The training field at the Ninja Academy.
The students of Class 1-A were rubbing their hands in anticipation, ready for the special training session ahead.
Yamanaka Ino shot a glance at Haruno Sakura, who—as always—was hanging around Uchiha Sasuke.
Even though Ino had been training under Kitazawa recently, it hadn't been long enough for any dramatic improvement to show.
In yesterday's practical lesson, she'd lost to Sakura again in the water-walking drill.
Still, Ino had seen a glimmer of hope—
she'd been hit by the wooden kunai fewer times than before.
A few more days of training with Kitazawa, and she was confident she could turn the tables.
Meanwhile, Sakura was too busy fawning over Sasuke to notice Ino's quiet progress.
Just then, Kitazawa approached.
The students, already conditioned by his strictness, quickly lined up without needing to be told.
"Today's practical class won't be regular training," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Because Class 1-A will be having its first real combat spar."
"Combat?"
Inuzuka Kiba immediately raised his hand. "You mean one-on-one battles?"
"Exactly."
As soon as Kitazawa confirmed it, the class erupted in cheers.
In the shinobi world, power spoke louder than anything else—
not theory, not grades, but strength.
They'd been in school for nearly two months, and now, finally, they had the chance to prove themselves.
"Troublesome…" muttered Nara Shikamaru, looking completely unmotivated.
"No snack rewards?" Akimichi Chōji asked in disappointment.
"I wonder if I'll get to fight Sakura…"
Ino crossed her arms, contemplating her chances.
As a member of the Yamanaka clan, her ninja fundamentals were stronger than Sakura's—
she had a good shot at winning.
"Ah, man!" Kiba groaned. "I still haven't found my dog yet!"
As a member of the Inuzuka clan, all of his clan's techniques required a ninja hound partner.
But he didn't have one yet—or more accurately, he hadn't found the right one that shared his spirit.
In the original story, that dog was Akamaru.
Right now, Akamaru wasn't even born yet. It would take two more years.
"This time, I'm definitely winning!" Uzumaki Naruto declared confidently.
He'd been training under Might Guy—
running laps every day and learning both the Leaf Whirlwind and the Leaf Great Whirlwind.
For a first-year student who hadn't even been in school two months, mastering two taijutsu techniques gave him a huge edge.
Sasuke snorted dismissively, unimpressed.
He'd been training under Kitazawa for a full month.
His chakra control and nature transformation had improved dramatically.
His Great Fireball Technique, capable of reaching nine meters in height, was sure to stun the crowd.
In a real fight, he was confident he'd beat anyone.
After all, the Uchiha were known for their one-on-one invincibility.
"I'll call out the names. Those students will come forward to spar," Kitazawa announced, clapping his hands.
His selection followed two rules:
— Opponents of similar strength.
— Matches progressing from weaker to stronger students.
As their homeroom teacher, he already had a good grasp of everyone's abilities.
And truth be told…
some of it was painful to watch.
Aside from a few standouts, most students could only use Clone Technique or throw shuriken.
The fights were simple—hardly entertaining.
"Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Ino, I didn't expect we'd end up as opponents," Sakura said in surprise.
"Sakura, I'll be sure to go easy on you," Ino replied, clenching her fist and smiling sweetly.
"You've been my punching bag for a whole week!" Sakura snapped, seeing through the taunt instantly.
"Combat's a different story," Ino said coolly, stepping into the center of the field.
Both girls performed the seal of confrontation.
Sakura charged first, throwing a wild, unrefined punch.
Ino easily dodged, stepped back, twisted her hips, and spun into a clean counter-kick.
The kick landed—Sakura stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, unsurprised.
Sakura's fighting style was pure flailing, while Ino was using the Leaf-Style Taijutsu Form.
It was a basic taijutsu method widely practiced in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Not particularly powerful, but great for building a solid foundation.
Of course, even then, not everyone could master it.
And higher forms—like the Eight Gates or Uchiha-style Taijutsu—were much harder to learn.
"I win, Sakura," Ino said brightly, offering her hand.
"Next time during water-walking, just you wait!" Sakura growled, grabbing Ino's hand to stand up.
She might've lost here, but she planned to redeem herself in training.
"We'll see about that," Ino said smugly, glancing at Kitazawa.
"Nara Shikamaru versus Akimichi Chōji," Kitazawa announced after a moment's thought.
"So you're pairing students of equal strength, huh?" Shikamaru muttered, catching on to Kitazawa's method.
He lazily trudged to the center of the field.
"Be careful, Shikamaru!" Chōji shouted before charging straight at him.
But before he even reached him—
Shikamaru suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"???"
Chōji froze, completely bewildered.
Was this… a forfeit before the fight even started?
"I lose, Chōji," Shikamaru said weakly from the ground.
"But… I didn't even hit you," Chōji said helplessly.
"Just means your aim's good," Shikamaru replied casually.
"Alright, you two, that's enough!" Kitazawa sighed, rubbing his temples. "Next match: Inuzuka Kiba versus Aburame Shino."
"Kiba, don't lose!" Naruto called out, giving him a thumbs-up.
"That's my line," Kiba said with a confident grin.
"I'll hand this guy his first loss personally!"
Shino adjusted his sunglasses silently.
Hands still in his pockets, he stared at Kiba expressionlessly.
"Four-Legged Technique!"
Kiba dropped to all fours, moving like a feral hound.
Gasps erupted from the crowd—many were seeing the Inuzuka clan's secret art for the first time.
The Four-Legged Technique channeled chakra into the limbs, boosting grip and attack power.
"Here I come!"
Kiba lunged forward at full speed, moving so fast he left afterimages.
Even his classmates were shocked—
the loudmouthed Kiba actually had this much power?
"He really is my rival!" Naruto said, eyes gleaming.
"No threat at all," Sasuke said flatly—
but his eyes widened the next second.
The crowd murmured in awe.
From Shino's body, countless insects burst forth.
The insects swarmed toward Kiba, locking onto his limbs and binding him tightly until he couldn't move.
"S-so strong!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Ugh, gross…" Sakura shuddered at the sight of the crawling bugs, her scalp tingling.
"I really hope I don't face Shino next round," Ino muttered, equally creeped out.
Sasuke stayed silent.
For the first time, he felt a faint sense of threat.
"The winner: Aburame Shino," Kitazawa announced.
The Aburame clan's secret arts involved controlling parasitic insects.
They could be used for offense, defense, scouting—even healing.
It was one of the most versatile abilities among Konoha's clans.
And Aburame Shino—
was already living up to his nickname:
"The Undefeated Legend."