Sasuke, who was attentively listening in class, occasionally yawned.
Since yesterday morning, he has felt incredibly fatigued.
Sasuke could only attribute this discomfort to his recent overtraining.
Nevertheless, he concentrated hard, trying to memorize every knowledge point the teacher taught.
The teacher was named Iruka, a Chunin who was average in every way.
Affable to others and serious in teaching, probably among his few merits.
"Alright, in the next practical session, does anyone want to come up and demonstrate the Transformation Technique?"
Iruka closed his book, scanning the faces of each student in the classroom, hoping someone would volunteer to assist in his lecture.
Although the Three-Body Jutsu is a fundamental skill for a Ninja, not every child can master it skillfully.
In his class, there were quite a few students dubbed as 'dead last,' the kind who couldn't grasp the lessons no matter how much they were taught, causing him no small amount of frustration.
"Me, me, Teacher Iruka, let me do it!"
A student yelled as he raised his hand.
Wearing protective goggles on his head, with blonde hair and deep blue eyes, his face adorned with six distinctive whisker marks, resembling a fox.
"Uh, it's Naruto. Anyone else willing to come up?"
Iruka glanced at Naruto with his hand raised, quickly looking away, hoping someone else would demonstrate the Transformation Technique.
"Hey, Teacher Iruka, don't underestimate me. I've recently invented a very powerful killer Transformation Technique! It will definitely surprise you!"
Naruto was immediately displeased at Iruka's dismissive attitude towards him.
"Before that, Naruto, you should first work on your Chakra Control, or else you won't be able to master the Transformation Technique."
Iruka sighed helplessly.
Really, students who can't recognize their own abilities are always the most troublesome.
And inventing new Ninja Techniques, Iruka didn't believe Naruto had that capability at all.
Compared to Ninja Techniques, Iruka believed Naruto's task for now was to control his Chakra.
Otherwise, not just the Transformation Technique, the Substitution Jutsu and Clone Jutsu would also fail in a disastrous manner.
It might even affect the graduation exam a few years down the line.
"What, you really look down on me!"
Naruto muttered at his seat, feeling very dissatisfied with Iruka's attitude of denying him a chance to perform.
"Sasuke, come up and demonstrate the Transformation Technique, transform into the Hokage."
Iruka then called Sasuke's name.
The classroom was immediately filled with the astonished cries of many girls, casting numerous admiring and infatuated glances at Sasuke.
The actions of the girls not only annoyed Naruto, but many of the boys also stared at Sasuke's indifferent face with dissatisfaction and jealousy.
Not knowing what was good about such a cold person was the common grievance among most boys.
As long as Sasuke was around, none of the girls in the class would even look their way.
Sasuke stood up from his seat, hands in his pockets, walked to the podium where Iruka stood, and coolly turned to face all his classmates.
He pulled his hands from his pockets, and with practiced technique quickly formed seals, his Chakra beginning to circulate.
Bang!
White smoke enveloped Sasuke's body.
Sasuke transformed into the appearance of the Third Hokage.
His stature, facial features, and attire were exactly like the Third Hokage.
Even his expression was vividly realistic, making it hard for people to tell the difference.
Iruka nodded approvingly, considering Sasuke's Transformation Technique nearly perfect, reaching a level where he could graduate.
No doubt the top student in the grade.
"Very well, everyone should learn from Sasuke. Especially you, Naruto, feel free to ask others for guidance when needed, or you can come to me for teaching."
His attitude toward Sasuke was undoubtedly satisfied and gentle, whereas with Naruto, Iruka seemed helpless and exasperated, with a hint of reproach.
For some reason, during the tests for the Three-Body Jutsu, Naruto couldn't perform any of them perfectly.
As a Ninja, his talent was really lacking.
Most importantly, Naruto's Taijutsu was also unremarkable, and his combat techniques were poor.
The only exceptional trait was probably his boundless energy, which was commendable.
Snorting lightly, Naruto shot a hostile glance at Sasuke as if declaring war.
Sasuke also snorted back, ignoring Naruto's hostile gaze.
This dead last, he didn't take seriously at all.
He was already not at the same level as these dead lasts.
His focus should be on the upperclassmen, not on finding rivals in his own grade.
Soon, after school, Sasuke declined all invitations from the girls, heading back alone to the Uchiha Clan Land.
He habitually made his way toward Nankai Shrine, where the stone tablet hiding great secrets might just contain the secret to unlocking the Sharingan.
He needed to awaken his Sharingan quickly so he could take the first step on the path of revenge.
To defeat Itachi, the Sharingan was a power he must possess.
As usual, Sasuke opened the seventh stone slab on the right side of the main shrine meeting room, entering the underground passage to the secret place below.