"Cough, cough... Because I've already given it my all, and..."
"I don't feel sad about losing to Naruto."
Ino couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.
A young girl's feelings really were the strangest things in the world...
Naruto also came to his senses.
"Ah—"
He hurried over, looking at Hinata with deep concern.
"Sorry, Hinata. I hit you too hard just now. A-are you okay?"
Hinata looked at Naruto, who was worried about her, and a sweet blush spread across her face.
She shook her head gently.
"I-I'm fine, Naruto-kun..."
At that moment, everyone else was still sunk in shock, unable to recover.
Iruka-sensei finally managed to regain his composure.
"Cough, cough. The winner is..."
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Both sides, perform the Seal of Reconciliation!"
Only then did Naruto and Hinata return to the middle of the field and face each other. They held up two fingers and hooked them together like they were making a pinky promise.
As Hinata's fingers touched Naruto's, her heart raced, and her face grew even redder.
Naruto just grinned and scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
Hinata smiled too.
"C-congratulations, Naruto-kun..."
"You were really strong too, Hinata!"
Only then did everyone outside the field gradually come to their senses.
"Th-that dead-last Naruto actually beat the young lady of the Hyuga Clan?"
"Hinata Hyuga was really amazing in that spar, wasn't she?"
"Definitely. With the Byakugan, the best at seeing through things, and the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms, she was practically flawless. And yet she still lost to that Naruto Uzumaki..."
"H-how is that possible?!"
"Was that dead-last possessed by someone?!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Naruto..."
"Damn it, that guy's gotten even stronger!"
"Just as I thought, my training still isn't enough... Not nearly enough!"
"I'm going to work twice as hard as before. No, ten times as hard!"
"I won't let that dead-last surpass me!"
Sakura Haruno was even more dumbfounded.
"Th-that's Naruto?"
"How did he suddenly get so strong..."
"And even Hinata..."
She imagined what would have happened if she had been the one to fight just now...
Probably...
She couldn't help clenching her fists.
"Damn it..."
Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino were equally bewildered, unable to accept what they'd seen.
"Naruto doesn't seem like the same Naruto anymore..."
Elsewhere.
Rock Lee was ecstatic. He raised both hands and cheered.
"Naruto! Well done!"
"Now that's true youth!"
Tenten gaped. "He actually beat Hinata, the young lady of the Hyuga Clan?"
"Naruto Uzumaki..."
She stole a glance at Neji Hyuga.
At that moment, the expression on his face was twisted, almost...
Fierce.
Tenten didn't know what had happened to Neji Hyuga.
But right now, he looked terrifying.
She didn't know if it was because of Naruto or Hinata...
Or perhaps...
Because of both of them?
Neji Hyuga turned and left in anger.
Rock Lee watched him go, his fists clenched.
"If Naruto can make such a stunning impression, then one day, Neji, I'll defeat you fair and square too!"
"I will..."
Inside the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed as well.
"Has Naruto really become this strong?"
"It was only a spar at the Ninja Academy, but the strength and skill he showed have already gone far beyond what you'd expect at his age..."
Shimura Danzō, standing behind him, furrowed his brows.
"What's frightening isn't his strength..."
"That brat's fighting style is just like that of a seasoned veteran who's been through countless battles!"
"What's going on?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly. "Perhaps this is what they call a different kind of genius..."
"That dead-last? A genius?"
Shimura Danzō's voice was eerie and cold.
"Hiruzen, don't make me laugh."
Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, "I'm not joking. Naruto's combat skills are beyond those of anyone at the Ninja Academy. He might even be better than some graduated Genin, and perhaps even some Chunin!"
"That guy might really be a true genius who's been hiding his abilities!"
Shimura Danzō fell silent for a moment, then gave a cold snort and disappeared back into the darkness.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Naruto on the Crystal Ball, cheering and celebrating with everyone around him, and couldn't help smiling.
"What an incredible kid..."
"Naruto."
At that moment, Naruto was experiencing for the first time the joy of being acknowledged by everyone.
He ran all over the training ground, waving to the crowd and laughing and cheering at the top of his lungs as if he'd just won a world championship.
Iruka-sensei couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Naruto!"
"It's class time! What are you running around and shouting for?"
"Get back here!"
"Hm? Naruto..."
Iruka-sensei suddenly froze, because...
Beneath Naruto's exaggerated laughter, he saw a tear at the corner of his eye...
That was...
A tear of bittersweet happiness, finally slipping free after Naruto had kept his feelings bottled up for so long...
Iruka-sensei suddenly found himself in tears too.
He could empathize with Naruto's feelings all too well.
His own parents had died when he was young, leaving him an orphan. To earn other people's approval—or even just to make them look at him—he'd turned himself into a clown and a laughingstock, performing his own clumsiness to make others laugh...
He knew they were only laughing at him, but he was terrified of being lonely.
Just like Naruto was now.
But compared to himself, Naruto had come to his senses and stopped relying on pranks to draw attention to himself. Instead, he'd truly made himself better and stronger. In that regard, Naruto was far better than he'd been as a boy.
Iruka-sensei secretly wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.
He was genuinely proud of Naruto.
But he still carried out his duty as a teacher and called Naruto back, even though the boy was still running all over the place.
The ninja sparring session had only just begun.
Naruto came back, but he still couldn't hide his excitement and pride.
He put his hands behind his head, grinning broadly with a dazzling smile.
Shikamaru and Choji patted him on the shoulders from either side.
"Calm down, Naruto."
Iruka-sensei also cleared his throat. "Ahem. The next person to draw a match is..."
"Sakura."
Sakura Haruno nodded and stepped forward, drawing a slip of paper from the box.
She opened it, glanced at the name, and froze.
"S-Sasuke-kun..."
Iruka-sensei glanced at the slip and couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead with a sigh.
"What a tangled fate..."
But Sasuke Uchiha didn't seem to care. He walked over with his usual cold expression.
In his eyes, everyone except Naruto was exactly the same.
"Let's start."
Sasuke said coldly.
Before you continue