Another Graduation Season

Time slips away unnoticed, and when the cicadas' chirping reaches its peak, graduation season at the Ninja Academy arrives.

The blazing Hidakō in the sky, and the bluestone pavement was so hot that you could feel the heat with every step. The dazzling light made it impossible to open your eyes; you had to squint to barely see the road ahead.

This time was agonizing for everyone. The students at the Ninja Academy lay listlessly on their desks, complaining about the rising temperature.

The classroom was almost empty, with only a dozen or so students present. It was clear that not everyone was there, and nearly half of the students had skipped class.

"Naruto is such an idiot, but why... why do good kids like Shuyuan and Konan skip class? The graduation exams are tomorrow!"

After roll call, Iruka held his head in his hands, beginning to doubt whether there was something wrong with his educational approach.

"It's too hot, teacher. To be honest, I wanted to skip class too, but with this blazing sun, I don't have the energy to play around in the forest with those idiots... Staying home will get me scolded by my mom, and going to the candy shop costs money... After thinking it over, I decided to come to the classroom. It's hot, but it's also quiet. I have an exam tomorrow, and today is just for practicing my Three Basic Ninjutsu..."

Shikamaru lay on the table, yawning.

Looking at Shikamaru and the other listless students in the classroom, Iruka sighed inwardly. Sometimes, having such smart students was a problem; things like the Three Basic Ninjutsu were no challenge for his students.

Even now, Iruka himself lacks confidence in defeating his student.

Geniuses and prodigies abound, but he was merely a Chunin with limited strength.

Forest.

Compared to schools with many students, it's much cooler here. A gentle breeze blows, the leaves rustle, and the cool air is invigorating.

"Huff... huff...! Shuyuan, you bastard, couldn't you have gone a little easier? My butt hurts so much!" Naruto lay sprawled on the grass, panting and complaining.

"Oh! Naruto, you know how to cry out in pain now? I always thought you weren't afraid of pain!" Shuyuan was drinking water from her water bottle.

"Don't treat me like an idiot," Naruto, clearly annoyed.

"Alright, stop pretending to be dead, get up! The battle between Sasuke and Suzuran is about to be decided."

On the other side of the clearing in the center of the forest, Sasuke and Suzuran were fighting around a super tree with a diameter of over twenty meters.

The towering tree was cultivated by the First Hokage at the beginning of Konoha's establishment. After more than fifty years of growth, it is now a giant tree that is two hundred meters tall.

"Knock knock knock!!!"

The Shuriken a wide arc and embedded itself in the tree, penetrating only two or three centimeters into the rough bark.

The force was insufficient.

This isn't to say that Sasuke holding back, but rather that he was very tired, and throwing such a curved trajectory greatly reduced his strength.

"Haha! Sasuke, you're so useless! You're out of energy so quickly."

Naruto flipped over and jumped up, looking at Sasuke who was panting heavily, and immediately shouted excitedly.

"... Muscle idiot!"

Sasuke muttered a few words under his breath, his attention focused on the Suzuran of the valley running around the tree.

The giant tree was covered with a thick layer of moss, like a green blanket, and it was so slippery that it felt like ice skating when you stepped on it.

The Shuriken's difficulty in penetrating is partly due to this layer of natural armor.

Suzuran, on the slippery 'green carpet,' moved with ease and speed, unlike Sasuke was cautious and careful, trying to stay in place as much as possible.

The four of them have been sparring and training here for the past week. After the Sasori of the Red Sands incident, they have become closer.

Sasuke and Naruto still couldn't stand each other, arguing every two days and having a big fight every three days. However, when they sparred, their teamwork improved day by day.

They often spar privately like this, in pairs, and to increase the challenge, they add various rules and restrictions to the fights.

For example, Shuyuan and Naruto just engaged in pure Taijutsu combat, while Sasuke and Suzuran limited their battle to a giant tree.

The battle revolved around the giant tree; whoever landed on it would lose. Because he had previously sparred with Shuyuan and exhausted himself, Sasuke was clearly struggling.

In contrast, Suzuran's previous battle with Naruto didn't seem to have taken a toll on her, and she still has energy reserves.

"Sasuke-kun, getting distracted during battle isn't a good habit!" came the girl's light, melodious voice.

Not good!

Sasuke's expression changed, and when he looked up, he saw dozens of sheets of white paper of the same size falling like snowflakes.

However, the force of these white papers was not as gentle as snowflakes; their fierce momentum was more like the falling hailstones.

"Don't underestimate me, Suzuran."

Sasuke unexpectedly lunged upwards, sticking himself to the giant tree, releasing Chakra from his palms that adhered to the slippery moss.

The Paper Shuriken swept past from behind with lightning speed, its sharp edge landing on the back of my head and neck, scraping painfully.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Luckily, he reacted quickly enough; otherwise, a few cuts on his face would have left him disfigured.

Their sparring sessions were all with real weapons, not the toys from the Ninja Academy, but real swords and spears, so injuries were inevitable.

With the Katsuyu around, getting injured was no big deal. On a large tree in another corner, a three-meter-long Katsuyu was perched, watching the four of them fight.

The Katsuyu was obtained by Shuyuan and Naruto from Nawaki. The two of them pestered Nawaki at the Hokage Building and even used Nawaki's six-year-old son as a 'hostage', which finally made Nawaki relent and summon the Katsuyu to help them with their training.

"Hehe, it's still too late, Sasuke-kun."

The long spear made of rolled-up white paper was pressed tightly against Sasuke's back; the sharp pain told him that he had lost.

Turning around, Suzuran smiled sweetly at him, a pair of snow-white wings flapping beneath her ribs, and holding a nearly 1.8-meter-long spear in her hand, pointed directly at his back.

"I lost," Sasuke said sullenly, his face filled with deep resentment. He jumped down from the tree, vigorously patting his clothes to remove the moss stuck to them.

At the same time, looking at Suzuran of the Valley flying in mid-air, he asked, "Suzuran, when did you master Paper Wings? I've never seen you use them before."

"I suddenly found the ability to use it while exercising in the yard last night, so I took advantage of it today."

Suzuran said with a smile.

The girl flapped her wings and raced at top speed around the giant trees in the forest, her silvery laughter echoing through the woods and attracting birds to follow her. (To be continued)