A scorching Great Fireball erupted out of nowhere.
Without exchanging a word, Naruto and Shikamaru bolted in opposite directions—one veering left, the other right.
After weeks of relentless field training, their reflexes had become second nature. They both knew better than to take Kitazawa's Great Fireball head-on. The only smart move was to run.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Kitazawa stood his ground, calmly forming hand seals.
Suddenly, the sky bloomed with fire—countless flame clusters burst outward like petals of a mythical inferno flower.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Still on the run, Naruto formed hand seals.
Two shadow clones materialized from the smoke and charged straight into the wall of flames, as if embracing their own demise.
"Fierce Konoha Adamantine Strength Whirlwind!"
Emerald chakra surged from their right legs as they launched synchronized spinning kicks. The flames parted momentarily under their attack…
But new waves of fire surged in to consume them.
The clones vanished amidst their final cries.
Naruto, receiving the memory feedback, broke out in a cold sweat.
Still, their sacrifice bought him the precious seconds he needed to escape the firestorm.
"What a pain…"
Shikamaru zigzagged like a snake through the danger zone, narrowly slipping behind a tree.
Flames crashed into the trunk, shaking it violently.
He exhaled a sigh of relief.
That had been his escape route all along.
It hadn't been luck—he'd memorized this terrain before training even began, planning every contingency in advance. It was typical Shikamaru.
But even he knew the truth: the only reason he could manage all this was because Kitazawa wasn't going all out.
After all, this training wasn't just a spar. The goal was to help Naruto prepare to defeat Uchiha Sasuke. To keep things authentic, Kitazawa limited himself to mimicking Sasuke's current strength.
Of course, Sasuke couldn't take on two opponents at once.
Still, sometimes Kitazawa would "accidentally" exceed Sasuke's strength—what he called handling sudden developments.
Naruto and Shikamaru were used to this "hell mode."
That way, when the real Sasuke showed up with "hard mode," it would feel almost merciful by comparison.
"Is it over?"
Naruto wiped sweat from his brow and instinctively looked up.
The sea of fire had finally vanished.
"Today's special training ends here," Kitazawa said, smiling faintly.
Both boys sagged in relief.
After a few seconds to catch their breath, they made their way back to Kitazawa.
"Tomorrow's the final exam," he said. "I'm giving you half a day off. Go home and rest."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru said, genuinely grateful.
The brutal training was finally over.
Next stop: summer vacation.
Surely no one would dare assign practical training during summer—right?
"I don't need rest!" Naruto snapped upright, clenching his fists. "I'm heading straight to Gai-sensei for more training! This time, I'm taking Sasuke down—and I'll come in first on the final exam!"
He wasn't just hyping himself up.
After enduring Kitazawa's hellish training, Naruto genuinely felt ready to counter Sasuke's Fire Release. As long as he dodged the jutsu, he could overpower Sasuke with raw taijutsu.
After all, in a straight fight, his Taijutsu was stronger.
"——"
Shikamaru's eye twitched.
'Why is this guy so competitive? Is he even human?'
"Does that 'first place' include the written theory exam?" Kitazawa asked, eyebrow raised.
"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head, sheepish. "I meant first in practical combat."
After months of exams, he knew better than to dream of surpassing Sakura in theory.
"First place, last place… it's all too troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "As long as I pass, I'm fine."
"You always scrape by with exactly sixty points. What's going on in that head of yours?" Kitazawa asked, eyeing him.
"I can only get sixty," Shikamaru replied with a perfectly straight face.
"Is that so?"
Kitazawa chuckled. "How about this: If you manage to rank in the top ten, I'll cancel your summer special training."
"Wait… there's really summer training?" Shikamaru froze, face pale.
"If you don't make top ten," Kitazawa said, patting his shoulder, "then yes—there definitely is."
'Was this even a choice?'
Shikamaru let out a deep internal sigh.
'Which is more troublesome—acing the written exam or surviving summer training?'
He didn't even need to think. The answer was obvious.
"…Understood, Kitazawa-sensei," he replied with sudden resolve.
This time, he had to make the top ten.
There was no way he'd let some special training ruin his perfectly lazy summer.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto raised his hand eagerly. "Can I join the summer practical special training too?"
"You don't need to," Kitazawa replied with a small shake of his head. "Just keep training with Gai-sensei."
Although practical combat training had its merits, it wasn't the most efficient for six- or seven-year-olds. With their limited jutsu repertoire—usually just one or two techniques—repetitive sparring didn't yield much progress. That time was better spent learning new jutsu.
"True," Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
Gai-sensei's training was every bit as intense—sometimes even more so. Plus, he was learning powerful Taijutsu from him. Even one summer might not be enough.
Busy was good. Naruto liked being busy.
He had friends now. Classmates. Two teachers who believed in him.
Most importantly, nobody looked at him like he was a monster anymore.
Compared to the lonely, colorless life he'd lived before enrolling, his current days felt like a dream.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto asked again, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "If I get first place, is there some kind of reward?"
He was hoping to learn another powerful jutsu—just like the Shadow Clone, which had become his trump card.
Kitazawa's eyes sparkled with a flicker of mischief. "The reward is that if you take first place, you'll get to spar with me. And I'll be going all out."
"...Huh?" Naruto blinked in disbelief. That was a reward?
Shikamaru couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
"What I mean is," Kitazawa said smoothly, completely straight-faced, "I'll evaluate your performance in the spar and select a new jutsu tailored specifically for you. But to do that, I'll need to fight seriously—and so will you."
Naruto's expression lit up. "Got it! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Something about this seemed... off.
Hadn't Kitazawa already gauged Naruto's strength through all their previous training?
Obviously.
Still, he wisely kept his mouth shut. He understood the law of "not putting your head where it's not needed."
If he spoke up, Kitazawa might drag him into some extra summer training too.
"Bye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto and Shikamaru waved before heading off.
Kitazawa lingered a moment, then made his way to the training ground.
Three fire dragons tore through the air above—majestic and roaring.
Kitazawa looked up, pleased.
After just half a month of instruction, Sasuke had already mastered Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu.
To learn a B-rank fire jutsu at his age—Sasuke was without a doubt a genius.
But now, he'd hit a bottleneck.
He either needed to expand his arsenal with different jutsu or refine his Fire Release through Chakra Nature Transformation.
While Sasuke had practiced Fire Nature Transformation before, that was just beginner level. The point back then was to help him perfect the Great Fireball, aiming to surpass even Uchiha Itachi and fulfill one of Kitazawa's missions.
"Sasuke."
The boy immediately turned at the sound of his name. "Kitazawa-sensei."
"You've got a solid grasp on the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu," Kitazawa said, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's end it here for today."
He could've continued teaching Sasuke, but without a new mission being triggered, there was no need. He suspected that once the final exam was over, Sasuke would receive his next objective—assuming Naruto managed to beat him in the practical test.
Kitazawa had prepared Naruto through grueling 'hell mode' training, but nothing in battle was ever guaranteed. If Naruto slipped up, they'd simply wait for the next opportunity.
Fortunately, the mission wasn't tied specifically to the exam—it only required Sasuke's defeat.
"Kitazawa-sensei, I want to keep learning new Fire Release jutsu," Sasuke said after a moment, his voice firm.
He was feeling the pressure. Naruto and Hinata had both improved rapidly. He couldn't afford to fall behind.
"Tomorrow's the final exam. Learning a new jutsu now would only disrupt your rhythm," Kitazawa replied calmly. "What you should do is consolidate your mastery of the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu."
Sasuke paused, then nodded.
It was a B-rank technique.
With that alone, victory in the final exam felt well within reach.
His thoughts drifted to his father, Uchiha Fugaku, and his brother, Itachi.
He could already imagine their praise.
A small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Kitazawa interrupted, catching that smug grin. "Head home."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Sasuke took off, clearly in high spirits.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura caught sight of him leaving and blinked in surprise.
"Now's my chance!" Ino's eyes gleamed, and she immediately seized control of the carp's consciousness in their training drill.
Moments later, she cheered, "Yes! I win!"
Sakura frowned in frustration.
Since learning the Anesthesia Technique, she'd been practicing Yang Release chakra transformation—giving life to form.
Kitazawa's assigned task? Repeatedly treat a single carp using medical ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, Ino's mission hadn't changed: keep taking control of that same carp's mind.
One healed its body.
The other hijacked its brain.
That poor carp... blessed—or cursed—to be cared for by these two frenemies.
Cute, yes. But peace-loving sisters? Definitely not.
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