Although Kiba had lost to Naruto in the first round, he had scored over eighty points, allowing him to advance to the second round. He was quite happy to learn he had made it through, as his ranking still had a chance to improve.
But now, seeing that his opponent was Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba felt the second round might as well be canceled.
"Kiba, you can do it! Learn from Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted, encouraging him loudly.
Sasuke subconsciously glanced at him. After hearing those words, he couldn't help but snort softly. There was no way the Uchiha would fall for the same thing twice.
"Miracles aren't that easy to repeat," Ino shook her head. "Knowing Sasuke, he'll definitely go all out from the start."
"I'm sorry. I caused this." Shikamaru patted Inuzuka Kiba's shoulder apologetically.
"Remember to treat me to Ichiraku Ramen," Kiba muttered, resigned to his fate as he walked into the arena.
He went with his usual strategy, opening the match with the Four Legs Technique, trying to gain the upper hand with speed and aggression. But Uchiha Sasuke didn't give him the opportunity.
Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Jutsu
He stood in place, swiftly forming hand signs, then arched his body slightly before unleashing a barrage of small fireballs. With precise control, the flames fanned out in all directions, scattering like a storm of embers and cutting off every escape route around Inuzuka Kiba.
Although Kiba was fast, there were simply too many fireballs, and he was eventually hit. Flames caught on his clothes.
Panicking, he immediately canceled the Four Legs Technique, tore off his jacket, and stomped on it several times to extinguish the fire.
From beginning to end, Sasuke did not pursue—he merely watched, calm and collected.
"I surrender," Kiba said with lingering fear. If Sasuke had launched another Fire Release while he was putting out the flames, he would've been dead or seriously injured.
"Victor, Uchiha Sasuke," Kitazawa announced the result of the match.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shrieked excitedly.
Sasuke had won the battle cleanly and decisively. He was strong—and undeniably handsome while doing it.
"Sasuke is terrifying now," Nara Shikamaru muttered, shrinking back. "Good thing I didn't face him again."
"The stronger he is, the more worthwhile a rival he becomes!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I want a youthful sparring match with Sasuke immediately!"
"You're not human either." Kiba retorted as he descended from the arena, overhearing Naruto.
Why were there so many monsters in their class? Weren't they supposed to be first-years? Anyone who didn't know better would think this was the Chunin Exams.
"Will the student who drew number three please come forward?" Kitazawa interrupted their conversation.
"I'm number three." Shikamaru looked around and asked, "Who else is number three?"
"I... I'm number three." A soft and gentle voice responded.
"It's over. It's Hinata." Shikamaru's vision darkened immediately.
Though Hinata looked delicate, she had activated her Byakugan. In his previous match against Sasuke, Shikamaru had relied on the element of surprise—using shuriken and rubber ropes to connect shadows and land his Shadow Imitation Technique.
But every ninjutsu required chakra. And under the Byakugan, the Shadow Imitation Technique had nowhere to hide. The moment his shadow moved, it would be spotted.
There was no chance of winning this match.
"Looks like I'm not the only one with bad luck," Kiba said gleefully.
"Hinata, don't hold back! Give him everything you've got!" Ino showed her mischievous side.
Hinata hesitated briefly, then dashed into the arena. She exhaled softly and glanced toward Kitazawa in the distance.
"Go for it." Kitazawa gave a light chuckle.
Hinata nodded firmly.
"Hinata, let's just take it easy," Shikamaru entered the arena with a bitter smile.
Byakugan, activate! Hinata's expression tightened, and she assumed the Gentle Fist stance.
She didn't let her guard down—because Shikamaru had nearly defeated Sasuke earlier. She had undergone extensive training under Kitazawa and didn't want to stop in the second round.
Shikamaru's mouth twitched. She looked like she was about to beat him to death. If this had happened before, he'd have surrendered without hesitation.
But now… it was the same as before—he needed to make it through for summer vacation.
Shikamaru's face turned solemn. At the start of the match, he threw out two kunai while retreating and forming hand signs. But Hinata didn't dodge.
She charged straight ahead. Just as the kunai were about to strike, she opened her arms and deflected both with precise palms.
When she reached Nara Shikamaru, she raised her hand again.
Shadow Imitation Technique! At the last moment, Shikamaru successfully released his jutsu.
But Hinata immediately brought her fingers together and struck his wrist. His chakra was blocked, and the spreading shadow recoiled as if it had been struck in a vital spot.
Hinata was fast. She closed her fingers and launched a palm strike—sending Shikamaru flying to the ground.
She stood still, slightly dazed. Was it really that simple?
She hadn't expected Shikamaru to fall so quickly, nor realized her own strength had improved so much.
Hinata didn't yet know that Kitazawa had a maxed-out Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. She also had guidance from her Jonin father, Hyuga Hiashi. In terms of progress, she had improved even more than Shikamaru.
"Hinata, you're really amazing." Shikamaru stood up, brushing dust off his body.
"Hinata feels so much stronger than in our previous matches," Ino said, envy in her voice. "Is this the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan?"
Both of them were from Ninja Clans, but Secret Technique users couldn't compare to Bloodline Limit holders.
"Everyone's getting stronger." Choji scratched his head and asked curiously, "Is Kitazawa-sensei's training really that useful?"
"Very useful!" Yamanaka instantly transformed into a fangirl. "And Kitazawa-sensei is so knowledgeable—he can even give guidance on secret techniques!"
"Indeed." Shikamaru changed the subject and said, "It's just quite grueling."
Whether it was carving with shadows or real combat training, it all wore him down.
Hinata first nodded in agreement, then shook her head. She agreed with the first half of Nara Shikamaru's statement but not the second.
"I don't think it's hard at all," Naruto scratched his head and said. "If you've got time, you should try joining Might Guy's training."
"What kind of training does Might Guy do?" Choji asked in confusion.
"It's very simple," Naruto replied. "Wake up at five o'clock, run thirty laps around Konoha Village, then pull-ups, frog jumps, handstand running…"
"???" Akimichi Choji broke into a cold sweat just hearing it.
"Is that even humanly possible?" Ino asked, stunned.
From five in the morning until nine at night—she couldn't even imagine lasting half a day.
"Your progress is definitely well-earned," Sakura admitted, her view of Naruto changing dramatically.
She had always thought he was too loud and immature, far less composed and cool than Uchiha Sasuke. But after hearing about this inhuman training, all she could feel was admiration.
Sasuke felt phantom pain just listening to it. He had been training alongside Might Guy and Uzumaki Naruto recently. Yet he could only manage one-third—at most half—of the training volume. Meanwhile, Naruto completed it in full and on time every session.
It was precisely because of this that Sasuke viewed him as his greatest rival. But he still hadn't expected Shikamaru to almost make him lose.
"The students who drew number four, please come forward," Kitazawa called out after completing the scoring.
"It's my turn!" Sakura looked subconsciously at Uchiha Sasuke, her face full of expectation. But, unfortunately, she was destined not to receive a response.
Uchiha Sasuke was already deep in thought, considering how he might deal with Hinata if they ended up facing each other. He had lost to Hyuga Neji before. Losing to Hinata now would be far too humiliating.
"Go, Sakura." Ino, Shikamaru, and the others all cheered her on.
"Wait, who's my opponent?" Sakura scanned the group, confused by everyone's encouragement.
"It's me." Shino adjusted his glasses and replied.
"...?" Sakura's face instantly turned pale. Just imagining those dense, crawling kikaichū gave her goosebumps.
"I surrender!" Sakura declared without hesitation.
Not only was she afraid of kikaichū, but even if she tried to fight, she knew she wasn't a match for Shino Aburame. More importantly, although she had participated in Kitazawa's training, she was focused on Medical Ninjutsu and hadn't increased her combat strength at all.
"Victor, Shino Aburame," Kitazawa announced, unsurprised by Sakura's decision.
In truth, due to the unique nature of Medical Ninja, most shinobi were very lenient toward them. In combat, prioritizing the protection of the Medical Ninja had become an unwritten rule.
"Number five, please come forward," Kitazawa called again.
"Looks like I've got the best luck!" Ino beamed with confidence.
Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, and the other Ninja Clan members had already competed.
The only civilian genius, Sakura, had also sparred.
Her own opponent was a rather ordinary girl. Ino remembered her—her grades were decent, middle of the pack, but still far behind her.
She stepped into the arena, greeted her opponent, and formed hand signs. Two clones appeared. Three Inos charged forward.
The other girl panicked and was eventually struck by a punch, prompting her surrender.
"Take a twenty-minute break, and then we'll begin the third round—the final round of this practical exam," Kitazawa announced. "Only students with a combined total score of ninety points or more from the first two rounds may enter the third round."
"The students entering the third round are Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Shino Aburame, Ino Yamanaka, Hyuga Hinata, and Nara Shikamaru." Iruka read the names aloud.
"It's finally over," Shikamaru sighed.
"But you've entered the third round, so you still have one more match to go." Akimichi Choji nudged him.
Though his own performance wasn't bad, lacking the Ninja Clan's secret technique kept him out of the third round. Sakura was in a similar position—being a Medical Ninja, Kitazawa had excluded her.
Inuzuka Kiba, despite having a secret technique, lacked a suitable dog partner, and after two losses, he also wasn't selected.
"I can't help it," Shikamaru said helplessly. "I have a reason I have to keep going."
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out excitedly. "By the power of youth, I'm taking first place!"
"You're still far from it." Sasuke clenched his fists. For the honor of the Uchiha, he had to claim first place.
Hinata looked toward Kitazawa and silently vowed not to let her teacher's training go to waste.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)