Chapter 15: Shurikenjutsu Test
After leaving the academy, Naruto and Sasuke returned home, their minds set on a well-deserved break. They'd both been training nonstop since arriving in this world, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit.
They had agreed that a few days of rest was needed—no jutsu, no shuriken, just to let their muscles recover.
The next morning arrived swiftly, and Naruto and Sasuke met again at the academy, refreshed but with a hint of excitement in the air.
As they walked into their classroom, they saw students already seated and chattering about the upcoming test. Today was the practical portion of their exam: shurikenjutsu. They quickly took their seats.
The conversations gradually grew louder, and it wasn't long before Sakura's voice rose above the noise, her face glowing with admiration as she sat beside Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun is definitely going to top this test!" Sakura announced, clasping her hands and sighing dreamily about Sasuke.
Ino, never one to be outdone, sat on the other side of Sasuke and joined in. "Of course he is! Sasuke-kun's the best at practical tests!" She had a fawning look on her face. Similarly, a few other girls in the room gathered around Sasuke's seat, their voices filled with admiration as they heaped praises on his talent and skill.
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched slightly at the growing chorus of flattery. He tried to ignore them, his gaze fixed forward, but the attention was hard to escape. Naruto, seated a few rows behind him, couldn't help but grin at Sasuke's discomfort.
Meanwhile, Hinata, who had been watching Naruto with a curious but nervous expression, finally gathered the courage to speak. Leaning toward him, she asked shyly, "Naruto-kun… do you think you'll do well in shurikenjutsu?"
Naruto turned to her, touched by her concern. Hinata's cheeks turned a soft pink, remembering Naruto's previous performances in practical tests. She'd often seen his kunai and shuriken miss the target by a wide margin, sometimes even flying off in completely unintended directions.
She added hesitantly, "Last time, you… um, almost hit other students instead of the target…"
Naruto chuckled, scratching his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I know! But I've been practicing a lot these past few days, so it's no problem. I think I've got it this time!"
Hinata's eyes brightened, and she gave him an encouraging nod. "I believe in you, Naruto-kun!"
Naruto grinned, her words giving him a boost of confidence.
In the midst of the chatter, Shino leaned over to Kiba. "Are you confident about passing this test?" he asked calmly, his voice measured.
Kiba shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms. "I didn't practice, but I'll be fine," he replied with a smirk. "I mean, it's not like I'll be last. That's always Naruto's spot—I'll just be second last," he joked, chuckling to himself.
Shino sighed, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses, but the slight tilt of his head showed his disapproval.
Just then, Iruka-sensei entered the classroom, calling the students to order. "Alright, everyone, we'll be heading to the academy training grounds for the practical portion of your exams."
The class followed Iruka-sensei out of the room, the air buzzing with excitement. Once they reached the training grounds, Iruka gathered them in a semi-circle, his expression serious but encouraging.
"Each of you will be given ten kunai," he began, holding up a small stack of the throwing knives. "Your task is to hit the target with each one. It doesn't have to be a bullseye, but it must at least land on the target board—even the corners count."
Compared to the written test, the students seemed far more comfortable with this practical challenge. The tension from the day before had eased, and a few students even exchanged confident grins.
One by one, Iruka-sensei handed each student ten kunai. They clutched them eagerly, anticipation building as they awaited their turn. The chatter picked up, with students discussing techniques and favorite kunai-throwing tips. Many of them felt more at ease—after all, throwing kunai felt a lot simpler than written test and reading test.
Naruto clutched his kunai, feeling a surge of determination. Nearby, Sasuke held his kunai with practiced ease, his expression focused and serious.
Iruka-sensei called out, "Naruto, you're up first!"
Naruto took a deep breath and walked confidently to his position in front of the target. Twenty meters wasn't an easy distance, but he'd prepared for this. He took a kunai from his pouch, spinning it smoothly between his fingers.
Iruka raised an eyebrow, impressed by Naruto's newfound control. 'Looks like Naruto's practice is bearing fruits,' he thought, noting the skillful way Naruto handled the kunai.
Naruto's classmates watched curiously, half-expecting him to miss wildly. But Naruto was calm. With a focused gaze, he took aim and threw his first kunai. It soared through the air, striking the target dead-center in the bullseye. The crowd fell silent, mouths open in shock.
Before the students could even register what they'd seen, Naruto threw his second kunai, then a third, each one landing in the bullseye with pinpoint precision.
Without hesitation, Naruto continued, firing off each kunai in quick succession, his focus unwavering. By the time the last kunai struck the target, a perfect cluster of ten kunai filled the bullseye, all arranged with near-perfect accuracy.
Iruka-sensei's eyes remained wide as he processed Naruto's flawless performance. 'Just how much did Naruto practice these past ten days?' he wondered, still amazed by Naruto's newfound accuracy and control.
On the sidelines, Sasuke watched with his usual calm expression, unphased. He knew Naruto's skill well; they'd trained side by side, pushing each other relentlessly. But for their classmates, Naruto's improvement was shocking.
Sakura gaped at Naruto, unable to believe what she had just seen. "Wait… was that really Naruto? Did someone use a Transformation Jutsu to look like him and take his place?"
Ino glanced at Sakura, equally puzzled. "I mean, that can't be Naruto, right? Last time, he couldn't even hit the board, let alone the bullseye!"
But before their questions spread, Shikamaru lazily cut in. "Don't be ridiculous. If someone was using Transformation Jutsu, Iruka-sensei would've caught it immediately." He leaned back, arms crossed, observing Naruto thoughtfully. 'How did he improve this much?' he wondered, remembering Naruto's chaotic kunai-throwing from just days before.
Kiba slumped slightly, watching Naruto with a look of dread. "Great, now I'm probably going to end up last," he muttered. Shino, standing beside him, gave a small sigh. "This is what happens when you don't practice, Kiba."
Kiba looked a bit downcast, but Akamaru barked encouragingly from his spot on Kiba's shoulder. Kiba smiled, patting his little companion. "Thanks, Akamaru. I'll be fine, I guess."
Meanwhile, Hinata watched Naruto, a soft smile on her face. 'Naruto-kun has improved so much…' she thought, feeling a quiet pride in his accomplishment.
Naruto, catching sight of everyone's reactions, couldn't help but grin even wider. He loved the surprised expressions on their faces — finally, they were looking at him with something other than doubt or dismissal.
Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, calling the next student. "Kiba, step up."
Kiba took a deep breath, stepping up to the line. With Akamaru barking in encouragement, he threw his kunai, but out of ten, only two managed to hit the target, and none came close to the bullseye. The class collectively sighed in relief, realizing that not everyone was going to pull off a feat like Naruto's.
One by one, Iruka-sensei continued calling up the students. Most were hitting a few kunai on the target, while a handful struggled to make any hits on bullseye. As each student took their turn, the initial excitement began to settle, replaced by focused determination.
Sakura managed to hit all ten kunai on the target, but only three landed on the bullseye. She looked pleased with herself, glancing at Sasuke to see if he noticed, but he remained focused on his turn.
Next up, Shino approached calmly, managing to hit five kunai on the bullseye and the rest on target, showing his practiced control.
Shikamaru, looking a bit disinterested, still managed to hit all ten kunai on the target, with four close to the bullseye. Ino and Choji both landed all their kunai within the target area but didn't manage to hit the bullseye.
Hinata cheered herself on, wanting to do her best in front of Naruto. She managed to hit six kunai on the bullseye, with the rest landing on the target.
Finally, it was Sasuke's turn. The class quieted, and all eyes focused intently on him as he stepped up. Sakura and Ino cheered excitedly, their voices rising above the whispers.
Sasuke took ten kunai, skillfully arranging them between his fingers, five in each hand. With a steady breath, he threw all ten kunai in a single, swift motion. The kunai sliced through the air with incredible precision and speed, and each one struck the bullseye, creating a perfect circle of hits.
The class erupted into stunned silence, followed by whispers of admiration. Even Iruka-sensei couldn't hide his astonishment. "Sasuke... excellent work."
The girls instantly erupted, their voices blending together in excitement. "Sasuke-kun! You're amazing!" they cheered, each one caught in admiration. Sakura and Ino practically launched themselves toward Sasuke, both beaming with pride.
"Sasuke, that was excellent!" Sakura gushed, her eyes shining. "You always pull off moves like no one else can!"
Ino nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's no surprise you're at the top, Sasuke-kun!"
Amid the excitement, Shikamaru and a few others were still processing the skill Sasuke had just displayed, murmuring in disbelief.
Naruto, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, 'It was a show-off move for sure.' He knew he could pull off the same move if he wanted to—he'd practiced long enough to manage it. But he felt it was a bit much, a bit too flashy.
As Sasuke walked back from the target, he approached Naruto, a confident look on his face. "One-zero-one. Looks like I won this round," he remarked casually, flashing a rare grin.
Their first taijutsu spar had ended in a tie, and now, with Sasuke landing every kunai dead-center in spectacular fashion, secured a win.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, looking at Sasuke with a half-amused expression. "Why are we even counting this stuff, anyway?" he asked.
Sasuke crossed his arms, giving Naruto a serious look. "Because every match counts. Some battles between us are practice, sure, but this—" he gestured to the kunai target, "this is official."
Naruto sighed, half-defeated, half-amused. He knew Sasuke's competitive streak well enough by now. "Fine, fine. I'll take the L on this one," he said, though he couldn't help but think that he'd gone easy on purpose. If he'd really tried, he could have matched Sasuke's flashy moves without breaking a sweat.
Nearby, Sakura and Ino looked at each other, puzzled. "Why's Sasuke even comparing himself to Naruto?" Ino asked, frowning a little. "He should be thinking about the top shinobi, not…" she trailed off, glancing at Naruto.
Sasuke didn't even look their way, clearly uninterested in their opinions. His focus stayed on Naruto, and he smirked slightly, knowing this friendly rivalry was more meaningful than any comparisons with others.
From behind, Hinata whispered, almost too softly to hear, "You can do it, Naruto…" Her shy smile grew as she saw Naruto's confidence remain unshaken.
Shikamaru, resting his chin in his hand, sighed. "Man, what a drag," he muttered. "All this competition is exhausting just to watch."
Kiba chuckled, folding his arms. "Naruto sure thinks highly of himself if he thinks he can compete with Sasuke," he muttered to Akamaru, who barked encouragingly.
Iruka-sensei, watching the exchange, nodded to himself. This rivalry, he thought, is exactly what these two need. It's pushing them in ways even the Academy can't. With a slight smile, he turned to the students. "Alright, settle down! Let's keep going with the test."
Time passed as everyone completed their test, and then they left the academy.
End of the chapter. _______________________________________________________
Power stones, please
Last chapter of the week.
Is this slow pace not to your liking? Is anyone bored?