Special Training Roster

Three days after the phase test ended, Iruka posted a new list on the blackboard.

The paper had barely been smoothed flat before the classroom erupted.

The list was short, with only ten names.

Yet it had selected nearly all the most outstanding students from this round of testing.

Uchiha Ling.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Ino Yamanaka.

Inuzuka Kiba.

Nara Shikamaru.

Hinata Hyuga.

And four other students who had performed steadily in both the basics and practical combat.

"Starting today, the students on this list will take part in Ninja Academy combat special training after school." Standing before the podium, Iruka's tone was steadier than usual. "There is only one goal: to adapt early to higher-intensity individual combat and small-scale coordination."

The moment those words fell, the classroom exploded with chatter.

"They're really pulling people out separately?"

"Are they only picking the top ten?"

"Won't that make it even harder for everyone else to catch up?"

Kiba's eyes lit up at once. "Isn't this basically an elite class?"

Ino looked at the list first, then turned her gaze to Ling with a meaningful smile. "Looks like a certain Ninja Academy's number one will be even busier from now on."

Hinata sat in the back row, her fingertips lightly clutching the edge of a page. She was on the list too, and that left her both nervous and quietly, quietly happy. Not because she had been chosen, but because from today on, she could at least stand closer to that person with a little more confidence.

Ling said nothing, his gaze lingering on the list for only a moment.

He knew perfectly well that this kind of special training would never be just for the children to "have some fun." If the Ninja Academy had singled out the top ten at this point, it meant they had already begun deliberately selecting those truly worth focusing their training on.

And that also meant the competition would become more direct.

Sure enough, Iruka's next words stirred everyone's excitement and tension at the same time.

"One month from now, the special training class will undergo a public combat evaluation."

"Those who perform best will receive not only extra points on their records, but also school recommendation slots and early access to higher-level basic training resources."

The classroom fell silent for a brief instant.

Even Kiba, who had been focused only on excitement, immediately understood what that meant.

Recommendation slots.

Early access to higher-level resources.

This was no longer something as simple as children competing for pride.

Shikamaru lazily propped up his chin, looking unusually serious. "What a pain. Nobody's going to hold back now."

Sasuke sat by the window, his expression unchanged. Yet after the words "recommendation slots" were spoken, his eyes visibly turned a shade colder. He did not need to look back to know that another name, just like his own, had instinctively been placed on the same line for everyone to compare.

Ling's gaze darkened slightly.

So being the Ninja Academy's number one had only sent him into the next, harsher round of selection.

After school, the top ten students were brought separately to another training ground. It was much larger than the usual basic practice field, with wooden dummies, obstacles, marked lines, sandbags, mock walls, and cover designed for small-scale simulated combat all around it.

There was also another instructor beside Iruka, one responsible for taijutsu and basic tactics. His name was Izumo Kamizuki.

Compared to Iruka's steadiness, Izumo seemed like the type who excelled at forcing people to their limits. The moment he stood at the edge of the field, his presence bore down on them before he even raised his voice.

"Now that you're here, put away that petty playing around you did in the regular classes." Izumo swept his gaze across the ten children, his tone crisp. "Making the top ten doesn't mean you're strong enough. It only means you're qualified to be trained harder first."

Kiba grinned. "That's exactly what I like."

"You won't like it in a moment," Chu Yun snorted coldly.

The first day's training was not complicated, but its intensity was extremely high.

Short-distance bursts, continuous evasions, throwing while moving, obstacle courses, paired close-range exchanges, followed by grueling shuttle runs. The gap between the top ten and ordinary students became obvious in an instant during this kind of lesson. Many seemed capable under normal circumstances, but once subjected to continuous pressure, their rhythm immediately fell apart.

Kiba was still full of energy in the first round, but by the third shuttle run, he had begun panting.

Ino gritted her teeth and held on until the end. Even the ends of her hair were soaked with sweat, but her face showed not the slightest hint of surrender.

Hinata lost a little ground in the explosive sprints, but slowly caught back up through precise control and throwing while moving.

Ling remained among the leaders throughout.

Not the flashy kind of lead, but the steady kind where no matter how the events changed, he never fell out of the foremost group.

Sasuke was the same.

The two barely exchanged a word from start to finish, yet they seemed naturally to occupy the same line. Whenever an event ended, the first thing everyone looked at was usually which of the two had been faster, and which had been steadier.

The final event was continuous exchanges within a restricted area.

Izumo had them form pairs and continuously shift between attack and defense within the white lines. Whoever lost their rhythm first would suffer. Ino was paired with another girl; her movements were nimble, and her rhythm was decent. Hinata, meanwhile, relied on observation to barely stabilize the few points she had fallen behind. When Ling and Sasuke were assigned to separate groups, the area beside the field inexplicably quieted for a moment, as though everyone was wondering what it would look like if those two were truly put together.

When training ended, Izumo slapped the scoreboard against the wall.

"Current overall rankings: Sasuke first, Ling second."

Kiba had just caught his breath when he immediately laughed at the result. "Looks like even you, Ninja Academy's number one, can't sit comfortably at the top here."

Ling wiped the sweat from his brow without much reaction.

Sasuke, on the other hand, stood not far away. Upon hearing the result, his shoulders and back visibly straightened a little. It was not pride, but the natural certainty that I should be ahead of you.

Ino wiped her face with a towel, but her eyes drifted to the scoreboard before turning back to Ling. She had expected to see some unwillingness on his face, yet she saw nothing of the sort. He merely lowered his eyes, as if he had already run through the next round of training in his mind.

That calmness made her care even more.

As the session ended, the top ten students gradually headed out. Ino deliberately slowed by a step and left the training ground beside Ling.

"How did it feel?"

"The intensity was just right."

Ino tilted her head toward him and could not help smiling. "You know, sometimes you really are like a monster."

Ling looked at her. "Didn't you already know that?"

Ino's eyes curved at his plain reply, and her steps unconsciously became lighter. She moved half a step ahead, then suddenly slowed again, her shoulder lightly bumping against his arm.

"That's different." Her voice softened. "Before, I only thought you were special. Now I think... it feels like you really will keep climbing higher."

Ling said nothing.

But this time, he did not brush the subject aside as he had before.

Not far behind them, Hinata followed slowly with her book bag in her arms. Seeing Ino and Ling talking side by side, her steps instinctively paused for a moment before she quietly followed again. She did not speak, only softly said to Ling as she passed the training ground gate, "Today... you were amazing too."

Ling turned to look at her and nodded. "You too."

Hinata froze for a moment, and the tips of her ears quickly turned red.

Ino saw the entire exchange. The smile remained on her lips, but something flickered faintly in her eyes.

From the moment that list was posted, it was never only ten students who had truly been pulled into the same arena.

There were also those gazes, comparisons, and concerns that would slowly wind themselves around people's hearts.

And Ling himself knew that this special training marked the beginning of another real competition.