A new week—Monday.
There were two weeks left until the early-April finals.
At 10:00 a.m., Kitazawa arrived at the Anbu base.
"Kitazawa."
Konan stood up, handed him a dossier, and said, "This is the list of shinobi who fit your criteria."
"Thanks."
Kitazawa took it, sat beside her, and started reading.
He planned to pick eighteen shinobi from this list to face the Advanced Class in their finals. His three criteria were:
First, they couldn't be too strong. Elite jōnin like Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Itachi, or Might Guy were out. The Advanced Class kids are capable, but they're still young—and if the matchups are utter blowouts, there's no point to sparring or "training."
Second, they needed some name recognition. The fastest way to make a name for yourself is to defeat someone people have heard of.
Third, they couldn't be jerks—their reputations had to be decent. Some ninja who live on the knife's edge get gloomy or menacing; no need to spook the kids. And if someone has a nasty temperament and can't handle losing, they might try to get revenge afterward. That'd be a headache. (Not that Kitazawa thought they'd dare—the village's emphasis on the Advanced Class is common knowledge.)
"Quite a headcount," Kitazawa murmured.
A glance told him there were over three hundred names. Picking eighteen out of three hundred would be a project.
He buckled down. Soon he spotted plenty of familiar names—like Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. He thought for a moment, then circled them—selected.
Both Izumo and Kotetsu were chūnin-level. If they used the Curse Seal of Earth, they could bump up to special jōnin.
An hour plus later, Kitazawa had assigned opponents for everyone except the top seven in the class. The reason was simple: those seven were on a different tier—Uzumaki Naruto, Kurama Yakumo, Uchiha Sasuke, Kimimaro, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Neji, and Aburame Shino. Hinata and Neji had lagged a bit before, but with their two bows they'd caught up fast. And after Shino learned the Kamizuru clan's secret arts, he'd leveled up a lot too.
Kitazawa considered it and decided those seven should spar with special jōnin or jōnin. One, because their strength warranted it; two, because beating special jōnin or jōnin would supercharge their reputations. Who knows—before the "new Sannin" even appear, they might get a moniker like "a Seven Swordsmen-type squad."
"Lunchtime, Kitazawa," Konan said, glancing at the wall clock.
Kitazawa blinked out of his focus and set the file down.
"I brought bentō," Konan said, producing a lunch box.
"You made it?"
He eyed it—it didn't look like the Anbu cafeteria's standard box.
"Mm."
"Thanks."
He opened it: grilled fish, rice, a few vegetables. He picked up a bite of fish.
"Nice," he said—genuinely; it tasted better than he'd expected.
Konan said nothing, just took off her Anbu mask and ate quietly.
After lunch, Kitazawa returned the lunch box and resumed selecting opponents for the students. Konan put the box away, stood behind him, and began massaging his shoulders.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said, a little taken aback.
"Mm," Konan replied, and kept at it, cool face all focus.
Half an hour later, Kitazawa had chosen the last six shinobi. Now it was just a matter of waiting for April.
"Konan." He handed her the dossier. "Please notify them: 9:00 a.m., April 10th, at the Ninja Academy sharp."
Konan nodded, took the file, and left the office.
Kitazawa watched her go, then got up and headed home.
Half a month flew by.
On April 9, the Advanced Class sat for the written finals.
By 8:30 a.m.—still half an hour early—most of the students were already in their seats.
"Shikamaru, aiming for first again this time?" Sakura asked the boy face-down on his desk.
"I'll do my best," Nara Shikamaru said lazily. "Not sure I'll get first."
"If you're trying, how could you not?" Sakura huffed.
"Rankings don't matter," Chōji said around a potato chip. "We won't beat Neji or Sasuke in the overall standings anyway."
"I don't need much," Yamanaka Ino turned to Sakura. "As long as I place above you."
"I outranked you last time," Sakura said, smug.
"That was last time. This is this time!" Ino planted her hands on her hips. "No point harping on the past!"
"Sasuke?!" Sakura suddenly shot to her feet at the sight of a familiar figure in the doorway.
"Sasuke!" Naruto waved enthusiastically as Uchiha Sasuke walked in.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hurried over.
"Finally back," Kiba said with feeling. "I thought you'd miss finals."
"I came back to take first," Sasuke said calmly as he stepped forward.
"Sasuke-kun's awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan—he's definitely taking first this time!" Sakura chimed in.
"Man, you really haven't changed," Kiba snarked.
"Everyone's back," Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.
"Ugh, so cocky," Tayuya muttered from the back row.
"He can back it up," Jūgo said, watching Sasuke. Even with his eight-layer Curse Seal of Earth, he still couldn't beat Sasuke—and Kimimaro hadn't won even in Cursed Seal: Stage Two.
"Strength rules. Normal," Kimimaro agreed—still carrying some of Sound's mindset.
"So does that make you about jōnin level now?" Tenten asked, curious.
"More or less," Sasuke admitted.
A chorus of gasps. An eight-year-old jōnin? They were used to being shocked by Sasuke and Naruto, but jōnin is another tier. Jōnin are the pillars of a village.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!" Naruto threw a thumbs-up. "Tomorrow I'm challenging you—let's have a hot-blooded showdown of youth!"
He'd lost to Sasuke when Satori possessed him last time; this time he was the one issuing the challenge.
"You'll lose," Sasuke said, brimming with confidence. He glanced at Yakumo—she was a target too. With three tomoe, he was sure his genjutsu would beat hers. Beat Naruto first, then Yakumo, and he'd be the undisputed number one in the class. In short, with three tomoe, he was invincible. He couldn't help the corner of his mouth from curling up.
Yakumo pondered. She'd heard plenty about three-tomoe Sharingan. Up against her genjutsu bloodline—who'd come out on top?
Neji felt Sasuke's disregard—and it made sense. If nothing unexpected happened, he probably couldn't beat a three-tomoe Sasuke. But… the bow Kitazawa had given him gave him hope. He'd named it "Fatefeather," meaning he'd be the bird that flies out of fate's cage.
"Jōnin, huh?" Kimimaro felt a stab of frustration. To beat Sasuke, he'd have to push his Shikotsumyaku further—but age is what it is; you don't jump tiers overnight.
"What's the buzz? Why so lively?"
A familiar voice. Hinata glanced at the door on reflex.
"Good morning, Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino beamed.
"We were talking about tomorrow's practicals," Naruto said, fired up. "I'm gonna challenge Sasuke to a youth-fueled duel!"
"Go ahead and duel, but it'll have to wait," Kitazawa said, unruffled. Sasuke coming back and not fighting Naruto or Yakumo? That wouldn't be Sasuke. That said… he might not get his wish. Three tomoe is strong, but Sasuke's young—his fundamentals are thin, and he can't draw out the full power yet. Even if he could, it wouldn't guarantee wins over Naruto or Yakumo. Yakumo? He definitely wouldn't beat her. Naruto would be a coin toss.
"Why wait?" Naruto asked, puzzled. Normally they didn't even take practicals—they just did missions.
"Because this time the practical won't be a mission," Kitazawa said with a smile. "The top eighteen students in the Advanced Class will face mystery challengers."
"Mystery challengers?" Sakura asked. "From other classes?"
"How could other classes be our opponents?" Ino's eyes sparkled as she looked at Kitazawa. "They're graduated shinobi… right?"
"Correct," Kitazawa said, ruffling her hair.
Ino shot Sakura a triumphant look. Hinata opened her mouth, then closed it—she'd thought of the same answer, just a beat too slow.
"Actual shinobi?" Shikamaru blinked. Even with his IQ, he hadn't expected Kitazawa to pit working ninja against students. It sounded… lopsided.
"Does that mean Guy-sensei will be there?" Rock Lee blurted, thrilled.
"How would a jōnin show up?" Tenten couldn't help retorting. With Might Guy's strength, it'd be a stomp. If Kitazawa was inviting working ninja, they'd top out at chūnin—no way he'd bring jōnin.
"I'm not afraid of jōnin," Sasuke said out of nowhere.
Tenten had no comeback. Cocky, sure—but not wrong. In theory, with three tomoe, Sasuke was jōnin-class.
"Sasuke's right!" Naruto's teeth flashed. "No matter the opponent, go all out—that's youth!"
"You'll see tomorrow," Kitazawa said, smiling. "For now, it's a secret."
"Kitazawa-sensei, whisper it to me," Ino said, sidling up and hugging his arm.
"Ino, we can all hear you," Sakura deadpanned.
"All right, back to your seats." Kitazawa flicked Ino lightly on the forehead.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Ino cradled her brow and scurried back. The others followed.
The bell rang—9:00 a.m. The written exam began.
Kitazawa left a shadow clone behind and slipped out of the Academy. After learning Wood Release: Serial Pillar Houses, his next wood technique was Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison. Just one character different from Four-Pillar House, but a totally different effect—the House builds a wooden residence; the Prison creates a massive wooden jail. It can also be used mid-fight to trap enemies.
At 11:00 a.m., the written wrapped. Kitazawa finished his training and returned to his office. The rankings were about what you'd expect—pretty much set in stone by now. Unless someone had been secretly cramming… but they're ninja; most put their time into getting stronger, not into bumping test scores.
The next day.
"Izumo, any idea why Kitazawa-sama wants us at the Academy?" Kotetsu asked as they walked.
"No clue," Kamizuki Izumo said, shaking his head. "Kitazawa-sama is always hard to read."
"True," Kotetsu laughed. "Like when none of us expected him to draft us into the Cursed Seal Unit."
"Yeah," Izumo said, a bit awed. Since joining the unit, they'd gone from chūnin to special jōnin—and each was now a squad captain. Their status had skyrocketed.
"Asuma-senpai!" Kotetsu spotted a familiar back and called out.
"You two," Asuma Sarutobi turned with a smile.
"Asuma-senpai, why aren't you at Anbu today?" Kotetsu asked.
"I've got business at the Academy," Asuma said.
"We're headed there too," Kotetsu brightened. "Kitazawa-sama told us to come."
"You too?" Asuma frowned. "What's Kitazawa up to, all mysterious like this?"
"If even you don't know, there's no way we do," Izumo said with a shrug.
"Let's go find out," Asuma said, moving on.
Soon, the three reached the Academy.
"Why are there so many people?" Izumo asked, startled.
"What is this?" Asuma was surprised as well. Most of Konoha's leadership was here—clan heads too.
"Looks like we're here to watch the practical exam," Kotetsu ventured.
"Probably," Asuma said, suddenly getting it. Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and others were already seated flanking the field.
"Asuma." Kakashi walked over.
"Kakashi," Asuma grinned. "How's the teaching gig?"
"Not bad," Kakashi said, then raised a hand. "Your section is over there."
"'Opponent Ninja Area'?" Asuma read, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Kitazawa didn't tell you?" Kakashi said. "You're here to spar with the Advanced Class."
"Come again?" Asuma's voice jumped. "How could your students be my opponents?"
"That's not so clear," Kakashi mused.
"...?" Asuma stared. There was no way he'd lose to a bunch of eight- and nine-year-olds… right?
"You'll see," Kakashi said. As a teacher, he wouldn't be participating. "Head over."
"Just don't get mad when I rough up your students," Asuma snorted, and led Izumo and Kotetsu to the so-called opponents' area.
He scanned the lineup—lots of familiar faces. Not far away, the young man with the black dot on his forehead was Uchiha Tekka—one year younger than Asuma, already a jōnin. Beside him stood Uchiha Inabi, also a jōnin. There was a Hyūga from the clan—Hyūga Homon. And the long-haired woman with a katana on her back was Yūgao Uzuki.
Asuma's mouth twitched. This roster could assault a minor hidden village—and they were here for a school final? Absurd.
"You two as well?" A man in sunglasses strolled up.
"Ebisu-senpai, long time no see," Izumo and Kotetsu greeted.
"Don't call me 'senpai'—you two outclass me now," Ebisu said enviously. He'd applied to join the Cursed Seal Unit too, but luck wasn't on his side; he hadn't been able to receive the Curse Seal of Earth.
~~~
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