I was Sasuke Uchiha.
I was in a complicated mood.
Watching Naruto's furious expression, Sasuke felt an inexplicable irritation stir within him.
"What the hell is that dead-last doing?"
"Does he really want to turn things around?"
"Damn it..."
On the surface, Sasuke Uchiha looked down on Naruto, but in truth, he was the one who paid the most attention to him.
Even Iruka could empathize with Naruto and understand him, but he was still an older mentor, a teacher—not a peer of the same age.
Even Hinata, despite having a crush on Naruto, couldn't fully understand what his loneliness felt like.
Only Sasuke could.
He understood Naruto, and even...
Envied him.
Because although Naruto was lonely, he could express himself without restraint. Whether through pranks or by making people dislike him, he never gave up trying to earn their recognition.
Sasuke couldn't do that.
His coldness, his pride, his genius, and the hatred buried deep in his heart had become a cocoon that bound him, leaving him unable to break free.
Both of them had lost everything.
Yet Naruto possessed a passion that Sasuke could never have.
And Sasuke had a talent Naruto could never hope to match.
But now, with even Naruto starting to work hard, the threat to Sasuke's own excellence gave him a powerful, subtle, and sensitive jolt.
Even he couldn't explain the feeling.
It simply became the drive that pushed him to work even harder.
The pen in Sasuke's hand trembled slightly. As he tightened his grip, it snapped with a crack, breaking in his palm...
Sakura, who had been quietly keeping an eye on Sasuke, couldn't help glancing at Naruto a couple of times.
When she heard the sound of Sasuke's pen snapping and turned around, all she saw was a slightly twisted expression.
"Sasuke..."
Sakura had no idea what was going on, so of course she couldn't understand how Sasuke felt at that moment.
Hinata blushed faintly, secretly feeling happy for Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, g-go for it..."
Naruto folded his arms and sat down in a huff, still dissatisfied.
Honestly, if this had happened before, he'd have been grinning from ear to ear over such an improvement.
But not now.
The system had given him a deadline of one month!
Raise his grades from the bottom of the class to the top ten in a month!
That was basically the same as telling him to go to the Hokage's office and beat up the Third!
"Looks like I'll have to put in even more effort!"
During the next few classes, Naruto focused and listened attentively for the first time without needing the system to remind him.
During breaks, he didn't hesitate to seize the time to practice the Chakra Refinement Technique.
This unusual sight had become a fixture in the classroom. Everyone tacitly kept their distance while watching him with curiosity.
Until...
Ding!
[The host has remained fully focused for ten consecutive classes and obtained a new word entry ability: Knowledge Absorption!]
[Once you enter a state of total concentration, your ability to absorb and digest knowledge will greatly increase!]
Naruto froze, then his mouth fell open and his eyes lit up.
"Word entry ability!"
"Knowledge Absorption!"
"I don't really understand, but it seems like I've gotten even stronger!"
He immediately tried it out. In the next class, as soon as he entered a state of total concentration, his mind, which had been a complete muddle, suddenly began to clear!
The feeling was impossible to describe.
It was like a river that had been blocked for more than ten years suddenly flowing freely again.
Or like years of constipation ending in a sudden, unstoppable release...
All he could say was that the blockage had cleared, and enlightenment had struck!
[You have entered a state of total concentration. The Knowledge Absorption word entry ability is now active. Your grasp of [Mathematics] has improved. Proficiency +5.]
Naruto was practically bursting with joy.
"Five points!"
"A breakthrough like never before!"
"Ahahaha..."
[The host has left the state of total concentration. You are about to undergo the system's Baptism of Lightning Release.]
[Warning countdown: 5...]
Naruto: "...I'm sorry, okay?!"
And that wasn't all.
Naruto discovered that the [Knowledge Absorption] ability didn't just apply to academic subjects.
It could even help him understand ninjutsu!
That class was on the Clone Technique, Naruto's worst subject.
The Clone Technique was one of the Three Basic Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy, the most fundamental ninjutsu.
It wasn't particularly difficult, relatively speaking.
The clone it created had no physical form and was only an illusion, so it couldn't be used to attack or defend. Its sole purpose was to lure the enemy.
Of course, because it had no physical form and lacked realism, it was easy for perceptive ninjas to see through.
Naruto's Clone Technique had always been the weakest of the Three Basic Techniques.
He was relatively better at the Transformation Technique. In fact, he'd even developed a unique ninjutsu of his own with it.
The Shinobi World's number-one divine technique, which had defeated the founder of chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki...
The Sexy Technique!
But the Clone Technique had always eluded him.
At the front of the classroom, Iruka-sensei spoke at length.
"The Clone Technique is a basic ninjutsu that involves refining and controlling a certain amount of chakra to create an illusion identical to the user, in order to confuse the enemy."
"The Hand Seals for the Clone Technique are Ram, Snake, and Tiger."
"While forming the Hand Seals, control your chakra and picture your own image in your mind. Then create it, as if you were pulling your reflection out of a mirror."
"All right, start practicing!"
"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
For the first time, with [Knowledge Absorption] active, Naruto truly took in everything Iruka-sensei had said about the Clone Technique.
"Ram, Snake, Tiger. Picture my own image in my mind, then control my chakra and create it..."
"Aha! I get it!"
Naruto immediately began forming Hand Seals. At the same time, he pictured himself in his mind, refined chakra, and guided it to create an identical illusion.
"Clone Technique!"
With a furious shout, he released his chakra, and a clone instantly appeared in the classroom!
However, his clone slumped limply to the ground, looking as if it had downed three jin of fake liquor. Its eyes rolled back and its tongue lolled out. It was a complete puddle of goo.
"Hahahahaha!"
The classroom erupted in laughter, with taunts flying in every direction.
Usually, Naruto would have fired back.
This time, though, he didn't even get the chance.
[The host's Clone Technique is far too weak. Begin practicing with all your might immediately. Today's goal is... three hundred attempts at the Clone Technique!]
Naruto: "???"
"Th-three hundred?!"
[Three hundred.]
"You could just say you want to kill me!"
"Three hundred times! Never mind whether I have enough chakra—my little body couldn't take it even if I did!"
[Warning: Baptism of Lightning Release countdown: 5...4...]
"..."
"You could've just told me that in the first place!"
Naruto was too exhausted to fight back. He could only accept his fate in silence.
"Ram, Snake, Tiger. Picture my reflection in my mind, while controlling the chakra I've refined..."
"Clone Technique!"
Poof—
With another soft sound, a clone of Naruto slumped to the ground.
"Aha! That's great!"
Iruka-sensei came over and looked at the clone, still sprawled limply on the ground. The veins on his forehead began to bulge.
"Naruto, what's so great about it?!"
Naruto pointed at his clone with all his might.
"Iruka-sensei, take a closer look!"
"He's still lying on the ground, but at least his tongue isn't sticking out anymore!"
Iruka: "..."
"Keep practicing!"
"...Okay."
Even if Iruka hadn't said so, Naruto didn't have time to stop.
Three hundred Clone Techniques!
If he didn't hurry, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one!
"Clone Technique!"
"Clone Technique—"
"Clone Technique..."
[The host has completed ten attempts at the Clone Technique. Your mastery has improved. Proficiency +1!]
"Oh! This might actually work!"
Before you continue