The afternoon sun pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the wide training ground of the Ninja Academy, dispelling the slight chill of the morning and bringing a wave of warmth.
This training ground had clearly been prioritized during the reconstruction. The ground was flat and covered with fine sand and soil to minimize injury when the ninja students fell during training.
At the edge of the field, newly planted trees were sprouting tender, green buds, gently swaying in the breeze and casting shifting, mottled shadows.
The Ninja Academy's training ground was divided into different functional areas.
To the east was a row of targets for practicing shuriken and kunai throwing, the wooden bullseyes covered in fresh and old gouge marks.
The west side was set up with wooden stakes and obstacles of various heights, used to train balance, agility, and taijutsu.
The largest open area in the center was marked with clear, circular white lines, serving as the primary area for practical combat practice.
At this moment, students were scattered across the field in small groups, conducting their respective training.
However, in the throwing area on the east side, the atmosphere was particularly lively, with waves of suppressed, excited discussions rising and falling.
The center of the crowd was none other than Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto's hands swept across his ninja tool pouch, instantly gripping four shuriken between his fingers. His arm blurred into an afterimage, and he flung them out.
Thud thud...
A cold glint flashed and vanished. The four shuriken, carrying a sharp whistling sound, were lodged almost simultaneously into the exact center of the target board ahead.
They were completely embedded, their points penetrating through the thick target.
The surrounding students only saw him take out the shuriken and only heard the dull sound from the target, then abruptly turned their heads to see that all four shuriken had already hit the bullseye.
"So fast! So much power!"
"Throwing four at once, and still that accurate?"
A chorus of gasps rippled through the surrounding crowd.
It was at this moment that Sasuke, beside Naruto, moved.
He held three shuriken between the five fingers of his right hand. With a flick of his wrist, three cold glints shot out in a fan shape, appearing somewhat askew.
Almost the instant these three shuriken left his hand, he spun fiercely, flicked his left hand, and launched another shuriken. It came from behind, moving faster and on a more unpredictable trajectory.
Just as everyone wondered why, the latecomer shuriken struck the three flying shuriken ahead in quick succession!
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Three crisp, rapid metallic clicks merged into a single line. The trajectories of the three struck shuriken subtly deviated.
As if given life, they carved three graceful arcs, flying toward the targets on the sides.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three dull thuds. The three "guided" shuriken each hit the bullseye of three different targets.
The last shuriken thrown continued its path, firmly lodging itself in the center of the target directly in front of him.
This brilliant shuriken throwing technique was nothing short of artistry, demonstrating an almost insane control over trajectory, force, and timing.
"Amazing! Too amazing, Sasuke!"
"How is that even possible?"
The cries of astonishment from the crowd were even more enthusiastic than before.
Sasuke paid no attention to the surrounding commotion. He simply turned to look at Naruto beside him. The three tomoe in his eyes slowly receded. He lifted his chin slightly, looking a bit smug.
Seeing this expression, Naruto smiled, praising him naturally, "The development and application of that eye of yours have improved quite a bit since before."
The curve of Sasuke's mouth widened slightly, clearly appreciative of Naruto's acknowledgment.
But he still shook his head, stating objectively, "It's just a trick. My strength is not as good as yours, so my throwing speed naturally isn't either."
"To keep up, I have to rely more on technique and this eye's dynamic vision and predictive ability."
Their skill level had clearly surpassed the scope of ordinary students entirely.
In fact, at the Ninja Academy in Konoha, aside from the most basic "Three Body Techniques," the school taught almost no true Ninjutsu.
It only laid a solid theoretical foundation for the students, tempered their physique and willpower, and taught the most basic taijutsu grappling and ninja tool throwing techniques.
However, one should not underestimate these "basics."
Compared to the era before the establishment of the ninja villages, when knowledge was monopolized by ninja clans, the reason why civilian ninjas could rise and survive various missions was all because of these "basics."
An excellent ninja is far more than just a fighting brute.
To complete missions more efficiently and safely, they need to master a large amount of auxiliary knowledge. They study rudimentary physics, geography and environmental science, and chemistry at the Ninja Academy.
The written exam of the Chūnin Exams covers these subjects.
Just like the throwing practice at this moment, it's not just about "throwing it hard."
When projecting a ninja tool at a distant target, one needs to estimate the effect of gravity and air resistance, calculate the trajectory of the parabola, and determine the angle and force needed to hit the target.
Or, for example, how to use terrain to conceal oneself on the battlefield, how to take the high ground to gain an advantage, determine direction, identify potential dangers, and even utilize changes in the weather.
Identifying common poisons and antidotal herbs, understanding the properties of different materials to safely use ninjutsu or Explosive Tags, preparing simple smoke bombs, flash bombs, and other ninja tools...
These pieces of knowledge, seemingly unrelated to flashy ninjutsu, can often determine the success or failure of a mission, and even the life or death of a ninja, at a critical moment.
The ninja education system founded by Tobirama Senju was precisely designed to subtly integrate this survival and combat wisdom into daily training and theoretical courses.
However, for Naruto and Sasuke, the knowledge taught by the school could no longer satisfy their needs.
Therefore...
When Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, they both saw the same implication in each other's eyes.
Clearly, both of them had done the same thing that Uchiha Itachi once did.
"Speaking of which," Uchiha Sasuke looked toward the white-lined combat area in the center of the training ground. "I remember that today's schedule includes a taijutsu sparring session, right?"
"I'm definitely fine, but you need to be careful."
He smirked wickedly. "If you accidentally get hit and someone finds out... Iruka-sensei will be very, very angry."
Hearing this, Naruto simply shook his head. Though he didn't speak, the meaning he conveyed was very clear.
He didn't believe that any of his classmates, besides Sasuke, could truly harm him in taijutsu.
This calm confidence stemmed from his increasingly refined control over his own power.
His physique was continuously being modified by the 'Kāma.' His strength, speed, healing ability, and Chakra were all growing stronger, having long exceeded the level expected for his age.
In fact, since he hadn't had the chance to verify it, even he didn't know his own limit...
"Naruto!"
Just then, a shouting voice caught Naruto's attention. He turned to look.
He saw his two desk-mates, Karin and Chiba Ryōsuke, squeezing out of the crowd.
"Karin, see? I told you they'd be here. Just go where the crowd is densest to find them."
"Naruto, and Sasuke, Iruka-sensei is calling for a meeting."
Chiba Ryōsuke yelled, looking at the distant targets and lamenting, "You two guys are still so strong. It's too much."
At this moment, Umino Iruka, holding a roll call book, stood at the edge of the white-lined combat area in the center of the training ground.
"Free training time is over!" he announced loudly. "Next is the taijutsu sparring session!"
"The rules are the same as before. The two people whose names I randomly call will enter the ring for taijutsu sparring. You will stop when a point is scored. The use of dangerous Ninjutsu or attacks to vital points is strictly prohibited!"
"Now, everyone gather over here!"
Hearing this, the students immediately stopped their respective practices and walked quickly and orderly toward Iruka, their faces showing tension, excitement, or eagerness.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances and followed the crowd to the gathering point.
At the same time, as if sensing something, Naruto glanced toward the second floor of the distant school building, where he indeed saw several figures standing by the window.
"This unfamiliar malice... who is it?" he frowned slightly.
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