Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Naruto waved triumphantly, spun around once for good measure, and jogged back to join the queue.

Kitazawa couldn’t help smiling.

He was reminded of fishermen back in his previous life, who’d strut around bragging after catching a giant fish.

He picked up his pen and marked down a score of eighty points on the roster.

Naruto’s performance was extraordinary—for Naruto. Realistically, it was only upper-mid-tier, with noticeable flaws.

Still, it was already better than most of his classmates.

Then Sasuke stepped forward, and the first perfect score of the day was achieved.

“Very good,” Kitazawa said, giving a small nod.

Sasuke lingered in thought for a moment.

After all, his Clone jutsu hadn’t been this sharp before.

Then he remembered Kitazawa’s special tree-climbing training.

Improved chakra control hadn’t just helped his Great Fireball Jutsu—it had enhanced his ninjutsu across the board.

“Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei,” Sasuke said sincerely.

“Next!”

Kitazawa glanced down at his list. “Nara Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru shuffled forward with his usual air of lazy indifference.

He formed the hand seals, produced two perfectly serviceable clones… and then trudged right back into line.

’At your age, how can you already be this lazy and unmotivated?’

Kitazawa sighed inwardly. Youth should burn with passion and energy.

He could tell in an instant that Shikamaru was deliberately half-assing it.

The same had been true during the written exam yesterday. Shikamaru had scored exactly sixty points—no more, no less.

It wasn’t that he was hiding his true ability. He just genuinely found everything troublesome.

In the original timeline, Shikamaru wouldn’t truly change until Asuma Sarutobi sacrificed himself.

“Hyuga Hinata,” Kitazawa called, scanning the roster.

Hinata drew a deep breath, then slowly stepped into the center of the training ground.

With all eyes on her, her nerves tightened.

She instinctively lowered her gaze.

But then she glanced at Kitazawa—and recalled the private training he’d given her.

Her trembling heart began to steady.

’Clone Jutsu!’

Hinata formed her hand seals and produced two flawless clones.

“Wait… she’s not worse than Sasuke?”

Ino stared, astonished.

Sasuke’s expression tightened as well.

Hinata’s clones were indeed perfect. It was now enough to pose a genuine threat to him.

He quickly realized the reason: Kitazawa-sensei’s training.

Just like him, Hinata had gone through the chakra-control exercises on the trees.

Sasuke’s thoughts turned toward Ino.

Yakumo wasn’t participating due to her health.

Naruto, meanwhile, was still struggling with his tree-climbing, his progress slow and incomplete.

So only Ino remained untested.

Sasuke watched quietly.

Soon, it was Ino’s turn.

Just as he suspected, her Clone Jutsu was nearly perfect—slightly below his own, but impressive all the same.

’Good…’

Fortunately, the next three exam components had nothing to do with chakra control.

Sasuke exhaled softly, tension easing from his shoulders.

He couldn’t bear the thought of how disappointed his father and older brother would be… if he failed to claim first place.

“When did Ino get so good?”

Choji nudged Shikamaru. “What’s going on?”

To Choji, Shikamaru was practically an external brain—the guy always knew what was up.

Sakura also turned toward Shikamaru, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

As Ino’s best friend, she knew exactly how strong Ino usually was—and this sudden leap in skill caught her completely off guard.

“It’s because of Kitazawa-sensei’s special training,” Sasuke interjected flatly.

“Special training?”

Sakura’s eyes widened. “You mean… during those ’free activity’ times in our practical classes?”

“Ohhh, that’s right!”

Choji slapped his forehead. “I remember now.”

“Kitazawa-sensei really is impressive,” Shikamaru admitted, raising an eyebrow.

For a civilian ninja, it was rare to be so capable and influential.

“Yeah,” Choji agreed, nodding his big round face.

Sasuke, Ino, Naruto, and Hinata—everyone who’d joined Kitazawa’s special training—had improved dramatically.

“I want to go too!” Sakura clenched her fists.

“Then you’ll just have to work even harder,” Ino said with a teasing smile as she returned to the queue.

Though Sakura was excellent in the theoretical classes, her practical skills lagged behind. Unlike Sasuke and the other clan kids who’d been training from a young age, everything was brand new for her, making it take longer to master.

“The Clone Jutsu exam is over. Next up: kunai throwing.”

Kitazawa finished his grading and raised his voice for the class to hear.

Unlike the many variations of the Clone Jutsu, kunai throwing was fairly straightforward.

And as expected, Sasuke came out on top.

He flawlessly mimicked Kitazawa’s style—not random throwing, but precise, deadly strikes.

’Terrifying…’ Kitazawa thought.

He felt profoundly relieved that Sasuke hadn’t activated his Sharingan yet; otherwise, Kitazawa’s own mission might have been in jeopardy.

After kunai throwing came shuriken throwing.

The skills required were similar, and the results were almost identical. Once again, Sasuke was the star performer.

By ten o’clock, only one part of the practical exam remained: the physical fitness test.

Sasuke and the others made their way over to the track.

“The rules are simple,” Kitazawa announced. “You’re going to run fifty laps. Rankings will be determined by the order you finish.”

Then he waved over Iruka Umino, who was lingering nearby.

“Kitazawa-senpai!” Iruka called out, jogging over.

“You’ll be in charge of recording scores for the fitness test,” Kitazawa said, handing him the roster and a pen.

“Wait… you’re leaving?” Iruka blinked. “But the Academy’s rules say there have to be two teachers present for practical exams!”

“I’m not leaving,” Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. “I’m running with them.”

“…Huh?” Iruka looked utterly baffled.

’A sensei… joining the test?’

“If I run alongside them, it’ll help ease their nerves,” Kitazawa explained, smiling. “It’ll make it feel more like a normal training session instead of an exam. That way, they’ll perform better.”

“Ohhh!” Iruka’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. “As expected of the Ninja Academy’s most outstanding teacher!”

“Watch and learn,” Kitazawa said, giving Iruka a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Then he stepped onto the track. “Start!”

At his signal, Sasuke and the others surged into motion, running beside him.

Physical fitness training was usually held once a week, so the students knew each other’s pace well.

“Haha! I’m first again!”

Naruto leapt into the air, pumping his fists, a grin splitting his face.

’Always obsessed with being first…’ Kitazawa thought, shaking his head in exasperated fondness.

“…”

Meanwhile, Sasuke collapsed onto the ground, every muscle burning.

’How the hell does that guy have so much stamina?’

Still, Sasuke reassured himself: at least Naruto only managed to claim first place in the fitness test.

In the other three events, Sasuke had secured first place.

’Three first-place finishes… Can you top that, Naruto?’

He ran the numbers in his head and finally let himself relax.

’Victory will belong to the Uchiha.’

[Current Mission: Become the top student in the class during the April monthly exam.]

[Mission Reward: Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet.]

[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]

Kitazawa glanced at the three glowing lines of text appearing before his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips.

With the reward secured, all the effort had been worth it.

——————————-

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