His fingers had already…
“Next is the comprehensive Taijutsu and Ninjutsu exam, Sasuke Uchiha.” Iruka stood to the side, the center of the exam area deliberately left empty.
Several students had already been tested, and Naruto had been eliminated, sulking with a pout.
Though he felt annoyed seeing Sasuke, Naruto remembered that he was friends with Sakura and that the three of them had spent a lot of time together recently. He also thought Sasuke’s personality wasn’t too bad.
So, he still shouted politely, “Hey, Sasuke Uchiha, don’t lose to some nobody.”
The other students who hadn’t taken their turns yet immediately glared at him, their faces flushed with frustration at wanting to hit him but being unable to.
Iruka called another name: “Sakura Haruno.”
Naruto’s expression instantly changed, and he roared, “Sasuke Uchiha, don’t even think about winning. Sakura is number one!”
Sasuke pressed his hand to his face in exasperation, not wanting to admit he knew this guy. Why had he fallen to the point of coming and going with him?
If it weren’t for Sakura, he probably wouldn’t have had to deal with Naruto in this lifetime.
Sakura Haruno stepped forward, her long hair tied up, her clear green eyes full of energy. She extended her palm, and Sas tacitly reached out to meet hers, giving it a light tap before saying, “Do your best.”
During this time, they had sparred to some extent in extracurricular training, but it was always light or playful. Deep down, Sasuke still felt a drive to truly face off against this friend who excelled in everything as his peer.
Due to exam restrictions, Ninja Tools could not be used.
After tapping palms with Sakura Haruno, almost instantly, they tacitly stepped back and formed the Seal of Confrontation toward each other.
Everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath. After all, this was the first semester, and it was a showdown between the two most outstanding students. Even Choji, who had been secretly reaching for chips in his pocket, stopped his movements.
The wind swept across the playground, pressing the tree branches down as they swayed, only to bounce back the next moment, slapping the wind away.
In everyone’s eyes, the time it took for the two combatants on the playground to go from standing still to exchanging blows was like the interplay between wind and trees—full of unexpected swiftness.
Sakura Haruno clenched one hand into a fist, leaping fluidly in front of Sasuke. Her hand, coated with a thin layer of Chakra, seemed weak but was as sharp as a hidden blade, capable of causing injury upon contact.
Sasuke knew Sakura Haruno had immense strength. Without using Ninja Tools, he immediately relied on the clan’s Taijutsu he had trained in since childhood.
Like a leaf pressed down by the wind, he bent his waist softly and nimbly, dodging her fist, then quickly turned and lowered his body, charging toward Sakura Haruno. With a palm full of power, he aimed to strike her body heavily.
Sakura Haruno had no time to dodge. His fingers had already touched her, but the next moment, her fingers flickered, and with a poof, she turned into a piece of wood.
Substitution Technique.
Excellent.
Iruka quickly noted it down.
Sasuke’s eyes darted rapidly from side to side. His combat instincts made him roll to the ground before he could clearly see his opponent.
Sakura Haruno descended from above, her fist slamming hard into the ground.
A crater formed beneath her hand, spreading outward and turning into a web of cracks.
Iruka immediately felt a headache coming on—he’d have to apply for repairs.
Headache aside, he still wrote on the record:
Taijutsu.
Excellent.
It was only the first semester, and the school hadn’t had time to teach much yet.
However, it was evident that Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno’s exceptional abilities had already surpassed what the school taught. Even Iruka suspected that with their rapid progress, they would likely exceed most of the senior students in this school within less than a year.
Sasuke Uchiha had the support of his clan, but Sakura was a true genius.
Thud—three training facilities on the playground collapsed.
A few beads of troubled sweat slid down Iruka’s cheek.
Bang—a large section of the surrounding wire fence was kicked apart, the supporting iron bars bent and teetering precariously.
Iruka saw the requested funds going up in flames.
Boom—another patch of flat ground on the playground cracked open.
Thinking of the other grades still needing this playground, Iruka finally couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the two troublemakers, who were about to dismantle the playground before even settling their match, and pulled them apart, one in each hand.
Sasuke, covered in dust and dirt, was as tense as a drawn bow and nearly kicked Iruka’s ribs in.
Sakura, however, managed to pull back her fist just before it hit Iruka. Whether Iruka’s bones would have broken or not was uncertain, but if she had struck, she would have been punished with standing until her legs gave out.
Iruka smiled gently. “Alright, alright. I understand your general abilities now. I’ll write the evaluation. Both of you are exceptionally skilled, and since there’s no clear winner for now, let’s perform the Hand Seals.”
Sakura’s control wasn’t limited to this. If she had gone all out from the start, she could have beaten Sasuke to the point of crying for his parents within a minute.
Especially since, in the first semester, the Uchiha clan hadn’t taught him any proper clan Secret Techniques. The only thing he had somewhat mastered under Itachi’s training was Shuriken, and even that couldn’t be used due to restrictions on Ninja Tools.
Her victory over him would have been a given.
The problem was, she held back. Fighting Sasuke Uchiha on equal footing now would be beneficial for future developments. Beating him to a pulp might just invite trouble—defeat the younger one, and the older one might show up.
As someone who had firmly established herself as a “growing genius,” always just a little better than others and expertly controlling her scores in exams, Sakura calmly extended her opposing finger seal toward Sasuke.
Sasuke hesitated. He felt the fight hadn’t lasted long, and the competitive fire had just ignited before being interrupted.
But seeing her smiling face and the fingers extended toward him, Sasuke, as if uncontrollably, also extended his joined middle and index fingers.
The four fingers lightly touched.
Just as Sasuke, slightly hesitant, was about to move—
His fingers were already tightly hooked.
The Reconciliation Seal.
Like a warm shackle, it tightly locked all his senses.
It wasn’t until she released her fingers that Sasuke belatedly realized he had been maintaining that gesture, as if trying to hook onto something or grasp something.
He felt a bit confused, but when he saw his evaluation score was just as excellent as Sakura’s, he brightened up again.
Meanwhile, Sakura was quietly celebrating her precise control over the score, ensuring she didn’t overshadow Sasuke or stand out too much.
Standing not far away, Naruto once again received the lowest score. Though he should have pretended not to care, he couldn’t help but stare at Sakura and Sasuke, his face darkening for a moment.
After the exam, to give everyone a break, the teacher scheduled a history class.
A very wise choice—most of the class could be lulled to sleep, providing an excellent rest experience.
Sakura gazed at the green trees outside the window, listening to the teacher’s droning voice without really hearing what was being said.
Here we go again, it’s the history of Konohagakure that she can’t stand listening to the most. On the first day of school after classes ended, she had already squatted at the entrance of the Konohagakure bookstore and quickly skimmed through the village’s history.
It was written in even more detail than what the teacher said, which is why now, every time this class comes around, she can only think about zoning out.
Sasuke sat beside her, also looking calm and spaced out. So boring, but he couldn’t show it. After all, history was also on the exams, and he couldn’t afford to lose a single point—this was the stubbornness of his perfectionist streak.
As for Naruto… he was standing in the hallway, exchanging tips with other class-skippers on how to stand more comfortably during detention.
At the beginning of the school year, everyone had given some face and barely managed to sit through a few classes. But the further it went, the clearer it became who had no intention of giving face and was just there to cause trouble.
Detention in the hallway came and went.
The ones who stood the most were Choji (snacking in class every day), Shikamaru (sleeping, sleeping, sleeping—the classes were too boring to resist), Kiba (skipping class to walk his dog), and Naruto (pure hyperactivity, just couldn’t sit still).
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura, as the two top students in the class, had become the teachers’ favorites. Even if Sakura boldly took out cookies to munch on in class when she was hungry, the teacher would turn a blind eye.
If Sasuke lost track of time training during break and calmly walked in through the back door halfway through class with a blank expression, politely calling out “Teacher,” the teacher would still greet him with a smile.
In this school, talented individuals with real ability were worthy of special treatment from all students, including the teachers.
Because Sakura and Sasuke’s grades were so outstanding, and their looks were striking enough to claim the titles of school heartthrob and belle, standing together they shone like incandescent bulbs, radiating a light that made others hesitant to approach.
Naruto’s presence stood out even more.
He, of all people—a damn dead-last, a hateful whiskered blond fox freak with the worst grades in the entire school—stood boldly right between the two top students.
And they were friends, friends.
Aside from skipping class, Naruto also drew attention because he had two outstanding friends who could walk sideways through the school.
Naruto was well aware of this and felt both proud and happy.
Whenever faced with taunts about how he didn’t deserve it, his ultimate move was: “Nyah nyah nyah, I’m a dead-last but I have good friends, and you don’t, jealous freaks.”
This was a method of arguing Sakura taught him, and it successfully claimed the high ground of pride every time.
As for Sasuke, his approach was simpler. He’d just say, “I’ll help you pass on your love letter.”
From then on, he became the cutest person in the girls’ circle. The girls would beat anyone who picked on him beyond recognition, afraid their love letters wouldn’t make it under Sasuke’s desk.
Even though those love letters were always mistaken by a clueless Sasuke as challenge letters, it didn’t stop Naruto from being popular among the girls (and being designated as the best mascot by Sasuke’s fan club).
This was also a method Sakura taught him. She said, when dealing with people you dislike, try a gentle approach first, and only beat them up if that doesn’t work.
As for whether being looked down on would hurt his feelings—he was going to become Hokage one day and protect Sakura’s happiness. How could he let such trivial matters distract or upset him?
Because the class was too boring, Sakura couldn’t help but take out candies to sort during the second half.
This one is sweet, it can replenish energy and stave off hunger.
This one is sour, it can refresh and counteract the greasy feeling from eating when you have no appetite.
This one is bittersweet, because she likes the taste of tea and made it specially at home.
She popped a sweet candy into her own mouth for an energy boost, then peeled a tea-flavored one and very naturally held it to the mouth of Sasuke beside her.
Sasuke was nearly dozing off, and the candy arrived at his lips just in time. He opened his mouth and took it.
One of them sat slouched and crooked, while the other sat upright but dazedly chewing the candy, both wishing class would end immediately—or that they could make a mistake and go stand outside with Naruto as punishment.
After spending so much time with Sakura and Naruto, model student Sasuke had grown accustomed to things like standing in detention. It didn’t affect his grades anyway, so what was there to fear?
Finally, when school ended, the two of them escaped the dull, suffocating classroom side by side, as if released from a sentence.
Naruto was dozing on his feet while standing in detention after skipping class. As Sakura ran over, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him along without pause.
Naruto offered no resistance and followed groggily. “Sakura, are we going home?”
Sasuke’s footsteps halted as well, waiting for them to catch up before resuming his stride.