It wasn't just Sasuke and Kiba—everyone else looked unsettled too, their expressions filled with doubt and uncertainty.
Sakura scratched her head, her small face full of confusion. "Naruto… since when did you get this good?"
And come to think of it, that annoying idiot hadn't shown up to bother her all day.
That was even weirder.
The score sheet in Iruka's hand nearly slipped from his fingers.
He stared at the five targets in the distance—the five shuriken still firmly embedded dead center—then looked back at Naruto, who wore a flat expression as if he'd just tossed out a piece of trash.
Iruka's mind went blank.
This wasn't a prank…
No—Naruto had improved.
No—that wasn't it either.
This was like he'd become a different person.
Hinata's fair face was also filled with surprise, but more than that, something like a quiet realization stirred in her eyes.
She looked at Naruto's blue eyes—still the same color, yet stripped of their usual lively spark, and her heart trembled slightly.
"Naruto-kun… you've gotten stronger."
She folded her slender hands at her chest, thinking that something must have happened—something that changed Naruto from the inside out.
She hadn't been quietly watching him these past few days…
And she'd missed such an important moment.
Still, no matter how different Naruto seemed—no matter how puzzling, even with that maturity Hinata couldn't understand hidden in his gaze—
He was still Naruto.
Hinata lowered her head, feeling her cheeks heat up again.
That clumsy, stubborn affection in her heart didn't lessen in the slightest. If anything, noticing something unusual about him sent faint ripples through it.
Naruto ignored the uncertain stares. He walked back to the end of the line and leaned against the wooden post again, shrugging.
Why are you all staring at me?
Do I have something written on my face?
Look at Iruka-sensei.
---
On the other side, Iruka looked again at the marks on the rows of dummy targets—then at Naruto, back at the end of the line, expression calm.
The confusion in his chest only deepened.
But he didn't say anything. He simply cleared his throat and signaled the next training segment.
"Next is one-on-one sparring. You'll be paired according to the list."
Usually, at this point, Naruto would be the first to jump out, loudly yelling that he wanted to challenge the number one—Sasuke.
But today, he stayed quiet, leaning against the post as if nothing around him mattered.
Iruka recalled all the strange things Naruto had done today.
And after assigning all the pairs, he deliberately placed Naruto and Sasuke together.
"The final match—Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke."
A few low murmurs rose through the crowd.
Sakura and Ino exchanged a glance, clearly not believing Naruto had any chance of winning.
Sure, the shuriken and the Transformation Jutsu had surprised them—but Sasuke was still the top student right.
"Was that luck?" Ino crossed her arms, still looking stunned.
Sakura nodded. "It has to be luck. There's no way Sasuke-kun loses."
Shikamaru, eyes half-lidded and hands behind his head, lazily added, "Hard to say."
In the corner of the crowd, Hinata said nothing. She only tightened her grip on her sleeve, her gaze never leaving Naruto.
Sasuke was already standing in the center, looking at Naruto with his usual cold arrogance.
He didn't take Naruto seriously.
Even if Naruto was acting strange today.
Naruto walked into the middle of the training ground and stopped under everyone's watchful eyes.
He didn't assume any stance. He simply stood there naturally, looking at Sasuke with calm eyes.
Naruto knew perfectly well that he wasn't trying to show off—he was simply performing at what had become "normal" for him after countless cycles.
But to everyone else, it was shocking.
Iruka had already started forming a strange hypothesis in his mind: either Naruto had been hiding his ability, or he'd undergone some inhuman training and was testing his limits.
Naruto didn't interfere with that assumption.
Based on what he knew was coming—
He intended to change the way Sasuke saw him, starting now.
"Begin!" Iruka ordered.
Sasuke moved first.
Fast as wind, he drove a punch straight toward Naruto's chest.
It was one of his usual openers—clean and decisive. The old Naruto would never have reacted in time.
But this Naruto simply shifted slightly to the side and avoided it with ease.
Sasuke followed with a sweeping kick.
Naruto retreated half a step, as if he'd already predicted it, and dodged again.
Sasuke frowned, then increased his tempo.
Punches, kicks—even shuriken.
He threw everything into every strike, but each time—just a heartbeat before contact—Naruto blocked or slipped away with perfect timing.
Naruto's movements weren't flashy.
But there was a smooth, unhurried confidence to them—like he always had room to spare.
The surrounding noise began to fade.
Even the girls who'd been cheering for Sasuke forgot to shout, staring in a daze.
After dozens of exchanges, the two separated, watching each other from a short distance.
Sasuke's breathing grew ragged. Sweat ran down his forehead.
His attacks had gotten faster, heavier—
Yet Naruto's expression hadn't changed, like he was only doing basic evasion drills.
Sasuke didn't understand why.
But he could only grit his teeth and keep going.
And then Naruto spoke—quietly, but clearly enough for Sasuke to hear.
"You're rushing. All you're doing is exposing more openings."
Sasuke froze for a fraction of a second—
Then his expression darkened.
Anger surged up. He lunged forward and threw a full-power straight punch—
And hit nothing again.
At some point, Naruto had already moved to Sasuke's side. His right hand pressed lightly against Sasuke's back.
Sasuke immediately lost his balance, stumbling forward.
Before he could steady himself, Naruto closed in—
And with a single kick, drove Sasuke to the ground.
Then Naruto pinned him from behind, a kunai pressed to Sasuke's neck.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Sasuke lay there, pinned, breathing hard.
His face was full of disbelief.
…He lost?
And this badly?
Naruto watched him—calmly. In countless loops, once Sasuke had reached this point, he couldn't fight back anymore.
Naruto withdrew the kunai, stood, and stepped back.
"You lost."
The training ground was dead silent.
Sakura and Ino stood with their mouths open, unable to say a word.
The top student—Sasuke, had lost to Naruto, the class dead last?
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Just like I thought…"
"Huh? You want some chips?"
Chōji didn't care about the outcome at all. He simply handed Shikamaru a bag of chips.
Shikamaru: "?"
Iruka walked forward, his expression heavy.
He looked at Sasuke, who had just climbed to his feet and still seemed dazed.
Then he turned to Naruto, who remained perfectly calm.
"Naruto, you…"
Iruka stopped mid-sentence.
He'd thought Naruto had simply improved a little.
But this wasn't something "improvement" could explain.
To the students watching, it looked like Naruto and Sasuke had traded blows back and forth.
But to Iruka, a teacher who'd supervised them for years—
Sasuke had lost his rhythm, sweating and forcing his attacks.
Meanwhile Naruto looked relaxed the entire time.
That alone was enough to show Naruto had undergone a complete transformation.
Naruto didn't explain. He scratched his head and asked in an even tone, "Can I return to the line, Iruka-sensei?"
Naruto knew that if he kept this pace, then even before they reached the Land of Waves—
By the time Team 7 was formed, Sasuke's impression of him would already be drastically different.
Iruka stared at Naruto for a long moment, not knowing what to say. He could only nod.
With permission, Naruto turned and walked back to the line, still expressionless.
Sasuke remained where he was, head lowered, fists clenched tight.
No one knew how Naruto had defeated the top student.
Only Naruto understood.
The gap between them was too great.
So he only needed to put in the slightest effort anyway…