"The first round has concluded. The second round will begin after a fifteen-minute break."
Iruka's voice rang clearly across the training ground.
The students dispersed into small groups, the air buzzing with excitement.
"Everyone's training has borne fruit," Hiruzen said with a warm smile, hands clasped behind his back. "Each of them has improved."
"The most dramatic growth," Kosuke added thoughtfully, "is undoubtedly Rock Lee. Ever since learning the Konoha Dragon God, his strength has advanced by leaps and bounds."
Chen gave a modest nod. "That's largely thanks to Gai. He built Lee's taijutsu foundation brick by brick."
They all tacitly avoided mentioning Naruto.
After all, Naruto's progress existed on an entirely different scale.
"When Lee opens the Eight Gates," Kosuke chuckled, "he'll be the next Might Gai. Just imagining it is exciting."
Hatake's eye twitched.
Exciting?
One Gai was enough.
Add Rock Lee—and throw Uzumaki Naruto into the mix—and you'd get a catastrophic explosion of 'youth.'
A forbidden trio.
"It's not just Lee," Hiruzen said, satisfaction evident in his tone. "Every student who entered the second round… is a future pillar of Konoha."
"That's largely Kitazawa's doing," Kosuke sighed. "The Genius Class has more prodigies now than ever before."
Back when he first began teaching the class, its talents were limited to Konoha-born shinobi.
Now?
Kimimaro. Shion. Chino.
Even outsiders were drawn in.
Kitazawa only shrugged. "I've simply done what I could."
In truth, he didn't think they'd reached their peak yet.
Someday, perhaps—
The greatest talents from all five Great Villages would gather in one classroom.
What a sight that would be.
"Assuming no accidents," Kurenai said softly, "everyone who passed into the second round will become a Jonin. Some may even surpass us."
She wasn't being modest.
Despite learning Rasengan, Monster Strength, and even advanced sealing techniques under Kitazawa's guidance—
Her natural ceiling was clear.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji.
The gap was undeniable.
"That's a good thing," Kosuke said calmly. "When students surpass their teachers, it proves the teachers succeeded."
The fifteen-minute break slipped by in animated conversation.
"Second round, first match: Inuzuka Kiba versus Shino Aburame!"
Iruka's announcement snapped everyone's attention back to the field.
"Ah, troublesome…" Kiba groaned, rubbing his head as he stood. "Why'd it have to be Shino?"
"Woof!"
Akamaru barked enthusiastically.
"Tch. You're way too excited," Kiba muttered.
"He's never fought Shino seriously before," Tenten laughed, scratching Akamaru's ears.
"Forget it," Kiba exhaled. "No overthinking. Just go all out."
"That's the spirit!" Naruto shouted, flashing a thumbs-up. "Let your youth blaze, Kiba!"
"Go, Kiba!" Ino and the others cheered.
Kiba grinned, nerves replaced by competitive fire.
He, his shadow clone, and Akamaru strode into the center of the field.
The moment the battle began—
Kiba formed hand seals.
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
"Three-Headed Hellhound!"
The three merged in a burst of smoke.
When it cleared—
A massive, snarling beast with three heads stood in the arena, claws digging into the ground.
Shino adjusted his glasses.
So he's finally using it.
In the first round, Kiba hadn't revealed this.
Shino had wondered whether adding Akamaru would change the structure or output—
But visually, it appeared similar.
The difference lay beneath the surface.
"War Stomp!"
The monstrous hound slammed its front paws down.
BOOM.
The ground quaked violently.
Chunks of earth and stone erupted upward.
"Chakra output increased…" Shino calculated calmly.
Akamaru possessed chakra of his own.
With him integrated, Kiba conserved personal reserves—redirecting them into amplified ninjutsu.
Smart.
But not enough.
Shino raised a hand.
From his sleeves poured a swarm of earth-toned kikaichu—dense, disciplined, forming a living wall.
The debris crashed harmlessly against the insect shield.
Kiba blinked.
"Since when did you have bugs that color?!"
The Hellhound reared back.
"Earth Release: Earth Fang Bullet!"
Three condensed stone bullets formed at its maw and fired like cannon shots.
BOOM!
They slammed into the insect wall—
The swarm trembled.
But did not break.
Shino's expression never changed.
He flicked his wrist.
More earth-colored kikaychus surged forward, reinforcing the structure.
Kiba's eyes widened.
"Even Earth Release can't break through?!"
"These are mutated kikaichu," Shino explained evenly. "They possess Earth Release resistance."
Silence fell.
Kiba stared in disbelief.
Of course.
Shino had already produced fire-resistant kikaichu.
Even water variants.
It was only natural that Earth-type mutations would follow.
Kiba gritted his teeth.
"So that's how it is. …"
Realizing brute force alone wouldn't break through, Kiba made a split-second decision.
"Go!"
The Three-Headed Hellhound lunged forward like a cannonball unleashed.
Its massive frame soared through the air, claws flashing downward with crushing force toward Shino.
Shino didn't retreat.
He bit his thumb.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a burst of smoke, a colossal queen bee materialized—its size rivaling the Hellhound itself. Its wings beat once, stirring violent gusts of wind.
The two titans collided.
Claws scraped against chitin.
Fangs met stingers.
The entire training ground trembled as shockwaves rippled outward.
From a distance, it seemed the Three-Headed Hellhound held a slight edge—raw power pressing forward.
But Shino had never relied on brute force alone.
"Honey Technique."
He moved his fingers subtly.
A swarm of bees surged forward, their abdomens swollen with beeswax.
In the chaos of close combat, the Hellhound instinctively swiped them away—
Too late.
Beeswax splattered across its forelimb, instantly hardening and gluing it in place.
The Queen Bee ascended sharply, tail curling—
A venomous stinger shot forward like a missile.
"Fang Bullet!"
Even partially restrained, the Hellhound reacted swiftly, firing three chakra bullets from its maws.
The stinger shattered midair.
The queen bee banked, dodging the remaining projectiles gracefully.
Then—
The sky darkened.
Around Shino, dense swarms of bees gathered like a living storm.
"Bee Senbon Technique."
In perfect unison, countless bees lifted their tails.
A rain of poisoned stingers descended.
They pierced into the Hellhound's thick fur one after another.
"Woof—!"
A pained howl tore from its throat.
That moment of hesitation was all Shino needed.
The queen bee swooped low, releasing a torrent of beeswax.
This time—
The Three-Headed Hellhound couldn't move at all.
With a burst of smoke—
Kiba and Akamaru were forced out of fusion, both stuck to the ground in humiliating fashion, arms and paws glued tightly.
The battlefield fell silent.
Shino walked forward calmly and began removing the hardened wax.
"I concede," Kiba muttered bitterly.
"Winner: Shino Aburame."
Iruka's voice rang out clearly.
"Does Shino have five types of mutated kikaichu now?" Ino asked Shikamaru, eyes wide.
"Seems like it," Shikamaru replied thoughtfully. "Give him time—he'll probably develop Yin and Yang variants too."
"Those insects are outrageous…" Sakura muttered.
"Limited," Sasuke said coolly.
He had seen Shino's fire-resistant kikaichu.
They weren't immune—only resistant for three to five seconds. Against high-level Fire Release, they'd barely survive a second.
"For you, maybe," Ino shot back. "For the rest of us? That's terrifying."
Chino nodded quietly.
The longer she stayed in the Genius Class, the more she realized something humbling—
Her Ketsuryugan wasn't enough to guarantee dominance.
She couldn't even break into the top ten.
This class… was monstrous.
"Second round, second match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Nara Shikamaru!"
Iruka's announcement cut through the chatter.
Shikamaru sighed heavily.
"My luck's terrible."
"To last a few more seconds is already a victory," Ino encouraged.
"Just don't get hurt," Choji added kindly.
Shikamaru opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Troublesome.
He stepped into the arena.
Across from him, Sasuke approached with an unreadable expression.
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun to life immediately.
He wouldn't risk falling into the Nara Clan's Shadow Technique.
But shadow manipulation wasn't invisible—it traveled through shadows.
Sasuke's plan was simple.
Track Shikamaru's shadow at all times.
"Shadow Imitation Shuriken!"
Shikamaru moved first, already anticipating Sasuke's caution.
Six shuriken flew out.
Sasuke responded in kind—six of his own.
With deft wrist control, he redirected them midair. Two suddenly accelerated toward Shikamaru.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue inwardly.
His setup was dismantled before it even formed.
He vanished—replaced by a drifting leaf.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke's seals were instantaneous.
A roaring fireball chased the leaf across the sky.
Shikamaru's pulse quickened.
He poured chakra into his feet and sprinted forward mid-air, narrowly evading the inferno.
Then—
A piercing bird cry echoed.
Lightning erupted around Sasuke's body.
Shikamaru landed in the shadow of a large tree near the edge of the field.
Sasuke immediately flickered toward him.
Danger screamed through Shikamaru's instincts.
Now.
"Shadow Exchange Jutsu!"
His body vanished.
Sasuke halted sharply, lightning crackling around him.
His Sharingan scanned the area—
Nothing.
"Since when did Shikamaru learn that?" Kiba asked, scratching his head.
"That's Shadow Exchange Jutsu," Ino declared proudly. "Created by Kitazawa-sensei!"
"Then why didn't he use it before?" Sakura asked.
"He just mastered it recently."
Sakura nodded, scanning the arena. "But where did he go?"
"Tree shadow," Neji said calmly, activating his Byakugan.
Shikamaru was hiding within his own shadow—concealed beneath the larger shadow of the tree.
A blind spot.
"He can't stay hidden forever," Yakumo murmured.
As expected—
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
A dark tendril surged outward from beneath the tree.
Sasuke's eyes flashed.
"So that's where you were."
He leapt upward instantly.
Lightning burst outward in a sphere around him.
"I surrender!"
Shikamaru shouted without hesitation.
Kitazawa flashed into the field, pulling him out of the lightning's reach just in time.
The crackling chakra dissipated.
"Winner: Uchiha Sasuke."
Iruka announced firmly.
"That new Shadow Technique is impressive," Hiruzen commented thoughtfully.
"Kitazawa's talent for creating ninjutsu rivals even the Second Hokage." Kosuke nodded.
"And more importantly," Chen added with a smile, "his techniques benefit entire clans."
At the edge of the field, Kitazawa said nothing.
But inwardly—
He was already watching the next match.
The real storms were still to come.
Kakashi found himself thinking of Lightning Release: Kirin and Lightning Release: Chidori.
The former had been born from Kitazawa's inspiration.
The latter—originally Kakashi's proud creation—had been refined and expanded by Kitazawa into Lightning Release: Chidori Nagashi and several other terrifying variants.
When it came to creating or modifying Ninjutsu, very few in the shinobi world could rival him.
"This proves Kitazawa has a profound understanding of all Seven Nature Transformations,"
Hiruzen said with a pleased smile.
If he had to choose Konoha's future successor, he wouldn't hesitate for even a second.
Unfortunately—
Kitazawa, like Uzumaki Naruto, possessed too much talent.
Teaching them felt less like passing down wisdom… and more like adding gold leaf to pure gold.
Kurenai remained silent.
But the pride in her eyes was unmistakable.
After all—
That was her man.
"Second Round, Third Match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Rock Lee!"
Iruka's voice rang out once more.
"Lee, huh?!" Naruto's eyes lit up instantly.
"Naruto!" Lee clenched his fists, brimming with passion. "Let us ignite a battle of blazing youth!"
"Bring it on!" Naruto shouted back. "Let our youth explode!"
The two charged onto the field like they'd been injected with adrenaline.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Naruto didn't even use Shadow Clones.
He rushed forward and met Lee head-on in pure Taijutsu.
Leaf Whirlwind.
Leave Great Whirlwind.
Leaf Hurricane.
Kicks and fists blurred through the air as shockwaves rippled across the ground.
"Both are extremely proficient in Taijutsu," Hiruzen observed approvingly.
"But Naruto's physical strength gives him a clear edge," Chen noted.
Kosuke stroked his chin. "The outcome will likely be decided by the Konoha Dragon God."
No one debated who would win.
They already knew.
After nearly half an hour of relentless close combat—
Rock Lee, drenched in sweat, shouted:
"Naruto! It's time to unleash the ultimate flame of youth—the Konoha Dragon God!"
"KONOHA DRAGON GOD!"
Naruto raised his arms and began spinning.
Lee followed.
Two emerald tornadoes erupted on the field.
The ground cracked.
The wind roared.
To Kitazawa, it looked absurdly similar to Beyblades from another lifetime—except these tops could level buildings.
The twin green dragons clashed violently.
Shockwaves blasted outward.
But—
Naruto's dragon gradually pushed forward.
Less than thirty seconds later, Lee's rotation faltered.
His form broke.
He stumbled out of the spin, collapsing to one knee.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto."
Iruka wiped sweat from his forehead.
Before Lee mastered Konoha Dragon God, Iruka had believed he still stood a chance in a fight.
Afterward?
Not even remotely.
He even began to doubt whether he could rank in the top twenty of the Genius class anymore.
Kitazawa watched quietly.
Lee had truly reversed his fate.
Before, his hard work had been constrained by Taijutsu's limitations.
Now—
He had a weapon worthy of his effort.
"The second round is over! After a fifteen-minute break, we enter the third round!"
By the time the break began, fewer than ten students remained.
Each one—
A monster.
In other villages, producing even one of them would be considered a miracle.
"Iruka," Kitazawa said calmly, stepping forward. "I'll oversee the third round."
Iruka blinked, then nodded.
He understood.
The intensity would rise sharply now.
And if something went wrong—
He wouldn't be able to stop it.
"The referee changed to Kitazawa-sensei?" Ino's eyes sparkled.
"Seems so," Shikamaru muttered, suspicious.
For a moment, he wondered if Kitazawa was about to manipulate the bracket.
…Then dismissed the thought.
"In the end, it doesn't matter who the referee is," Kiba said casually.
"Oh, it matters," Ino replied with a sly smile. "If it's Kitazawa-sensei watching, I'll definitely fight harder."
"Why?" Tayuya asked, confused.
"Because he taught us so much Ninjutsu! We have to prove ourselves!"
Ino clenched her fists.
Tayuya rolled her eyes—but couldn't entirely disagree.
Losing in front of Kitazawa would be humiliating.
Hinata nodded quietly.
She felt the same.
"Ino's right!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "I'll show Kitazawa-sensei the results of my special training!"
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
Special training?
What exactly had Naruto been doing all this time in the Forest of Death?
He would find out soon enough.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Silence fell.
Kitazawa reached into the draw box.
Under dozens of tense gazes, he pulled out two slips.
He smiled faintly.
"Third Round, First Match—Uchiha Sasuke versus Uzumaki Naruto."
A ripple ran through the field.
"YES!" Naruto pumped his fist.
Sasuke slowly exhaled.
So it begins.
He would finally see what Naruto had gained.
Was it something even more absurd than Shadow Clones plus Konoha Dragon God?
"Only Naruto would be happy drawing Sasuke," Kiba muttered.
"Woof!" Akamaru barked.
"See? Even Akamaru agrees," Tenten teased.
"You understand him?" Ino asked.
"No," Tenten grinned. "I'm guessing."
"Sasuke-kun, do your best!" Sakura cheered, fists raised.
Before she could say anything more jinx-worthy, Sasuke stepped into the center of the field.
Naruto faced him.
"Sasuke… I can feel it—"
Sasuke didn't let him finish.
The Thunder God Sword slid into his hand.
Lightning flooded the blade.
With a single swing—
A blinding arc of electricity tore through the air.
Naruto's expression shifted instantly.
He grabbed Samehada and swung with full force.
Chains snapped taut.
Samehada flew forward and devoured the lightning mid-flight like a starving beast.
The battlefield fell silent.
The real match had begun.
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