No Second Strike

Sasuke still hadn't found a chance to have a proper match with Yinsen. He discovered that Iruka had been constantly "interfering." It was one thing that he never got paired with Yinsen during sparring practice, but after school, Iruka would occasionally stop either him or Yinsen, staggering the times they went home.

Only after Sasuke seemed to stop obsessing over it for a while did Iruka stop taking turns "talking" to them. Even so, he still never paired the two together in class.

In the sparring lessons that followed, Yinsen's opponents were all classmates with poor grades and ordinary backgrounds. Sasuke couldn't understand Iruka's arrangements, but Yinsen could.

Compared to those students who clearly had no future ahead of them, Yinsen at least still had a little hope.

Since Yinsen had recently become somewhat more "motivated," Iruka had quietly given him some conveniences. As for the final outcome? That was beyond his control. He simply felt he had done what he should have done by helping a student with a bit of talent.

In the blink of an eye, the Graduation Exam arrived. Over the past twelve years, Yinsen had been diligently slacking off and had taken no part in any events. The only change was that he had gotten somewhat "acquainted" with Sasuke.

So the plot that was supposed to happen continued to unfold. Naruto Uzumaki still performed terribly in the Graduation Exam, becoming the only student in the class who failed to graduate.

Looking at Naruto Uzumaki sitting there in dejection, Yinsen quickly withdrew his gaze.

Next came the moment for this protagonist to put on his show. Every ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village would have to join the Third Hokage in staging a grand performance. Some knew the truth, while many more knew nothing at all