Afternoon.
The fourth-year students, having already finished their shuriken assessment and survival drill, returned to the training ground and lined up in their class area.
If you looked closely, you would notice that the fourth-years no longer stood in a circle like the lower grades. Instead, they spread out in two rows, leaving a wide stretch of empty ground between them.
As Teacher Yuya called out names, students stepped out one by one, fought their matches, and returned with faces full of joy or disappointment.
Those who were hurt badly were treated first by the medical ninja standing by.
"Group Thirteen, Kushina Uzumaki versus Eriko."
As one match after another ended, Yuya read out the next pairing in the Class One, Year Four area.
The moment Eriko heard her opponent's name, her face turned white.
The students around her all looked at her with pity.
In just three short months, Class One's impression of Kushina Uzumaki had changed completely.
With Gojo Yoru backing her, Kushina had not only avoided the bullying she was supposed to suffer in the original story, she had gone and bullied the ones who mocked her instead.
Her frightening strength was no joke. Even Gojo Yoru, whose body had matured early, had nearly thrown up last night's dinner after taking one angry punch from her.
If even he had almost suffered for it, there was no need to mention everyone else.
In every practical assessment, anyone unlucky enough to be paired with Kushina had been beaten until they dropped to their knees or vomited on the spot.
In the more serious cases, some had even fainted outright.
So now, besides Gojo Yoru, the students of Class One had one more opponent they absolutely did not want to face.
"T-Teacher, can I forfeit?" Eriko raised a trembling hand, her voice shaking.
"No."
Yuya's answer was sharp and merciless.
"A practical exam is not only a simulation of a life-and-death battle. It is also meant to let you experience the joy and accomplishment of victory, and the frustration and bitterness of defeat. Those emotions temper both your body and your mind."
"So I do not want to hear anyone say they are giving up again. Understood?"
His gaze swept across the entire class as he spoke those last words.
"Yes!"
The students who met Yuya's eyes instantly straightened their backs and answered in unison.
So Eriko had no choice but to step forward with a long face.
Kushina, on the other hand, showed not the slightest bit of mercy toward the girl who had once mocked her. The instant the match began, she shot forward and ended it with a single punch.
The delicate Eriko's eyes rolled back on impact, and she crumpled unconscious where she stood.
Seeing that, Yuya's lips twitched.
Good grief. Just how deep did that grudge run?
It had been months already, yet Kushina still had no intention of forgiving it. She did not even leave room for a reconciliation seal.
Because of Kushina's special status, Yuya did not dare lecture her. He could only glance at the medical ninja beside him and signal for Eriko to be taken away for treatment.
"The match is over. The winner is Kushina Uzumaki."
After announcing the result, Yuya immediately called the next group.
"Group Fourteen, Minato Namikaze versus Gojo Yoru!"
The instant those two names were spoken, the eyes of every student in the area lit up.
"Finally, they're matched again. This is going to be good."
"We get to watch Minato and Yoru fight again. If I remember right, the last time they crossed hands was in the first semester of third year."
"Whenever we get paired with them, we just get flattened in an instant. I wonder how much stronger they've gotten this past year?"
"Go, Minato! You have to win this time!"
"Minato, avenge us!" someone whispered from the crowd.
Kushina frowned the moment she heard their classmates cheering for Minato.
After she returned to the line, she smacked Gojo on the shoulder and shouted, "Yoru, beat that pretty boy into the ground!"
Hearing that, Minato, already wearing a helpless smile, looked even more awkward.
Only Gojo Yoru knew just how badly the blond boy had been struck.
Gojo said nothing. He merely walked into the open ground and stopped to Yuya's left.
Minato followed and took his place on the right, facing him.
Looking at the two most outstanding students in Year Four, Yuya's eyes shone with anticipation as he called out, "Form the opposing seal!"
Gojo Yoru and Namikaze Minato each lifted two fingers in front of them and spoke in unison.
"Please guide me."
"Begin!"
Yuya raised one arm high, then slashed it down, stepping back at once to give the field to the top-ranked student and the runner-up of Year Four.
Unlike the other students, who always lunged at each other the instant the signal was given, Gojo Yoru and Namikaze Minato did not move.
They stood perfectly still, watching one another from across the field, their eyes locked so hard it felt as though sparks might burst between them at any second.
Then, suddenly, Gojo Yoru spoke first.
"How about we make it a no-rules duel?"
Minato was briefly stunned.
Looking into Gojo Yoru's eyes, which brimmed with naked fighting spirit, he could not help but remember the faint regret Gojo had shown after their last clash.
It was an expression Minato had never seen on Gojo's face when fighting anyone else—not even Kushina Uzumaki.
So Gojo Yoru really did value him this much?
The thought stirred something inside Minato.
Thinking of how Gojo had already won the favor of the girl he liked, the ordinarily gentle Minato suddenly felt a rare urge to prove himself.
The heat in his chest surged upward. Fighting spirit flashed in his blue eyes as he nodded.
"Fine. I have no objection."
A faint smile curved Gojo Yoru's lips.
He turned toward Yuya and said, "Yuya-sensei, I request a no-rules duel."
Minato nodded as well, making his agreement clear.
"This..."
Yuya looked troubled for a moment.
The medical ninja beside him smiled and said, "Grant their request. Let everyone have a proper look at what a genius can do."
"Besides, with the two of us here, nothing serious will happen."
In his view, even the most talented genius without a bloodline limit was already remarkable if they could use a single C-rank Five Element technique.
That level of strength might impress among veteran genin, but it was still not enough to escape the control of a chunin.
As long as they were ready to interfere, the medical ninja did not think anything unexpected could happen.
Yuya thought about it for a moment, then decided that made sense.
He looked at Gojo Yoru and Namikaze Minato with a stern expression and said, "From this point on, the two of you may use any methods available to you. Do not hold back."
"If danger arises, we will step in and stop the match immediately."
After that, Yuya turned toward the students on both sides and barked, "Everyone, back up another five meters."
The crowd had already gone quiet from the atmosphere alone.
One after another, the students swallowed hard and retreated in unison, staring at the two boys in the center with tense faces.
At that moment, all of them could feel it clearly.
There seemed to be an invisible boundary between them and the two standing on the field.
It was not merely a difference in level.
It was a gulf so vast it felt impossible to cross.