Battle Test, Choosing Hinata as Teammate!

The combat test was divided into three parts.

The first part was the obstacle course.

The second part was individual combat.

The third part was team combat.

As students of Class 1, most were either high achievers or juniors from ninja clans.

Everyone completed the obstacle course with ease.

Soon, it was time for the individual combat segment.

"First match, Inuzuka Kiba vs. Feishui."

The two stepped out into the training ground.

They performed the Seal of Confrontation toward each other.

The battle began in an instant.

Even though Inuzuka Kiba had yet to master his clan's secret techniques, he still easily defeated his opponent during the match.

After watching this fight, Uchiha Sasuke basically understood.

It was too difficult for a civilian ninja to emerge as a powerhouse capable of surpassing those from ninja clans.

Whether it was the resources cultivated from a young age or the gap in their foundations, the disparity was already beginning to show at this stage.

"Sixth match, Uchiha Sasuke vs. Liuma Shimura."

Finally, after the first five matches concluded, it was Sasuke's turn.

"Good luck, Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun, go for it!"

"Sasuke is the best, he'll definitely win!"

As Sasuke stepped onto the field, the atmosphere around them became heated.

One had to admit, in the eyes of most people, good looks really were justice.

One look at Liuma Shimura's expression was enough to tell.

He was the son of the nephew of Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root!

He would definitely defeat this arrogant guy in front of him.

Then, he would let those fangirls know that in Konoha, everything was determined by strength.

Besides, he had heard it from his own father.

The Uchiha would be wiped out by Root sooner or later.

What right did this guy have to act all cool and handsome here?

Showing off?!

Today, he would beat this guy into a complete idiot!

"Seal of Confrontation!"

As Iruka's voice fell, both of them raised their fingers.

"Bang!"

Liuma Shimura charged straight at Uchiha Sasuke.

The practice kunai in his hand thrust precisely toward Sasuke's throat.

One had to know, even a practice kunai could be lethal.

If this hit, even if there was no danger to his life, he would lose his voice for several days.

Where did this guy get such malice toward him?

"Fire Style: Small Fire Snake Jutsu!"

Uchiha Sasuke formed signs rapidly, and a snake of fire appeared around his body, lunging toward Liuma Shimura.

Facing the incoming heat, Liuma Shimura had no choice but to avoid its edge.

Getting burned by Fire Style was no laughing matter.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Walk!"

"Zzzzz..."

Just as Liuma Shimura was thinking about how to defeat Uchiha Sasuke perfectly, a crackling sound of electricity rang in his ears.

His hair stood on end.

"Too slow."

"Pfft!"

Sasuke landed a sharp hand-chop on Liuma Shimura's neck.

"Thud!"

Liuma Shimura's body collapsed directly to the ground, losing consciousness.

"The sixth individual match, Sasuke wins!"

After Iruka announced Sasuke's victory, the medical ninja nearby stepped forward to carry Liuma Shimura away for treatment.

After all, the team battles were still to come.

Naruto's opponent was also a child from a civilian ninja family—Sanada So.

"How unlucky, why is my opponent this demon fox?"

"Am I going to be killed by him?"

"This demon fox should just get out of the village. Why is he standing here, studying and testing with me?"

Sanada So's face was full of resentment.

Ever since he could remember, he had been told never to play with this demon fox.

In his mind, Naruto was a monster who could destroy the village at any moment.

He felt fear at the thought of fighting such a monster.

But to suppress that fear, Sanada So chose to lash out with mockery without hesitation.

This caused Naruto, who had been full of excitement just a moment ago, to subconsciously lower his head.

It had been so long, so why did his classmates still look at him this way?

He hadn't done anything; why did he have to be treated like this?

"Demon fox?"

"Monster?"

"If Naruto really were a monster, would it be your turn to stand there and spout nonsense?"

"You would have been killed long ago."

"You can't even see that? How stupid!"

Sasuke spoke with a look of disdain.

"Perform the Seal of Reconciliation!"

"Also, both combatants, please focus!"

Iruka finally snapped back to reality.

He should have stepped in to stop it from the beginning.

However, his own parents had perished during the Nine-Tails Rebellion.

That left a lingering bitterness in Iruka's heart.

But Sasuke's words just now had awakened him.

How could a five-year-old child possibly be a demon fox?

If he were, how could he be so well-behaved?

As a firm executor of the Will of Fire, Iruka quickly corrected his mindset and his position.

He was the homeroom teacher for this group of children, after all!

"Naruto, let this guy know that you're defeating him as a ninja!"

"Go for it!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a thumbs-up.

"Yeah!"

Naruto, whose expression had been downcast, regained his smile.

"Wow, Sasuke-kun is so cool. I don't think Uzumaki Naruto looks like a monster anymore; after all, he's earned Sasuke-kun's approval!" [A certain fangirl]

"Tch, women are so boring." [Shikamaru]

"Mm-hmm, potato chips are still the best." [Choji]

Even Sasuke hadn't expected that his words would cause such a significant shift in everyone's attitude toward Naruto.

Especially among the children of the ninja clans, a sense of curiosity toward Naruto began to take root.

And Naruto, living up to expectations, quickly defeated Sanada So.

It was no joke; during this period of being "electrocuted" by Sasuke, Naruto's physical constitution had seen a qualitative improvement.

Coupled with their daily training bouts, Naruto's overall combat strength was already among the best in Class One.

After the individual matches concluded, it was time for the team battles.

Iruka instructed everyone to form their own teams.

This gave Sasuke a bit of a headache.

Because his team already had one spot taken by Naruto.

And a large crowd of girls had already surrounded him.

"Teacher, my team is decided."

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata!"

Sasuke raised his hand directly and loudly announced the three names.

Hearing her name from the corner, Hinata trembled all over...

"Me?"

Hinata pointed at herself timidly and spoke with some shyness.

"Is that okay?"

Sasuke gave a sunny smile.

"This... yeah."

Hinata didn't know what to feel right now, but she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.

After nodding gently, she walked over to Sasuke and Naruto's side.

Despite her prominent family background, Hinata's personality meant she had little presence in the class.

Girls at this age were generally lively and active, so Hinata couldn't fit into those small cliques.

After Sasuke chose Hinata as a teammate, although the other girls were disappointed, they quickly went off to find their own partners.

After all, this test would be recorded in their academic files.

The grades from the Ninja Academy would have a significant impact on their future as ninjas.