Chapter 31: Chapter 31

April 28th.

There was only one day left until Class 1-A’s first monthly exam.

“Clone Jutsu will be a required skill on the practical exam. I’ve gone over all the key points these past two weeks,” Kitazawa announced, standing on the Ninja Academy’s training field. His voice was calm but carried a sense of urgency. “Today’s your last class before the exam—make the most of your time.”

“Don’t worry, Kitazawa-sensei! We won’t let you down!”

Inuzuka Kiba shouted energetically, fists clenched in determination.

As their homeroom teacher, Kitazawa knew his students’ scores would shape his reputation—and his future prospects. After a month of teaching, his class had come to respect him deeply, and every one of them wanted to help him rise in rank.

“That’s right!”

The rest of the class chimed in enthusiastically.

“The top spot is definitely ours!”

Uzumaki Naruto added, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Hey, Naruto—maybe you should actually master the Clone Jutsu before you start talking about being number one,” Kiba shot back, shaking his head.

“Who says I haven’t mastered it already?!”

Naruto retorted, glaring defiantly.

The two of them were alike in temperament, and perhaps because of that, they were constantly at odds. But as often happens with kids, their bickering only made their bond stronger.

Kitazawa’s gaze drifted to Naruto.

Over the past two weeks, Naruto had fully learned the Transformation Jutsu.

But the Clone Jutsu was another story. It was like Schrödinger’s cat—sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

’Has he really learned it?’

Kitazawa decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Go on, Naruto. Show us,” he said.

Naruto took a deep breath, formed his hand seals, and performed the Clone Jutsu.

Poof!

Two clones of Naruto appeared in a burst of smoke.

The good news? No bizarre deformities.

The bad news? They looked severely malnourished, faces sunken and limbs stick-thin, as if they hadn’t eaten for weeks.

Naruto froze, his expression turning into the perfect rendition of a sweating yellow bean emoji.

’Why does it fail right when I need it most?’

Yesterday, he’d managed it perfectly twice.

“Hold on! Let me try again!” Naruto shouted in a panic.

“If you can do it, you can. If you can’t, you can’t,” Kiba scoffed, folding his arms. “Looks like your shot at first place is gone.”

“Just one more try!”

Naruto braced himself, formed the seals again, and—

Poof!

Two new clones appeared, this time looking much healthier and properly solid.

“It worked!” Naruto shouted triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well done, Naruto. You’ve made huge progress,” Kitazawa praised, clapping his hands. “Everyone, take a lesson from his persistence. Now get to work and practice.”

Compared to the Naruto of the original timeline, this version was practically a super evolution—a far cry from his previous self.

“Kitazawa-sensei!”

Naruto dashed over, eyes sparkling. “Is the Transformation Jutsu going to be part of the practical exam?”

“No,” Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. “They’ll only teach and test the Transformation Jutsu next year.”

“Huh?” Naruto blinked in confusion. “Then why did you teach me the Transformation Jutsu already?”

“I told you before,” Kitazawa said, chuckling. “I believe it suits you perfectly. And I was right.”

“It’s just because you’re such a good teacher!”

Naruto grinned, looking both proud and a little embarrassed.

“For now, forget about the Transformation Jutsu,” Kitazawa said gently. “Your number-one priority is to master the Clone Jutsu.”

As he spoke, he noticed Sasuke and Hinata making their way toward their usual training spot.

Yakumo, however, was absent—Kurenai Yuhi had taken her away for specialized training in sound-based genjutsu today.

“Yes, Sensei!” Naruto exclaimed with a determined nod. Then, lowering his voice, he asked, “Kitazawa-sensei… do you think I still have a chance?”

“A chance at what?” Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.

’What is he talking about—a spontaneous hiking trip?’

“For first place,” Naruto said, scratching his head. His voice was uncharacteristically uncertain.

In front of others, Naruto always acted brash and confident. But with Kitazawa, he often let his true feelings show.

“Until the results are announced,” Kitazawa said after a moment’s thought, “both you and I are in first place.”

Naruto blinked at him. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“It means that until the final outcome is decided, anything’s possible,” Kitazawa explained with a small smile.

Naruto’s eyes lit up.

“That’s awesome!” he shouted, his spirits surging back. “I’m going to go practice my Clone Jutsu right now!”

Kitazawa couldn’t help but smile.

In a way, Naruto was completely immune to discouragement—and astonishingly persistent.

No wonder he’d eventually go on to master the legendary Talk no Jutsu.

Shaking his head, Kitazawa turned and headed toward the training ground.

Before he even got close, he heard Uchiha Sasuke laughing wildly.

A strange expression crossed Kitazawa’s face.

’Now what’s going on?’

As he approached, a faint smell of scorched earth hit his nose.

He looked down and saw blackened patches of ground in front of Sasuke.

No question about it—Sasuke had just unleashed the Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.

Judging by the charred area, the fireball must have been at least two or three meters wide.

That wasn’t all that surprising to Kitazawa.

He immediately understood why Sasuke was so pleased.

A fireball of that size meant Sasuke had finally reached the average standard for the Great Fireball Jutsu.

But… it was still nowhere near the level of the monstrous fireball Uchiha Itachi could produce in the original timeline.

Kitazawa’s eyes glimmered with understanding.

He knew that Itachi would never show his true power in front of his beloved little brother.

And so, Sasuke currently lived under the greatest illusion of his life: that he’d finally caught up to his big brother.

“Kitazawa-sensei, thank you.”

Sasuke stopped laughing and approached him, a rare, sincere look on his face.

He’s… thanking me?

Kitazawa blinked, momentarily stunned. “Don’t thank me. This is all thanks to your own hard work and dedication.”

“Um… Kitazawa-sensei.”

Sasuke hesitated, suddenly looking a little shy. “Can I go home now?”

“Yes.”

Kitazawa smiled. “You’ve pretty much mastered the advanced tree-climbing training. You can finish up for today.”

Was it over?

No—this was merely the beginning.

The level of Sasuke’s Great Fireball Jutsu was still far from Itachi’s.

One thing was certain: Sasuke would be back.

“Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!”

Sasuke turned and dashed off, clearly eager to hear praise from his father.

“You two can head home early too,” Kitazawa said, glancing at Hinata and Ino.

“Kitazawa-sensei, I’d like to keep training,” Ino said after a brief pause.

Unlike Sasuke and Hinata, Ino didn’t have a desperate need for her parents’ validation. But she loved feeling herself improve—and she was hooked on the sense of progress the tree-climbing training gave her.

“M-me too!” Hinata stammered, determination glinting in her pale eyes.

“I’m not saying you have to stop training altogether,” Kitazawa chuckled. “I’m saying the advanced tree-climbing drills are finished. We’ll start a new training regimen after the monthly exams.”

Ino gave an embarrassed laugh, while Hinata let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She was already at the point where she couldn’t imagine training without Kitazawa’s guidance.

Meanwhile…

“I’m home!”

Sasuke practically shouted as he stepped into the house.

“Why are you so cheerful today?”

Mikoto emerged from the kitchen, smiling gently.

“Hmph. I’m not telling you,” Sasuke replied with a proud shake of his head. “Where’s Father?”

“Now that makes Mommy sad,” Mikoto teased, feigning a pout. But her eyes twinkled as she watched him closely.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.”

Sasuke caved under her gaze. “I mastered the Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu today!”

“Is that so? That’s wonderful. You really are my son!”

Mikoto’s face lit up with pride, radiating maternal warmth.

“Of course!”

Sasuke tried to hold back his grin, but it kept creeping across his face.

He was used to his mother’s praise by now, so it didn’t make him quite as giddy as it once did.

“Has Father come home yet?” he asked.

“He’s still working,” Mikoto said, glancing at the clock. “But he should be back any minute.”

“I’m home.”

A familiar voice spoke from the entryway.

“Brother?”

Sasuke’s eyes widened with delight. He darted to the door. “You’re home early today!”

“Sasuke.”

Itachi stood there, looking a bit worn. “I just finished a mission.”

“Come with me!”

Sasuke grabbed his brother’s arm and practically dragged him outside.

“What’s going on, Sasuke?” Itachi asked, bemused.

“Just wait!”

They stopped in front of the artificial lake in the courtyard. Sasuke shot Itachi a glance, then began forming hand signs.

A moment later, an enormous fireball burst into existence, warping the air around it and radiating intense heat.

Itachi’s eyes widened slightly.

’Sasuke’s fireball already has the power my own had the first time I performed the Great Fireball Jutsu…?’

“Sasuke, when did you get so strong?” Itachi asked, genuinely impressed.

“Because I’m a genius!” Sasuke declared, chest puffed out in pride. His eyes sparkled with satisfaction at his brother’s praise.

“Mm.”

But then a shadow passed over Itachi’s face. He grew serious. “Sasuke… the future belongs to you.”

“The future belongs to us!” Sasuke corrected cheerfully, oblivious to his brother’s somber tone.

Itachi stared at him for a moment before breaking into a faint smile. “You’re right.”

At that moment, approaching footsteps echoed across the courtyard.

A stern-looking man in a jonin vest appeared.

“Father!”

Sasuke ran forward eagerly.

“Mm.”

Uchiha Fugaku gave him a short nod.

“Father, look at this!”

Sasuke wasted no time performing the Great Fireball Jutsu again.

“Still a bit lacking compared to your brother,” Fugaku commented coolly after a quick glance. Then he turned away and headed back inside.

He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and he didn’t have the patience for family theatrics today.

Every day seemed to bring new conflicts between the Uchiha clan and Konoha’s leadership, driving him to the brink of frustration.

Since the death of Shisui, it had become increasingly difficult for Fugaku to keep the clan’s rebellious undercurrents under control.

The moment Fugaku disappeared inside, Itachi’s smile faded.

Sasuke, meanwhile, looked like he’d just been struck by lightning.

After a month of grueling practice, he couldn’t accept being dismissed so casually.

“Sasuke, you’re still young,” Itachi said softly, resting a gentle hand on his little brother’s head. “Someday, you’ll be able to do even better than me.”

“Brother… show me your Great Fireball Jutsu one more time,” Sasuke demanded, his voice low and stubborn. “I want to see your full power.”

“This…”

Itachi hesitated, a troubled look crossing his face.

He’d already awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. If he used his true full power, it would be overkill—and far too revealing.

But Sasuke’s determined eyes left no room for refusal.

With a silent sigh, Itachi stood up straight and began weaving hand signs.

A moment later, an immense fireball eight or nine meters high exploded into existence, blazing like a miniature sun and bathing the nearby rooftops in flickering light.

Sasuke stared at the spectacle, utterly speechless.

——————————-

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