A huge, blazing fireball suddenly burst into the air.
Naruto and Shikamaru didn't even think—one broke left, the other right.
After all the intense combat drills, reacting like this was pure instinct by now.
They knew there was no way they could tank Kitazawa's Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu. The only smart move was to run.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!
Kitazawa didn't move. He calmly formed a few hand signs.
Balls of flame exploded out like phoenix seeds, shooting off in every direction.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto shouted, still running as he flashed hand signs.
Two shadow clones poofed into existence in a burst of smoke and charged straight toward the sea of fire like it was a suicide mission.
"Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Green chakra flared on each clone's right leg as they unleashed powerful roundhouse kicks.
Flames parted for a second, clearing a path.
But then even more fire surged in from all sides.
The clones were swallowed up, vanishing with a scream.
Naruto, feeling all the pain and memory from the clones, was drenched in sweat.
Still, their sacrifice bought him enough time to escape.
"Man, what a pain…" Shikamaru muttered.
He broke into a zigzag sprint and barely managed to duck behind a tree.
Fireballs slammed into the trunk just as he made it to safety.
He exhaled deeply.
That had been his planned escape route all along.
Of course, it wasn't random—he'd scoped out the area before the session even started.
No matter the situation, he made sure he could take advantage of everything around him.
Still, Shikamaru knew the only reason this worked was because Kitazawa was holding back.
This training session wasn't meant to crush them—it was meant to help Naruto beat Sasuke.
Kitazawa had been mimicking Sasuke's combat style and ability as closely as possible.
But realistically, Sasuke couldn't win a 2v1, so Kitazawa sometimes pushed beyond Sasuke's level for extra pressure—called it "preparing for the unexpected."
By training under nightmare conditions, facing Sasuke's "hard mode" would feel like a breeze.
"Is it over?" Naruto wiped sweat from his forehead and looked up.
The firestorm had vanished.
"Alright, that's it for today's combat drill," Kitazawa announced with a smile.
Naruto and Shikamaru both visibly relaxed.
After a few deep breaths, they walked back to him.
"Tomorrow's the final exam. You've got the afternoon off—go rest," Kitazawa said, glancing at the two exhausted boys.
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei…" Shikamaru sighed in relief. Finally, it's over.
Summer break came right after finals.
And no way would he be dragged into training hell during summer… right?
"I don't need rest! I'm going to find Guy-sensei and keep training!"
Naruto stood up straight, fist clenched. "I'm gonna beat Sasuke this time and take first place!"
He wasn't just hyping himself up, either.
After surviving Kitazawa's hell-level training, he felt confident that he could handle all of Sasuke's fire jutsu.
As long as he avoided getting hit, his taijutsu would win it.
His hand-to-hand combat was way better than Sasuke's.
"…Seriously?" Shikamaru twitched. Why's this guy so intense? Is he even human?
"Does 'first place' include the written exam too?" Kitazawa asked with a raised brow.
"Uh…" Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed. "I meant combat first place."
After taking exams all semester, he knew there was zero chance he'd outscore Sakura or the others on paper.
"Being top anything sounds like a hassle," Shikamaru muttered. "Passing is enough."
"You always get exactly 60 points. Something bothering you?" Kitazawa asked.
"I can only get 60," Shikamaru lied, stone-faced.
"Oh yeah?" Kitazawa grinned. "Then here's the deal—score in the top ten, and I'll cancel your summer training."
"…There's summer training?" Shikamaru's eyes widened.
"If you don't make the top ten, you're in."
Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "Up to you."
What kind of choice is that?
Shikamaru sighed internally.
Top ten might be annoying, but summer training? Way worse.
"…Understood, Kitazawa-sensei."
This time, he had to make the top ten.
He wasn't about to let his summer get ruined by some brutal training schedule.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto raised his hand. "Can I join the summer training too?"
"You don't need to."
Kitazawa shook his head. "Stick with Guy. That's more than enough."
Combat drills are great, but for kids this young, there's only so much they can do.
They only know a couple of jutsu. No matter how hard they train, they'll hit a wall.
That time would be better spent learning new techniques.
"True." Naruto nodded.
Guy-sensei's training was just as intense.
And he'd be learning taijutsu too.
One summer wasn't going to be enough.
Still, staying busy was good.
Naruto loved his life now.
He had classmates, friends, and two great teachers.
Most importantly, nobody looked at him weird or called him a monster anymore.
Compared to life before he entered school, this felt like a dream.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto said, eyes sparkling, "If I do get first place, is there a reward?"
The Shadow Clone Jutsu Kitazawa taught him had already become his go-to move.
He really wanted to learn another.
"Your reward?" Kitazawa said. "You get to spar with me. Full power."
"…Huh?" Naruto blinked. That's the reward?
Shikamaru burst out laughing.
"What I mean is—" Kitazawa continued, totally serious, "—I'll use that spar to assess your level and choose a jutsu that suits you."
"So I have to go all out, and so do you."
"Oh! That makes sense!" Naruto nodded excitedly. "Got it!"
"…Huh?" Shikamaru frowned. This doesn't sound right…
There's no way Kitazawa doesn't already know how strong Naruto is after all those training sessions.
But he didn't say a word—no way was he risking his summer vacation getting hijacked by another drill.
"See you later, Sensei!" Naruto and Shikamaru waved and took off.
…
Meanwhile…
Kitazawa wandered over to the academy's training field.
Three roaring fire dragons shot across his vision.
He looked over.
Sasuke had finally mastered Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu after two weeks of practice.
Learning a B-rank fire technique at his age? Absolutely top-tier talent.
But he was hitting a wall.
It was either time to pick up a new jutsu or level up his fire chakra manipulation.
Sasuke had started working on that earlier, mainly to power up his Great Fireball to surpass Itachi—part of a past mission Kitazawa gave him.
"Sasuke."
Kitazawa called out.
"Yes, Sensei?"
Sasuke quickly jogged over.
"You've pretty much nailed the Great Dragon Fire. Let's stop here for today."
Kitazawa clapped him on the shoulder.
He could keep teaching Sasuke, but there was no new quest to unlock.
If all went well, a new mission would show up after finals.
That's assuming Naruto could beat Sasuke in the practical.
Even with all the training, nothing was guaranteed in a real fight.
If Naruto failed, they'd just wait for the next chance.
Thankfully, the mission only said to beat Sasuke—not necessarily during the exam.
"Sensei, I want to keep learning more Fire Style."
Sasuke hesitated, but said it anyway.
He was feeling the pressure—Naruto and even Hinata were grinding nonstop.
No way he was going to fall behind.
"Finals are tomorrow. Learning something new now would just slow you down."
Kitazawa shook his head. "Just go home and review what you've got."
Sasuke paused, then nodded.
He had a B-rank fire jutsu. First place was within reach.
He thought of his dad and Itachi.
Now that he had Great Dragon Fire under control, it was time to show them.
Just imagining their praise made him grin.
"Alright, go home, Sasuke."
Kitazawa caught that grin and interrupted before it got out of hand.
"Thanks, Sensei!"
Sasuke ran off in a great mood.
"...Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura noticed him leaving and blinked.
"Now's my chance!"
Ino's eyes lit up—and she immediately seized control of the practice carp's mind.
A few seconds later, she cheered.
"Yes! I win!"
She beamed with pride.
After Sakura learned anesthesia, Kitazawa had her start chakra nature training in Yang Release.
Yang Release gives life to form—basically, it breathes vitality into physical things.
Her assignment? Heal the same carp over and over.
Ino's job hadn't changed: steal the carp's consciousness on repeat.
Sakura healed its body, Ino hijacked its mind.
This carp was seriously living in style—spoiled by two competitive but stunning "frenemies."
~~~
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