Second Training Ground
The students stood together in clusters boys on one side, girls on the other. Iruka stood off to one side, holding a roster in his hand.
"Next Takemi Nobu," Iruka called out, his eyes scanning the list.
Nobu stepped out from the crowd and stopped ten meters away from the target, gripping two shuriken in each hand.
He bent forward slightly, arms crossing in front of him. In a flash, the four shuriken flew from his hands.
Thud!
All four blades struck the target in a clean vertical line.
"Not bad. You're improving quickly," Iruka said with a smile.
"Thank you," Nobu replied with a small bow before returning to the line.
"Next Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke, hands stuffed in his pockets, walked out coolly from the group. He deliberately stood a little farther from the target than Nobu had.
He pulled out six shuriken, three in each hand.
"This guy really knows how to show off..." Nobu thought with a helpless sigh. Sasuke was clearly making a point that he was better.
"Go Sasuke!"
"Sasuke-kun, you're the best!"
"Sasuke-kun is so cool!"
"Hmph," Kiba growled from the sidelines, visibly annoyed.
Sasuke let the shuriken fly. All six whirled through the air in perfect formation, striking the wooden target in a neat circle.
"All that flair..." Nobu muttered inwardly. Though his own shuriken skills were already top-tier among the students, compared to Sasuke, there was still a noticeable gap.
"Wow, you're amazing, Sasuke!"
"Sasuke-kun!"
The fangirls in the back screamed in adoration.
"Impressive," Iruka remarked. "Keep it up."
Sasuke didn't reply. With his usual cool expression, he turned and walked back, shooting Nobu a smug glance on the way.
Nobu: "..."
"Next Uzumaki Naruto."
"Here!" Naruto called out enthusiastically as he stepped forward.
"Him again?" Kiba muttered in irritation. "I'm so done watching this clown show."
"Same," said Shino, quietly.
"Naruto!" Iruka suddenly barked, cutting off Naruto just as he was about to throw.
"Huh?"
"Take this seriously! If you mess around like usual, you're in for it!" Iruka's tone was sharp.
"Got it..." Naruto replied, his earlier excitement quickly deflating.
This time, he obediently threw the shuriken. The results were lackluster barely even average.
Disappointed, Naruto looked at the target.
"Alright, head back," Iruka said, noting the two shuriken stuck near the edge of the target.
"Ugh..." Naruto turned away, shoulders slumping as he trudged back to the group.
"That's it for today's test," Iruka announced, closing his roster. "Anyone who didn't meet the standard will be doing extra practice."
"What?"
"No way!"
The students groaned in protest.
"Shuriken technique is a fundamental skill for any ninja. If you can't even handle this, you might as well transfer to a regular school while you still can," Iruka said bluntly, unmoved by their complaints.
"That's it for the morning. This afternoon, we'll meet at Training Ground One for taijutsu sparring."
"Class dismissed."
With that, Iruka vanished in a flicker of movement, leaving the students behind to voice their discontent.
"Man, Iruka-sensei was so strict today," Naruto grumbled as he walked over to Nobu.
"He's just doing it for our own good," Nobu replied with a small smile. "We're training to be shinobi real combat is inevitable. If we don't master the basics, we're just walking into danger unprepared."
"Better he's tough on us now than we regret it later."
Naruto just pouted in response, clearly not convinced.
"Don't worry, Naruto. If you keep practicing, you'll definitely get better," Nobu encouraged.
"Only an idiot like you would struggle with everything," Kiba interjected with a sneer. "People like me, Nobu, and Shino don't need to worry."
"Right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
"What did you say?!" Naruto snapped, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Did I stutter?" Kiba retorted, unimpressed. "You've been learning shuriken for ages. Even Akamaru could do better."
"Woof!"
"That's it! I'm gonna pound you!" Naruto shouted, rolling up his sleeves.
"Alright, that's enough!" Nobu quickly stepped in, grabbing Naruto to keep him from lunging. If it came to a fight, Naruto would definitely get beat up.
"Kiba, that was uncalled for!"
"And Naruto, calm down he was out of line."
With Nobu restraining him, Naruto gradually lowered his arms, though his face was still flushed with anger.
"Hmph! If Nobu hadn't stopped me, I'd have pounded you into the dirt!" he growled.
"You? Please," Kiba scoffed.
"Both of you, cut it out," Nobu said, rubbing his forehead. "It's lunchtime."
He gave Kiba a gentle push, urging him to leave.
"What about you, Naruto?" he asked, turning back.
Naruto glanced between Kiba, Shino who had remained silent and finally back at Nobu.
"It's fine. I'll eat by myself," he muttered.
"Alright then." Nobu nodded, and with that, he walked off with Kiba. Shino followed quietly behind.
Once the three were a short distance away, Shino finally spoke. "Nobu, you're really kind to Naruto."
"Yeah! That idiot doesn't deserve your time," Kiba grumbled, still salty that Nobu had defended him earlier.
Nobu let out a quiet sigh. "That kid doesn't have many friends. Everyone in class avoids him. It's pretty sad. Kiba, you should stop picking on him."
"Hmph. As long as he doesn't mess with me," Kiba muttered, turning his head.
"If you bully him again, I'm telling your mom."
"What?! Nobu, you" Kiba jumped in alarm.
"What?" Nobu shot him a glance.
"...Damn it!" Kiba turned away again, defeated.
"Fine, fine. I won't mess with him."
Only then did Nobu smile faintly.
"Good boy."
"Ugh, don't talk like my sister!"
"I'm not!"
Shino, watching the exchange, couldn't help but chuckle.
"Shino?! Are you laughing at me?"
"No," Shino replied, pulling his coat collar up.
"You totally laughed! You traitor!"
"..."
Afternoon, Training Ground One
"Today, we'll be testing your taijutsu abilities," Iruka said, once again holding the roster in his hand.
"I've already assigned each of you a partner. Anyone who doesn't meet the standard will face consequences."
"This weekend, you'll be training here at school. I'll be supervising."
The kids groaned again, some looking nervous, others already discouraged.
Naruto looked especially uneasy. He wasn't standing near Nobu this time, possibly because of what happened during lunch. Alone, he shifted awkwardly and glanced around.
He caught Nobu's eye. Nobu smiled at him.
Naruto's expression softened, and he grinned back, flashing a full set of teeth.
"Hmph." Kiba huffed loudly from the side.
Naruto's smile faltered.
"Kiba, didn't we talk about this?" Nobu said with a sigh.
Kiba turned away, refusing to answer.
"First pair," Iruka said, reading from the list.
"Inuzuka Kiba."
Huh? The three boys Nobu, Kiba, and Shino all blinked in surprise. Kiba especially hadn't expected to be called first.
"And..." Iruka paused.
"Uzumaki Naruto."