The Fastest Ninja in the Ninja World

"Sasuke-kun."

Ino Yamanaka walked up and greeted him.

Sasuke Uchiha ignored her, fully focused on maintaining the chakra on his feet.

Ino Yamanaka, snubbed, said nothing more.

She looked over at Hinata Hyuga.

By now, Hinata had her feet planted against the tree, suspended in midair.

Her face was all seriousness, her short blue hair hanging straight down.

Seeing this, Ino felt a rare surge of competitiveness.

If Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't acknowledge her, she'd finish the Tree Climbing Training first.

With that thought, she gathered chakra in her feet and started climbing.

Teacher Beizawa watched for a while, a look of surprise crossing his face.

Because among the three, Hinata Hyuga had the strongest chakra control.

Was it because of the Byakugan?

The Hyuga Clan's fighting style used the Byakugan to see through an opponent's chakra flow, then cut it off with Gentle Fist point strikes.

Once hit by that, chakra became unusable, reducing the target to an ordinary person, easy prey.

Of course, to land those point strikes, the Hyuga Clan had to understand chakra thoroughly.

Sasuke Uchiha was a genius, but he fell slightly short in chakra control.

In the original story, Sakura Haruno finished the Tree Climbing Training before him.

Just then, Ino Yamanaka let out a yelp and fell.

Teacher Beizawa stepped forward and caught her.

Her soft body settled into his arms; she felt like some kind of real-life figurine.

"Thanks, Teacher Beizawa."

Ino Yamanaka breathed out, still shaken.

"It's fine."

Beizawa bent down and set her on the ground.

"...?"

Sasuke Uchiha glanced over, a question mark on his face.

I fell out of the tree yesterday—why didn't you catch me?

Men gotta tough it out, huh?

"Hinata can climb that high?"

Ino steadied herself and watched Hinata Hyuga nearing the treetop, a note of awe in her voice.

But the next second, Hinata lost her balance and tumbled down.

Ino froze, then stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

Honest to god, she'd only meant it as a compliment.

Teacher Beizawa was quick, catching Hinata Hyuga.

"Th... thank you."

Hinata Hyuga said, her cheeks flushing.

"If you feel like you can't hold on, jump down early. Don't push yourselves."

Teacher Beizawa patted Hinata Hyuga on the head.

Bam!

No time to mourn Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga's falls—the next to charge into battle was Sasuke Uchiha.

"I'm fine."

Sasuke Uchiha met the three pairs of eyes, swallowed his embarrassment, and kept his face neutral.

He calmly brushed the dust off his clothes, then turned and climbed the tree again.

He hadn't paid much attention to Ino Yamanaka or Hinata Hyuga, but he still felt the pressure.

An Uchiha had to be first in everything, never fall behind.

Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga joined the training again.

Teacher Beizawa watched, offering pointers, occasionally catching them as they fell.

Time passed slowly, and the bell rang for class.

"You three finish this climb and call it a day. I'll go notify the others."

Teacher Beizawa greeted them and returned to the training ground.

"Teacher Beizawa!"

Naruto Uzumaki saw him and said excitedly, "I hit the moving target!"

"Good work."

Beizawa looked at the moving target in the distance.

It hadn't hit the bullseye, but being able to land a hit within one class period already surpassed most students.

"Hehe."

Naruto Uzumaki grinned happily at that.

"Class is over. Be careful on your way home."

Beizawa clapped his hands and said, "Dismissed."

"Goodbye, Teacher Beizawa!"

Everyone immediately took off without hesitation.

Hesitating to leave after school meant something was wrong with your head.

"Teacher Beizawa, what are we learning in the next practical class?"

Naruto Uzumaki asked.

"Next class is physical training."

Beizawa thought for a moment and replied.

"Running?"

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes lit up as he asked.

"There is some running."

Beizawa paused, puzzled, and asked, "Are you interested in running?"

"I'm going to become the fastest ninja in the ninja world!"

Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fists and explained, "That way, I can surpass the Fourth Hokage."

"I see."

Beizawa understood.

Naruto Uzumaki had most likely learned about Minato Namikaze from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

[Your lifelong rival, Naruto Uzumaki, has challenged you to a physical training competition. You graciously accept.]

[Current Mission: Achieve first place in the physical training session.]

[Mission Reward: Konoha Strong Whirlwind.]

[Accept?]

Beizawa couldn't help but let out a soft sound of surprise.

This was practically a free reward.

As a teacher, he was already going to participate in the physical training with the students anyway.

But wasn't his lifelong rival supposed to be Sasuke Uchiha? How did it become Naruto Uzumaki?

"See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to Naruto Uzumaki, Beizawa returned to the tree.

Before he even reached it, he noticed something was off.

Ino Yamanaka's face was slightly pale, and she was leaning against Hinata Hyuga.

Her left foot was on the ground, but her right foot was slightly lifted.

"I'm fine."

Ino Yamanaka said proactively, "I just twisted my foot coming down."

"Sit down. Let me take care of it."

Beizawa stepped forward and said, "Sasuke and Hinata, you two go on ahead."

"No need... ah."

Ino Yamanaka started to speak but then sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

"Enough. No need to tough it out."

Beizawa helped her sit down and said, "I'm pretty good at handling this kind of sprain."

Back when he was a genin, medical ninja were in short supply.

A squad of four people, not a single medical ninja among them.

In that situation, they had to fend for themselves—self-reliance was the only way.

Unless the injury is particularly severe, medication can provide temporary treatment.

"Thanks."

Ino Yamanaka didn't insist further after hearing that.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then took off her shoes.

Beizawa took out some bruise ointment, rubbed it into his palm, then grasped her ankle and gently applied it to her skin.

Ino Yamanaka's gaze unconsciously fell on him.

This teacher was surprisingly nice.

"There, you're all set. When you get back, find a Medical Ninja to help—it'll heal faster."

Beizawa withdrew his hand and offered the advice.

"Mm."

Ino Yamanaka pushed aside the jumbled thoughts in her head and said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher Beizawa."

"I'll carry you back."

Beizawa turned around, crouched down, and said.

Ino Yamanaka froze for a moment, a little embarrassed. She picked up her shoes with her right hand and looped her arms around his neck.

Lying on Beizawa's back, she thought to herself, This teacher is really a great person.

Beizawa had no idea he'd just earned another good-guy card.

When they reached the Yamanaka Flower Shop, he set Ino Yamanaka down.

"Teacher Beizawa."

Ino Yamanaka, holding her shoes, smiled and said, "See you tomorrow."