma was a little confused.
“Yes, having a goal that you’re willing to dedicate your life to achieving is such a powerful and mature thing!” Haruko said, leaning on her hand and smiling at him.
"Hmm..." Sarutobi Asuma scratched his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Is he really that amazing?
******
Thank you so much, K, for the inspiration capsule! Your bonus chapter has arrived! (′`)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
