This time, even Sasuke could no longer sit still. "Handstands?"
"What else?" 'Kakashi' swept Sasuke with a cold glance.
That look.
With just one glance, Sasuke felt a wave of pressure.
It actually pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
Was this the power of a Jonin?
"Timing starts now!"
'Kakashi' somehow pulled out a stopwatch.
Only then did the two realize that 'Kakashi-sensei' really did not seem to be joking.
"Hey, wait, Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura said she was not ready yet.
But 'Kakashi' had already begun a cold countdown.
"3... 2... 1. All right, begin."
"Damn it!"
Sasuke let out a low growl and immediately went into a handstand.
Three hours, handstand-running, 500 laps!
It was extremely challenging.
Sasuke had never done something as bizarre as handstand-running before. He had been wobbly and unaccustomed to it at first, but after taking a few "steps," he found the rhythm and gradually began to speed up.
Sakura was even slower.
"Kakashi-sensei, where's Naruto? Isn't he coming?"
After only a few steps, Sakura lowered her head as she balanced upside down and asked Kakashi.
Naruto quickly glanced at the tree where Kakashi was hiding and said, "When he comes back, I'll have him catch up with you. Don't slack off. I'll be watching you the whole time."
"All right."
Sakura Haruno let go of her last lingering hope and could only resolutely handstand-run forward.
Watching the two retreat into the distance, Naruto finally relaxed.
He glanced at the panel again.
[Experience Hot-Blooded Youth: Within 3 hours, handstand-run 500 laps around Konoha's outer perimeter Reward: 5 attribute points, 4000 experience]
This mission had been around for years. Because it was so bizarre, even though the rewards were quite good, Naruto had never wanted to do it.
Now things were perfect. He had people to do the mission with him, and someone to take the blame.
Perfect.
Naruto transformed back into himself and prepared to catch up with the two ahead.
This was an assessment mission 'personally' assigned by 'Kakashi-sensei.' Of course Naruto had to participate.
Before leaving, Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward that large tree.
"Kakashi-sensei, since you personally assigned this mission, we'll definitely carry it out without fail. I'm off!"
For the first time, Naruto deliberately revealed his sensory abilities.
Now that he had graduated, Uzumaki Naruto should begin to stand out instead of remaining the dead last forever.
If you, Kakashi, refuse to let us graduate, then I, Uzumaki Naruto, could always become the Hokage's Team Leader Teacher.
"Sasuke, Sakura, I'm coming!" Naruto shouted, making the two far ahead turn around.
Then Naruto leaped forward, planted both hands on the ground, and raced ahead in a handstand.
Before long, he passed Sakura, caught up to Sasuke, and quickly overtook him.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? I'll wait for you up ahead."
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Sasuke immediately sped up his hands.
But he still could not match Naruto's speed.
For a moment, Sasuke could not make sense of Naruto's strength at all.
While he was distracted, a youthful shout came from behind him.
"Lee, did you see that?"
"I saw it, Might Guy-sensei! Two people have actually joined our training. This proves we are walking the great road of youth!"
"I can already feel my youth burning!"
"Faster! Faster! Lee, youth does not permit us to slack off."
"Yes, Might Guy-sensei!"
Whoosh~
In an instant.
Sasuke felt two figures in green jumpsuits overtake him from the side.
The bizarre part was that the two of them were also handstand-walking, just like him.
Were they taking part in the assessment too?
Sasuke looked puzzled, but after being overtaken by three people in a row, Sasuke had his pride too.
Before he could speed up, another voice sounded beside him.
"Are you the genius Uchiha Sasuke who graduated this year?"
Sasuke turned to look at the newcomer and was met by a pair of Byakugan.
But it was not his classmate Hinata. Sasuke recognized him as Neji, the genius from the year above.
He was handstand-walking too.
"Tch~ Genius?"
After saying that, Neji sped up and passed him.
Watching Neji disappear into the distance, Sasuke felt unprecedented mockery and humiliation at that moment.
He did not care about the title of genius at all. He even resented it; those two simple words erased all his effort.
But at this moment, he felt the humiliation those words brought.
Naruto, who had been dead last for years, had passed him. Some unknown guy in a green jumpsuit had passed him. Neji, who had mocked him, had passed him too?
Sasuke suddenly gritted his teeth and accelerated, bursting out with all his strength. Before long, he caught up with Neji.
Noticing Sasuke catching up, Neji accelerated as well.
The two ran side by side in handstands, their hands moving furiously. Their gritted expressions were so strained that even the Sharingan and Byakugan emerged. For a time, they were evenly matched.
Meanwhile.
Naruto's "running" seemed somewhat easier.
But.
"Might Guy-sensei, look."
"I see it, Lee. Our youthful ranks have gained another member!"
"I can feel my youth burning even brighter!"
"Faster! Faster! Lee, overtake him! If you can't, we'll run another 500 laps!"
"Yes! For youth!"
The two instantly sped up again!
Huh? Overtake me?
When Naruto looked back, he saw a watermelon-haired, thick-browed pair in green jumpsuits—one big and one small, as if they had been cut from the same mold—madly accelerating as they chased him down.
His competitive spirit flared up!
Naruto instantly accelerated, giving the two no chance to pass him.
Before long, a man actually caught up alongside him.
Turning his head, Naruto saw an old youth boy.
The old youth boy noticed Naruto's gaze and smiled. Then he flashed a grin, his teeth actually sparkling, while the thumb of his outstretched right hand seemed to praise Naruto's youth.
Was that you, Sanduo?
But.
Where had that extra hand come from?
Seeing how he mocked him, Naruto thought: I'll sortie in Gundam form!
Naruto gritted his teeth and pushed himself desperately, faster and faster and faster.
"I can already feel my hot-blooded youth boiling!" the old youth boy roared as well, beginning to accelerate wildly.
The two desperately fought for first place. Their faces gradually began to distort from exertion, yet they remained neck and neck, neither ahead of the other.
At the same time, at the back of the group.
Sakura encountered her opponent too, but the atmosphere between these two was completely different from the people up ahead. Things were strangely harmonious here.
After hearing Sakura explain what had happened, Tenten found it unbelievable.
She had thought her own Team Leader Teacher was bizarre enough, but there was someone even more extreme, actually using this kind of training as an assessment.
This kind of mission sounded more like something Might Guy-sensei would propose.
"Is there really an assessment mission like this?" she asked.
Sakura's eyes were clear and foolish. "I don't know, but that's what our Team Leader Teacher demanded."
"I see." Tenten was a little uncertain for a moment. The assessment she had taken did not seem to be like this either.
"I've only experienced this sort of thing once too. Maybe every teacher is different."
"My youth is about to explode!" A booming cry suddenly burst beside the two.
Then whoosh~
Naruto and Might Guy raced past them side by side, leaving only a rolling cloud of dust behind.
After quite a while.
"Might Guy-sensei, my youth is about to explode too!" Lee caught up, overtook them, and completed a lap.
After quite a while more.
Sasuke and Neji also passed them, their heads pressed against each other as they competed with their Sharingan and Byakugan activated.
"Men~" Tenten sighed. She was already used to this kind of thing.
But Sakura Haruno was feeling a little despairing.
Do I still have a chance?
Thanks to YaoC for the monthly ticket support, thanks to Heise Rensheng i Ai for the two monthly tickets, and thanks to reader 20230808233207882 for the four monthly tickets.
This chapter was another bonus update. Thank you to every reader for your recommendation votes and continued reading support.
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