Chapter 80: Chapter 80

“I won!”

Sakura beamed, her voice bursting with excitement.

“You managed to get ahead of me. Congrats, Sakura.”

Ino smiled graciously, her tone sincere. She had always been a good sport—and since the winner was her best friend, offering heartfelt congratulations came naturally.

“Sasuke-kun!”

Sakura practically floated toward Sasuke, as light and gleeful as a butterfly.

Ino couldn’t help but shake her head.

Some things never changed.

No matter how much Sakura trained or matured, the moment she saw a handsome guy—especially that guy—she instantly reverted to her fangirl ways.

“It was… barely acceptable.”

Sasuke muttered as Sakura approached him, clearly fishing for praise. For a moment, he saw a reflection of his younger self in her determination and decided to toss her a crumb.

“Eh?”

Sakura’s eyes went wide.

’Did Sasuke-kun just compliment me?’

Stars sparkled in her eyes. She looked ready to leap on him like Naruto often did—except this time with more hearts than heroism.

Sasuke sensed imminent danger and quickly put distance between them.

“Great job, Sakura!”

Naruto and the rest of Class 1A gathered around to celebrate.

Their class once again entered a wave of jubilation. To defeat the second-years—twice—despite being younger and less experienced, felt like something out of a dream.

Yet they all knew who the true architect behind their victory was.

Almost in unison, they glanced at Kitazawa.

“How… how could this happen?”

Mizuki staggered back, the blow to his pride landing hard.

Neji—supposedly unbeatable—had lost again. Mizuki’s disbelief was so intense it twisted into bitterness.

’So much for a prodigy. You always act so powerful, but at the crucial moment, you choke?’

“Ino’s chakra control has reached this level?”

Shikaku murmured, visibly impressed.

“She might be ready to learn the Yamanaka clan’s secret Jutsu—the Mind Body Switch.”

Mentioning clan Jutsus inevitably brought his thoughts to his own son.

Shikamaru had the intellect and natural talent. The problem?

He was too smart to care. So lazy that his mother had to drag him to class.

“Inoichi’s got a solid heir.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, agreeing. But his thoughts were elsewhere—on Sakura.

Unlike Ino, Sakura didn’t come from a ninja clan. She was a civilian.

For a non-clan child to have such refined Chakra control at this age—it was no small feat.

And as Hokage, Hiruzen always had a soft spot for civilian ninjas. They didn’t just serve the village—they belonged to it.

Unlike some clan members…

Especially the Uchiha.

“She’s simply worked harder than most.”

Shikaku sighed. “Shikamaru only trains when his mom threatens him.”

“I might have a solution.”

Hiruzen’s eyes shifted toward Kitazawa. “What if we asked him to tutor Shikamaru?”

Shikaku blinked. At first, it seemed unnecessary—Kitazawa already taught his son at school.

But then he realized: the Hokage meant special training.

Under Kitazawa’s intense program, Ino and the others had transformed. Shikamaru hadn’t participated at all.

A private mentorship… might actually work.

“I’ll speak to him about it.”

Shikaku said after a thoughtful pause.

As a father, he respected Shikamaru’s choices—but deep down, he still hoped his son could become something greater.

Maybe Kitazawa could spark that change.

“The second event—Class 1A wins!”

Hiruzen announced, his voice firm and official.

Compared to the cheers from the first-years, the second-years stood in tense silence.

They had entered the match with a year’s worth of training and confidence, aiming for a clean sweep.

Now, with two back-to-back losses, the mood had completely soured.

“The real decider is the final event—actual combat.”

Mizuki said, attempting to rally morale.

“They’ve only beaten us in gimmick games.”

He was trying to convince his students… and himself.

Neji’s clenched fists loosened slightly. His pride still smarted, but his warrior’s heart burned stronger.

He still believed in strength above all—and losing twice was a humiliation he couldn’t tolerate.

But if he defeated Sasuke in the final round, then maybe… just maybe, he could salvage this.

“The third event—Physical Endurance!”

Kitazawa announced once the break ended.

“There’s only one rule: the last one still running wins.”

Most endurance tests involved running a set number of laps.

But Kitazawa had changed the rules—he didn’t want speed to be the only deciding factor.

He worried Naruto wouldn’t be able to keep up with Neji in a sprint, so endurance would level the playing field.

Mizuki, confident in Neji’s strength, hadn’t altered the rules at all—and now they were paying the price.

Still, the competition wasn’t over.

“Just run like you’re in regular training. Don’t pressure yourselves too much.”

Kitazawa reminded his class gently.

“Don’t worry, sensei!”

Naruto grinned, brimming with confidence. “I’ll come in first this time too!”

“The opponent is Neji—don’t get cocky.”

Kiba nudged him.

But this time, instead of picking a fight, he was focused. Now was the time to unite as a team.

“Why’s everyone only worried about Neji?”

Naruto scratched his head. “I think Rock Lee’s a serious threat too.”

He had trained alongside Lee and knew firsthand how intense the boy could be.

In sheer effort and youthful passion, Lee matched him step for step.

“Who’s Lee?”

Kiba asked, puzzled.

“Rock Lee,”

Naruto replied, pointing to the boy in the unmistakable green jumpsuit.

Kiba blinked in realization.

“Naruto!”

Rock Lee noticed them and immediately stood to greet his rival.

The sudden shout broke the tension and drew the attention of all of Second Year Class A.

In a moment of brooding silence, the appearance of two loud, energetic, and completely different kids felt like someone had thrown open a window.

“Lee!”

Naruto gave him a dramatic thumbs-up.

“For youth!”

“For youth!”

Lee responded with a fiery gleam in his eyes.

“I won’t lose to you in this test!”

“These two are hopeless.”

Tenten sighed, rubbing her temples.

Neji wanted to scoff—but stopped himself.

Lee challenged him often but had never won once.

And Naruto? He mostly played around. No real threat.

Neji’s eyes locked on Sasuke.

That was his true rival—the top student of Class A. The one he had to defeat.

“Ready!”

Kitazawa’s voice rang out loud and clear.

All the students immediately dropped into position.

The moment he gave the signal, they sprang forward like arrows released from a bow.

At the front was Neji, leading the pack with Sasuke, Naruto, and Lee close behind.

“Kitazawa,” Mizuki called out, striding over with a curious expression. “Why is there a student in your class who hasn’t participated in any of the events?”

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

“She’s not feeling well today,” Kitazawa replied calmly.

Her genjutsu was formless, and her physical endurance wasn’t the best due to her condition—so she was excused from the chakra control and physical tests.

“I see,” Mizuki muttered, shooting Yakumo a quick glance before losing interest.

She wasn’t on his radar—she hadn’t ranked among the top ten students, which meant she wasn’t a threat.

Time ticked by.

After fifty laps, more than half the students had dropped out. Fewer than ten remained.

At the front, Neji still held the lead.

“This one’s in the bag!” Mizuki said, finally letting out a breath of relief.

“Don’t speak too soon,” Kurenai chimed in unexpectedly.

Mizuki blinked in surprise.

What’s with her?

Why was she siding with Kitazawa?

“She’s right,” Kitazawa said with a small smile, naturally supporting his girlfriend.

Kurenai’s lips curved into a warm smile in response.

“???”

Mizuki suddenly felt a sting in his chest.

’Wait a second… are they together?’

’You bastard!’ Mizuki cursed silently.

You actually managed to win over Kurenai Yuhi?

Even though Mizuki had a girlfriend of his own, he couldn’t help feeling envious. Kurenai was not only one of Konoha’s most beautiful kunoichi, but her Genjutsu prowess was also widely respected.

Why would she fall for him?

“Neji’s going to win,” Mizuki muttered through clenched teeth.

If the Third Hokage weren’t standing nearby, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress the wave of killing intent welling up inside him.

This guy… this damn Kitazawa—he’s stolen all the spotlight!

Kurenai’s expression subtly shifted.

She could sense Mizuki’s emotions clearly.

But then again, envy only follows the truly outstanding.

Her smile deepened. She had no regrets about her choice.

When the lap count hit eighty, only five students remained: Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Lee, and Kiba.

“What is happening?” Mizuki muttered, his vision swimming.

Wasn’t this just like the previous event?

Two students from Second Year Class A and three from First Year.

It defied all logic.

He had imagined a landslide victory for his class—dominating all ten top spots.

After all, they had an entire year of extra training.

But not only were they being matched, they were being outperformed.

It made Mizuki question his teaching abilities. Was he really that far behind Kitazawa?

Maybe organizing this “friendly” match was a huge mistake.

“I—I can’t… go on. You guys keep going,” Kiba finally stumbled off the track and collapsed onto the ground.

Neji wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression grim.

Both Naruto and Lee were still going strong. The pressure was intense.

“Lee!” Naruto wheezed. “What a passionate battle of youth!”

“Y-Youth… should burn like this!” Lee cried, even more winded than Naruto but still determined.

Sasuke felt his confidence slipping.

What was with these monsters?

After another lap, his body gave in. He dropped out without a word.

Neji, too, was nearing his limit.

Then, suddenly—

“Burn, youth! HAA!” Naruto let out a yell and exploded forward, accelerating out of nowhere.

“A sight full of youth!” Lee stopped in his tracks, eyes brimming with tears. “I’ve got nothing left to give!”

With that, he dropped out, snot and tears running freely.

Neji felt dread settle over him.

What is this guy made of?

How did Naruto still have this much stamina?

He gritted his teeth and tried to keep up.

But Naruto turned his head mid-sprint, flashed him a thumbs up, and pushed even harder.

Neji faltered.

His lungs were on fire. His legs felt like lead.

He couldn’t keep up.

With a heavy heart, he finally stopped—completely spent.

Silence fell across the training ground.

Everyone was stunned.

Naruto… had won.

Again.

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