The excited murmurs that had filled the classroom gradually subsided, replaced by a stunned silence. After a brief moment of collective shock, numerous pairs of eyes turned toward Sakura.
But even Sakura herself remained frozen in disbelief, unable to process what she had just heard. Her jade eyes wavered with uncertainty as she raised her gaze to meet Iruka's at the podium.
"Iruka-sensei," she asked tentatively, her voice barely above a whisper, "what did you mean just now?"
Her question gave voice to the confusion evident on many other faces—all waiting for confirmation of what seemed impossible.
Iruka's expression softened into a warm smile as he nodded at Sakura. "In this chakra control assessment, you and Sasuke-kun are tied for first place."
"Oh!" A ripple of emotion passed through Sakura's expressive eyes, and she nodded vigorously in acknowledgment, barely containing her excitement.
Joy overwhelmed her so completely that tears threatened to spill from her eyes. After all, everyone had considered Sasuke's first-place position a foregone conclusion. Even Sakura herself had never anticipated such an extraordinary outcome.
"What an impressive girl," Shikamaru Nara muttered, genuine admiration evident in his usually bored expression. He and the others had long accepted their inability to match Sasuke's natural talent for chakra manipulation.
But for Sakura to not only catch up but to equal Sasuke's abilities in such a short time was remarkable. In fact, considering she had started with no prior training, her natural aptitude for chakra control might even surpass the Uchiha prodigy's.
"Hmph," Ino Yamanaka responded from nearby, her lips curling with thinly veiled skepticism, unwilling to acknowledge her rival's achievement.
Even Sasuke, typically as cold and detached as winter ice, took notice. For the first time, he directly regarded the girl who was always hovering around him, seeing her not as an annoyance but as someone worthy of attention.
Feeling the weight of Sasuke's gaze upon her, Sakura felt heat rush to her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes directly, her heart pounding frantically in her chest.
But Sasuke's interest proved fleeting. After a brief moment of assessment, he looked away, his expression inscrutable once more.
Iruka continued announcing the remaining results, working his way down the list of students methodically. Without question, Sakura's unexpected tie with Sasuke marked her as the biggest surprise of the assessment period.
"The final cumulative scores will be calculated and posted tomorrow morning," Iruka announced, his brow relaxing as a gentle smile formed. The pride in his eyes was evident as he surveyed his students.
"Everyone has worked exceptionally hard this year."
Most of his class came from ordinary civilian families with no shinobi background. Just one year ago, these children had barely known what chakra was. Now, they had completed fundamental training that most civilians could never hope to master, developing the basic qualities essential for future ninja.
"After tomorrow, we'll begin a one-month vacation. Everyone, I encourage you to use this time to rest and recharge."
While the students would enjoy their break, Iruka and the other Academy instructors would remain busy. There was always more work to be done—lesson plans to revise, training regimens to update, and reports to complete.
As evening descended upon Konoha, parents began gathering outside the Academy gates, eager to hear about their children's assessment results.
"You did great today!"
Kushina's vibrant voice called out as she spotted Naruto emerging from the school. Beside her stood Mikoto Uchiha, both women smiling warmly at their approaching sons.
The two mothers had come to greet their children, well aware that today marked the year-end assessments at the Academy.
"Thanks," Naruto replied with a smile, though there was a hint of reservation in his expression.
"So, how did it go?" Kushina asked, her face suddenly tense with anticipation, as though she were the one being evaluated rather than her son.
At this question, Naruto's expression grew sheepish. He scratched the back of his head—a nervous habit inherited from his father—and confessed, "Well, my taijutsu and chakra control scores weren't bad, but... I kind of turned in a blank paper for the written exam."
As he spoke, he carefully observed his mother's expression, bracing himself for disappointment or reproach. Most parents, after all, placed significant importance on academic performance.
However, Kushina's reaction defied his expectations. Rather than anger or disappointment, her expression softened with understanding. She reached out and affectionately ruffled his golden hair.
"Don't worry too much about it," she reassured him with a gentle smile. "Everyone has areas they struggle with. Just do your best—that's all anyone can ask."
Naruto blinked in surprise at his mother's supportive response.
Meanwhile, Mikoto approached with Sasuke walking silently beside her. She exchanged a warm glance with Kushina before suggesting, "The first academic year for these two has finally come to a close. Perhaps we should celebrate?"
"Absolutely!" Kushina's violet eyes lit up enthusiastically. "It's been far too long since our families gathered together. When would work best?"
"Perhaps tomorrow," Mikoto replied thoughtfully. "Itachi should be able to return home by then."
"Minato works that poor boy too hard," Kushina said with a hint of maternal protectiveness in her voice. "He keeps assigning Itachi these lengthy missions, despite how young he still is."
Though Itachi had already risen to the elite ranks of the Anbu, in Kushina's eyes, he remained just a child deserving of normal childhood experiences.
Mikoto chuckled softly at her friend's concern. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow it is."
With arrangements made, the two families parted ways and headed toward their respective homes.
"Is Dad not home yet?" Naruto asked as they approached their house, noticing the darkened windows that indicated Minato's absence.
"The Hokage's duties never seem to end," Kushina sighed with fond resignation. "There's always something demanding his attention."
In the Hokage's office, as twilight deepened outside the windows, Minato Namikaze reviewed the assessment results from each level of the Academy. Several statistical sheets were spread across his desk, containing the performance metrics of students from every grade.
"That son of yours has quite respectable scores," remarked Shikaku Nara, who stood before the Hokage's desk.
From his perspective, Naruto's results, while not extraordinary, were solid. Unlike other Academy instructors or students' parents, Shikaku didn't perceive Naruto's performance as disappointing compared to his legendary father.
Years ago, when Minato himself had attended the Academy—before his confrontation over Kushina—Shikaku had recognized that standardized test results often failed to capture a student's true potential. Minato's own academic records had appeared rather unremarkable at the time.
"Mm," Minato nodded, neither particularly surprised nor disappointed by Naruto's results. Among the first-year students, only one had genuinely caught his attention: Sakura Haruno.
"She's a promising seedling," he observed with a thoughtful smile. Sakura's aptitudes reminded him strongly of Rin Nohara in many ways—and in several respects, she showed even greater potential than his former student had.
"It seems your initial decision was correct after all," Shikaku acknowledged with respect.
Initially, Iruka had not been assigned as the homeroom teacher for Naruto's class. The young instructor's appointment to this position had come only after Minato's specific recommendation.
Minato had recognized that while Konoha's veteran teachers possessed valuable experience, their established perspectives might prevent them from treating each student equally. This might not have been problematic with ordinary classes, but Naruto's cohort included children from several prominent Konoha clans.
The Fourth Hokage had been adamant about ensuring that Academy instructors would not give preferential treatment based on family backgrounds or preconceptions. This principle had guided his selection of Iruka—a shinobi with limited teaching experience but possessing integrity, dedication, and an unprejudiced perspective.
"No decision in such matters is definitively right or wrong," Minato replied modestly, waving off the praise. "What matters is that Iruka has performed excellently in his role."
His eyes drifted back to the assessment reports, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Despite the challenges of balancing his roles as Hokage and father, Minato found genuine satisfaction in watching the next generation of Konoha shinobi begin to take shape.
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