"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!" Naruto launched the most powerful taijutsu from the Konoha Whirlwind series.
Blue chakra surged into his right leg as he charged toward Neji like an unbridled wild horse, then suddenly kicked out. The excessive speed created a series of sharp whistling sounds.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Neji extended both palms, left and right, to catch Naruto's incoming foot. A terrifying force slammed into him, sending pain shooting through both arms.
Gritting his teeth, he steadied himself and instantly delivered four strikes. Naruto immediately felt the chakra in his right leg stop circulating—it was the same situation as last time.
"Konoha Double Whirlwind!" Two of Naruto's Shadow Clones rushed in from both sides, their kicks spinning toward Neji.
Neji glanced around. His own two Shadow Clones were locked in a tough fight, surrounded by Naruto's clones. Outnumbered, they had already done their best, intercepting nearly half of Naruto's assault.
But Neji didn't dodge the Konoha Double Whirlwind. He knew it was only a diversion, not the real attack. Raising his hands, he blocked the spinning kicks from the Shadow Clones on his left and right.
"Rasengan!" The voice of another Naruto clone rang out from behind him.
As expected, Neji thought. His body flickered, leaping high into the air.
"What—?!" The Rasengan missed and slammed into the ground instead.
The two nearby Shadow Clones couldn't dodge in time and were caught in the explosion, vanishing in puffs of smoke.
Neji closed in on the real Naruto, who hurriedly retreated. With his right leg's chakra points sealed, a few more strikes would leave him unable to use chakra at all.
"Konoha Rising Rock Breaker!" A Naruto Shadow Clone lunged from the left, aiming an elbow at Neji.
"Dynamic Entry!" Another Shadow Clone planted itself in front of the real Naruto, delivering a flying kick straight at Neji.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Dodging the elbow, Neji delivered six rapid strikes, sending the clone in front of him flying.
But that slight delay let more Shadow Clones swarm forward.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji unleashed twenty-two strikes in a single breath—his limit. In an instant, the surrounding Shadow Clones were blasted backward.
"Rasengan!" Seizing the fleeting gap, the real Naruto drove his Rasengan toward Neji's back. But at the last moment, Neji accelerated, dodging out of reach.
Naruto's eyes widened. Helpless, he angled the Rasengan downward into the ground instead. Because he was holding the Rasengan, his clones instinctively kept their distance from him.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
Neji spun, extending both hands. Compressed chakra transformed into an invisible shockwave that struck Naruto before he could react. He was sent flying, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
"Quick, help him!"
Naruto's Shadow Clones froze, stunned to see the original body hurled away. After two seconds of confusion, they rushed to his side—but Neji wasn't about to give them the chance.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
He struck again. The air shockwave slammed into Naruto just as he tried to stand, sending him flying a second time.
Kitazawa appeared in a flash, catching him.
"Kit… Kitazawa-sensei, I'm fine," Naruto said, shaking his dizzy head.
"Neji has already won. Both of his Vacuum Palms avoided your vital points," Kitazawa replied, setting him down. "Release your Shadow Clones."
Naruto hesitated a moment, then complied. One by one, the remaining clones vanished in puffs of smoke.
"Winner: Neji," Kitazawa announced.
"Neji, what was that just now?" Naruto gestured curiously.
"That was Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm," Neji explained. "It's a Gentle Fist technique that can be used at range."
"That's amazing!" Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. "Youth is always accompanied by failure, but next time I won't lose!"
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
Naruto had clearly absorbed a lot from Might Guy—for instance, losing without making excuses and preparing for a comeback instead. This attitude already resembled the Naruto of the original story.
"I await your challenge," Neji said, taking a deep breath.
He wasn't complacent after a single victory. He'd won through strategy, not overwhelming strength, and he wasn't confident he'd win again.
"A very clever fighting style," Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, stroking his white beard.
With his sharp eyes, he had clearly seen the key to Neji's victory: like Sasuke before, Neji had read Naruto's attack patterns—not just the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, but also the Rasengan.
Without outside analysis, Hiruzen could only say Neji had a promising future—perhaps a faint echo of Minato's style, though weaker for now.
"That's great! Neji won!" Tenten exclaimed, clenching her fists.
"I really didn't expect it," Kiba said, clicking his tongue.
He had thought Naruto's combination of Shadow Clones and Rasengan would make him invincible until graduation, yet he'd lost to Neji right at the start of the new semester.
"There are just too many geniuses in the Genius Class," Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have gotten involved."
"Neji truly is my lifelong rival!" Rock Lee declared excitedly. "It would be great if I could meet him in the next round!"
"You and Naruto are both hopeless!" Ino retorted.
Sasuke fell into deep thought. Neji's fighting style could be described as a comprehensive refinement of his previous approach. Watching it, Sasuke felt he could replicate that strategy himself and defeat Naruto.
His confidence surged at the idea. He hadn't fought Naruto since awakening his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and after seeing Neji's performance, he now believed victory was certain.
[Current Mission: Help Neji defeat Naruto in the next monthly exam.]
[Mission Reward: Increase Byakugan purity by 10%.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa's spirits lifted when the three lines of text appeared before him. After two months of effort, he had finally received the mission reward. His most immediate sensation was an increase in ocular power.
However, because the timing wasn't right, he couldn't test exactly how much this 10% increase in Byakugan purity had improved him.
Based on past experience, the main gains—besides raw ocular power—were sharper clarity and extended telescopic range, essentially a wider field of vision.
Adding this to the previous 20%, Kitazawa had now raised his Byakugan purity by 30%. Yet perhaps because the total increase was still modest, no new special functions or mutations had manifested.
"First round, second practical match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Shino Aburame," Kitazawa called, snapping back to the present.
"Shino, looks like your luck's the worst in this monthly exam," Inuzuka Kiba said, shaking his head.
Although Shino's abilities were well-rounded, he still seemed considerably weaker when facing Sasuke.
"That's not necessarily true," Shino replied evenly.
In the past, Sasuke's Fire Release had been his greatest worry. Thanks to his Kikaichu, he had never feared genjutsu, but Fire Release was a clear counter to his insects.
This time, things were different. He now had fire-resistant insects, and five seconds would be enough to turn the tide.
"That confident?" Kiba asked, surprised.
"Could it be Kitazawa-sensei gave you some secret weapon?" Ino mused. "You haven't been training with us lately."
"That's right," Shino admitted.
Sasuke's expression tightened. He hadn't cared at first, but hearing that Kitazawa might have equipped Shino with a secret weapon made him wary.
Kitazawa was simply too versatile. Neji had also managed to defeat Naruto—who was stronger in raw power—thanks to Kitazawa's special training.
For the honor of the Uchiha, Sasuke couldn't afford to slip up. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
After learning Konoha Style Swordsmanship, Uchiha Itachi gave him a ninja blade. Although it wasn't a chakra blade, it was still of excellent quality.
"I always feel like Kitazawa-sensei is secretly controlling everything," Shikamaru muttered.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ino shot back. "Kitazawa-sensei is doing this for our own good!"
Hinata nodded. "Exactly!"
For once, even Sakura agreed with Ino. She had indeed grown far stronger. Without Kitazawa, she would never have been exposed to Medical Ninjutsu or Water Release Ninjutsu, not coming from a ninja clan herself.
"Ahem, I was just saying, don't take it seriously." Shikamaru shrank back, sensing the collective glare.
He always found women troublesome—especially beautiful, powerful ones—and Sakura, Ino, and Hinata all met that standard. Even the normally slow-witted Choji edged away from him. Offending all three at once? Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Shino stepped into the arena.
"Begin!" Kitazawa said after they formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" As usual, Sasuke spat out a massive fireball.
"Secret Technique: Kikaichu!"
Shino stood firm as a swarm of insects poured out. Sasuke drew in a sharp breath. These Kikaichu were not black as before—they were red. Was this a new species?
He had no time to wonder. The fire-attracting insects shot through the flames, racing toward him.
"What—!" Sasuke was caught off guard by the sudden move. In the nick of time, he activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and drew his blade.
Konoha Style Swordsmanship!
Though the insects were tiny, his Sharingan caught them clearly. The blade flashed, and in a heartbeat, more than half the fire-attracting insects were cut down.
Dodging the fireball, Shino swept his arms forward.
"Spindle Formation!"
The black Kikaichu whirled into a funnel, drilling toward Sasuke. But Sasuke was still dealing with the fire-attracting insects and was momentarily vulnerable.
Cold sweat broke across his brow. Though he'd been cautious, he hadn't anticipated these fire-resistant insects and was driven into crisis. Fortunately, his inherent strength carried him through; he reacted instantly.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Sasuke slashed forward. The arc of his blade formed a beautiful crescent, clearing the remaining fire-attracting insects. He seized the chance to retreat, sheathing his sword and forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared forth again. The black Kikaichu instantly burned to ash, releasing a faint scent of char.
Sasuke exhaled in relief. His guess had been correct. Only the red Kikaichu were resistant to fire. The black ones were still the ordinary species.
Across from him, Shino frowned. His best opportunity had just slipped away.
Sasuke was now wary of the fire-attracting insects, making it difficult for his subsequent attacks to land effectively. Even so, their debut greatly shocked the onlookers.
"Kikaichu that aren't afraid of Fire Release?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone held clear astonishment.
As Hokage, he knew the Aburame Clan's secret techniques well. This was the first time he had ever seen these fire-attracting insects. Had the Aburame Clan been hiding something all this time? But if so, Shino Aburame shouldn't have used them in a monthly exam.
That left only one possibility: these were a new, mutated breed of Kikaichu developed by Shino himself. No—more likely, this was connected to Kitazawa.
"Is this the secret weapon Kitazawa-sensei gave him?" Kiba's eyes widened.
"If Sasuke's strength were a little lower, he probably would've already lost to Shino," Shikamaru muttered, clicking his tongue.
Though Kitazawa left him no room to be lazy, he had to admit Kitazawa had helped them all tremendously. It was no exaggeration to say he had improved the strength of every one of them.
"Besides Kikaichu that aren't afraid of Fire Release, are there others?" Ino shivered. "There better not be Kikaichu that ignore Yin Release!"
Both her clan's secret technique and the two new ninjutsu she'd recently learned revolved around Yin Release. The thought of them being ineffective against Kikaichu was terrifying.
"But the ultimate winner will definitely be Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said firmly.
Neji nodded at her words. The battlefield situation clearly favored Sasuke.
When Shino used the fire-attracting insects, Sasuke countered with Konoha Style Swordsmanship. When Shino switched to ordinary Kikaichu, Sasuke used Fire Release.
Back and forth, Shino was forced into distress.
Anyone else wouldn't have been able to use Konoha Style Swordsmanship effectively against the fire-attracting insects; they were small and fast. But Sasuke happened to have the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, allowing him to clearly see their flight paths.
After a two-minute stalemate, Shino voluntarily conceded. Most of his fire-attracting insects had been depleted, and continuing would only yield the same result.
Sasuke stopped his attack when he heard the surrender and sheathed his ninja blade.
He glanced at Kitazawa, thinking that anything connected to him required extreme caution. He had nearly lost to Shino in the first exchange—a close call that left lingering fear.
"Winner, Sasuke," Kitazawa announced with a slight nod. Shino had performed very well; his loss was purely because Sasuke was too strong.
"The third match of the first round of practical combat: Ino versus Shikamaru," Kitazawa declared after drawing lots.
"Trouble still can't be avoided," Shikamaru muttered, his eyelids twitching when he heard Ino's name.
"I'll let you try the ninjutsu Kitazawa-sensei taught me," Ino said with a bright smile.
Shikamaru's face fell.
After Neji's and Shino's performances, the effectiveness of Kitazawa's special training was obvious. He would definitely have a hard time against Ino's new technique. Though he had also learned a new secret technique, he wasn't confident.
"Good luck to both of you," Akimichi Choji said, munching on potato chips.
"Shikamaru, you have to last a little longer so we can all see what new ninjutsu Kitazawa-sensei taught Ino," Kiba added, patting his shoulder.
Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, and the others all watched with interest.
"…" Shikamaru's mouth twitched, and he walked onto the field dejectedly.
"Come on!" Ino said seriously.
"Shadow Imitation Shuriken!" Shikamaru's expression hardened as he immediately used his new secret technique.
Compared to the Shadow Imitation Technique and Shadow Sewing, the activation conditions for Shadow Imitation Shuriken were much simpler. He flicked his hands, throwing out two shuriken.
But the next second, Ino vanished from her spot.
"What—?" Shikamaru's heart jolted as he instinctively searched for her.
Beautiful petals appeared out of thin air, swirling around him. He reacted quickly, retreating—but the expected attack never came. The flowers seemed to be mere atmosphere, floating in the air.
"A diversion?" Shikamaru wondered, stunned.
Just then, a sharp whooshing sounded. He looked up instinctively and saw Ino—only to be kicked in the head by her descending foot.
He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, feeling dizzy.
"You lose, Shikamaru." Ino held a kunai at him, smiling proudly. "This is Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty, which Kitazawa-sensei taught me."
"Winner, Ino," Kitazawa announced promptly.
"Another new ninjutsu?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's face showed surprise.
This Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty clearly wasn't a Yamanaka Clan secret technique, nor even a known ninjutsu from the Ninja World.
As the Professor of Ninjutsu, he knew most techniques; this one was definitely not among them. Could it be another of Kitazawa's original creations?
Besides Ino's excellent performance, Shikamaru had also done well. For his age, mastering three secret techniques of the Nara Clan was truly the mark of a genius.
Looking at these three sparring matches, apart from Naruto, the other five had all shown clear progress.
Sarutobi Hiruzen now looked forward to the upcoming practical combat exam even more.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)