A week later, the academy grounds were loud with excitement.
"Sasuke's amazing.""He didn't miss a single one.""As expected of the top student."
Sasuke stood several dozen meters from the practice target. His hands dipped to his belt in one smooth motion. A kunai and a shuriken left his fingers at the same instant.
The air split.
Three dull impacts followed in perfect rhythm. Every blade struck the center of the wooden dummy. Not one deviated.
Applause rippled through the class.
It wasn't unusual. Sasuke had always ranked first, even before everything changed. Hitting the target cleanly was well within expectations.
If he wanted to, he could have done far more. He could vary timing, stack trajectories, let one blade overtake another midair, or force collisions that bent paths unpredictably. He could already execute techniques he was never meant to master for years.
But there was no reason to show that.
A clean hit earned full marks.
That was enough.
"Hmph."
Naruto scowled, arms crossed. Sakura's cheers only made it worse.
"Watch this," he snapped, stomping forward. He shot Sasuke a glare, then hurled a fistful of shuriken toward the target.
They scattered wildly.
Not a single blade came close.
Naruto froze, face flushing red. Then he rounded on Sasuke. "It's your fault! You were standing there messing with my focus. Otherwise I'd have nailed it!"
"How did you manage that?" Sasuke asked calmly.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Sasuke brushed his hands together, expression mild. "Ten throws, all of them missing the target at this distance. That kind of precision is impressive in its own way."
Naruto's mouth opened, then closed. His face burned hotter. He could hear the mockery, no matter how softly it was delivered.
Sasuke turned away, hands in his pockets, leaving Naruto standing there with nothing to say.
Iruka stepped forward and glanced at the board. "Uzumaki Naruto. Zero points."
"What?" Naruto protested. "Give me one more shot! I messed up because of Sasuke!"
Iruka hesitated, then sighed. "One more."
Naruto lit up instantly. He hurled another set of shuriken.
One blade struck the base of the post. The rest vanished into the field.
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Half a point."
The exercise moved on.
Iruka replaced the chart with a fresh sheet. "That concludes weapon throwing. Next is practical combat. I'll assign matches based on the last evaluation. When I call your name, step forward."
"Uchiha Sasuke versus—"
"Wait!" Naruto shouted. "I challenge Sasuke!"
Iruka turned sharply. "Naruto."
Naruto grinned. "You said pairings are based on last time. Sasuke didn't take the exam, so that makes me his opponent."
Iruka paused. The logic, unfortunately, held.
He glanced at Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded once. "I accept."
Iruka exhaled. "Very well."
From the sidelines, Kiba relaxed visibly. He had no desire to be the one facing Sasuke today.
Naruto bounced on his heels, grinning. "Don't cry when you lose."
Sasuke stepped onto the field, expression unchanged.