One week later, at the Ninja Academy's training grounds:
"Wow! Sasuke-kun is so cool!"
"Yeah! Sasuke-kun is amazing!"
"As expected of the top student in our year! He's a true genius!"
"..."
Sasuke stood several dozen meters away from a row of humanoid wooden dummies.
His hands moved with lightning speed, darting to his waist.
In a single motion, he drew a kunai with one hand and a shuriken with the other, simultaneously launching them through the air. The 'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!' of projectiles tearing through the air was followed by a synchronized 'thud, thud, thud!'
Every kunai and shuriken struck the bullseye perfectly, without a single miss.
A wave of cheers erupted immediately.
The original Sasuke had already been the top student in his year, and being from the Uchiha clan, he was naturally a genius.
Even without my intervention, the original Sasuke could have achieved this level of precision.
'In truth, I've already mastered kunai and shuriken techniques to the point where I can manipulate their speed—both fast and slow, or a combination of both. I can even make the second projectile catch up to the first mid-flight and strike the bullseye simultaneously.'
He could also throw ten kunai simultaneously, calculating their speeds and angles to make them collide mid-air, baffling his enemies about their trajectories.
But he didn't want to show off right now.
Hitting the bullseye directly was a perfect score anyway, so he saw no point in indulging in flashy techniques.
Moreover, Sasuke was already close to mastering the Windmill Shuriken Shadow Windmill and Wire-Controlled Shuriken Technique, skills his original self wouldn't acquire for another four years.
His vision could easily keep up with the movements, even far exceeding them.
The only thing holding him back was the speed of his fingers.
The steel wire cut painfully into his fingers, even with Chakra protection, making precise control difficult amid the agony.
Considering he hadn't focused much on throwing techniques during these two months of training, his progress was decent enough.
"Hmph!"
Hearing the cheers around him and seeing Sasuke's impassive expression, Naruto's frustration boiled over. It stung even more to see Sakura, the girl he liked, cheering loudest of all.
"Just watch me, The Boss Naruto!"
Naruto strode forward, first shooting Sasuke a defiant glare before pulling out a handful of shuriken and violently hurling them at the wooden target ahead.
The motion was less of a throw and more of a smash.
'Swish, swish, swish.'
All ten shuriken missed their mark, veering off course and disappearing into the distance.
"How is this possible?"
Naruto's face flushed crimson as he muttered in disbelief.
He whirled around, pointing furiously at Sasuke, who stood nearby. "Damn you, Sasuke! It's because you're standing there that I can't focus! Otherwise, I would have gotten a perfect score!"
"How did you manage that?" Sasuke asked calmly.
Naruto blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke clapped his hands together, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
His tone was teasing as he said, "To consistently miss the wooden target with ten shuriken in a row at this distance... in a way, you're quite impressive!"
"I-I..."
Staring at Sasuke's composed demeanor, Naruto's face burned crimson, and he stammered, unable to form a coherent rebuttal.
Though Sasuke's words sounded like praise, Naruto could clearly detect the mockery beneath the surface.
Seeing Naruto's face flush crimson, Sasuke smirked inwardly, shook his head, and, with his hands tucked into his pockets, turned to leave, leaving Naruto with his dashing silhouette.
"Damn it!"
'That arrogant jerk!'
Naruto clenched his fists, about to retort, when Iruka approached.
He glanced casually at the targets and, without the slightest surprise, announced the results.
"Uzumaki Naruto, zero points!"
"Huh?!" Naruto's face fell instantly, and he protested loudly, "Teacher Iruka, give me another chance! Sasuke interfered earlier; otherwise, I would have gotten a perfect score!"
Iruka rolled his eyes inwardly, initially inclined to refuse, but under Naruto's earnest gaze, he reluctantly nodded.
"Yosh!"
The previously dejected Naruto sprang back to life, his fighting spirit rekindled.
He pulled out another handful of shuriken and hurled them fiercely at the wooden stake ahead.
'Bang!'
Out of ten shuriken, only one struck the stake, and it landed not on the bullseye, but at the base. The other nine had long since vanished into the distance.
Iruka sighed, pressed a hand to his forehead, and announced the adjusted score.
"Uzumaki Naruto, 0.5 points!"
"... "
The shuriken throwing assessment for the practice class quickly concluded.
Iruka produced a new grading sheet and announced to the class, "Alright, the Ninja Tool throwing assessment is over. Give it your all, students! I'll be observing your performance from the sidelines."
The practical combat assessment served a dual purpose: recording students' grades and allowing teachers to observe their combat styles, adaptability, and weaknesses, informing future instruction.
Every practical combat assessment was the most grueling and tense moment for the Ninja Academy teachers.
Although the ninja tools used were blunt, students fought with full intensity to ensure the teachers could thoroughly identify their flaws.
In this world, there was no concept of sparring with restraint—everyone fought all-out.
To prevent injuries or even fatalities, the teachers remained vigilant, ready to intervene at the first sign of danger.
"I'll assign opponents based on your performance in the previous practical combat assessment. Students whose names I call, please step forward."
"Uchiha Sasuke versus Inuzuka Kiba."
"Wait!" Naruto shouted before Iruka could finish speaking. "I challenge Sasuke!"
"Naruto!" Veins bulged on Iruka's forehead as he prepared to scold him.
But Naruto continued triumphantly, "You said yourself we'd be assigned opponents based on our scores from the last practical exam! So Sasuke's opponent is me!"
Iruka froze.
To prevent mismatches, the Ninja Academy typically paired students of similar skill levels within the same group, allowing instructors to better assess their strengths, weaknesses, and overall potential.
The last practical exam had been the end-of-semester assessment the previous term. Sasuke's absence meant he had no score, so Naruto's claim technically aligned with the assignment criteria.
"Uh..."
Iruka was momentarily speechless. He glanced at the composed Sasuke beside him, feeling torn.
"Heh heh!" Seeing Iruka's hesitation, Naruto immediately pointed at Sasuke tauntingly. "Hey, Sasuke! You bastard! Are you too scared to accept my challenge?"
Sasuke nodded, accepting the challenge outright. "Fine, I accept your challenge!"
Iruka had been preparing to find a reason to refuse Naruto's request, but seeing Sasuke's immediate acceptance, he decided to let things proceed.
Watching this unfold, Kiba Inuzuka secretly sighed in relief. He knew Sasuke's capabilities all too well and had no desire to face him unless absolutely necessary.
'Naruto, you idiot,' Kiba sneered inwardly.