10:00 AM
The students from both classes had gathered on the ninja school's training field.
Although it was called a "friendship match," kids rarely think of friendship first. Their minds were set on defeating the other side.
The atmosphere was tense and competitive.
All except Hinata Hyuga.
Among the second-year Class A students, she spotted a familiar figure and immediately became nervous.
Neji Hyuga noticed her.
He frowned slightly, feeling disappointed.
He had expected Hinata to change after achieving first place in her grade, but it seemed her personality remained much the same.
Neji had no interest in facing her.
But like Sasuke Uchiha, Neji believed the strongest should fight the strongest.
The Hyuga and Uchiha clans, both of Konoha's prominent Dojutsu clans, had a long history of rivalry.
The results often favored the Uchiha, which led many to consider them the top clan in the village.
Neji didn't care much about this, but the other Hyuga clan members would.
If he lost to Sasuke, it would bring a lot of nagging.
Still, Neji didn't believe he would lose.
"Hinata,"
Kitazawa stepped forward, patting her head. "If you get nervous, use the method I taught you."
Hinata froze for a moment, then silently repeated rice ball, rice ball in her mind, calming herself considerably.
At that moment, the noisy students suddenly fell silent.
Four figures approached from a short distance away.
At the front was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Behind him walked two ANBU members, and beside him, a young jonin with a spiky "pineapple" hairstyle and scars across his face and forehead.
"Uh oh… Dad's coming to watch too?"
Shikamaru Nara, initially lazy and relaxed, immediately sobered up at the sight.
"If you don't perform well, you won't pass your dad's inspection," Ino Yamanaka teased with a laugh.
"It's my mom, not my dad," Shikamaru sighed.
At home, his mother, Yoshino Nara, controlled everything—both him and his father were subject to her strict rules. She was a truly troublesome woman.
This was why Shikamaru's dream was to marry an ordinary woman.
"Good luck, Shikamaru," Choji Akimichi patted his shoulder.
"Ugh," Shikamaru muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
"Did the Hokage really come?"
Mizuki clenched his fists instinctively, a fiery anger burning in his heart.
But he quickly suppressed it, plastered on a bright smile, and walked toward Kitazawa and the others.
"H-Hokage…"
Mizuki tried to speak first, hoping to act as the representative for the teachers of both classes.
But he froze mid-word, feeling utterly ridiculous.
"Kitazawa,"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke cheerfully, "I brought an extra referee. Hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," Kitazawa replied immediately. "It's an honor to have the Hokage and Lord Nara here."
The young jonin beside Sarutobi was Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father and Konoha's highest-IQ man.
In fact, many others had come to watch.
Besides Kurenai, nine other teachers from the ninja school were present, free from classes that morning.
None expected the Third Hokage himself to appear.
Coupled with the earlier conversation, it immediately marked Kitazawa as someone not to be trifled with.
Mizuki looked at Kitazawa laughing and chatting with Sarutobi, wishing he could stab him twice.
Damn it! These are clearly my privileges!
"Time's about up. Begin,"
Sarutobi said after a few casual words. "I look forward to your performance."
"We won't disappoint you, Hokage!"
Mizuki shouted loudly, knowing he couldn't afford to offend such a high-ranking figure, especially in the ninja world where strength was everything.
"Shikaku, which class do you think will win?"
Sarutobi asked from the field's edge.
"Hard to say," Shikaku shook his head. "I thought you'd say second-year Class A for sure."
"I've heard of the first-year Class A's special training," Sarutobi explained. "They might give us a big surprise."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see," Sarutobi smiled.
He knew some of the first-year Class A training from watching Naruto, though not the full details.
By normal ninja school teacher standards, what Kitazawa taught already far exceeded expectations, bending the rules.
But Sarutobi appreciated such genuinely hardworking, talented ninjas.
"The first event is Chakra Form. In simple terms, it measures the power of their ninjutsu—the higher the power, the higher the score,"
Kitazawa explained. "Both classes will take turns. Second-year Class A starts."
"Kojima Shuu,"
Mizuki called confidently.
Shuu stepped forward, forming hand seals.
Water Release: Water Disruption Wave!
He spat out a fist-sized water sphere.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. Mizuki had clearly prepared in advance.
Although Shuu's mastery was low, it was still a Water Release jutsu.
Kitazawa remained calm.
Ignoring Mizuki's smug look, he called out:
"Chihiro."
A young girl stepped forward, stumbling slightly as she used a Clone Technique.
Compared to Shuu, her performance was mediocre.
Mizuki snorted lightly, continuing to call out names.
Sarutobi watched with a slight headache, seeing the jutsu's clumsiness.
"Neji Hyuga!"
Mizuki's voice rose significantly.
Neji took his stance, executing a precise Gentle Fist sequence.
"Truly the genius of the Hyuga clan,"
Sarutobi's eyes lit up. He even glimpsed traces of the Gentle Fist: 64 Palms, usually reserved for the main family.
"Naruto Uzumaki,"
Kitazawa's eyes twitched slightly at Neji's display, confident that first-year Class A had the edge.
Although Neji's Gentle Fist looked impressive, it lacked the "wow factor"—powerful, but not overwhelming.
"Finally my turn!"
Naruto flipped onto the field excitedly.
Kitazawa and Sarutobi simultaneously twitched their lips.
Naruto wore that ridiculous green jumpsuit.
"It… it's… interesting," Shikaku commented.
He couldn't connect this Naruto to the elegant Minato Namikaze.
Sarutobi didn't even know how to respond.
He just hoped Naruto wouldn't use any seductive techniques. Otherwise, he'd have to harshly lecture both Kitazawa and Kakashi.
Fortunately, Naruto, like Neji, demonstrated only taijutsu.
Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief—he had never been this nervous in his life.
Many Konoha ninjas knew he was Naruto's guardian.
Had Naruto used seduction, everyone would blame Sarutobi for teaching him, tarnishing his lifetime reputation.
"Tenten,"
Mizuki's voice rose again.
Kitazawa understood why.
The second-year Class A's first-place student was Neji, and second place was Tenten.
He had two impressions of Tenten: rich girl and insanely lucky.
Her luck was so absurd, she could find legendary ninja tools just walking around.
By "rich girl," he meant her combat style: summoning numerous ninja tools with her summoning scroll.
In the original, she even gifted a diamond kunai at Naruto's wedding.
Tenten took the center of the field, unrolling a scroll.
The next moment, she unleashed a Ninja Tool Barrage.
The sky filled with ninja tools, eliciting gasps from everyone.
The spectacle surpassed even Neji in terms of impact.
"Shikamaru Nara,"
Kitazawa called as she exited.
"What a hassle,"
Shikamaru casually stepped forward.
Glancing at his father, he executed an exceptionally precise Clone Technique.
"If this kid tried hard enough, he could've mastered Shadow Imitation," Shikaku sighed.
"Kids will be kids," Sarutobi thought of Asuma Sarutobi. His own son was even more rebellious, running off to the Land of Fire to be a "guardian ninja."
As time passed, most students from both classes had performed.
Hinata Hyuga and Rock Lee displayed taijutsu.
Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi used Clone Techniques.
"I feel first-year Class A will win the Chakra Control competition next," Sarutobi mused.
As a ninjutsu professor, his judgment was impeccable.
Even ordinary Clone Techniques revealed the user's skill.
Sakura and Ino's chakra control was extremely strong, and considering their age, they were geniuses among geniuses.
But not just them—overall, first-year Class A's chakra control was impressive.
"But for Chakra Form, second-year Class A might win," Shikaku said.
Currently, first-year Class A lagged behind second-year in jutsu mastery.
Many students hadn't even mastered Clone Techniques.
"I don't think that's certain," Sarutobi smiled. "Look, first-year Class A's top student is up next: Sasuke Uchiha."
"Brother of that ANBU prodigy, Itachi Uchiha?" Shikaku's interest peaked.
"Yes," Sarutobi nodded. "Fugaku really did have two remarkable sons."
Sasuke calmly stepped to the center of the field.
He didn't rush. Forming hand seals, he mobilized all his chakra.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
In an instant, scorching flames shot into the sky—an eight-meter-tall fireball appeared.
The crowd was stunned, silenced for a long moment.
A small smirk appeared on Sasuke's lips.
He looked at everyone's astonished faces, feeling he had reached the pinnacle of life.