Half of the second year at the Academy had already passed, and Kuro could feel his strength continuing to grow. He had unlocked 13% of Sukuna's power and was eagerly waiting for the moment he could subdue the next shadow. With each passing day, he felt his chakra reserves, strength, speed, and reflexes improving. Perhaps it had been obvious from the start, but the stronger Kuro became, the more he hungered for power.
At one point, Nara even considered early graduation, believing that by participating in real battles he would progress much faster — but fortunately, he dismissed the idea. The next shinobi war would erupt across the world soon enough, and as much as it seemed like an opportunity for development, war also brought enormous danger and constant, crushing stress. That's why Kuro wanted to leave himself a bit more time for mental preparation.
Today, however, something unusual awaited them at the Academy. Sarutobi-sensei had invited two recent graduates who had earned the rank of Chunin during at a recent exam. exam. They were supposed to tell the class about their first missions and give a brief master class. Achieving a promotion at their age was incredibly prestigious; many genin, despite all their training, simply weren't ready to face the hardships of the real world. Some remained stuck at the lowest rank, while others died.
The class buzzed as two shinobi entered the classroom — both appeared to be around fourteen.
The first was a rather tall boy with light-brown hair and a wide smile. He radiated friendliness and confidence, and his green chunin vest sat slightly crooked on him. This was Shintaro Senju, a cheerful, open shinobi talented in Doton techniques.
The second — Jibi — was a civilian ninja, dark-haired and reserved, with a cold gaze that picked out every detail. He already had his first scar on his cheek. He specialized in kenjutsu, and his katana was neatly strapped to his back.
"Oh, that's Shintaro!" Nawaki exclaimed, clearly surprised to see a clanmate. "You're already a Chunin?!"
"Haha, did you think I'd stay a genin forever?" Senju laughed, winking at the younger boy. "I didn't expect to pass on my first try either, but look — an official vest issued by the Hokage himself! What about you, Nawaki? Not slacking off, I hope?"
"Of course not!" the boy flared up, proudly puffing out his chest. "I'm way stronger than I was a year ago!"
Jibi only nodded in greeting, quickly scanning the classroom. His gaze lingered on Minato, but he said nothing — simply narrowed his eyes slightly, as if evaluating him.
"We didn't come here just for fun," he finally said. "You all have a long road ahead before you can call yourselves true shinobi. Some of you may face battle sooner than you'd like. Our job is to give you an idea of what to expect."
Shintaro clapped his partner on the shoulder and grinned:
"Don't scare the kids, Jibi! Let's have some fun instead! Today, we'll have a shuriken-throwing workshop and a small demonstration of combat techniques. And then maybe even some sparring…"
The class buzzed with excitement. For many clanless students, the chance to see real chunin in action was an opportunity to be inspired and learn from those who had already reached another level.
After a few amusing and educational stories, the graduates took the class to the training yard, where targets had already been set up. Shintaro Senju stepped forward first, clapping his hands with a bright smile.
"All right, kids, let's start with a little demonstration!" he said cheerfully, crossing his arms. "We'll show you how you're supposed to handle shuriken."
Jibi simply nodded and drew his weapons. In the next moment, he threw them with surprising speed — each landed precisely in the center of a target.
"Now me," Senju said with an excited grin. "My style is simpler, but way flashier!"
He formed a few seals, then slammed his palm onto the ground. Stone walls rose around the targets — and then, in an instant, sharp stone spikes burst out of them, skewering the targets.
"And he calls that simpler," Mikoto muttered, standing next to Nara. He agreed with her, but judging by the excited exclamations around them, the students clearly enjoyed the show.
"That's how it's done! Remember, the ability to surprise your opponent is the key to victory," Shintaro added cheerfully.
Many watched in admiration, especially Nawaki, who was clearly proud of his clanmate's strength.
Then the sparring began. The chunin first fought each other, demonstrating their contrasting styles. Shintaro moved aggressively, using Doton to create traps, while Jibi calmly parried his attacks with his sword and constantly used substitution. It was clear that they were holding back — it looked more like a show than a real fight.
When their match ended, Senju invited volunteers to challenge them. Minato, Nawaki, Mikoto, and Hiashi accepted.
Minato rushed into battle against Jibi first, but even the speed he had gained during his time at the Academy wasn't enough against the swordsman's precision. The chunin parried all of Namikaze kunai attacks and knocked it from his hand with a light strike. The fight seemed over — until Minato's body turned into a wooden log.
No one expected that. A stunned Jibi reacted on instinct alone, deflecting the shuriken flying at him from behind — one still managed to graze his sleeve.
"Since my surprise attack failed, I think I'll stop here," Namikaze said with a smile. Jibi looked at the cut on his sleeve and muttered sluggishly:
"Impressive."
Nawaki was shocked and immediately rushed into his own fight. His attempt to overpower Shintaro with brute force failed miserably — Senju effortlessly dodged his blows, then shifted the ground beneath Nawaki's feet, making the boy lose balance.
Mikoto, in turn, used the Fireball Technique, and when Jibi dodged, she threw a flurry of shuriken at him. Thanks only to the bright sunlight did Nara notice the string attached to one of them. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, after being shaken by Minato's trick and seeing that she could use elemental ninjutsu, Jibi used substitution and then Body Flicker, appearing behind her. But when his blade touched her neck, he realized her kunai was pointed at his stomach as well.
"Hahahahahahahaha! Beaten by kids twice — that's just embarrassing! Hahahaha!" Shintaro howled.
Soon, even he found himself struggling — Hiashi, relying on the Juken style, could cause plenty of trouble. But Senju, understanding his opponent's abilities, kept him at a distance with Doton. At some point, their fight reached a stalemate, and Shintaro used the Shadow Clone Technique — after that, the outcome was obvious.
Kuro watched each match with cold calculation, analyzing the chunin's movements. Their style, speed, and technique were good, but they didn't impress him — though that last move…
"He knows that technique? Isn't it considered forbidden? Still… with a Senju's chakra reserves, maybe I can convince the old man to teach me."
"They're strong… for recent genin," Kuro muttered under his breath, smirking slightly.
Noticing this, Sarutobi-sensei stepped forward and said loudly:
"Looks like we have one more candidate. Kuro — you should definitely spar with Shintaro!"
Senju raised his brows in surprise. He had seen how strong the others were — by Academy standards, they were monsters. And yet, the sensei singled out this boy. Shintaro glanced at Kuro. Average height, calm, with the lazy expression typical of his clan. But if Sarutobi-sensei singled him out, he must be worth something.
"Hah, why not?" Nara replied with a smile.
Stepping forward slowly, he rolled his shoulders and took a fighting stance. Kuro's eyes showed clear interest. But of course, he didn't want to reveal his trump cards in a friendly bout, so he decided to test only the chunin's physical ability.
The fight began at once. Shintaro moved forward with a feint to the right, then abruptly changed direction, striking from the left. Kuro reacted easily, dodging with a step back, and immediately countered with a sharp knee strike. Senju blocked it, but still felt pain. His attempt to follow up with fast jabs failed as well — Nara parried everything, moving fluidly like a snake.
They moved in a circle, probing each other's limits. Shintaro formed several seals and launched stone projectiles. Kuro flipped backward, dodging them, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, it shifted — Shintaro tried to repeat the trick he used on Nawaki, but their levels were far too different. As if predicting the move, Nara instantly regrouped and dashed into close combat.
Throughout the entire fight, a grin never left Senju's face — he was thrilled to meet an equal opponent, especially one who hadn't even finished the Academy yet. Changing tactics, he pulled out a kunai and went on the offensive, attacking with rapid swings. Kuro parried them confidently, gradually pushing him into a disadvantageous position. Shintaro briefly lost his balance — enough for Nara to seize his arm and twist it painfully, though the attempt to throw him failed.
"Ow," Senju muttered, rolling away.
He tried to use ninjutsu again, his hands forming seals — but Kuro suddenly closed the distance and interrupted him with a sharp strike.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Senju laughed, jumping back.
Kuro just shrugged, taking his stance again.
The fight continued. Kuro methodically tested the limits of his opponent's physical skills, forcing him to rely solely on taijutsu. His attacks were smooth, not overly aggressive, yet every movement was deliberate. Shintaro was shocked to realize his opponent was simply toying with him, forcing him to fight in pure taijutsu. At some point, he caught himself thinking the fight was already lost.
But then Nara suddenly loosened his pressure, leaving a small opening. Senju took the chance and launched an attack meant to end the fight — but Kuro dodged at the last moment and stepped back, pretending to be tired.
Shintaro stared at the dark-haired boy thoughtfully.
"Let's call it a draw," Kuro said with a faint smirk.
Senju returned the smile.
"Fine by me," he muttered, shaking out his arms. "But you know — I liked that! We've gotta do it again sometime."
"Definitely."