Ninja Academy's Number One

"Number one: Uchiha Ling."

Those six words were like a stone smashing into water, instantly overturning the air in front of the entire bulletin board.

The watching students immediately crowded forward. Those in front repeatedly checked whether they had read it wrong, while those in back desperately stood on tiptoe to see the full rankings.

"Is it really him?"

"How did he overtake him?"

"The comprehensive test scores created a gap..."

"Sasuke is second!"

All kinds of voices blended together. Even Kiba, who usually loved shouting the loudest, was briefly stunned. He stared at the name at the very top of the rankings, fell silent for several breaths, then finally clicked his tongue in unwillingness.

"He really got it."

Ino's eyes lit up, and she almost instinctively looked first for Ling's reaction.

But to her surprise, he showed neither the obvious joy she had imagined nor any forced calmness. He simply stood quietly where he was, his gaze resting on the rankings as though he were slowly taking the result into his heart.

Watching that figure standing among the crowd, her heart suddenly skipped for no reason.

It was clearly the most ordinary scene before a bulletin board, yet seeing Ling quietly look at his name at the top made him harder to look away from than any of his usual fights.

Only Ling himself knew how real the warmth slowly rising in his chest was at that moment.

It was not wild joy.

It was more like a breath he had held in for a long time finally being steadily released.

He had won.

Not through luck, nor by relying on a single abnormal outburst.

Through test after test, accumulation after accumulation, he had forcibly pulled first place beneath his own feet.

Sasuke stood before the rankings, his back colder than usual.

He did not turn around, nor did he show any loss of composure in public. His gaze remained fixed on the two lines reading first and second. To him, this result was clearer and more glaring than losing a spar.

Because it meant that, in this complete round of evaluations, Ling had surpassed him overall.

"Uchiha Ling."

Sasuke finally turned around, his voice low and direct.

The crowd immediately quieted somewhat.

Ling looked at him.

"Next time, I'll win it back," Sasuke said, one word at a time.

This was not an angry remark, nor was it an empty threat from someone unable to accept defeat.

It was the clearest possible declaration from one proud person to another formidable opponent.

Meeting his gaze, Ling answered calmly, "I'll be waiting."

There was no consolation, no polite exchange.

Because they both knew that any courtesy at a time like this would be unnecessary.

Standing nearby, Ino watched the two of them and suddenly felt as if even the wind before the bulletin board had turned sharp. One was the Uchiha who had firmly held first place, and the other was the freak Uchiha who had suddenly surged ahead. From today onward, their rivalry had been fully brought into the open.

Kiba pushed through the crowd then. He glared at the rankings for a long while before finally reaching out and patting Ling on the shoulder.

"Hey, even though I still find you really annoying, getting first this time isn't anything to be ashamed of."

Ling glanced at the hand on his shoulder. "Thanks."

Kiba was just about to stubbornly add something else when Ino laughed first. "What's that supposed to mean? Admitting defeat indirectly?"

"Who's admitting defeat?!" Kiba immediately bristled. "I mean this time. Next time, I'll still win!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the overly tense atmosphere finally eased a little.

At that moment, Ino had already squeezed through the crowd to stand before Ling.

"Hey, first place." She looked up at him with a smile, her voice carrying a brightness she clearly could not suppress. "I bet right."

As she spoke, her fingertips lightly brushed his sleeve, as if it had merely been a casual gesture, but she made no attempt to hide the closeness in it.

Ling looked at her and responded softly, "Mm."

Ino had originally wanted to say more, but when she caught sight of Hinata gathering the courage to walk over, her gaze shifted slightly. In the end, she stepped back half a pace first.

Meanwhile, Hinata had been standing a little farther away. Only after the crowd thinned did she slowly walk forward. She looked at the first-place name on the rankings, then at Ling. Her eyes shone as though they held light.

"Congratulations..."

Her voice was still soft, but it was more sincere than ever.

Ling looked at her and nodded. "Thank you."

Hinata pressed her lips together, as though she still wanted to say something. In the end, however, she softly swallowed the words, I always knew you could do it. For her, being able to see Ling reach that position with her own eyes was already enough to make her chest burn warmly.

After morning classes began, Iruka briefly summarized this phase of testing from the front of the classroom, particularly praising several students who had improved quickly or performed steadily. When he mentioned Ling, he did not use too many exaggerated words. He merely said,

"First place has never been a reward for someone's luck. It proves that, at this stage, you truly walked at the very front."

Many people in the classroom turned to look at Ling.

This time, there was very little doubt left in their eyes.

What remained was acceptance, wariness, and the seriousness that only appeared when facing a truly strong person.

After school, Ino indeed stopped him and shook the pouch of loose change in her hand. "I told you, if you got first place, I'd treat you to barbecue."

Ling looked at her. "You still remembered?"

"I always keep my word." Ino lifted her chin proudly. "But not today. I have to go back first, so I'll owe you one."

Ling gave a soft "Mm."

But Ino seemed somewhat dissatisfied with that reaction. She stepped half a pace closer and said with a smile, "You're the number one student at the Ninja Academy now. It's okay to be a little happier."

Ling looked at her, and at last the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

It was faint.

But it was real enough to make Ino freeze for a moment, heat faintly rising to the tips of her ears.

Looking at that fleeting smile, she suddenly felt that all the excitement she had felt that entire day could not compare to this single moment.

"...Fine, that counts as being happy for you."

After saying that, she turned and left, though her steps were noticeably faster than usual.

At dusk, Ling returned to the clan compound alone.

His father stood in the courtyard, watching him place his report card on the table. The man first swept his eyes over it, his gaze pausing on the word "first" before he finally looked up.

"Not bad."

Just two words.

Yet it was already a rare affirmation in the past half year.

Ling said nothing more and simply nodded quietly.

As night fell, he sat alone in the courtyard, slowly forming a mass of chakra in his palm. It was steadier and heavier than before, like a seed that had truly begun to take root.

Number one at the Ninja Academy.

This was not the end.

It did not even count as the true beginning.

But he knew clearly that, from today onward, when others mentioned Uchiha Ling, the first thing they thought of would no longer be "abnormal."

It would be "first."

Those two words would open more doors for him, and they would also draw more eyes toward him.

All he had to do was keep moving forward.

Keep walking until no one could ever look at him with the same old eyes again.