"Number two, step forward!" Kitazawa called after giving Naruto a score of ninety-five.
Shino, dressed in his trademark white jacket and dark sunglasses, strode calmly into the arena. His quiet, composed presence was intimidating in its own way.
His opponent was a fairly average boy, usually decent in class exercises. But the moment he faced Shino, his fate was already sealed.
Before the boy could even complete his first hand sign, a swarm of Kikaichū erupted from Shino's collar and hair, black specks moving like a living cloud.
The boy froze, eyes wide, then instinctively abandoned his jutsu and bolted.
From the first second, he was on the defensive. He dodged left and right, lasting barely ten seconds before the first wave of bugs landed on his shoulders and arms.
"I–I surrender!" The boy yelped, trembling as he felt the insects crawling across his skin. He didn't dare move, afraid they'd burrow inside at the slightest provocation.
"Clan techniques really are an unfair advantage," Iruka muttered under his breath.
"Not all clans can dominate this easily," Kitazawa countered, shaking his head.
He was right. Not every clan was created equal. Even the Uchiha had weaknesses. But the Aburame were remarkably well-rounded—well-raised Kikaichū alone could carry a shinobi to Chunin.
And if a member ever developed a rare mutation or discovered unique insects, their power could skyrocket—like Torune Aburame with his deadly nano-poison beetles.
A shame he had fallen into Danzo's hands and become another silent weapon of Root.
It was a common tragedy in the shinobi world: a clan's bright talent, stripped of identity and turned into a tool for the shadows. And against Danzo, no clan dared openly complain.
"Number five, step forward," Kitazawa called next, his gaze sweeping the class.
Sasuke stepped out, calm and confident as always.
"Sasuke-kun! You've got this!" Sakura cheered, fists pumping.
"Who's the other number five?" Ino asked, scanning the group.
"Whoever it is… unlucky," Choji said with sympathy.
"That unlucky guy… is me," Shikamaru muttered, shoulders slumping.
Kiba threw an arm around him. "Just surrender. Less pain that way."
'Tempting,' Shikamaru thought. The old him would've taken that advice in a heartbeat. But a forfeit meant zero points—and without practical points, he'd never make the top ten.
"Go for it, Shikamaru!" Ino cheered. "It's fine if you lose!"
"Don't run from the flames of youth!" Naruto added with a thumbs-up.
'Great. I'm surrounded by lunatics,' Shikamaru sighed, shuffling into position opposite Sasuke.
They formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Begin!" Kitazawa announced.
Immediately, Shikamaru's gaze dropped to the ground. With the sun high, their shadows were crisp and perfect for his clan's technique.
Sasuke didn't hesitate—six shuriken flew through the air, swift and deadly, covering every vital angle.
To him, wasting chakra on Fire Style wasn't worth it for Shikamaru. He needed to conserve his energy for threats like Naruto or Hinata.
Ironically, the deadly barrage made Shikamaru… relax.
He whipped out a kunai, deflecting three of the shuriken in a precise pattern.
Clang, clang, clang!
The steel rang out as two of the deflected weapons embedded in the ground at planned angles.
He rolled across the dirt to evade the last three by a hair's breadth.
Sasuke's brow furrowed.
'He's faster than before. What kind of training did Kitazawa-sensei put them through?'
Not that it would matter.
A faint smirk tugged at Sasuke's lips as he flexed his fingers. Thin, nearly invisible wires tightened, and the fallen shuriken began to dance under his control.
"...Hn?" Sasuke blinked.
The instant he lifted his hand, Shikamaru stepped on a shuriken, and his hands blurred through a unfamiliar sequence of signs.
'Shadow Imitation jutsu!'
A black tendril of shadow snaked along the metal and the wire, racing straight to Sasuke.
"Tch—!" Sasuke immediately released that shuriken, but five others were already airborne, arcing toward Shikamaru.
And then…
His arms jerked violently against his will.
The shuriken, mid-flight, froze—and spun back toward their original owner.
"What the—?!" Naruto's jaw dropped. "Why is Sasuke attacking himself?!"
"It's the Shadow Imitation Jutsu," Ino said with a gleeful grin. "Shikamaru's controlling his body!"
Choji's eyes went wide. "Shikamaru actually learned it?!"
Everyone knew Shikamaru was lazy to the core. For him to master a clan jutsu at six years old… that was less a testament to his effort and more to Kitazawa's terrifying influence.
Iruka was floored. "He… he wasn't kidding about training them hard…"
Kitazawa, watching silently, already had his muscles tensed to intervene if needed.
In theory, Shadow Imitation was a death sentence once it landed. In reality, there were loopholes—especially with a child's still-developing technique.
Sasuke's teeth grit as the shuriken hovered near his own chest. Rage and pride surged. 'I will not lose—not like this!'
Chakra flooded his legs, raw emotion igniting his will.
Shikamaru's face twisted in effort, veins standing out on his temples. 'Just… half a second more… and I win…'
"Ahhh!"
Sasuke roared, body trembling with adrenaline and fury.
For a heartbeat, his eyes seemed to flicker—bloodshot, a faint trace of crimson. Yin chakra stirred violently in his gaze.
Then—freedom.
He burst free of the shadow's grip, rolling hard to the side as his own shuriken whizzed past.
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed. He felt the spike of Yin Release clearly. 'No tomoe yet… but the foundation for the Sharingan is there.'
Hiruzen noticed it as well, his hand pausing mid-stroke on his beard. 'He's close… emotional stimulation is all he needs. If he awakens the Sharingan at six…'
On the field, Shikamaru froze in disbelief. "Seriously…? He broke it?"
Reality hit fast.
"I surrender!" he said immediately, raising his hand without hesitation.
Shikamaru's decision to surrender wasn't born of fear—it was logic.
First, the Shadow Imitation devoured chakra, and pulling it off again in his current state would be nearly impossible.
Second, Sasuke would undoubtedly go all-out now that he'd tasted humiliation.
Third, the same trick wouldn't work twice. If Sasuke avoided using the shuriken, his shadows would have no convenient conduits to travel along.
And lastly, Shikamaru had already shown his hand. His strength was clear; his score would be more than enough.
Truthfully, his earlier success had carried a heavy dose of luck.
"No!" Sasuke snapped, fingers already forming seals.
He'd nearly lost—humiliated by Shikamaru of all people. His pride demanded a counterattack. If Shikamaru surrendered now, where was he supposed to vent his frustration?
"Sasuke," Kitazawa's calm voice cut through the tension. "This is a training match. Surrender is allowed."
"..."
Grinding his teeth, Sasuke froze mid-sign, rage simmering under his skin.
"Winner: Uchiha Sasuke," Kitazawa announced.
But Sasuke felt no satisfaction. He stalked off the field in sullen silence.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru returned to the group to a chorus of awed whispers. None of his classmates had expected him to give Sasuke that much trouble.
"Kitazawa-senpai, how do we score that?" Iruka asked after a long moment, still stunned.
"Ninety-five each," Kitazawa said casually. "It's only the first round—don't overthink it."
Iruka nodded, trusting his judgment, and jotted down the same score.
"Number six, step forward!" Kitazawa called.
Hinata and a young boy took the field.
The boy reacted first, forming seals. "Clone Technique!" Two illusory copies appeared beside him.
Hinata's pearly eyes glimmered. "Byakugan!"
She calmly stepped forward, saw the real body through the deception, and ended the fight with a single, precise Gentle Fist strike.
"Winner: Hyuga Hinata."
Kitazawa nodded approvingly.
Hinata's heart skipped a beat at his acknowledgment, and she left the field with a small, shy smile.
"His Clone Technique isn't bad," Iruka noted. "With a little practice, he'll hit graduation level. Shame he ran into Hinata."
He awarded Hinata ninety points and the boy eighty. Kitazawa's score was about the same.
After that, Sakura, Choji, and Ino all took the stage. Luck was on their side—they avoided each other and advanced with straightforward wins.
"The first round is complete!" Kitazawa announced. "Fifteen-minute break! Anyone who scored eighty or higher moves on to the second round!"
As the class buzzed, Iruka began reading out the qualifiers.
Near the edge of the field, Sakura hesitated, watching Sasuke's cold, rigid posture.
"Sasuke-kun… are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Sasuke said flatly, though his aura was ice.
Shikamaru's surprise performance had rattled him. He'd only won because of carelessness—and that sting burned worse than any wound. Next time, he'd crush Shikamaru utterly.
Still, the fight had taught him something important: never underestimate anyone.
"The biggest surprise of round one has to be Shikamaru," Iruka said, scanning the score sheet. "His progress is incredible."
"It's the result of his effort," Kitazawa replied simply.
Iruka shook his head in admiration. "I tried everything to change his lazy attitude. Nothing worked. Kitazawa-senpai… you really transformed him."
At that moment, Hiruzen strolled over, beard-stroking and smiling.
"It seems I didn't misjudge you when I recommended you to Shikaku as Shikamaru's personal tutor."
Iruka blinked. "Hokage-sama's recommendation?"
A pang of envy hit him. For Hiruzen to personally back Kitazawa meant the young instructor had already carved a deep impression.
Kitazawa paused for a beat. 'So it was Hokage-sama who set that up…'
"Thank you for your trust, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen waved a hand. "The credit is yours. I only opened the door—you walked through it."
The break flew by, and the second round began.
"I'm number one again!" Naruto whooped, waving his slip like a trophy. 'Twice in a row—this is fate!'
"Is it me this time?" Choji smiled sheepishly. "Naruto… please go easy on me."
"No problem!" Naruto thumped his chest. "We'll just touch fists of youth!"
Choji exhaled in relief.
The match began in a flurry of kicks. Choji, still untrained in his clan's techniques, relied solely on basic Konoha-ryu taijutsu. Against Naruto's barrage of Leaf Whirlwind, Great Whirlwind, and Strong Whirlwind, he surrendered quickly.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!" Kitazawa called.
"Number two, step forward!"
Sasuke's cold expression darkened the moment he stepped onto the field.
"It's over…" Kiba groaned. "Is anyone unluckier than me?"
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