The battle between Sasuke and Naruto reached a stalemate.
Naruto's attempts to use the Rasengan with the help of his Shadow Clones were always detected by Sasuke in advance, preventing them from having the desired effect.
Yet Naruto's personality dictated that he would not give up, trying again and again.
As time went on, Sasuke calmed down from his initial excitement at having victory in his grasp. He realized that if the stalemate continued, he would lose, because his chakra reserves were far less than Naruto's.
Maintaining two Shadow Clones while occasionally using Fire Release consumed a significant amount of chakra. Fortunately, Konoha Style Swordsmanship didn't require much chakra; otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
Sasuke grew even more grateful to Kitazawa and Maruboshi Kosuke.
Kosuke had taught him Konoha Style Swordsmanship, but without Kitazawa's persuasion, he would probably still be practicing Lightning Release nature transformation instead of learning Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Sasuke knew he needed to find an opportunity to end the battle. He recalled Neji's previous fight, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke spat out a giant fireball aimed at the dense cluster of Naruto's Shadow Clones.
Naruto's clones were charging forward when the fireball suddenly appeared, preventing them from dodging in time. Amidst screams, they all turned into smoke and vanished.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Seeing this, Naruto summoned fifty more Shadow Clones.
"Now!" Sasuke immediately locked onto Naruto's real body.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He formed hand signs and spat out another giant fireball. The moment the fireball flew out, the three Sasukes rotated clockwise.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
The second Sasuke used Fire Release again without hesitation.
Heatwaves rolled, and the scorching temperature rose. Three roaring fire dragons followed closely behind, catching up to the giant fireball.
In an instant, a sea of fire formed in front of Naruto. Some of his clones instinctively dodged, while others fearlessly charged forward, but Naruto's taijutsu was completely countered by Fire Release. Many Shadow Clones disappeared.
Body Flicker Technique!
The three Sasukes rotated clockwise again. The third Sasuke, the main body, had already been prepared and immediately rushed out.
Naruto didn't notice him—his vision was blocked by the large fireball. Moreover, one of the three fire dragons was being controlled by Sasuke and charged directly at him.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Naruto kicked upwards. Wrapped in chakra, his right leg wasn't burned. At the same time, with the powerful kick of Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind, the fire dragon's head scattered, but its body still crashed into Naruto with undiminished momentum.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto already knew that Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind couldn't defeat the entire fire dragon with one kick. He raised his right hand, and the Rasengan smashed into it.
With a bang, the remaining fire dragon immediately shattered under the Rasengan's attack, spinning and flying in all directions.
But just as the fire dragon disappeared, a flash of steel appeared before Naruto's eyes—the tip of a ninja blade. Its owner was none other than Sasuke.
"What?" Naruto's pupils contracted.
How had Sasuke appeared so suddenly? He had no time to think; danger had already arrived.
Having just used the Rasengan, he was in a vulnerable state. With the very short time Sasuke had given him, he could only raise his arms to block in desperation.
The ninja blade stopped.
"You lost, Naruto." Sasuke's blade rested against Naruto's arms. If he hadn't retracted it just now, it would have severed them.
"I did lose… You were really amazing today." Naruto was stunned for a moment, then lowered his arms.
"I was amazing before, too." Sasuke snorted lightly, putting away his blade.
"What a battle with no regrets, full of youth!" Naruto's teeth flashed as he became excited again. "When I get stronger, let's have another youthful showdown!"
"If you get stronger, I'll get stronger too." Sasuke said with great confidence, "I'll definitely still win then."
"Winner, Sasuke," Kitazawa announced promptly.
"Naruto's loss this time is not unjust."
Hiruzen Sarutobi commented. Sasuke's final maneuver was brilliant—first using Fire Release to clear the way, then directly winning with the Body Flicker Technique and Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Moreover, Sasuke and his two Shadow Clones cooperated very well. In contrast, Naruto's fighting style was still the same as before, lacking adaptability.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Naruto, who was still full of fighting spirit, and couldn't help but smile. Losing two matches is also good. Always winning doesn't reveal weaknesses.
Only by losing can one find problems and improve oneself. Especially since Naruto is only seven years old, always winning is not conducive to his growth.
"Sasuke-kun won!" Sakura jumped up and down excitedly.
"He's a monster…" Kiba stared blankly for two seconds before commenting.
He had thought that Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu plus Rasengan was already monstrous enough, but he hadn't expected the current Sasuke to be even better.
"Sasuke has indeed changed a lot." Shikamaru exclaimed, "This time, his victory can be described as complete suppression from start to finish."
"He owes his win to Neji." Tenten crossed her arms. "He's completely imitating Neji's fighting style."
"Indeed." Shino Aburame echoed.
They were all top-tier geniuses and naturally saw the similarities between Sasuke and Neji in these two sparring matches. But even so, being able to imitate is also a formidable skill.
Among the students in the Genius Class, only Sasuke and Hinata could successfully imitate Neji. The other students simply couldn't.
"He did better than me," Neji said slowly.
After he had defeated Naruto earlier, he felt that even if he faced Sasuke again, he would have a good chance of winning. But after watching this sparring match, he lost his confidence once more.
Neji's greatest advantage was his Gentle Fist. Now that Sasuke had learned Konoha Style Swordsmanship, he wasn't as afraid of Gentle Fist as before.
If Sasuke's Konoha Style Swordsmanship became skilled enough, he could completely use the longer reach of the ninja blade to prevent Neji from getting close.
Of course, this was only a theory. Sasuke's Konoha Style Swordsmanship was still rough and couldn't fully counter Gentle Fist. If they truly fought, the two of them would still be evenly matched.
"He has a Sharingan, and you gave him a demonstration, so naturally, he can do better," Tenten comforted him. "I believe if you fight Naruto again, you'll definitely improve further."
Hyuga Neji nodded slightly. That statement was indeed correct. As a fellow genius, he was confident he would keep doing better.
"Naruto!" Rock Lee looked at Naruto, walking over, and gave him a thumbs-up. "The bitterness of failure is also part of youth!"
"I understand!" Naruto said with a wide smile. "Catching up with fervor is the essence of passionate youth!"
"Naruto!" Rock Lee clenched his fists, his body trembling.
"Lee!" Naruto rushed over.
The two embraced, tears streaming down their faces.
"…" Sasuke silently walked around them.
"They're really… energetic," Shikamaru muttered, his mouth twitching.
Hyuga Neji, Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, and the others all instinctively looked away. Only Akimichi Choji remained unaffected, continuing to eat his potato chips.
Kitazawa glanced at Naruto. He planned to talk to him after the practical exam, hoping it might trigger a system mission.
"Third round, third practical match." Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and called out, "Inuzuka Hana versus Ino Yamanaka."
Compared to the intensity of Naruto versus Sasuke, this practical match seemed rather unremarkable.
Ino won by using Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos to put Inuzuka Hana and her three ninja hounds under genjutsu.
When Kitazawa created Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos and Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty, he had considered multi-target situations.
So he incorporated group genjutsu rather than single-target genjutsu. Now it seemed this choice was absolutely correct.
"Third round, fourth practical match, Yakumo Kurama versus Hyuga Hinata." Kitazawa couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Clearly, Hinata had rather bad luck.
The two walked into the arena. The result was as Kitazawa expected: Yakumo Kurama won.
Like Neji, Hinata used Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm at the start.
But Yakumo already had experience; seeing her raise her hand, she dodged in advance and released Terrifying Illusion.
"Winner, Yakumo Kurama."
After Kitazawa announced it, he looked at Hinata and noticed she seemed a little wronged. He walked over and patted her head.
"It's normal to have wins and losses," Kitazawa comforted her. "You just need to win next time."
"Teacher Kitazawa, I… I saw… you in the illusion." Hinata bit her lip and spoke.
Kitazawa was startled. No wonder. Before, Hinata had accepted her losses gracefully, but this time she was a little upset.
However, Yakumo's actions were not wrong either.
As a genjutsu ninja, one must find the target's weakness to achieve victory more easily — just like how Yakumo had used Naruto to deal with Sasuke in her previous illusion.
"I'll treat you to lunch." Kitazawa used the simplest method to comfort Hinata.
"Mm!" Hinata's eyes lit up, and her mood instantly improved.
"Third round, fifth match of practical combat…" After Kitazawa had Hinata leave the arena, he continued drawing lots.
Time slowly passed.
The third round of the practical combat exam came to an end. Overall, it didn't exceed Kitazawa's expectations.
The only thing he hadn't anticipated was Naruto losing two matches. But on second thought, it was quite reasonable.
As their strength increased, anything could happen. It was a good thing, allowing them to accumulate more combat experience.
Losing in the Ninja Academy was no big deal, but losing outside the Ninja Academy could cost them their lives.
"Everyone, take a short break. We will announce the rankings for this monthly exam shortly." After Kitazawa finished speaking, he left the arena to find Iruka Umino for statistics and ranking.
He and Iruka had both scored each student. To ensure fairness, their scores would be averaged.
Hiruzen did not leave immediately. Firstly, he wanted to see the specific rankings. Secondly, he planned to discuss the results of this monthly exam with Kitazawa.
"I'll announce the rankings for the theoretical exam first." Ten minutes later, Kitazawa walked to the Genius Class with the roster. "First place, Shikamaru. Second place…"
The rankings for this theoretical exam had changed significantly. When Kitazawa finished speaking, the Genius Class erupted in a commotion.
"How did I become fourth?" Sasuke's face stiffened. The joy of defeating Naruto had significantly diminished.
Although his practical combat exam performance was excellent, his theoretical exam was only fourth, so overall, first place was not secure.
If he couldn't get first place, what was the point of defeating Naruto?
"It's over!" Kiba clutched his head, wearing a pained expression. "I'm actually nineteenth?"
He was almost out of the top twenty. It should be known that the Genius Class only had thirty students, and the bottom ten had to accept challenges from other classes.
The only thing he was grateful for was that his practical combat exam wasn't bad, so he shouldn't be kicked out of the Genius Class.
"The Genius Class is indeed formidable." Tenten sighed. "I used to be second in Second Year Class A, but now in the Genius Class, I've suddenly become tenth."
Neji nodded slightly. When he had been in Second Year Class A, he was always one rank higher than Tenten, in first place.
Since enrolling, he had held first place in both theoretical exams and practical combat. But after entering the Genius Class, he had not only lost first place but also wasn't second, becoming third instead.
It was the same for the practical combat exam; he couldn't get first place either.
"To contend with geniuses, this is youth!" Rock Lee clenched his fists and spoke with conviction.
Tenten's mouth twitched. You, who are in last place… where is your "contention"?
Kitazawa's words made everyone stop their discussions and look at him.
Practical combat exams were different from theoretical exams. They had all witnessed every match, and the wins and losses were clear.
They already had an idea of the approximate rankings in their minds. But guesses were still guesses, and the specific rankings still made them eager.
"First place, Yakumo Kurama," Kitazawa announced after glancing at the roster.
Under normal circumstances, Naruto should have been first. After all, only he could defeat Yakumo with his immunity to genjutsu and his terrifying chakra.
But Naruto had lost to Sasuke and Neji in this monthly exam, so giving him first place again would not be appropriate.
Everyone had no objections to Yakumo being first place — except for Sasuke. His concern was whether he himself might get the overall first place.
"Second place, Sasuke," Kitazawa continued.
"That's great! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura immediately exclaimed excitedly.
But when she turned around, she saw Sasuke's brows tightly furrowed. He was calculating who had the greater probability of getting overall first place.
Yakumo was first in the practical combat exam and sixth in the theoretical exam. He himself was second in the practical combat exam and fourth in the theoretical exam.
Now it all depended on Neji's ranking.
"Third place, Hyuga Neji," Kitazawa said unhurriedly.
He had previously deliberated between Sasuke and Neji for second place when ranking. The main reason was that in this practical combat exam, they had not faced each other.
But ultimately, considering Sasuke's excellent performance in his match against Naruto, he was given second place.
"This is troublesome now; the rankings are too close." Sasuke stood still, expressionless — but in reality, his heart was extremely restless.
Neji was third in the theoretical exam and third in the practical combat exam. Overall, he was very close to Sasuke. And Yakumo was also close.
"Fourth place, Naruto. Fifth place, Hyuga Hinata. Sixth place, Shino Aburame. Seventh place, Ino Yamanaka," Kitazawa reeled off. "Eighth place, Tenten. Ninth place, Shikamaru. Tenth place, Kiba."
"Seventh place!" Ino's spirits lifted, and she looked very happy.
The previous Student Council selection practical combat had also been a school-wide ranking, but at that time, she couldn't even make it into the top ten.
Now, two months later, she had learned the two ninjutsu Kitazawa gave her and leapt to seventh place. She could be considered to have made the most progress.
"Good thing I'm in the top ten." Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. Coupled with his theoretical exam ranking, he would at least not fall into the challenged ranks.
"Eleventh place, Inuzuka Hana. Twelfth place, Rock Lee. Thirteenth place, Sakura Haruno…" Kitazawa paused and said, "These are all the rankings for this monthly exam's practical combat exam."
"Who do you think is the overall first place?" Kiba glanced at Sasuke and asked.
"Does that even need asking?" Ino smiled. "One of those three: Yakumo, Neji, and Sasuke."
"It's definitely Sasuke-kun!" Sakura clenched her fists.
"…" Sasuke suddenly felt very uncertain upon hearing that.
"Now to announce the final rankings." Kitazawa turned a page, looked at the roster, and said, "First place, Sasuke."
Sasuke, Neji, and Yakumo were relatively close. But Yakumo had the lowest theoretical exam ranking — only sixth place.
Neji's theoretical exam ranking was one place higher than Sasuke's, but their score difference was not significant. Overall, Sasuke had the highest score, becoming first place.
"What?" Sasuke asked subconsciously. He couldn't believe his ears for a moment.
"Sasuke-kun, you're first place!" Sakura quickly said.
"I'm really in first place?" Sasuke froze for a moment. Then suddenly a corner of his mouth twitched, and he burst into laughter. "Hahahaha!"
He couldn't help it; he had been suppressed for too long. This first place was truly hard-won.
Kitazawa looked at the wildly laughing Sasuke and couldn't help but smile. Letting him swell a bit was fine; when he failed next time, he would grow even more.
"Second place, Kurama Yakumo." After Sasuke finished laughing, Kitazawa continued, "Third place, Hyuga Neji."
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)