As the morning bell chimed, the chaotic throng of students gradually filtered into the classroom, settling down under the stern urging of their instructor.
Shiro was no exception, taking his usual seat near the middle of the room.
However, the seating arrangement took a sudden, unexpected turn.
The two unfortunate boys who typically sat on either side of Shiro found themselves unceremoniously evicted. One was bullied out of his chair by a fiercely determined Sakura, and the other was smoothly displaced by Ino, the confident heiress of the Yamanaka clan.
In a matter of seconds, Shiro found himself sandwiched between the class's top female academic achiever on his left, and a prominent clan heiress on his right.
This particular scene immediately drew the ire and intense envy of practically every other male student in the room.
"Man... when will it ever be my turn to live like Shiro?"
Sitting a few rows back, Naruto stared at Shiro's predicament, his blue eyes practically burning with a tangible mixture of bitter envy and profound jealousy.
"Instead of two pretty girls fighting over me, why am I permanently stuck sitting next to this brooding idiot?" Naruto grumbled aloud, glaring sideways at Sasuke Uchiha, who sat beside him with his usual, impenetrable poker face. He then looked back at the vibrant, beautiful girls fawning over Shiro.
The contrast was staggering. Who could possibly understand the agonizing frustration of dealing with such a blatantly unfair reality?
The most grating part for Naruto was that, objectively speaking, Sasuke wasn't even as attractive as Shiro.
"Stop bothering me, loser," Sasuke muttered with clear displeasure, not even bothering to look at Naruto after the blonde's sudden, seemingly unprovoked outburst.
Sasuke always felt a prickle of annoyance whenever Naruto directed those weird, intensely scrutinizing glares his way; it felt as though the idiot was silently judging him for things he couldn't comprehend.
"Tch! What exactly do you have to be so arrogant about, you jerk?" Naruto snapped back, leaning aggressively into Sasuke's personal space. "At least Shiro isn't an insufferable, stuck-up snob like you!"
Naruto's blunt, unvarnished statement struck a nerve, nearly causing Sasuke's carefully maintained composure to crack.
Sometimes, blatant lies were easy to brush off, but raw, unfiltered truth was often the sharpest knife.
Although Sasuke constantly projected an aura of absolute apathy regarding his physical appearance or popularity, he secretly loathed being unfavorably compared to anyone.
Sasuke slowly turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto Shiro, who was currently casually enduring the dual attention of Sakura and Ino. A strange, unfamiliar knot of competitive frustration suddenly tightened in the young Uchiha's chest.
*'Tch. What is so great about having a handsome face anyway?'* Sasuke scoffed internally, his grip tightening on his pencil. *'We are shinobi. Raw strength, talent, and combat prowess are the only true metrics for judging a ninja's worth!'*
Finding solace in this deeply ingrained Uchiha ideology, Sasuke finally puffed out his chest, regaining his arrogant posture. As the undisputed top student in the entire Ninja Academy, both in academics and practical combat, he firmly believed he held the high ground.
"Ugh! I swear, I am never going to get along with this guy!" Naruto groaned, slamming his forehead against the wooden desk in sheer frustration.
Although Naruto deeply envied Shiro's effortless popularity with the girls, when it came down to the core issue of strength and potential, Naruto absolutely refused to let an arrogant jerk like Sasuke look down on his fellow underachiever.
"Interesting," Shiro murmured under his breath, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
With his newly enhanced senses, he had perfectly overheard Naruto and Sasuke's bickering from several rows away.
Prior to awakening his system, Shiro had genuinely disdained putting in any effort at the academy, intentionally keeping his grades low and his skills hidden. Because of this, Naruto genuinely believed they were kindred spirits—two talentless dead-lasts struggling at the bottom of the barrel.
*'I really hope the events of today don't completely shatter Naruto's fragile self-esteem,'* Shiro thought, feeling a twinge of mild amusement.
He actually had a fairly decent relationship with the loudmouthed blonde. Before gaining his system, Shiro had noticed how the vast majority of the class, mirroring their parents, deliberately ostracized and distanced themselves from Naruto due to his unspoken status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
However, possessing metaknowledge of the overarching plot, Shiro perfectly understood the tragic reality of Naruto's situation. He knew the 'demon fox' narrative was a necessary evil, a heavy burden placed upon a child by the Third Hokage's policies.
Because of this understanding, Shiro had always treated Naruto with the same casual, friendly indifference he offered anyone else. He didn't mock him, nor did he fear him.
To a chronically lonely child like Naruto, that simple, baseline level of normal human decency was enough to elevate Shiro to the status of a valued friend.
"Ahem. Settle down, class. Quiet, please," a firm voice called out.
The classroom chatter died down as Iruka Umino pushed open the sliding door and stepped up to the podium.
Recognizing the gravity of today's schedule, Iruka had even taken the time to dress slightly sharper than usual, his Chunin flak jacket immaculately clean, projecting an air of serious authority.
As Iruka arranged his papers on the podium, a wave of palpable anticipation rippled through the seated students.
"Today marks a critical juncture in your academic careers," Iruka began, sweeping his gaze across the room with a solemn expression. "We will be conducting a highly important practical combat exam. I expect every single one of you to approach this evaluation with one hundred percent of your spirit and dedication!"
Iruka's serious demeanor wasn't just for show. He fully understood that the results of this specific combat exam would heavily influence the upcoming Genin team assignments.
It was a vital turning point.
Furthermore, Iruka had received a confidential notice from the Hokage's office earlier that morning. Several elite Jonin—the future squad leaders—would be covertly observing the matches from the shadows to assess their potential future subordinates.
As their dedicated instructor, Iruka desperately wanted all of his students to perform their best and secure promising futures.
Iruka's gaze eventually landed on Shiro, who was currently looking rather bored between Sakura and Ino.
For reasons he couldn't quite articulate, whenever Iruka looked at Shiro, he felt a profound sense of lingering pity. The boy was polite, humble, possessed a surprisingly sunny disposition, and was undeniably bright. Yet, his practical ninjutsu scores were consistently an abysmal 'C' average.
Sensing the scrutiny, Shiro looked up and met his teacher's gaze with calm, unreadable eyes.
Seeing that quiet confidence, Iruka's heart ached with even more regret. In his subjective opinion, Shiro possessed the innate charisma and level-headed temperament required of a true leader. The boy's underlying sunny personality and way of carrying himself often reminded Iruka of a certain legendary figure.
*'He has the same aura as the Fourth Hokage,'* Iruka thought sadly, *'If only he had the talent to match it.'*
"Alright, that's enough dawdling," Iruka clapped his hands sharply. "Everyone, line up. We are heading out to the external training grounds."
The moment Iruka finished speaking, the classroom erupted into a chaotic uproar.
"No way! A full practical exam today? I thought Iruka-sensei was just trying to scare us yesterday!"
"Oh man, what am I going to do? I didn't practice my taijutsu katas at all!"
Panic began to spread among the more average students sitting behind Naruto and Sasuke.
"What are you guys so worked up about?" one boy scoffed loudly. "It doesn't matter how much we prepare. Sasuke is obviously going to take first place again anyway!"
As the nervous chatter continued, almost everyone's eyes inevitably drifted toward Sasuke. History dictated their expectations; in every single practical combat exam since they enrolled, Sasuke had utterly dominated the competition, securing the number one spot flawlessly.
"Excuse me? And why is it suddenly impossible for our Shiro to win?"
The female contingent of the class immediately bristled at the dismissal, rising up defensively to support their favorite classmate.
"Wait... Shiro?"
A sudden realization dawned on several of the boys. They exchanged confused glances, trying to jog their memories. Had Shiro ever actually fought Sasuke in a graded match?
Thinking back, they realized they were entirely uncertain.
Because, without fail, Shiro had officially forfeited his position in every single major practical training bout, citing 'stomach aches' or 'lack of preparation,' despite Iruka-sensei's constant reprimands.
The startling truth was that none of them had ever actually seen Shiro fight seriously. They knew absolutely nothing about his true capabilities.
"I mean... it's still highly unlikely," one boy argued weakly, intimidated by the glaring girls. "Think about how long Sasuke has held the undisputed top rank."
Ultimately, the logical consensus remained unchanged: Sasuke Uchiha was the guaranteed victor.
---
The entire class was buzzing with nervous energy and frantic discussion as they walked, but Shiro couldn't muster even a sliver of genuine interest.
With his Senju bloodline awakened and Wood Style instantly maxed out to god-tier levels, did he really need to feel excited about participating in what was essentially a heavily supervised playground scuffle in the beginner's village?
However, Sakura and Ino, flanking him as always, clearly didn't share his utter lack of enthusiasm.
"Shiro, please promise me you'll be careful during the matches today! Don't push yourself too hard and get hurt!" Sakura pleaded, her voice thick with genuine, fretful concern as she looked up at him.
"Excuse me?" Ino sneered, immediately seizing upon a perceived slight. "What exactly is that supposed to mean, Sakura? Are you implying that Shiro is so weak he can't even handle a basic sparring match?"
"W-What? No! Of course not! That isn't what I meant at all!" Sakura stammered, instantly panicking as she realized how her words sounded. She shot a venomous glare at the smug blonde beside her. "I was just expressing my concern for his safety, you idiot!"
The two girls immediately locked horns, sparking yet another fierce, whispered argument over Shiro's honor.
Shiro sighed internally but made no move to stop them.
In a strange, pragmatic way, he was actually quite thankful for Ino and Sakura's constant, overbearing presence. They acted as a highly effective, terrifyingly aggressive buffer zone. If it weren't for those two fiercely guarding his flanks, he had no doubt he would be entirely swarmed and suffocated by the rest of his overly enthusiastic female classmates.
Eventually, the class arrived at the designated outdoor training ground, an open dirt arena surrounded by sturdy wooden fencing.
Their sudden, noisy arrival immediately drew the attention of another group training nearby.
A team consisting of Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga paused their own rigorous conditioning to observe the commotion.
"Hm? What's going on over there?" Tenten asked, wiping sweat from her brow, her energetic curiosity instantly piqued by the large gathering.
"Ah! It appears the graduating class has arrived to conduct a formal practical combat examination!" Rock Lee deduced, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd.
To Lee's immense surprise and immediate delight, he spotted Shiro—the 'hidden master' he had encountered at the equipment store earlier that morning—standing amidst the younger students.
"A practical combat exam?!" Tenten gasped, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement at the prospect of watching a good fight. "Let's go take a look!"
"An excellent idea!" Lee agreed passionately. "Furthermore, Neji has been actively seeking a worthy opponent of equal caliber, hasn't he? We might just discover a hidden gem among them!"
While Lee's intense focus was entirely fixated on observing Shiro's 'true power,' Neji completely misinterpreted his teammate's enthusiastic statement.
"Sasuke Uchiha, I presume?" Neji murmured, his pale, pupil-less eyes locking onto the brooding boy with the Uchiha crest. "Hmph. He might serve as an adequate distraction."
Neji's stoic expression barely shifted. While he wasn't quite as aggressively aloof as Sasuke, he certainly shared the Uchiha's arrogant belief in his own absolute superiority.
Meanwhile, back at the arena, the preparations were complete.
"Alright, students, line up! I will now begin randomly drawing lots to determine your sparring opponents!" Iruka announced loudly, holding up a wooden lottery box.
After ensuring the area was secure and the medical kit was on standby, Iruka reached into the box and pulled out two wooden slips.
"For our very first match of the day..." Iruka read the names, his own eyes widening in mild surprise. "Shiro will be facing off against... Sasuke Uchiha!"
Iruka honestly hadn't expected to draw this specific, highly volatile matchup right out of the gate. But considering Shiro's history of forfeiting, it made statistical sense that their names had never been paired up in previous lotteries.
"WHAT?!"
The collective gasp that erupted from the crowd was deafening. Iruka winced, entirely unprepared for the massive, chaotic uproar the simple lottery result had just triggered among his students.