In the clearing,Iruka's voice resonated
"Today's taijutsu exam will evaluate your physical prowess, agility, and ability to adapt to various challenges,ending it with fighting. Mizuki-sensei and I will observe each of you closely."
Mizuki, with a stern expression, added
"This is not just about raw strength; it's about finesse and versatility,you must focus and give your best,your marks depend on it"
Iruka clapped his hand,gathering the attention of the students,adding
"In this portion of the exam, you will be tested on various aspects crucial for a shinobi. We'll assess your accuracy with weapons in target practice. Your endurance and agility in navigating the various parcours zones. Your evasion and reaction skills,with tools designed for that.Your ability to find yourself in unfamilliar terrain,Ending with your proficiency in taijutsu—hand-to-hand combat"
with that,setting the stage for a comprehensive evaluation of their physical prowess.
"Your first challenge is gonna be the Accuracy test "pointing toward the wood blocks, each displaying targets for shuriken and kunai " Iruka explained.
"Each one of you will take turns throwing their shuriken and kunai at the targets. Please pay attention to your form,focus, and aim."
Iruka called out each student's name one by one, closely observing their throwing techniques. He gave constructive feedback, frowning at those who struggled and offering praise words to those who excelled.
When it was Sasuke's turn, the Uchiha prodigy showcased remarkable precision and speed, hitting every target with ease. Iruka nodded approvingly, acknowledging Sasuke's impressive performance.
sasuke,not particularly impressed by his own performance,only gave a blank stare.
Finally, he called out Naruto's name. The atmosphere changed as all eyes turned to Naruto. Some students exchanged knowing glances, anticipating a less-than-stellar performance.
Naruto took a deep breath, feeling the weight of expectations on his shoulders. As he stepped forward, determination fueled his movements. The clearing fell silent as Naruto focused on the targets ahead. Iruka watched closely, hoping to see a glimpse of improvement from the young ninja.
Naruto, sensing the weight of the stares and the low expectations surrounding him, was determined to prove himself. With a mix of focus and resolve, he started throwing kunai at the targets one by one. Although he didn't hit the bull's eyes, he managed to land each kunai successfully. The sad gazes of those secretly hoping for his failure contrasted with Iruka's pleased expression, recognizing Naruto's evident progress.
As Naruto kept launching the kunai one after another, Iruka couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his student's progress. Sakura whispered to Ino
"Do you think Naruto is actually improving?"
Ino smirked and replied, "Well, let's not get too excited. He's probably just lucky this time ".
Shikamaru, leaning against a tree,seeing Naruto's face,felt the coming of something, mumbled to Choji, "I feel something troublesome coming.."
Naruto,excited by his success, fueled by the desire to outshine Sasuke, hastily launched the remaining kunai in an attempt to impress everyone. However, the result was far from impressive. The kunai wildly veered off course, causing chaos in the training area. Some of them came dangerously close to Iruka and the other students, eliciting a mix of anger and panic.
Iruka, frustrated by Naruto's recklessness, dodged a kunai with impressive agility. He barked
"Naruto, what are you doing? Stop it !"
The rest of the class, initially panicked by Naruto's bold move, now found themselves caught between laughter and concern for their safety.
Sasuke, standing alone amidst his classmate, rolled his eyes and muttered, "Idiot,"
Sakura seeing the reckless act,face palmed, seeing how Naruto's attempt had backfired spectacularly.
Shikamaru, watching the chaos unfold, remarked to Choji
"I told you this would be troublesome."
Ino hearing them couldn't help but giggle, finding the situation both entertaining and absurd.
Amidst the laughter, Hinata cast a worried glance at Naruto, silently hoping he wouldn't get into too much trouble.
Kiba,near her,already rolling in the earth,his laughs loud,while Shino,face hidden by his coat,just watching.only the sound of his insects buzzing betraying his amusement.
Mizuki, in the background, maintained a blank expression, seemingly unaffected by the spectacle unfolding before him.
Naruto, recognizing the gravity of his mistake, sheepishly muttered
"dammit" as he faced Iruka's scolding.
''Naruto! What do you think you're doing? You can't just throw all your kunai recklessly like that!''
Naruto's face ,now flushed with embarrassment, acknowledging the consequences of his impulsive action,stood in silence. his hand behind his head,a sheepish smile on his face.
The class, now a mix of laughter and sympathy, watched as Naruto took the reprimand in a surprising earnest manner.
Iruka, although visibly frustrated, took a moment to calm down. He sternly warned Naruto about the importance of restraint and awareness of his limits. Despite the chaos, Iruka recognized Naruto's sincere admittance to his mistake and the efforts he made in his training. Still In a begrudging manner, Iruka assigned Naruto a passable grade for the throwing portion, a stark contrast to Sasuke's flawless performance.
As Iruka moved on to the next phase of the exam, Naruto vowed to iruka to do better in the next part.
Iruka then led the students to a room inside the academy near the training ground, where intricate machines were set up in advance.
Mizuki, positioned inside a control room nearby, signaled his readiness with a confirming gesture.
Iruka faced the students,told them
"as you can see,we will be using those machines facing you for the next phase of the exam. "
"Here, you'll be testing your throwing skills against moving targets. These targets will appear at varying speeds and locations, In the battlefield, you won't always have the luxury of a still target."
The students nodded, recognizing the significance of this phase in simulating real-world scenarios. Excited, eager to prove themself, listened intently.
Iruka,seeing them focusing on his words,continued
"Mizuki will control the targets from the control room. Pay close attention and watch me give you an example "
Mizuki, stationed in the control room, gave a small nod, ready to challenge the students with dynamic moving targets.
Iruka signaled for the first set of targets to appear.
Targets began to emerge, darting across the clearing with unpredictable trajectories.
Iruka, swiftly adjusted, launching his projectiles at the moving challenges. Naruto, remembering the lesson from the earlier stationary target phase, focused on iruka movements.
Mizuki,seeing iruka at ease,nodded to himself and decided to add more speed. The moving targets increased in complexity, varying in speed and direction. Iruka showcased his adaptability, his refined aim and excellent timing to meet the dynamic challenge,showing that he perfectly mastered the basics of weapon throwing.
Mizuki,watching him with cold eyes,thought to himself
'as expected of a teacher personally endorsed by the third hokage ' clearly not caring or recognising the efforts made by iruka at keeping his skills sharp.
Iruka, done with the demonstration, felt satisfaction in being able to keep his skills sharp,even after being assigned to the academy teaching for past years.
Mizuki, concealing his true sentiments, adopted a friendly expression seeing iruka looking in his direction, ostensibly acknowledging his colleague's instructional skills. Iruka then addressed the students, preparing to call them forward individually.
" Alright, I hope it was enough for you.let's continue with the evaluations. First up, Ami…"
Ami, one of the students, stepped forward,looking a bit nervous, ready to face the next part of the examination. The room remained tense as each student awaited their turn, determined to showcase their abilities.
As Sasuke's turn approached, the entire clearing burst into life. The girls erupted in cheers. The boys,seeing this,couldn't conceal their jealousy,their eyes looking on fire,wishing it could burn Sasuke alive.Sasuke,unfazed by the attention, delivered a flawless performance.
Iruka,watching sasuke performance,could only admit sasuke skills was better than himself.
acknowledging the Uchiha clan's renowned reputation for their fierce warriors and exceptional weapon skills, noted Sasuke's proficiency with utmost approval.
writing a note on the marge to ask the hokage into giving sasuke more opportunities to develop his talent,he turned to his list,ready to call the next personne
Ignoring the cheers around him, Sasuke calmly returned to his place, only to catch Naruto's irritated gaze. Sasuke, with a disdainful smirk, casually started a conversation with naruto "what are you looking at,idiot ?"
This sparked a fiery reaction from Naruto, who couldn't contain his frustration, shouting loudly at sasuke to the ire of the girls
"You bastard... I'll do even better! I'll show you!"
Receiving a scolding from sasuke little fans,he ignored them them,His fists clenched tightly, determination burning in his eyes.
Iruka,sensing the tension, immediately told them to be quiet
"we are holding an important event,behave yourself "
Calling out for Naruto name,the latter stepped forward, determined to prove himself.
Naruto initially touching all the targets with decent precision. losing some at quicker speed,he was having good results.
However, Mizuki, in the control room, wearing a cold expression, began increasing the difficulty unexpectedly,far above the normal level.
Panic began to set in for Naruto as the targets started moving faster, becoming more challenging to hit,to the latter surprise,sensing he was losing control.
Iruka, sensing the abrupt change, turned his attention to Mizuki. The latter maintaining an impassive expression.
Frowning in confusion,he decided to ask him later about it. Iruka decided to intervene, having pity on his student,told him
"Alright, enough. It's a pass." Getting a sigh of relief from his student. then a cheerful cry of hapiness.
Despite the unexpected difficulty, Naruto managed to meet the criteria for success.
As Naruto's classmates, oblivious to the behind-the-scenes tension, started mocking him for nearly failing what seemed like an easy test.
Shikamaru, the observant one, muttered that Naruto might be in trouble soon.
"Look like someone is up to no good.." His eyes were half-closed, displaying a level of alertness that was more evident than before.
Choji, momentarily pausing his chip consumption, asked Shikamaru if he said something. Shikamaru responded by expressing his joy in being Choji's best buddy.
"Nothing buddy,Glad to be friend "
Choji, delighted, eyes forming crescent moons, happily offered him the last chip in the packet.
"have the last chips ",a gesture with a profond meaning from someone like Choji.
Meanwhile, Sasuke observed Mizuki with cold and calculating eyes, his thoughts concealed behind a mask of indifference.
Iruka smoothly continued calling out each of the resting student's names, the process now devoid of any unexpected surprises. The students showcased a range of skills, some performing exceptionally well while others barely meeting the criteria for a pass. The atmosphere now shifted from tension to routine as this portion of the exam progressed seamlessly.