"Hyūga Hinata versus Yamanaka Ino."
After the break ended, Kitazawa announced the next match.
In the first round, Hinata had gone up against a student who hadn't even appeared in the original story.
Given her strength, of course she had won easily.
"Hinata," said Yamanaka Ino with a smile. "Let's just go easy, okay?"
She didn't consider herself Hinata's match, so she relaxed—no pressure at all.
The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans were known collectively as the "Ino–Shika–Chō" trio.
Their three clans had close ties, and their secret techniques complemented one another to unleash their full potential.
Among them, the Yamanaka clan specialized in control and support—hardly combat-oriented.
And since Ino was still young and hadn't yet learned her clan's secret technique, there was no way she could defeat Hinata, who had already begun practicing Gentle Fist.
After a brief exchange, Ino lost.
"Winner: Hyūga Hinata," Kitazawa declared.
He thought for a moment and continued, "Next match—Akimichi Chōji versus Uzumaki Naruto."
Although Naruto had lost to Sasuke in the first round, he had already proven his strength.
No one objected when Kitazawa placed him in the second round.
"I'm ready, Naruto," Chōji said with a grin, his plump body moving with surprising agility.
He charged at Naruto and threw a punch.
"Bring it on!" Naruto shouted back. "Leaf Whirlwind!"
He kicked out, clashing directly with Chōji's fist.
A visible shockwave rippled outward.
Both boys staggered back, realizing the other's power.
Within the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, the Akimichi clan filled the role of the sturdy, heavy-hitting attacker.
Their secret technique, the Expansion Jutsu, allowed them to enlarge their bodies or specific limbs for powerful strikes.
Unfortunately, Chōji hadn't learned that yet.
Naruto, on the other hand, had mastered the Leaf Whirlwind and Leaf Great Whirlwind—giving him the upper hand in taijutsu even with similar physical strength.
After a short but intense bout, Chōji conceded defeat.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa said.
He glanced at Chōji, wondering if perhaps a new mission might be triggered.
He was quite interested in the Expansion Jutsu—imagine going giant at a critical moment!
And it was one of the few techniques that could actually affect massive creatures like tailed beasts.
"Wait a sec… does that mean Naruto's the best in taijutsu in our class now?" Kiba blurted out as he realized something.
"Looks like it," Ino said in amazement. "Sasuke may have beaten him, but not in taijutsu."
"Naruto's really changed a lot," Shino added.
He remembered the Naruto who'd first entered the academy—annoying, boastful, and hopelessly weak.
Now, not even two months later, he was a completely different person.
"When I awaken my Sharingan," Sasuke said suddenly, "his taijutsu won't beat me anymore."
Shikamaru and the others fell silent.
As heirs to old ninja clans, they understood how terrifying the Sharingan was—
its ability to copy techniques was enough to make anyone shudder.
"Next match: Hyūga Hinata versus Uchiha Sasuke," Kitazawa announced after some thought.
"Hinata, you can do it!" Ino immediately cheered.
"Take him down!" shouted Kiba and the others.
They knew Hinata was the underdog, but they liked her—quiet, kind, and easy to root for.
"Thank you!" Hinata nodded firmly. "I'll do my best!"
She glanced once at Kitazawa, then stepped onto the training field.
Sasuke noticed the look and felt a small pang of unease.
He remembered that Hinata also trained with Kitazawa.
After what he'd seen with Naruto, he dared not underestimate anyone who'd trained under that man.
Knowing Hinata specialized in taijutsu, Sasuke opened by throwing two shuriken.
The air split with a sharp whistle.
Hinata recalled Kitazawa's "leaf training."
Those shuriken weren't much faster than falling leaves.
Her expression tightened as she dodged the blades and closed the distance.
Though she hadn't activated her Byakugan, she'd already learned the basics of Gentle Fist.
If she could just get in close, she could target his chakra points—giving her a real chance.
"So fast?" Sasuke was startled, unwilling to risk a close-range fight.
He quickly formed hand signs and created two clones.
Hinata froze for an instant—without Byakugan, she couldn't tell which was real.
She gritted her teeth and struck at the nearest Sasuke.
With a bang, the clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
At that moment, a wave of scorching heat swept in—
the real Sasuke had appeared to her right, spewing a massive fireball.
Hinata had no choice but to evade.
Kitazawa frowned slightly and stepped forward, performing Water Style: Wild Water Wave to extinguish the flames.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Kitazawa," Hinata said, bowing her head in guilt.
"No need to apologize," he said, smiling as he patted her head. "You did great. If you'd had your Byakugan activated, you might have beaten him."
Hinata wasn't to blame—it was simply a mismatch.
A close-combat fighter can't win against a long-range opponent with fire jutsu.
"I…" Hinata looked up at his smile, feeling even more ashamed for wasting his training.
"All right, that's enough," Kitazawa said gently. "It's just a sparring match. Don't overthink it—just win next time."
"Mm-hmm." Hinata nodded, visibly relieved.
But Sasuke fell silent.
He'd beaten Hinata only thanks to his Fireball Jutsu.
His shuriken techniques hadn't done much at all.
Once again, he felt a sense of danger.
Whether it was Hinata or Naruto, both were only one fire technique away from catching up to him.
If he could awaken his Sharingan, he thought, none of that would matter.
"Time's up," Kitazawa said after clearing his throat. "That's it for today's sparring matches. Now I'll announce the five students who'll represent Class 1-A in the mock battle against Class 2-A: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, and Akimichi Chōji."
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist.
Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking of Hyūga Neji.
As the strongest, he should face the strongest—but he wasn't sure he could actually beat Neji,
especially after seeing how strong Naruto and Hinata had become.
Hinata pressed her lips together, suddenly nervous.
Being chosen meant she might have to fight Neji.
She didn't know how to face him anymore.
They'd once been close—until Neji was branded with the Caged Bird seal.
After that, they'd become strangers.
When the bell rang for the end of the day, everyone packed up and left.
Kitazawa had just taken a few steps when a masked ANBU appeared before him.
"Kitazawa," said the operative, "please come with me. The Hokage wishes to see you."
"All right," Kitazawa replied.
As he followed the ANBU named Haru through the corridors, he wondered why Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see him.
Had the Hokage watched the sparring session?
Maybe he was going to reward him for Naruto's performance?
Lost in thought, Kitazawa entered the Hokage's office and immediately froze at the sight before him.
A woman stood there in a tea-green jacket, her long golden hair gleaming.
Her hourglass figure—curvy and full, like a ripe peach—radiated a mature allure.
It was Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin.
Though Kitazawa had never met her before, he recognized her instantly from her striking appearance.
After all… you can't exactly turn off auto-aim.