No Time to Mourn Uzumaki Naruto, The Next Moment Rushing to the Battlefield Is!

Sure enough, Yamanaka Ino's expression shifted the moment she heard this. After hesitating for less than two seconds, she immediately replaced it with a bright, sunny smile, turning toward Akimichi Denji, who seemed to be staying out of the fray, her voice sweet enough to drip honey:

"Hey~ Denji-kun~"

She reached out with both hands to grab Denji's arm, shaking it gently like a coquettish kitten, her eyes filled with anticipation: "That... for the training... can I join too?"

"You?" Choji looked up, his small eyes full of confusion and bewilderment. "Aren't intelligence ninjas... supposed to avoid focusing on taijutsu?"

He felt that the secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan were what truly mattered.

The Yamanaka Clan belonged to the intelligence ninja category, which did not have high requirements for taijutsu.

"Can't this young lady become an all-around ninja?!" Ino immediately acted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; she let go of Denji's arm, placed her hands on her hips, and unleashed a lion's roar at Choji, full of imposing momentum.

"Can't this young lady become an all-around ninja?" Yamanaka Ino shouted at Akimichi Choji with her hands on her hips.

She hugged Akimichi Denji's arm, shaking it fawningly as she said, "Denji-kun, please? Can I?"

"Sure." Akimichi Denji nodded calmly.

Training with one person is training, and training with a group is also training. Since he already had two Uchiha and a Hyuga, there was no reason to refuse an alliance with the Yamanaka.

"Ding! Completed Yamanaka Ino's wish [Will there be a place for me by your side?], Wish Point +1."

In the afternoon, at Training Ground No. 5, the sun was shining brightly.

Today's agenda, however, was a bit different.

Umino Iruka stood in the open space and made an announcement.

"The end of the semester is approaching. To motivate everyone and help you realize the gap on the path of the ninja, today we will be holding sparring matches against the upperclassmen."

The fact that Uchiha Sasuke had lost to Denji yesterday had given Umino Iruka some inspiration.

He wanted to use this method to encourage the students to study and practice diligently.

Everyone looked over to see the second-year students.

One individual with the Byakugan was particularly conspicuous. At this stage, where no one had yet received their ninja headbands, everyone's foreheads were bare, but his was wrapped in a strip of cloth.

Akimichi Denji realized this was Hyuga Neji, one of the Konoha Twelve.

He also spotted Rock Lee and Tenten in the crowd; Rock Lee was already wearing that green jumpsuit that looked like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

At the edge of the training ground, Hyuga Hinata's gaze remained fixed on Hyuga Neji.

Hyuga Hinata's eyes became evasive; she didn't know how to face Hyuga Neji.

Once upon a time, her cousin's warm smile and patient guidance were precious memories of her childhood.

However, ever since that curse seal known as the "Caged Bird" was branded onto Neji's forehead, and ever since she naively understood the cold chasm between the "Main House" and the "Branch House," everything had changed.

Neji's gaze toward her had become sharp and distant.

Moreover, after Uncle Hizashi passed away, there was even a hint of disgust in the way Hyuga Neji looked at her.

Hinata gathered her courage to step forward, but when she met his eyes—those eyes as calm and ripple-free as the Byakugan—she timidly lowered her head.

Umino Iruka looked at his colleague Mizuki with a gentle smile: "Mizuki-sensei, so... shall we begin the sparring matches in a moment?"

The look in Mizuki's eyes as he watched Umino Iruka held a trace of deeply hidden disgust, but his smile was radiant. "Sure! Of course, that's great!"

His tone was relaxed as he added, seemingly offhandedly: "Shall we follow the usual rules? We'll draw lots for groups first, but if the students have someone they specifically want to challenge, free sparring is also allowed."

When Iruka had approached him yesterday to suggest the two classes hold sparring matches, Mizuki's heart had been filled with sharp sarcasm.

Heh, isn't it just because a brat in his class awakened a Sharingan? Is he already so impatient to drag him in front of me to show off? He inwardly slandered, a wave of sour jealousy surging within him.

Looking at Iruka, Mizuki found him incredibly eyesore: "His strength isn't as good as mine, and he doesn't even have a decent girlfriend. What is there to be proud of?"

In the crowd, Mizuki placed a hand on Shinnosuke's shoulder, a fake, concerned smile on his face, though his voice was kept extremely low: "Shinnosuke, don't hold back later."

"Let the lower-grade kids see the suppression power of the upperclassmen."

Upon hearing this, Shinnosuke nodded vigorously. He understood the subtext in Mizuki's words, and a flash of cruel excitement crossed his eyes.

Mizuki straightened up, satisfied, and cast his gaze toward Hyuga Neji, who was alone in a corner wrapping bandages around his hands.

He tried to make his voice sound encouraging: "Neji, you go up later too. Show them your 'full strength' as a Hyuga genius, and open the eyes of the other class."

Neji's movements in wrapping the bandages didn't pause in the slightest; he didn't even look up at him, merely responding without a ripple in his tone:

"To deal with a bunch of brats, there's no need to get serious."

The undisguised contempt and direct rebuttal caused the smile on Mizuki's face to stiffen for a moment.

Mizuki's expression shifted imperceptibly as he narrowed his eyes.

Isn't it just... that he got lucky enough to be born into the Hyuga family? Mizuki roared in his heart. A genius? If I had the resources of the Hyuga family and received the best training from a young age... I, Mizuki, would also be worthy of the title of 'genius'!

The sparring began, and the first match was Uzumaki Naruto versus Shinnosuke.

Naruto charged with his usual hot-blooded intensity—straight punches, sweeping kicks, his movements wide and open, characteristic of Konoha Style Taijutsu.

Shinnosuke sneered.

He moved with agility, easily dodging Naruto's fierce onslaught, and seizing an opening, he landed a precise and ruthless elbow strike squarely into Naruto's ribs.

Naruto winced and dodged, but Shinnosuke seized the opportunity, sweeping Naruto's legs out from under him and sending the stumbling boy crashing to the ground.

Before Naruto could scramble up, Shinnosuke lunged forward, driving his knee heavily into Naruto's back to pin him firmly in place.

The ferocity of the move drew a chorus of gasps from the sidelines.

Iruka frowned deeply as he watched, shouting out to stop them: "Enough! The winner has been decided!"

Only then did Shinnosuke release him, looking unsatisfied as he flashed a provocative grin at the rising Naruto.

Naruto clutched his aching ribs, his face twisted with frustration.

Damn it! This guy is actually pretty strong.

"That was way too ruthless. It's just a spar!" Haruno Sakura spoke up, clearly displeased.

Although she often bickered with Naruto, she still felt that this level of aggression was going too far.

"He even threw extra punches after he was already down," Inuzuka Kiba added, grumbling indignantly. "If I had my ninja hound summoned, I'd definitely make him pay."

Sasuke's brows locked together tightly, a flicker of clear annoyance and disgust crossing his usually cold face.

Even though he always called Naruto a dead last, seeing a classmate bullied like this—especially with that smug, victorious look on the other boy's face—made him feel extremely irritated.

"I'll fight him!"

There was no time to mourn for Uzumaki Naruto; the next to rush onto the battlefield was Uchiha Sasuke.