"BOOOO!!"
The sudden, unanimous shout from the girls echoed across the training ground like a thunderclap.
"That's unfair!" one of them cried.
"Iruka-sensei!" Ino shouted, storming toward the center of the field, finger jabbing. "That pervert is cheating!"
"Yeah!" Sakura added furiously. "He threw dirt! That's cheating!"
Before Iruka could open his mouth, Tatsuya threw up his hands.
"Cheating?!" he barked. "On the real battlefield, things are way worse than sand in your eyes!"
The class fell silent.
Even Iruka was momentarily stunned.
Then he sighed, long-suffering. "Just… continue the match."
Sasuke finally wiped the last grains of sand from his eyes, but they were bloodshot and unfocused—he couldn't see clearly.
"You bastard," he growled.
But Tatsuya didn't wait. He charged in again, teeth gritted, eyes focused, adrenaline screaming through him.
Sasuke roared, furious. He leapt up, throwing a wild, high kick with all his strength toward Tatsuya's face.
But instead of blocking, Tatsuya dropped.
Palms slammed into the dirt, body flat and tense, then exploded upward.
Both of his feet rocketed into Sasuke's chin in a textbook double-kick.
CRACK!
Sasuke was launched into the air, body twisting midair before crashing down with a heavy THUD.
The crowd gasped.
Iruka's eyes widened. "This level of Taijutsu… it's on par with Rock Lee from last year…" he thought in shock. "When did he get this strong? Just yesterday, he didn't seem this good at all… was he hiding his skills?"
The entire class was speechless.
"Damn…" Naruto muttered from the back, slack-jawed.
Tatsuya, breathing heavily, stared down at Sasuke's fallen form.
'The hell?!' he thought. 'When did I get this strong?!'
A glowing panel blinked into view.
[Host… you've never actually given your best in a fight. With your current Basic Taijutsu skill level, you can outmatch any Academy student in pure hand-to-hand—even those physically stronger.]
'Oh…' Tatsuya blinked. 'I think I shouldn't have always paired with Shikamane...'
He was still processing when Sasuke coughed, then pushed himself up, rage twisting his face.
"Aoki!" he snarled, blood at the corner of his mouth. "I'll never let a worthless shit like you defeat an Uchiha!"
His hands started to blur into hand seals.
'Oh crap!' Tatsuya thought. 'He's gonna use the Great Fireball!'
"Great Fireba—!"
"That's enough!" Iruka barked, grabbing Sasuke's wrists before the last seal could be formed. "You've lost, Sasuke."
"Wha—!"
"Tatsuya is the winner of this match!"
The male half of the class exploded.
"YEAH!!"
"Finally!!"
"Holy crap, he did it!"
"For years!! YEARS!! We've waited for this!!"
Tatsuya raised a fist into the air triumphantly. "Take that, Sasuke!!"
Sasuke just sat there, trembling with frustration and humiliation, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white.
But if the boys were celebrating...
The girls were not.
"You damn pervert!" one shrieked, marching toward Tatsuya.
"You DARE to gloat after cheating?!" Ino yelled.
"You'll never be as cool as Sasuke-kun, cheater!" Sakura added, scowling so hard it might've caused a Genjutsu.
One by one, the entire girl squad surrounded him, hurling insults and condemnation like kunai.
"Asshole!"
"Dirty fighter!"
"Filthy rat with lucky legs!"
Tatsuya stumbled back, overwhelmed, until he managed to escape their circle of fury.
He looked back to see Shikamane watching from a distance, her expression flat as ever.
She shook her head and sighed.
"Told you," she muttered. "You wouldn't regain your face..."
...
The dust from the final match had long settled. Students were gathered in a loose half-circle, sweaty and tired, some still nursing bruises or sore egos.
Iruka stood in front of them, clipboard in hand.
"Alright, everyone. That concludes today's Taijutsu exam," he announced, voice firm. "I'll now read your evaluations. These scores reflect your individual performance, cooperation, and ability to think on your feet."
Everyone held their breath—some out of boredom, others with actual tension.
"Sakura: C."
Sakura blinked, then gave a small nod. Nothing new.
"Shikamaru: C."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered with a yawn, completely unfazed.
"Shikamane: B."
Shikamane just shrugged. She had better Taijutsu than her brother, but in terms of teamwork… well, she barely acknowledged her teammates' existence.
"Naruto: A."
Naruto grinned confidently, fists on his hips. "Heh! Dattebayo!"
Tatsuya blinked, watching him from the side. That confident grin, that calm aura—Naruto felt like a completely different person than the one from the manga he remembered.
He still couldn't believe it.
Minato hadn't died that night.
The Nine-Tails had been sealed again into Kushina. The village hadn't shunned Naruto—instead, they'd admired him. Being the son of the Fourth Hokage and having the Uzumaki fire burning bright in him had made him practically royalty at the Academy.
And it showed. Even though... he was still lazy as fuck. Well, at least in the academy... with Kushina as his mentor, and even Kakashi and Minato sometimes, he really didn't have to pay that much attention to the academy's lessons now, did he?
The only one who could match him was…
"Sasuke…" Iruka said, voice dipping slightly. "A-."
A sudden burst of outrage followed.
"WHAT?!" Sasuke snapped, fists clenched. His fangirls exploded with him.
"HE WAS CHEATED OUT OF VICTORY!"
Iruka raised a hand calmly. "Sasuke, your technique is excellent. But you lost your composure and attempted to use a high-level Fire Style jutsu in a spar. That could've seriously injured your classmate."
"I didn't—!"
Iruka cut him off gently but firmly. "I'm already being generous not giving you an F. A real ninja doesn't risk their comrades' lives just because they're angry."
Sasuke's face twisted in frustration. He clicked his tongue and looked away.
Finally, Iruka looked at the last name on his sheet and smiled.
"Tatsuya…"
Everyone turned toward him.
Iruka's voice rang out, warm and proud.
"A+. Excellent work today."
Tatsuya blinked. "Eh? A+?"
Iruka nodded. "Yes. That's out of grade scale. You were clearly at a disadvantage in power, but you used your head and won through smart tactics. That's the mark of a real ninja."
The class erupted into mixed reactions.
"Unfair!"
"He cheated!"
"Pervert's just lucky!"
"He threw sand like some kind of rat!"
Tatsuya didn't care.
He pumped a fist into the air, grinning wildly.
"YOSHHHAAAAAA!"
[Mission Completed!]
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, like how Kushina and Minato are still alive? Don't worry, I'll make their missinh deaths not affect the story that much.