“I won!” Sakura exclaimed excitedly.

“Well, you did get a head start. But still, congratulations, Sakura.” Ino smiled.

She had always been someone who could accept losing, and since the winner was her best friend, she offered her blessings sincerely.

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura floated toward Uchiha Sasuke like a butterfly.

Ino shook her head slightly. As expected, no matter how much Sakura changed, some things remained the same. When it came to handsome guys, she was still a hopeless fangirl who couldn’t stop smiling.

“Just barely okay,” Sasuke replied, looking at Sakura as if she were seeking praise. For a moment, he saw a reflection of his younger self in her and spoke casually.

“Ah?” Sakura’s eyes widened.

Did Sasuke-kun just praise her? Stars sparkled in her eyes. She nearly pounced on him like Naruto.

Sasuke sensed something was off and quickly backed away.

“Well done, Sakura!” Naruto and the others came over, and Class 1-A entered another wave of joy.

For them, overcoming the one-year age gap and winning twice in a row against Class 2-A felt like a dream. Yet they all knew who the biggest reason behind their success was. One by one, they looked toward Kitazawa.

“How could this happen?” Mizuki staggered back a few steps, unable to accept the reality.

How could the unbeatable Neji lose again? For a moment, resentment bubbled inside him.

You look so powerful all the time, and now you just crumble when it matters most?

“Has Ino’s chakra control reached this level?” Nara Shikaku murmured in surprise. “She can definitely start learning the Yamanaka clan’s secret art—the Mind Body Switch Technique.”

Speaking of secret techniques reminded him of his own son, Shikamaru. Smart and talented, yet wasting potential out of sheer laziness.

“Inoichi will have a successor.” Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded approvingly.

But while Ino impressed him, his attention leaned more toward Sakura. She was the daughter of a civilian ninja. To have such refined chakra control at a young age it meant her future was promising.

As Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen especially favored talented civilian ninjas. Because they were loyal. Whereas clan-born ninjas sometimes prioritized their families over Konoha itself.

Especially the Uchiha clan.

“She’s a hard worker,” Nara Shikaku sighed. “Unlike Shikamaru, who only goes to school because his mom forces him.”

“I have an idea,” Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Kitazawa. “Why not invite him to personally tutor Shikamaru?”

Nara Shikaku smiled faintly. His first instinct was to say no—after all, Kitazawa had already taught Shikamaru in class.

But then he understood what the Hokage meant: special training. Under Kitazawa’s guidance, students like Ino had grown by leaps and bounds.

And Shikamaru hadn’t even participated in that training. Maybe if Kitazawa took him on as a tutor, things could change.

“I’ll find time to speak with Kitazawa.” Shikaku thought it over. It was worth a try.

He respected Shikamaru’s freedom, but what parent doesn’t want their child to succeed? Maybe Kitazawa could help make that happen.

“The second round goes to Class 1-A!” Sarutobi Hiruzen declared the results as a referee.

Compared to the energetic celebration in Class 1-A, Class 2-A had grown quiet. With an extra year of training, they were confident going in, hoping for a clean sweep.

But now, after losing two rounds in a row, they were left stunned.

“Actual combat is the true test of a ninja.” Mizuki took a deep breath. “They’ve only beaten us in side events.”

He was trying to rally Class 2-A—and comfort himself.

Neji, hearing this, felt slightly better. He had always believed in the strength-over-weakness doctrine.

Losing twice was a blow, but he wasn’t going to wallow. As long as he could win in real combat and defeat Uchiha Sasuke, he wouldn’t count it as a full loss.

“The third competition is a physical endurance test.” After the break, Kitazawa spoke. “The last one standing wins.”

Usually, physical training is done with a fixed number of laps. But then it becomes a race of speed as well as stamina.

Kitazawa didn’t want Naruto to lose just because he couldn’t outrun Hyuga Neji. So he changed the rules.

Mizuki, however, overestimated Neji and didn’t adjust the format, leading to his earlier losses.

But the match wasn’t over yet. Class 1-A couldn’t afford to relax.

“Just run as you normally would during training. No pressure,” Kitazawa told his students.

“Don’t worry, Teacher Kitazawa!” Naruto said confidently. “I’ll take first again!”

“Don’t get cocky. Your opponent is Hyuga Neji.” Inuzuka Kiba nudged him.

For now, everyone was united against the other class, so he wasn’t picking a fight with Naruto.

“Why is everyone only worried about Neji?” Naruto scratched his head. “I think Rock Lee is impressive too.”

He had trained with Rock Lee and knew his determination well. When it came to effort and spirit, Rock Lee matched him.

“Who’s Rock Lee?” Kiba asked in confusion.

“That guy.” Naruto raised his hand and pointed.

Kiba spotted the iconic green tights and immediately understood.

“Naruto!” Rock Lee noticed him and stood up instantly.

His sudden movement grabbed the attention of everyone in Class 2-A.

In a stiff atmosphere, someone so… vivid naturally stood out.

“Lee!” Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. “For youth!”

“For youth!” Rock Lee replied earnestly, “I won’t lose to you again in this endurance test!”

“These two are hopeless,” Tenten muttered, clearly embarrassed.

Neji wanted to complain, but let it go. They were just two battle maniacs.

Rock Lee challenged him frequently—and always lost. Naruto trained with Lee, so he probably wasn’t much better.

Neji’s eyes, from the beginning, had been set on Uchiha Sasuke. After all, he was Class 1-A’s top student.

“Get ready!” Kitazawa shouted loudly.

Everyone quickly took their positions at the starting line. With Kitazawa’s command, they shot forward.

Neji led the group, closely followed by Sasuke, Naruto, and Rock Lee.

“Kitazawa,” Mizuki suddenly approached and asked, “Why is there a student in your class who hasn’t participated in the friendly match?”

He was referring to Kurama Yakumo, who had been silently observing from the sidelines.

“She’s not in good health, so she didn’t participate.” Kitazawa explained.

Illusion-type chakra has no fixed form. And for the chakra control and physical endurance tests, Kurama Yakumo’s physical condition was indeed not suitable.

“Is that so?” Mizuki glanced at Yakumo briefly, then looked away.

He had already reviewed the top ten students of first-year Class A, and Kurama Yakumo wasn’t among them. If that was the case, she posed no threat.

Time passed slowly.

After fifty laps, more than half of the students from both classes had dropped out, leaving fewer than ten still running.

Neji continued to maintain the lead.

“This time, it’s secure!” Mizuki sighed in relief.

“It’s not over yet. Don’t be so sure,” Kurenai suddenly said.

Mizuki frowned in confusion. What’s with her?

She wasn’t even Class 1-A’s teacher. Why was she speaking as if defending Kitazawa?

“Kurenai is right,” Kitazawa said with a smile.

Of course, he had to back his girlfriend.

Yuhi Kurenai beamed back at him.

“???” Mizuki froze for a moment, and then it hit him.

Kitazawa, you bastard! You even won over Kurenai?

Even though Mizuki already had a girlfriend, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy. Kurenai was known as one of Konoha’s top beauties, and her genjutsu skills were among the best.

Why would she choose Kitazawa?

“Neji will win!” Mizuki growled through gritted teeth.

If it weren’t for Sarutobi Hiruzen’s presence, he might’ve acted on his rising frustration. Kitazawa had stolen every bit of his spotlight—it was infuriating.

Kurenai’s brows furrowed. She instinctively sensed Mizuki’s resentment.

But after thinking it through, she smirked slightly. Being envied was proof of one’s ability, and Kitazawa deserved it.

She had chosen the right man.

By the time the laps reached 80, only five students remained on the track: Hyuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and Rock Lee.

“What the hell went wrong?” Mizuki’s vision darkened.

Wasn’t this a repeat of the previous rounds? There were two students from Class 2-A and three from Class 1-A still standing. Unbelievable!

Mizuki had envisioned Class 2-A dominating the friendly match, claiming all top ten positions. The year-long gap should’ve guaranteed that.

Instead, not only did Class 1-A keep up—they outperformed in both quality and numbers.

This was a direct blow to Mizuki’s pride as a teacher. It was as if the result itself declared Kitazawa the superior instructor.

Mizuki’s heart filled with regret. If he had known things would turn out like this, he would’ve never proposed this friendly match.

“I-I’m done… keep going, guys.” Kiba stumbled off the track and slumped down.

Neji wiped the sweat from his brow, his face serious. Naruto and Rock Lee were putting intense pressure on him.

“Lee!” Naruto panted and shouted, “This is the fire of youth!”

“Youth… youth burns like this!” Lee’s stamina was running low, but his voice was filled with spirit.

Uchiha Sasuke, however, was getting annoyed. Where were these monsters coming from? After one more lap, he finally hit his limit and dropped out.

Neji was breathing heavily, on the verge of collapse.

“Burn your youth! Let’s go!” Naruto suddenly sped up.

“What a youthful moment!” Rock Lee came to a stop, tears and snot streaming from his face. He had no strength left.

Neji was alarmed. What was wrong with Naruto? Why did he still have so much energy?

Neji gritted his teeth and tried to chase him down. But Naruto turned, gave him a thumbs-up, and then picked up even more speed.

Neji could hardly catch his breath. He knew he had nothing left—and could only admit defeat. When he finally stopped running, the entire field fell into stunned silence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep