"Iruka, you're giving me too much credit," Qiushui said sincerely. "It's mainly because you taught him for three years and gave him a solid foundation. Otherwise, I couldn't have gotten his Clone Technique up to a passing level in just one month."
Iruka froze for a moment, then smiled.
Qiushui stood up and announced, "The Clone Technique exam: Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke tied for first place."
A round of applause broke out among the crowd.
Hinata lowered her head, her face turning slightly red.
The applause died down.
"Next..." Qiushui flipped to the next sheet. "The tool-throwing exam."
The tool-throwing exam.
Once again, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata tied for first place.
Sasuke's kunai seemed to have eyes. Every one of them struck the bull's-eye with pinpoint accuracy. Ten throws, ten hits.
Hinata's movements were gentle but steady, and she also hit the mark all ten times.
But what surprised everyone else even more was Naruto.
He managed to hit the target seven times out of ten, earning an impressive fifteenth place.
Uchiha Sasuke watched Hinata talking to Naruto, his expression darkening. He had always been the sole first-place winner before, but now someone else had joined him.
After lunch and a brief rest,
the final exam of the afternoon began: a 300-kilometer endurance run.
The sun beat down, and heat shimmered over the field. The students gathered in small groups, doing their final warm-ups.
Watching Naruto stretch his legs, Inuzuka Kiba couldn't help walking over to warn him. "Naruto, be careful when you run today."
Naruto looked up, puzzled.
"Today's test is 300 kilometers," Inuzuka Kiba said seriously. "Don't charge ahead at the start like last time, or you'll collapse halfway through."
Naruto paused, then nodded firmly. "Kiba, thanks for the warning. Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."
Seeing how serious he looked, Inuzuka Kiba felt a little out of place. "O-okay, then." He scratched his head and walked away with Akamaru.
As soon as the race began, Uzumaki Naruto immediately charged ahead. Inuzuka Tsume, who had been right beside him, froze.
Hadn't he just agreed not to charge ahead at the start?
Hadn't he promised her?
How had he gone back on his word already?
But she had no time to think about it. Those few seconds she'd lost had already left her at the back of the pack.
The 300-kilometer race soon stretched the runners into three distinct groups.
The first group led the way, with four runners moving side by side: Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Aburame Shino.
The second group trailed about two hundred meters behind. It consisted of Inuzuka Kiba, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara.
Akamaru ran alongside Inuzuka Kiba, and the two of them seemed to be taking it easy. Choji Akimichi's steps were a little heavy, but he wasn't falling far behind. Shikamaru Nara still looked as lazy as ever, but a closer look revealed that his pace was remarkably steady, nothing like his seemingly careless demeanor.
The third group was farther back. A crowd of girls led by Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were competing against each other. The two ran side by side, glaring at each other and refusing to let the other get ahead. The rest of the girls followed behind them, along with a few boys who had fallen back.
The long line of runners wound across the track like a string of snakes, inching along.
The four runners in the lead kept up the same pace.
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the three runners beside him, silently weighing his chances.
He wasn't worried about Aburame Shino.
In every previous long-distance race, Sasuke had taken first place, while Aburame Shino had managed no better than second or third. Shino had decent stamina, but limited explosive power. He was no match for Sasuke in the final sprint.
But the other two...
Sasuke's gaze swept over Naruto and Hinata. Before, he wouldn't have considered them rivals at all, but now he was wary of both of them.
He had watched Naruto and Hinata train every day lately, and seen just how much work they put in. The intensity of their training was more than most people could endure.
Sasuke looked at Naruto's profile.
The guy he usually saw only from behind, or panting for breath, was now running smoothly, breathing evenly, his steps strong. He even looked excited?
The sun gradually sank in the west. Its rays were no longer so scorching, but sweat had already soaked everyone's clothes.
After 150 kilometers, most of the students began to look exhausted. Their breathing grew ragged, their steps heavy. Some gasped for breath while others slowed down and fell farther behind.
But the four runners in the lead maintained their original pace.
After 250 kilometers,
everyone except the four runners in the lead had slowed noticeably.
The gap between the second group and the leaders grew wider, and the third group had already been lapped.
Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were still competing, but they were clearly running slower than before. The determination on their faces had changed from I have to win to I have to keep going.
Ten laps remained.
The four runners in the lead continued side by side around the track.
Just then,
Uzumaki Naruto made his move.
His stride suddenly quickened. Like a sports car that had been revving for too long and finally had its brakes released, he shot out from the pack so fast that the others barely had time to react.
Hyuga Hinata followed almost instinctively.
Her stride was lighter than Naruto's, but she was just as fast, keeping close behind him.
Watching them pull away, Aburame Shino quickly began calculating.
With ten laps left, his plan called for him to start sprinting in the final five. If he sprinted now, he could keep up for a while, but he might run out of strength later.
Aburame Shino pushed up his sunglasses and watched the two of them disappear into the distance.
He chose to maintain his pace.
Uchiha Sasuke's thinking was much the same as Aburame Shino's. Based on his past experience, sprinting during the final five laps was the most sensible approach. Sprinting now could throw off his rhythm.
Though reason told him to stick to his plan, he couldn't stand seeing Uzumaki Naruto ahead of him. He suddenly quickened his pace and charged after them.
Three figures raced around the track.
Naruto led the way, running like the wind, with Hinata close behind.
Farther back, Sasuke chased after them with all his might. He was running fast, but the gap wasn't shrinking much.
"After everyone had finished the race, Qiushui announced, 'The winner of the fitness test is Uzumaki Naruto, second place is Hyuga Hinata, and third place is Aburame Shino...'"
As soon as the announcement ended, Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists, beaming with excitement. He couldn't help bouncing on the spot and shouting, "Yeah!"
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