Uchiha Sasuke plopped down on the ground, his face scrunched up like a sulking kitten.
In less than two weeks he had already lost first place in the physical‑training rankings.
He entered the academy with one goal only: to emulate Uchiha Itachi—dominate the Ninja Academy in a single year and then graduate.
Yet before that plan had even begun, it was already over.
"Sasuke, are you okay?"
A hand stretched out toward him; what came into view next was Uzumaki Naruto's earnest face.
"Okay about what?"
Sasuke straightened his expression. "You just got lucky this time. Next time you can forget about beating me!"
"Sasuke‑kun is right!"
Haruno Sakura's voice rang out.
She hurried forward and thrust out her own hand, afraid Sasuke might actually take Naruto's.
"I won't lose either!"
Naruto said confidently. "I've got the running tips Kitazawa‑sensei gave me!"
Running tips?
A thought flashed through Sasuke's mind. He sprang up at once and walked toward Kitazawa.
Sakura froze where she stood, awkwardly clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.
Naruto scratched his head; he had no idea why Sakura was so angry.
But he soon shrugged it off and went over to Kiba and the others.
"I got first place!" he announced happily.
"Who asked you?" Kiba glared at him.
"Congrats, Naruto," Nara Shikamaru said with a lazy smile.
"You're better than me," Akimichi Chōji added, passing Naruto a bag of chips. "Want some?"
"Thanks."
Warmth flowed through Naruto's heart; he was no longer all alone—he had lots of friends now.
"Kitazawa‑sensei."
Sasuke drew a deep breath. "What are those running tips Naruto mentioned?"
"Why didn't you just ask Naruto?" Kitazawa asked knowingly.
"Didn't want to." Sasuke snorted.
"There's no secret technique— I just taught Naruto the correct way to run," Kitazawa said with a smile. "And you already know those mechanics."
"I don't believe it!" Sasuke blurted.
"If you don't believe me, ask Naruto." Kitazawa wasn't the least surprised.
Sasuke fell silent.
If the method was the same, did that mean Naruto's stats out‑classed his own?
Impossible! He couldn't accept it.
Clenching his teeth, Sasuke turned and walked up to Naruto.
With a cold face he said, "Come with me—I've got a question."
"What question?" Naruto followed, puzzled.
"What exactly did Kitazawa‑sensei teach you about running?" Sasuke demanded.
"You want to learn it?" Naruto instantly lit up.
"Quit the chatter!" Sasuke turned away, urging, "Just tell me!"
"Heh‑heh, no problem." Naruto wasn't offended in the least; happily he explained everything.
In his eyes, having the class star Uchiha Sasuke come to him for help was a huge boost to his pride.
And there was another reason: Sasuke didn't treat him any differently just because people called him a "monster."
"That's it?" Sasuke's eyes widened when Naruto finished.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, baffled. "Isn't that enough?"
Sasuke now knew Kitazawa hadn't lied— and that made him feel even worse.
Why was Naruto's physique superior to his?
He was an invincible Uchiha!
After brooding for a long while, he finally swallowed his pride and approached Kitazawa again.
"The answer's simple," Kitazawa said, raising an eyebrow. "The Uchiha excel at the Sharingan and Fire Release."
"But—" Sasuke began, then fell silent.
"Naruto's talent is no less than yours; it's just different from yours," Kitazawa said with a gentle smile.
He wasn't deceiving Sasuke; the original story makes it clear:
Naruto inherited the Sage of Six Paths' physical gifts, while Sasuke inherited his spiritual gifts—one is Yang Release, the other Yin Release.
"What talent does he have?" Sasuke scoffed.
So far, Naruto seemed average at everything except physical drills.
Kitazawa couldn't help smiling.
That's the power of raw stats: sometimes no amount of technique beats a stat monster.
"You'll understand later," Kitazawa said, patting Sasuke on the shoulder.
Sasuke glanced subconsciously at Naruto and frowned.
He didn't believe Kitazawa, yet some instinct told him it might be true.
After a short break the lessons resumed.
Kitazawa taught them the basics of throwing ninja tools, then let the class practice freely.
He himself led Hinata Hyūga and a few others to the training ground.
"Kitazawa‑sensei!" Naruto asked excitedly, "Can I start tree‑climbing training now?"
"Yes," Kitazawa nodded.
He had promised: if Naruto took first in physical training, he would teach him tree‑climbing.
"Alright!" Naruto bounced on the spot, delighted.
"It's only tree‑climbing—you're still way behind," Sasuke couldn't help muttering.
"I'll catch up to you soon!" Naruto shot back with confidence.
Sasuke was about to retort when he suddenly saw three Kitazawas.
"What jutsu is that?!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," the three Kitazawas answered in unison.
"I want to learn it!" Naruto's eyes sparkled; his first thought was that he could play with his own clones at home.
"I'll teach you after you master tree‑climbing," Kitazawa said, painting a distant promise.
"Mm!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"Let's begin," Kitazawa ordered.
One clone taught Naruto, another taught Kurama Yakumo, and the real Kitazawa coached Sasuke, Hinata, and Yamanaka Ino.
Full of fighting spirit, Naruto started climbing—yet his results were awful.
Kitazawa pondered:
Does Naruto have talent? Of course—otherwise he wouldn't become the savior.
But in the academy he was an official dead‑last, unable to perform even the basic Three‑Body Techniques, which was why he failed the graduation test.
Partly because he never studied seriously; partly because of the "monster" sealed inside him—the Nine‑Tails.
Kitazawa rubbed his brow; with his present strength and status he dared not touch the Nine‑Tails at all.
For now, only hard work could make up for Naruto's shortcomings.
Slow as his progress was, it was progress.
"...?" Sasuke stared, question marks filling his head.
After half a class Naruto had climbed only one‑fifth of the tree, while Sasuke had reached halfway on his very first try.
How could he possibly have lost to this Naruto?
The period ended quickly.
Reluctantly Naruto left the academy and went home.
"Naruto, congratulations on taking first place in physical training," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a hearty laugh.
"Thanks!" Naruto beamed. "Gramps, how'd you know?"
"I'm the Hokage," Hiruzen boasted. "Nothing gets past me."
"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, then added eagerly, "Tell me a story about the Fourth Hokage!"
~~~
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