Chapter 411: 411 – Graduation discussion!!

Time flowed on.

The third-round battles unfolded one after another.

Yet no matter how fierce the clashes, nothing could erase the shock left behind by the opening duel between Naruto and Sasuke.

That first fight had been too explosive.

Too overwhelming.

Everything after it felt… quieter.

And yet—

If judged fairly, the remaining matches were anything but ordinary.

Through Kitazawa’s eyes, many of them rivaled—if not surpassed—the individual showdowns of the original Chūnin Exams. The duels of Sasuke, Naruto, Yakumo, Hinata, and the others had already reached the threshold of Elite Jōnin.

These were no longer children playing ninja.

They were future pillars sharpening themselves.

At last, the final clash ended.

“The practical exam concludes here,” Kitazawa announced with a relaxed smile. “Take fifteen minutes. We’ll finalize the semester rankings.”

A collective exhale swept the field.

“Damn it!”

Kiba scratched his head in frustration. “Even with Akamaru, it was still that hard?”

“Akamaru’s still growing,” Tenten said kindly. “And it’s not just you—everyone’s improving.”

“Especially Naruto,” Ino added with a sigh. “Honestly, we should just carve ’First Place’ onto his forehead already.”

“Youth means charging straight at stronger opponents!” Lee declared, flashing a radiant grin. “Retreat is not in my dictionary!”

Shikamaru shot him a sideways glance.

“Sometimes,” he muttered, “I really envy that mindset.”

Naruto and Lee were completely different people—

But that burning refusal to give up?

That was the same.

“What? You wish to walk the path of youth too?” Lee’s eyes sparkled dangerously.

“No, no, no!” Shikamaru waved both hands. “That’s absolutely not what I meant!”

Lee visibly deflated.

Sakura suddenly leaned forward. “After graduation… do you think we’ll head straight into the Chūnin Exams?”

“Only Chūnin?” Kiba snorted. “Some of us could skip that and aim for Jōnin directly.”

“Then you aim for Jōnin,” Ino declared proudly. “I’ll dominate the Chūnin Exams and take first.”

Shikamaru’s expression turned complex.

The Genius Class couldn’t be dominated by her—and she wanted to dominate the wider world?

What kind of logic was that?

“I’m not in a rush to graduate,” Naruto said, scratching his cheek. “Genius Class lessons are pretty awesome.”

“I am not spending my entire life stuck in a classroom,” Tayuya shot back immediately.

Whether theory or combat, she hovered mid-tier. It was infuriating.

“Graduation doesn’t change much,” Shino adjusted his glasses calmly. “We’d still be students—just with more missions.”

“If we never graduate, how do the next batch get in?” Kiba slung an arm around Naruto’s shoulders.

“I wonder if we’ll get new transfers next year,” Shion said thoughtfully.

She had joined midway through. If more newcomers arrived, she wouldn’t be the junior anymore.

“Probably one for sure,” Neji said quietly. “Hanabi.”

“Oh right!” Ino laughed. “Hinata’s little sister reaches academy age next year!”

“Rankings are going to shuffle again,” Tenten groaned, smacking her forehead.

Kiba asked, “Hinata, how talented is she?”

Hinata hesitated, then shook her head gently. “She’s still young. It’s hard to say.”

Hanabi had begun Gentle Fist basics, but nothing extraordinary had surfaced yet.

“I know someone else!” Naruto suddenly declared proudly. “My little buddy—Konohamaru!”

“Konohamaru who?” Kiba blinked.

“Third Hokage’s grandson! Sarutobi Konohamaru!” Naruto gave a giant thumbs-up. “I promised to teach him the Way of Youth!”

“We’re doomed,” Kiba muttered flatly.

The entire class groaned.

Naruto plus Lee was already a catastrophe.

Add Konohamaru?

They might as well rename it Youth Academy.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly.

Kitazawa stepped forward, grade sheet in hand.

The chatter died down instantly.

“Previously,” he began calmly, “only the top eighteen qualified for field missions and team battles.”

He let the words settle.

“Starting next term, we expand to twenty-one: seven squads. And a new instructor will join the Genius Class.”

Murmurs erupted immediately.

“Competition just got worse…” Kiba clenched his fist. “Akamaru—we need perfect synchronization!”

“The extra three spots are definitely Chino, Shion, and Hotaru,” Ino said confidently.

The three girls exchanged smiles.

Field missions meant growth.

Real growth.

The kind that separated prodigies from legends.

Kitazawa watched them quietly.

The Genius Class was no longer merely exceptional.

It was evolving.

“Kitazawa-sensei!”

Naruto shot his hand into the air. “Who’s the new sensei? Is he strong?”

“His name is Tenzo,” Kitazawa replied after a brief pause. “You haven’t met him. He’s an elite Anbu—more than capable.”

A ripple of excitement ran through the class.

Anbu.

Directly under the Hokage. Only the finest shinobi were selected. After all, even Hatake Kakashi had once served as an Anbu captain.

“Now, the practical exam rankings.”

Kitazawa tapped the sheet lightly.

“First place: Uzumaki Naruto.

Second place: Kurama Yakumo.

Third place: Uchiha Sasuke.”

No one objected.

Especially not to Naruto’s first place. After what they’d witnessed, there was simply no argument. His chakra alone felt like a natural disaster.

“Fourth: Hyuga Hinata.

Fifth: Hyuga Neji.

Sixth: Aburame Shino.

Seventh: Kimimaro.

Eighth: Rock Lee.

Ninth: Tenten.

Tenth: Haku.”

The top seven remained unchanged.

But from eighth onward, the tide had shifted.

Rock Lee’s mastery of Konoha Dragon God propelled him upward. Tenten’s Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique secured ninth. Haku barely edged into tenth thanks to Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

“This is the power of youth!” Lee clenched his fists, tears flying dramatically.

Eighth place. In an individual exam. Earned purely by his own strength.

To him, that meant everything.

Haku remained silent—but his heart swelled. This was his first time breaking into the top ten.

“With Akamaru, I still can’t crack the top ten. You monsters,” Kiba grumbled.

“Woof!”

Akamaru barked indignantly.

“You’ll get used to it,” Shikamaru sighed.

He’d even tried studying harder this term. The only noticeable improvement was his theory score.

“Eleventh: Inuzuka Kiba.

Twelfth: Chino.

Thirteenth: Yamanaka Ino.

Fourteenth: Haruno Sakura.

Fifteenth: Nara Shikamaru.

Sixteenth: Tayuya.

Seventeenth: Jugo.

Eighteenth: Akimichi Choji.”

The biggest change in the top eighteen was Chino.

Her Ketsuryugan was no joke. Even Sasuke treated it seriously.

“Nineteenth: Karin.

Twentieth: Shion.

Twenty-first: Hotaru.”

Shion and Hotaru quietly exhaled.

They’d made it.

“All rankings are finalized,” Kitazawa concluded ten minutes later. “This semester is officially over. See you next term.”

“Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!”

The chorus echoed across the training ground.

“Another semester already,” Hiruzen murmured thoughtfully.

“Time flies,” Kosuke agreed. “Graduation isn’t far off.”

“Neji, Tenten, and Lee enter their final year next term,” Kurenai noted.

“They’ll probably wait and graduate alongside Sasuke and the others,” Chen speculated.

“We’ll see next year,” Kitazawa said lightly.

After the students dispersed, the instructors lingered.

“If they do graduate,” Hiruzen said with a chuckle, “we’ll need to assign them an elite Jonin.” Their talent deserves nothing less.”

“Guy would be perfect,” Kakashi added.

“Rock Lee especially shouldn’t be separated from him,” Kosuke agreed.

“Next year’s concerns can wait until next year,” Kitazawa smiled. “Thank you for your hard work today. See you tomorrow.”

Winter break began the next day.

Though “break” meant very little for the Genius Class.

Most would continue training anyway.

—

That afternoon, with nothing pressing, Kitazawa practiced Flying Thunder God : Second Step at home.

That night, he enjoyed Kurenai until well past midnight.

The following morning—

Kurenai was still fast asleep, utterly drained.

Kitazawa quietly dressed, left breakfast by her bedside, and vanished in a flicker of space-time.

Flying Thunder God.

He reappeared near the Ninja Academy.

“Kitazawa-sensei!”

Sasuke hurried toward him the moment he arrived.

Dark circles framed his eyes.

He hadn’t slept.

The Mangekyo Sharingan filled his thoughts like a fever.

“Awakening the Mangekyo will be grueling,” Kitazawa warned calmly.

“I’m not afraid of hardship,” Sasuke replied without hesitation.

“Good.”

Kitazawa’s gaze shifted.

“Naruto.”

“Kitazawa-sensei!” Naruto jogged over. “Are we continuing Tailed Beast training today?”

“Mm.”

Kitazawa nodded. “Come with me.”

Sasuke followed immediately.

Naruto didn’t question it. Training together was normal.

Soon, the three stood once more within the Forest of Death.

The air felt heavy.

“Sensei,” Sasuke asked eagerly, “what’s my training?”

Naruto blinked. “Yeah—what about my Tailed Beast training?”

“Simple.”

Kitazawa smiled faintly.

“Sasuke’s training is to fight Naruto.”

“Huh?” Naruto froze.

“Fight Naruto?” Sasuke frowned. “How does that help me awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?”

“Don’t you trust me?” Kitazawa asked mildly.

“I do, but this—”

“In that case,” Kitazawa cut in gently, placing a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, “we begin now.”

Naruto scratched his head. “But what about my Tailed Beast training?”

“Fighting Sasuke is your Tailed Beast training,” Kitazawa replied calmly.

The wind stirred the trees.

Two prodigies stood facing one another again.

“I get it!”

Naruto shouted after a brief pause.

’I absolutely don’t get it.’

Sasuke’s eye twitched. He was completely lost.

“Come on, Sasuke!”

Naruto dashed into the clearing, grinning as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Sasuke shot Kitazawa a questioning glance before drawing the Thunder God Sword.

Lightning crackled.

A violent aura surged upward.

Dark-red Chakra burst from Naruto’s body, swirling like a living storm.

“——?”

Sasuke stiffened.

’This is training?’

’Feels more like I’m about to get slaughtered.’

“Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Naruto roared.

Two thousand Shadow Clones exploded into existence, flooding the forest floor.

Sasuke instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.

The battle began.

It was not close.

From the sidelines, Kitazawa watched Sasuke get overwhelmed and smiled faintly.

On the surface, the method looked ridiculous.

In reality, it was perfectly tailored for him.

Repeated crushing defeat.

Overwhelming pressure.

The desperate desire to catch up.

Combined with the reincarnated bond of Ashura and Indra—

The Mangekyo Sharingan would awaken.

It wasn’t a matter of if.

Only when.

And more importantly—What ability would emerge?

In the original timeline, Sasuke awakened Amaterasu and Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi.

Amaterasu: inextinguishable black flames.

Kagutsuchi: the power to shape and control those flames—an evolved, refined extension.

Pure offense.

The ultimate embodiment of vengeance.

Back then, Sasuke’s heart had burned for revenge. He wanted destructive power strong enough to annihilate anything in his path.

Itachi’s Mangekyo wielded Amaterasu.

Perhaps Sasuke’s Blaze Release was born from the subconscious desire to surpass even his brother.

But now—

There had been no massacre.

No hatred festering in the dark.

His rival was simply Uzumaki Naruto.

The abilities he awakened would inevitably reflect that.

They would not be Amaterasu.

They would not be Kagutsuchi.

What would they be?

Even Kitazawa didn’t know.

He would have to wait.

After observing for a while, Kitazawa formed a hand seal.

A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.

“Your job,” he instructed quietly, “heal him. Restore his Chakra. Erase his fatigue.”

The clone nodded and stepped forward.

Kitazawa vanished.

He reappeared at the gates of the ANBU Base.

“Lord Kitazawa.”

Antelope hurried forward.

“Good timing,” Kitazawa said. “Find Tenzo. Send him to my office.”

“Yes, Lord Kitazawa.”

Antelope bowed and departed.

Kitazawa entered the building and walked upstairs.

He pushed open the office door.

“Kitazawa.”

Konan stood from the sofa and approached.

Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms.

He leaned in and lightly bit the edge of her ear.

Konan shivered.

Her body softened almost instantly.

“Good morning, Konan.”

He smiled, fingers brushing her slender waist before releasing her.

The sudden loss of warmth left her faintly empty, but she quickly masked it and followed him to the desk.

“Tenzo will be here shortly,” Kitazawa said, sitting down.

“Mm.”

Konan slipped her ANBU mask on and stood quietly behind him.

A knock sounded.

“Come in.”

“Lord Kitazawa.”

Tenzo entered, masked.

“Do you know about the Genius Class?” Kitazawa asked.

“I do. Kakashi-senpai teaches there.”

“Would you like to transfer?”

Tenzo hesitated briefly.

“If it is your order, I will go.”

Obedience was second nature—Root and ANBU alike were forged that way.

“Good,” Kitazawa nodded. “Process your discharge today. Then report to Kakashi at the Academy.”

“Yes, Lord Kitazawa.”

Tenzo bowed and left without further words.

Kitazawa had no concerns.

Though Tenzo had once been under Root, his core was steady. The future had already proven that much.

The door closed.

Kitazawa’s hand casually rested on Konan’s thigh.

She startled, then stepped half a pace closer.

His fingers traced slow, deliberate lines along her leg.

Firm from training. Smooth from discipline.

Not fragile softness—but controlled strength.

He looked up at her.

With a gentle tug, he pulled her onto his lap.

Konan sat facing him.

“I’ll be returning to training soon,” Kitazawa said quietly. “Anything urgent?”

“No.”

Her answer came automatically.

His gaze lowered to her lips.

She felt it.

After a brief hesitation, Konan leaned forward.

Their lips met.

Her fingers curled lightly into his collar as she closed her eyes, breathing uneven.

When they parted, she rested briefly against his chest.

“I’ll be in the Forest of Death,” he said. “Come if needed.”

“All right.”

She stood, regaining her usual composure.

Kitazawa watched her cool expression return.

’Next time’, he thought, ’perhaps a little further.’

He rose and left the ANBU Base.

—

Back in the Forest of Death—

The battle was still raging.

Or rather—

It had become a massacre.

Sasuke was drenched in sweat, bruised, barely standing.

Shadow Clones swarmed him relentlessly.

His vision blurred.

His breathing grew ragged.

Kitazawa glanced once, ensuring the clone was sustaining him—

Then stepped aside and resumed practicing the Flying Thunder Go.

If Sasuke wanted power—He would have to claw his way through despair first.

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