"Damn it!" Sasuke struggled to get up.
But losing too much Chakra at once put his body into a temporary state of weakness.
At this moment, Naruto had already stood up and approached him.
"It was so close!" Sasuke's face showed unwillingness. But a loss was a loss; he couldn't change anything.
However, at least this spar made him realize one thing: the gap between him and Naruto was narrowing. And the greatest credit naturally belonged to Kitazawa.
The Chidori Current and Chidori Senbon he taught became crucial in this spar.
"Sasuke!" Naruto extended his hand and said happily, "This was an exhilarating spar full of youth!"
"Next time, you won't win." Sasuke grabbed his wrist and stood up.
"We'll only know after we fight next time!" Naruto's teeth glinted as he smiled and said, "The unknown is youth!"
"..." Sasuke was speechless for a moment.
He found that every time he said something harsh, it would be dissolved by Naruto's youth.
"Victor, Naruto," Kitazawa announced the result and then came to Sasuke.
He placed both hands on his arms, and a light green Chakra surged out, covering the wounds caused by the Rasengan.
"As expected, Naruto won," Kiba exclaimed with emotion.
"But Sasuke's strength has increased a lot." Hyuga Neji said with a solemn expression.
After watching this spar, he felt that he most likely couldn't defeat Naruto and Sasuke anymore. He once again deeply understood the saying that there are also gaps among geniuses.
"Indeed." Tenten agreed, saying, "This spar was a narrow victory for Naruto."
"A narrow victory might not be certain." Shikamaru shook his head and asked, "Didn't you notice that the Rasengan just now was much smaller?"
"Is Naruto low on Chakra? No, he has so much Chakra, it's impossible for him to be low. He held back." Ino suddenly realized.
"Under normal circumstances, the power of the Rasengan is greater than the Chidori." Shino pondered for a moment and said, "Adding the Samehada, Sasuke's loss wasn't unjust. There's still a gap between him and Naruto."
"It's okay, the gap between us and them is even bigger." Kiba sighed and said.
"We are normal people; we can't compare to perverts." Tayuya couldn't help but interject.
After these three rounds of sparring, she had completely come to terms with it; she was just an ordinary genius.
"It seems you've gotten used to it. Congratulations on joining the Genius Class." Ino teased.
"Hmph, I'm only temporarily joining." Tayuya crossed her arms and raised her head, saying.
"Sakura, why aren't you saying anything?" Ino suddenly noticed a blind spot.
"..." Sakura had a look of utter despair.
"Sasuke's loss has nothing to do with you." Ino realized and couldn't help but laugh.
This was a gap in raw power; no amount of 'poisonous milk' could change the outcome.
"Sakura, I'll teach you a method." Shikamaru blinked, spouting nonsense with a serious face. "Next time, don't support Sasuke. Instead, support Naruto."
"Eh?" Sakura immediately showed a surprised expression. This method seemed plausible.
"So the question is, if Sakura supports Naruto, and Naruto still wins, what then?" Kiba stifled a laugh and asked.
"..." Sakura immediately dismissed the idea.
While they were chatting, Kitazawa finished Sasuke's treatment and walked towards Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
"Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka immediately pulled out four report cards and said, "These are our four scores."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Maruboshi Kosuke didn't just come to be spectators; they also had a mission: to be judges and score.
Kitazawa nodded, took the four report cards, and quickly scanned them.
How to put it? They were largely similar. Except for minor differences for a few individual students, they were consistent for most students.
After reading them, Kitazawa synthesized their scores and began to rank the Genius Class. In less than ten minutes, the rankings for the practical exam were freshly released.
Kitazawa held the rankings and came before the Genius Class members.
Naruto, Kiba, and the others immediately stopped chatting and looked at him, their eyes full of anticipation.
Although they had a rough idea of the rankings, it was all speculation until announced.
"I will first announce the rankings for this month's practical exam." Kitazawa paused and added, "This practical exam ranking is not the final version."
"Kitazawa-sensei, what does that mean?" Kiba immediately asked, "Do we still have to continue sparring?"
"Kitazawa-sensei already said that this practical exam also includes a mission." Shikamaru reminded him.
Kiba's heart immediately jumped when he heard that. He had indeed forgotten about that. Fortunately, Kitazawa didn't say anything more, allowing him to escape a predicament.
"The true practical exam ranking will be determined after the mission is completed." Kitazawa continued Shikamaru's words.
Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up. His first place still had hope!
He just needed to perform exceptionally well in the mission and surpass Naruto. Because his theoretical exam ranking was higher than Naruto's, it was only his temporary practical exam ranking that was lower.
Calculating this way, the probability of getting first place was very high. Sasuke immediately perked up.
Hyuga Neji and the others also had similar thoughts. Although their chances of getting first place were relatively small, they weren't completely zero.
"First place, Uzumaki Naruto." Kitazawa glanced at the report card and said.
"That's great!" Naruto said excitedly, "This is youth!"
"I want to learn from such youth too!" Rock Lee suddenly burst into tears and shouted.
"Second place, Kurama Yakumo." Kitazawa quickly interrupted them, fearing they would start crying together.
The first and second places were within the expectations of the Genius Class members.
But the subsequent rankings had more intense competition. Sasuke, Kimimaro, Hyuga Neji, Hyuga Hinata, and Shino Aburame all had a certain possibility.
"Third place, Sasuke," Kitazawa announced.
Sasuke immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Third place was within his acceptable range, and the gap with Naruto wasn't large. Now it depended on whether he could get a high score in the upcoming mission.
On this point, Sasuke was still very confident.
"Fourth place." Kitazawa paused and said, "Kimimaro."
For fourth place, he, along with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the five teachers, had some disagreements.
Mainly, there were two issues.
Firstly, Kimimaro had three consecutive losses. Secondly, he hadn't fought against Hyuga Neji or Hyuga Hinata.
Kitazawa deliberated repeatedly and decided to still give him fourth place.
Firstly, this practical exam ranking was not the final ranking; it still depended on his performance in the mission.
Secondly, although Kimimaro had three consecutive losses, it didn't mean his strength was poor. On the contrary, he was an outstanding member of the Genius Class.
Thirdly, Kitazawa had set up a situation for him, so giving him fourth place could be considered compensation.
"Congra..." Tayuya had just opened her mouth, but then paused again.
She had originally wanted to congratulate Kimimaro for getting fourth place in this Genius Class full of freaks, but then she realized it wasn't right.
He was a very proud person, always first in Otogakure, so getting fourth place now would be an insult to him.
Tayuya looked at Kimimaro, and indeed, there was no joy at all on his face. She sighed in her heart.
Kimimaro had at least entered the top five, but could she even make it into the top ten? Tayuya wasn't confident.
"Fifth place, Hyuga Hinata. Sixth place, Hyuga Neji. Seventh place, Shino Aburame." Kitazawa continued to read.
In fact, there was also some disagreement regarding Shino Aburame.
The reason was that he now possessed the Secret Technique of the Kamizuru Clan and the summoning beasts, the Queen Bee.
Theoretically, there was a possibility of him defeating Hinata and Neji. But they hadn't encountered each other after all.
Plus, the Queen Bee was an external tool.
If Tenten were allowed to use the Chameleon Summon, her ranking would certainly be different.
"It's over!" Kiba scratched his head. "Can't I even get into the top ten?"
"There are still three spots to be announced; you have hope." Inuzuka Hana comforted him.
Tayuya bit her lip. She subconsciously began to pray. No matter what, just a top ten spot would be fine.
"Eighth place, Ino," Kitazawa said with a slight smile.
Although Ino lost to Sakura, she won the other two matches. The reason was Genjutsu.
For most Ninjas, Genjutsu was very tricky. Especially since most of the Genius Class were only seven or eight years old, many didn't even know how to release Genjutsu.
There was even a certain probability that Ino could win if she sparred with Kimimaro. Though the probability was very small.
"Haha!" Ino put her hands on her hips and said proudly, "I won, Sakura!"
Sakura immediately looked dejected. Sasuke lost to Naruto, and now she had also lost to Ino in the rankings.
"Ninth place, Nara Shikamaru." Kitazawa glanced at Ino and continued.
Shikamaru's mouth twitched. Even with double the effort, he was only ninth, making it feel like effort didn't make much difference.
In fact, he had gotten much stronger.
Especially after learning the Konoha-style Body Flicker Technique, he could now maneuver around opponents to utilize his high intelligence and Secret Technique.
"Tenth place, Tayuya," Kitazawa said slowly.
Although Tayuya lost all three matches, her strength was not bad. Against most Genius Class students, her three Doki still had a significant advantage.
Once she learned Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains, her ranking might even improve.
After all, Genjutsu was quite unresolvable in the early stages.
"Yay!" Tayuya immediately looked excited.
Ino and the others subconsciously looked at her. Tayuya instantly realized her reaction was overly enthusiastic.
She quickly explained, "I mean, I'm definitely going to improve in the next Monthly Exam!"
"I understand," Ino said with a smile.
How embarrassing! Tayuya's little face instantly turned red.
"Eleventh place, Tenten. Twelfth place, Inuzuka Kiba. Thirteenth place, Sakura Haruno."
Kitazawa reeled off, "Fourteenth place, Akimichi Choji. Fifteenth place, Inuzuka Hana. Sixteenth place, Rock Lee."
Actually, apart from the top seven, the strength of the remaining nine wasn't particularly different.
It meant that whoever improved next time could advance one or two spots.
"How is it that the stronger I get, the more my ranking drops?" Kiba couldn't help but blurt out.
"Because Kimimaro and Tayuya were added." Inuzuka Hana replied.
She was quite calm; in her opinion, being in the top eighteen was already quite good. After all, there were simply too many geniuses in the Genius Class.
"Next time, I'm definitely getting into the top ten!" Kiba clenched his fists and said.
"What a youthful declaration!" Rock Lee said excitedly. "I must work even harder!"
Taijutsu originally had an advantage in the early stages, but as more and more Genius Class students mastered Ninjutsu, he was at a disadvantage.
But he didn't think too much about it, only feeling that there were so many goals to chase.
"Let's work hard together!" Naruto gave a thumbs up.
Sasuke's mouth twitched. Don't work harder!
No, after the Monthly Exam, I'm going to find Kakashi-sensei to learn Lightning Release!
"..." Shikamaru couldn't help but rub his forehead.
A bunch of freaks—talented and still so hardworking—it was simply maddening. Ultimately, it's we ordinary people who get crushed by all this competition!
Kimimaro was thoughtful.
He probably understood why he and Tayuya couldn't compare to them. Besides Kitazawa's special tutoring, it was also because they were hardworking enough.
Kimimaro suddenly looked forward to the upcoming special training.
"That concludes the rankings for this Genius Class's practical exam." After Kitazawa finished speaking, he took out a second report card. "Now, I will announce the rankings for the theoretical exam."
Sasuke immediately became nervous.
His theoretical exam ranking would definitely surpass Naruto, but whether he could surpass Kurama Yakumo and Hinata Hyuga was hard to say.
In the practical exam ranking, he was third, not far from those ahead of or behind him. If his theoretical exam ranking was poor, his first place would be very precarious.
"First place, Nara Shikamaru. Second place, Sakura Haruno." Kitazawa paused, then said with a smile, "Third place, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke subconsciously clenched his fists, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from curling upwards.
It's secure! As long as he could get a high score in the missions, he would definitely take the final first place.
Neji couldn't help but frown. With Sasuke getting third place, his hope for first place was basically gone.
It seemed he could only prepare for the next Monthly Exam. The next Monthly Exam would only have missions, so he might be able to get first place.
The other students were relatively calm. After all, they had long given up hope for first place.
Kimimaro actually had a chance, but he had only been studying for a month, so his theoretical scores couldn't catch up yet.
Tayuya was even more out of the question; among the four transfer students, her theoretical scores were the worst.
As for the hope of first place, Naruto naturally had the greatest chance.
But he knew his theoretical scores couldn't compare to Sasuke and the others, so he had already focused on the practical exam.
After all, with questions like these, if you couldn't figure them out, you just couldn't. Intelligence was innate and couldn't be changed.
"These are the rankings for this theoretical exam. The final rankings will be announced after your missions are complete."
Kitazawa clapped his hands and said, "You all have a ten-minute break, then I'll announce the team assignments."
After he finished speaking, he walked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Kakashi Hatake.
"I can take anyone this time." Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and said.
He couldn't always take Naruto on every mission; that would be unfair. After all, he was now the teacher of the Genius Class and had to be responsible for every student.
"Me too." Kosuke and Kakashi said in unison.
Although they wanted to take Sakura and Sasuke, since Hiruzen had said so, they couldn't make any special requests.
"Alright then." Kitazawa said upon hearing this, "I will handle the assignments this time."
He stood there, deep in thought.
Eighteen students—he and Sarutobi Hiruzen would lead one team, and Maruboshi Kosuke and Kakashi would lead two teams.
Kitazawa's plan was to go to Summoning Island in the Land of Sea. On this island live many summoning beasts.
The Ninja of the Land of Sea discovered this island and tried to research a so-called Ultimate Summoned Beast.
Their research was very simple and crude—essentially a 'Frankenstein's monster.'
They stitched together many powerful summoning beasts, and ultimately, the Ultimate Summoned Beast went berserk, destroying them all.
Kitazawa planned to take Karin and Tenten. Karin was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, and with her, it would be easier to gain Uzumaki Honoka's trust.
As for Tenten, it was to see if there was a chance to help her find a new Summoning Beast.
Her Chameleon Summon, Shiromari, while powerful, was a bit overkill for dealing with Genius Class students.
The summoning beasts on Summoning Island certainly couldn't compare to the Chameleon Summon, but they still had strength and could be used for auxiliary combat.
Kitazawa had originally thought of taking Naruto, who had always wanted a Summoning Beast.
But on second thought, if he were to contract Mount Myōboku later, other summoning beasts would only be a burden.
In reality, with his strength, he didn't need summoning beasts at all.
Besides, he theoretically already had a Summoning Beast in his belly—and it was currently the strongest kind, the Nine-Tailed Kurama.
Kitazawa thought it over and ultimately decided to take Tayuya. Because her three Doki were suitable for dealing with large summoning beasts.
Besides Tayuya, he also planned to take Akimichi Choji. His Multi-size Technique was also suitable for dealing with large summoning beasts.
As for why this squad would have four students, the reason was that Karin was an extra. She lacked combat ability and didn't make it into the top eighteen.
When Kitazawa announced the teams later, he wouldn't announce her name for now. This was mainly for the sake of apparent fairness and impartiality.
[Current Mission: In the next practical exam, prevent Tayuya from entering the top five.]
[Mission Reward: Four Violet Flames Formation.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa subconsciously glanced at it. The Four Violet Flames Formation needed no explanation—an extremely practical barrier.
[Current Mission: In the next practical exam, prevent Kimimaro from entering the top three.]
[Mission Reward: 20% Shikotsumyaku.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Adding to the previous 30%, Kitazawa now had 50% Shikotsumyaku. However, his body didn't show any obvious changes.