Chapter 19. Selected students.
The day after the Hokage's discussion with the elite jonin, the students returned to the academy, buzzing with excitement and relief.
They had enjoyed a day off after exams, and now, with no more tests hanging over them, they finally had a chance to relax, talk, and catch up with their games. The classroom was filled with cheerful chatter and laughter, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere from before and on the exams.
Just then, Iruka-sensei entered the room, and the noise gradually died down as he made his way to the front. He cleared his throat, capturing everyone's attention.
"Listen up, everyone," he began, his tone serious. "I have an important announcement from the Hokage himself. Konoha's shinobi academy will be forming an elite shinobi class for selected students."
A wave of shock rippled through the class. Whispers spread quickly, and wide-eyed looks were exchanged. An elite shinobi class? Naruto and Sasuke shared a silent glance, both thinking, This wasn't in the anime. Their minds raced with questions, but before they could ask, Iruka continued.
"The Hokage himself has selected a few of you to be part of this class. This means you'll undergo specialized training aimed at enhancing your skills beyond the regular academy curriculum."
Iruka then began to call out the names of the chosen students. "Sasuke, Naruto, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura, and Ino."
Each of the selected students reacted differently. Shikamaru sighed, looking as if the announcement was an inconvenience. "What a drag…" he muttered under his breath, though he knew he'd do what was needed.
Hinata, on the other hand, blushed with a shy smile, thrilled at the thought of being in the same class as Naruto.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a grin, both feeling a rush of excitement. This was an unexpected opportunity, one that could bring them closer to their goals of becoming stronger.
Ino and Sakura beamed, delighted to be chosen for the elite class—and even more pleased that Sasuke would be alongside them.
Shino adjusted his glasses thoughtfully, acknowledging his inclusion with a quiet nod, while Choji simply continued munching on his chips, unbothered but slightly curious about what lay ahead.
However, the reactions of the rest of the class were less enthusiastic. The students who hadn't been chosen looked on with a mix of disappointment and frustration. Whispers began to spread, and soon Kiba's voice broke through.
"Why wasn't I chosen?" he demanded, his tone tinged with frustration.
Several others echoed Kiba's sentiment, voices of dissent and envy filling the room. As the murmur of discontent grew, it wasn't long before some of the voices turned bitter—and directed their frustration at Naruto.
"Why is he in the class?" a boy called out, his eyes narrowed as he looked straight at Naruto. "My mom and dad say he's nothing but bad luck. We're supposed to stay away from him!"
A few others nodded in agreement, their faces twisted with resentment. Another boy joined in, glaring at Naruto. "Yeah! If he's in, why can't we be included too? He's just trouble!"
One by one, others started to pile on, fueled by rumors and prejudice. Naruto, for his part, kept a calm expression, but there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes.
He had grown used to such treatment, but that didn't make it sting any less. Hinata's gaze softened as she looked over at him, silently encouraging him to stay strong. Sasuke, however, wasn't as composed; his fists clenched tightly, anger flaring in his eyes as he glared at the students criticizing Naruto.
Just when the muttering and complaining were reaching a fever pitch, Iruka's voice boomed through the room.
"That's enough!" he shouted, his normally gentle expression replaced by stern authority. The class fell silent instantly, every student freezing under his gaze.
Iruka stood before the class, his tone firm as he addressed them. "Each of you was chosen for this elite shinobi class based on your skill and potential," he announced, his gaze sweeping over the room. "This is not about favoritism, nor is it about any prejudices some of you might have picked up outside these walls. The Hokage himself selected these students on exam results, and that decision is final. Naruto you're talking about is second in class."
A tense silence settled as everyone absorbed his words, and Iruka handed out the result sheets. The room was quiet, with only the sound of papers rustling as each student scanned their scores, murmurs rising as they compared results.
"You all did well," Iruka continued, "but only a few were chosen for this class. However, you'll all have one last chance in a month—a practical exam. If you pass that, you'll also be able to join. And for those who scolded Naruto just now, you'll spend today outside as punishment." Iruka's gaze was stern as he pointed to the door, and the students who had spoken against Naruto left with reluctant faces.
Naruto gave a satisfied smile, feeling grateful for Iruka's support. As he reviewed his results, he felt a rush of pride. Though he ranked second in practicals, he felt that he could have taken first place had he not held back.
Meanwhile, Sasuke examined his scores with a hint of frustration, feeling he could have done better in theory. But he brushed it off, knowing it was practical skill that mattered most in the life of a shinobi.
"The elite shinobi classes will begin next week," Iruka announced. The Sakura, Ino, and a few buzzed with excitement, while those who hadn't been selected, like Kiba, were determined to use the month to train hard and earn their place.
Iruka-sensei continued, "Until the elite shinobi class officially begins next week, you'll attend your normal classes. Today, we'll start by going over the syllabus for the second semester, covering both theory and practical training." He laid out the curriculum, emphasizing the importance of balancing academic skills with physical conditioning.
Once Iruka-sensei completed his announcement, it was a normal academy day with regular classes.
------
After the academy day ended, Naruto and Sasuke made their way home together, talking about their training and the elite shinobi class. They began to understand that they might be in an unfamiliar timeline, different from the anime world they knew. Determined to keep up with the changes, they decided to intensify their training.
However, as they walked through the village, they noticed some parents giving Naruto cold, hatred, and disdainful looks.
The parents murmured in hushed voices, though loud enough for Naruto to catch fragments of their words. The news about the elite shinobi class and its selected candidates spread throughout the village.
"Why would the Hokage let him into the elite class?" one parent whispered, casting a glance in Naruto's direction.
"Fox brat should have been dealt with years ago," another muttered, shaking their head. "It's bad enough my child has to attend the same academy class with him. And now, look—he's been selected, while mine wasn't."
Naruto clenched his fists, but he kept his face neutral, walking on with Sasuke. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, throwing a sharp glare at the villagers who were muttering nearby. One of them sneered, "Oh my, an Uchiha and the fox kid—a fine pair of evil troublemakers." The comment stung, and Sasuke's fists clenched in anger.
But before he could react further, Naruto placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, Sasuke," he said quietly, his voice steady. "They don't know anything about us."
Reluctantly, Sasuke took a deep breath, following Naruto's advice. They shared a nod before parting ways to head home for a quick break.
After freshening up, the two regrouped at Training Ground 12. They had planned a rigorous session focusing on chakra control—a skill they both wanted to perfect.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke, who had brought sets of pillows. Confused, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why did you bring so many pillows, Sasuke?"
Sasuke turned to him with a sly smile, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "You'll see," he replied cryptically, a hint of confidence in his tone.
[ Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Skill: Chakra Control Level 2
Exp: 1/200 ]
Naruto inspected his status panel and realized that "Chakra Control" wasn't listed yet—he'd need to train it until it reached level one before it would even appear.
Some simple skills would be recorded as level 0 in the panel upon understanding, while others would need to be trained to level 1 before they would appear in the panel.
He determined to get it on the panel, but first he decided to try something ambitious, if it was successful it would be very beneficial to him. Forming a hand seal, he focused his chakra and created a hundred shadow clones, filling the training ground with versions of himself.
"Alright, listen up!" Naruto commanded his clones. "We're all practicing the Leaf Concentration method. Let's get this chakra control skill!"
As his clones got to work balancing leaves on their foreheads, Sasuke was nearby, practicing his tree-walking technique. He created a single shadow clone which trained on his own, and he began running up the tree trunk, chakra focusing at his feet. He managed a few steps before his chakra wavered and—puff!—he came crashing down.
[ +1 ]
Fortunately, Sasuke had prepared for this. He'd placed a line of large pillows at the base of the tree, having learned from hard falls shown in anime. He landed safely, though he still grumbled a little under his breath.
"Good call with the pillows, Sasuke," Naruto said with a grin, glancing over at him. Sasuke gave a small nod with a smile.
Puff! Sasuke's shadow clone fell down, instantly disappearing as it hit the ground. Sasuke sighed in frustration, watching the clone vanish, and he quickly placed a new row of pillows beneath the tree on which his clone was training.
Luckily, he had brought several pillows with him. Determined not to let his training turn into a time waste, he created another shadow clone to train on its own and he prepared for another attempt at walking on the tree.
Meanwhile, Naruto's panel lit up with a notification.
[ Ding! Skill: Chakra Control has been acquired ]
[ Skill:
Chakra Control
Level: 1 / Max Level: 5
Description: This skill determines the user's ability to manipulate and utilize their chakra effectively. ]
His eyes widened in excitement as he realized the significance of this achievement. The system seemed to restrict the experience points from more than five clones at a time, but it was after acquiring a skill so it appears that his clones weren't restricted before acquiring the skill.
This allowed Naruto to acquire the chakra control skill in less than a minute, as a hundred of his clones were training together.
This meant that he could use his shadow clones to acquire troublesome skills quickly, making it a huge advantage for him.
Naruto couldn't help but smile at this discovery.
End of the chapter. __________________________________________________
Power stones, please.