Sasuke: I'm Back in the Game!

April 28th.

There was one day left until First Year Class A's first Monthly Exam.

"The Clone Technique is a required subject in the Combat Exam. Over these two weeks, I've covered pretty much all the key points you need to know."

Standing on the Ninja Academy training field, Beizawa spoke gently. "Today is your final class before the Monthly Exam, so make the most of your time."

"Teacher Beizawa, don't worry! We definitely won't let you down!"

Kiba Inuzuka immediately shouted.

As First Year Class A's homeroom teacher, their grades could be said to determine Beizawa's future and prospects.

And after a month of teaching, they had all come to genuinely acknowledge him and were willing to help him earn a promotion.

"Yeah!"

Everyone chimed in.

"First place is definitely ours!"

Naruto Uzumaki shouted especially hard.

"Naruto, master the Clone Technique first before you say that."

Kiba Inuzuka shook his head.

"Who says I haven't mastered it?"

Naruto Uzumaki retorted indignantly.

His personality was very similar to Kiba Inuzuka's. Perhaps it was because like repelled like, but the two of them were always arguing.

But they were children. The more they argued, the better their relationship became.

Beizawa subconsciously looked at Naruto Uzumaki.

After two weeks of practice, Naruto had completely mastered the Transformation Technique.

But the Clone Technique was like Schrödinger's cat—or Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Had he really learned it?

Believe for now.

Beizawa watched Naruto Uzumaki form hand seals and use the Clone Technique.

With a bang.

Two identical Naruto Uzumakis appeared amid the smoke.

The good news was that there were no bizarre mutations.

The bad news was that they looked severely malnourished.

The two Naruto Uzumakis were sallow and skinny, as if they had been starving for months.

Seeing this, Naruto Uzumaki wore the exact expression of a sweating yellow bean.

Why had it failed when it was supposed to work?

He had clearly succeeded twice yesterday.

"Wait! Let me try again!"

Naruto Uzumaki hurriedly shouted.

"If you can do it, you can do it. If you can't, you can't. What does trying again mean?"

Kiba Inuzuka crossed his arms and snorted. "Looks like your first place is already out of reach."

"One last time!"

Naruto Uzumaki formed hand seals again.

Two clones appeared once more. Compared with the previous two, these ones looked much more normal.

"I did it!"

Naruto Uzumaki immediately broke into a smile.

"Not bad. Naruto has improved a lot. Everyone should learn from him."

Beizawa clapped his hands. "All right, make the most of your time and start practicing."

Compared to the original Naruto Uzumaki, the current one could be called an evolved version. He no longer resembled his former self.

"Teacher Beizawa!"

Naruto Uzumaki ran up to Beizawa and asked, "Will the Combat Exam test the Transformation Technique?"

"No."

Beizawa shook his head. "The Transformation Technique won't be taught until next year."

"Huh?"

Naruto Uzumaki froze for a moment, then asked, "Then why did you teach me the Transformation Technique early, Teacher Beizawa?"

"Didn't I say so? I thought the Transformation Technique suited you better."

Teacher Beizawa chuckled. "And in fact, that's exactly how it turned out."

"It's because you taught me well."

Naruto Uzumaki said, sounding both proud and modest.

"Put the Transformation Technique aside for now. What matters most is mastering the Clone Technique."

With a sweep of his gaze, Beizawa noticed Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and the others heading toward their usual training ground.

Yakumo Kurama was absent. Kurenai Yuhi had taken her away today to study sound-based genjutsu.

"Yes!"

Naruto Uzumaki nodded heavily, then asked, "Teacher Beizawa, do you think I still have a chance?"

"A chance at what?"

Beizawa was slightly taken aback.

What? Were you about to invite me hiking?

"A chance at first place."

Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head, revealing an unusually uncertain expression.

He had always talked tough in front of others, but with Beizawa, he was completely honest.

"Until the dust settles, either of us could take first place."

After giving it some thought, Beizawa replied.

Though in his view, Naruto Uzumaki did not really have much of a chance.

"What does that mean?"

Naruto Uzumaki looked up at him, his eyes clear and foolish.

"It means that before the results are out, anything is possible," Beizawa explained.

"That's great!"

Naruto Uzumaki perked up, his confidence restored. "I'm going to practice the Clone Technique right now!"

Beizawa could not help but smile.

In a sense, the kid was truly impervious to both praise and criticism—stubbornly persistent.

No wonder he would grow up and somehow master Talk no Jutsu without a teacher.

After watching for a while, Beizawa headed toward the training ground.

Before he even got close, he heard Sasuke Uchiha's wild laughter.

A strange expression immediately appeared on his face.

What happened?

Beizawa continued forward and caught the smell of something burnt.

His gaze fell upon the ground in front of Sasuke Uchiha.

Without a doubt, he had just used Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

And judging by the scorched area, the fireball had been at least two or three meters wide.

That explained it.

Beizawa understood why Sasuke Uchiha was so delighted.

A fireball of that size had already reached the average standard for Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

But... it was still far inferior to the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique Itachi Uchiha had used in the original story.

Beizawa fell into thought.

Itachi Uchiha certainly would not have gone all out in front of his beloved little brother.

Thus, Sasuke Uchiha was now under the greatest illusion of his life: that he had caught up to his brother.

"Teacher Beizawa, thank you."

Sasuke Uchiha stopped laughing, walked over to Beizawa, and spoke.

He actually knew how to say thank you?

Beizawa froze for a moment, then said, "There's no need to thank me. It was all your own hard work and sweat."

"Um... Teacher Beizawa."

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly became a little bashful and asked, "Can I go home now?"

"You can."

Beizawa understood and replied with a smile, "You've more or less mastered the advanced tree-climbing training. It can end here."

Was it over?

No, this was a new beginning.

A Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique of this level was still far from Itachi Uchiha's standard.

In any case, Sasuke Uchiha would be back.

"Thank you, Teacher Beizawa!"

After saying that, Sasuke Uchiha turned and ran off.

He could hardly wait to hear his father praise him.

"You two as well. You can go home early and rest today."

Beizawa looked at Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka as he spoke.

"Teacher Beizawa, I still want to keep training."

After thinking for a moment, Ino Yamanaka spoke.

Unlike Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, she did not need to seek her parents' approval or praise.

But she had felt the benefits of Tree Climbing Training and experienced the joy of making progress, so she did not want to stop.

"M-Me too!"

Hinata Hyuga said with a determined expression.

"I never said you had to stop training."

Beizawa laughed helplessly. "What I meant was that the advanced Tree Climbing Training is over. Once the Monthly Exam is finished, we'll begin new training."

Ino Yamanaka smiled somewhat sheepishly at that.

Hinata Hyuga, meanwhile, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She could no longer do without Beizawa's training.

"I'm home!"

Sasuke Uchiha shouted loudly the moment he arrived home.

"Why are you so happy today?"

Hearing his voice, Mikoto Uchiha came out and asked.

"I'm not telling you."

Sasuke Uchiha haughtily shook his head. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, you're making Mom sad."

Mikoto Uchiha feigned dejection, but she kept watching Sasuke Uchiha from the corner of her eye.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

Seeing that, Sasuke Uchiha said, "Today, I successfully mastered the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

"That's so impressive! Just as expected of my son!"

Mikoto Uchiha smiled and spoke gently.

"Of course!"

The corner of Sasuke Uchiha's mouth curled up, and he nearly failed to hold back a grin.

Fortunately, he was used to Mikoto Uchiha's praise, so it did not have quite as much effect on him.

"Dad isn't back yet?"

Sasuke Uchiha asked again.

"He went to work at the Konoha Military Police Force."

Mikoto Uchiha glanced at the clock on the wall. "He should be home soon."

"I'm back."

A familiar voice rang out.

"Brother?"

Surprise appeared on Sasuke Uchiha's face. He ran to the door and asked, "You're back so early today?"

"Sasuke."

Itachi Uchiha suppressed the exhaustion in his heart and explained, "I just finished a mission."

"Brother, come with me!"

Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward, grabbed him, and ran outside.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

Itachi Uchiha asked in confusion.

"Don't ask yet."

Sasuke Uchiha finally stopped by the artificial lake in the courtyard.

He glanced at Itachi Uchiha, then formed hand seals with both hands.

The next second, a massive fireball appeared out of thin air, warping the surrounding air as waves of heat rolled outward.

Itachi Uchiha's eyes lit up.

It already had the power of his first time using the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique?

"Sasuke, when did you become so strong?"

Itachi Uchiha asked in surprise.

"Because I'm a genius!"

Hearing the praise, Sasuke Uchiha practically puffed up with pride.

"Mm."

Itachi Uchiha suddenly seemed to think of something and said in a low voice, "Sasuke, the future is yours."

"The future belongs to us."

Not noticing anything unusual about him, Sasuke Uchiha corrected him with a grin.

Itachi Uchiha smiled and nodded.

Just then, footsteps sounded.

A stern-faced middle-aged man wearing a Jonin flak jacket walked in.

"Dad!"

Sasuke Uchiha hurried over and called out.

"Mm."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded.

"Dad, look!"

Sasuke Uchiha immediately used the Great Fireball Technique.

"Still a long way behind your brother."

Fugaku Uchiha gave it one look, then turned and went back inside.

He was exhausted in both body and mind and had no mood to keep playing house with Sasuke Uchiha.

New conflicts arose between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha every day, leaving him endlessly frustrated.

Ever since Shisui Uchiha died, he had found it difficult to suppress the clan's rebellious sentiment.

The smile on Itachi Uchiha's face vanished at those words.

Sasuke Uchiha, meanwhile, felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

After struggling for a month, this was all the evaluation he received. He could not accept it.

"Sasuke, you're still young. Once you reach my age, you'll be able to do even better than I can."

Itachi Uchiha reached out, patted his head, and spoke softly.

"Brother, use the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique one more time."

Sasuke Uchiha said gloomily, "I want to see your full strength."

"This..."

Hesitation appeared on Itachi Uchiha's face.

He had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Going all out against Sasuke would be far too much of a bullying.

But Sasuke Uchiha's determined expression made him understand there was no room for negotiation.

With a sigh in his heart, he stood and began forming hand seals.

In an instant, a gigantic fireball eight or nine meters tall appeared, like a sun illuminating the nearby buildings.

Sasuke Uchiha stared, dumbfounded.