"These six students are, without a doubt, the future pillars of the Hidden Leaf."
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Iruka Umino announce the names of the six students entering the third round, a smile spread across his face.
Clearly, he was very pleased with the results.
Hiruzen couldn't help thinking back to his own generation. Under the leadership of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, their class had also been full of talent.
Aside from himself, there had been Danzo Shimura, Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi, and Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Now all of them were the core figures of the Hidden Leaf. It was no exaggeration to say the village rested upon their shoulders.
And now, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga seemed to be showing the same potential.
What mattered most was that the Hokage of today's Leaf was him.
Sensei… my whole life, I've walked on thin ice. Will I ever reach the other side where you stand?
As Tobirama's student, Hiruzen still wished he could reach, or even surpass, his teacher someday.
Danzo always complained about Hiruzen being chosen as Hokage instead of him, claiming a single misstep had cost him the position.
But Hiruzen believed the current state of the Leaf was proof that Tobirama's choice had not been wrong.
When thinking of teachers, his eyes wandered toward Kitazawa.
This person was truly a rare talent.
Of the six students who reached the third round, five had trained under Kitazawa, everyone except Shino.
Although talent determined how far one could go, without an excellent teacher, potential could never be fully drawn out.
Hiruzen had seen many teachers, both Academy instructors and jonin squad leaders.
Many of them had strength far surpassing Kitazawa.
But when it came to teaching skill, none could compare.
Hiruzen was grateful that Kitazawa was only a regular special jonin, and that he was loyal, orthodox, and a firm believer in the Will of Fire.
If someone of high rank and ambition, like Danzo, held such teaching ability, the village would fall into chaos quickly.
After all, the students under Kitazawa included heirs to several major clans.
"We should value him even more."
Hiruzen then recalled Terai. Root members had no place in the Academy.
He had only allowed Terai to teach Class 2-A out of consideration for Danzo. But that couldn't continue.
Kitazawa's energy was best spent on his students, not wasted monitoring Root operatives. In addition, Kitazawa deserved proper rewards.
"Students entering the third round, please come up to draw lots."
Once the break ended, Kitazawa called out.
"I hope I get Sasuke!"
Naruto clapped his hands together and prayed earnestly. Sasuke twitched his mouth.
If he really had a choice, Naruto was not someone he wanted to fight first.
Sasuke found Naruto's Shadow Clones and taijutsu extremely troublesome, more so than Hinata or Shino.
"I feel like it doesn't matter who I get…"
Ino looked around. She felt she couldn't beat any of them. Still, she stayed cheerful. Reaching the third round was already beyond expectations.
She was definitely guaranteed a spot in the top six; anything after that was just for experience.
"What a drag…"
Shikamaru felt like a husky who had wandered into a pack of wolves. Aside from Ino, the other four were all terrible matchups for his Shadow Possession Jutsu.
Hinata had the Byakugan, Shino had his insects, and Naruto had Shadow Clones. As for Sasuke, he had already lost to him once, and with Sasuke's raw strength, winning was unlikely.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was still chanting, then stepped forward and took the first slip of paper.
He opened it, Number Three. Six people, three matches, three meant the final match of the round.
"What a shame the third round doesn't start from number one."
Naruto looked at his own slip.
"This time I got number three too!"
Sasuke froze.
Seriously?
Naruto's prayers actually worked?
"Sasuke! What number did you get?"
Naruto leaned over, then burst out excitedly:
"We're both number three!"
Shikamaru, Ino, and the others all sighed in relief. The two biggest threats had been matched together. That made things safer for everyone else.
"This is the power of youth at work!"
Naruto gave a sparkling thumbs-up.
"Sasuke, let's have an all-out battle!"
Sasuke stood silently, ignoring him completely.
"I'm number one."
Shino stepped forward calmly.
"I'm number two!"
Shikamaru looked pleasantly surprised. If Shino was number one, then his opponent had to be either Hinata or Ino.
"Hinata, what number did you pull?"
Shikamaru didn't mind losing to Hinata again. It was expected, after all.
Even Kitazawa wouldn't blame him for losing to her. But if he got Ino, he'd have to fight seriously.
Because he could win that one. If he slacked off and Kitazawa docked points, his entire summer vacation would be ruined.
But winning against Ino was a hassle too. Knowing her, she'd probably make him treat her to food for days as payback.
Not that treating her was the issue, it was the bottomless pit known as Choji that worried him.
"One."
Hinata answered seriously.
Even with Kitazawa's training improving her significantly, Shino's insects were formidable. This would be a tough battle. She didn't want to disappoint her teacher.
Hinata clenched her fists, eyes full of determination.
Shino frowned slightly. Hinata felt more troublesome than ever. His insects had two attack methods, biting the target, or draining their chakra. But against the Byakugan, both lost effectiveness.
"So it really is Ino…"
Shikamaru sighed.
"What? You sound disappointed!"
Ino glared.
"No, not at all."
Shikamaru shook his head frantically.
"Students who drew number one, please step into the arena."
Kitazawa closed the lottery box.
Shino and Hinata stepped forward and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
Sasuke, Shikamaru and the others retreated to join the rest of Class 1-A.
"Please begin."
Shino raised his hands.
Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects!
A black cloud of insects surged from his sleeves.
"Byakugan, activate!"
The veins around Hinata's eyes bulged as her vision sharpened instantly. She looked at the swarm, and saw chakra pulsing through every insect.
Shino gave a mental command. The swarm split into multiple clusters, attacking from every direction.
A normal ninja would panic, but the Byakugan had near 360-degree vision. Hinata saw every insect approaching her. She gathered chakra into her palms and struck rapidly. Every blow smashed dozens of insects.
"The Byakugan is terrifying…"
Ino whispered, amazed.
In the early and mid game, the Aburame clan's insects were nearly unbeatable, even many clan heirs struggled against Shino. But the Byakugan's unmatched vision let Hinata handle them easily.
"I wonder what will run out first, the insects or Hinata's chakra."
Shikamaru muttered. The number of insects depended on Shino's chakra, and he didn't have much at his age. Hinata faced the same issue, Gentle Fist consumed chakra quickly.
"Lucky I didn't make it to the third round…"
Kiba patted his chest, relieved.
Sasuke frowned. Hinata was stronger than he expected. If he were surrounded like this, he'd have to use Fire Style. But with insects on all sides, even that might not work. The more he thought about it, the more troublesome Shino seemed. Yet before Hinata, even Shino's strength looked helpless.
The Byakugan, huh…
Sasuke felt a surge of envy.
When will I awaken the Sharingan?
"Hinata's Gentle Fist technique is very polished."
Hiruzen nodded. He could imagine how hard she'd trained behind the scenes.
As more and more insects fell, Hinata moved with increasing ease. Shino's expression grew tense. After a moment of thought, he formed hand signs.
Secret Technique: Insect Clone!
A mass of insects flew out of his body, forming a copy of him. It wasn't a Shadow Clone, but it still had some combat ability. Shino didn't attack immediately. He waited one second.
Then his entire body became coated in insects. This armor meant Gentle Fist strikes wouldn't land directly on him. The two Shinos charged in from opposite sides, plus the leftover insects trapping Hinata.
For the Aburame, close combat was a last resort, but with his long-range attacks neutralized, Shino had no choice.
Class 1-A gasped.
This attack was frightening, and showed Shino's true power. Usually overshadowed by Naruto and Sasuke, he finally had a moment in the spotlight.
Hinata noticed the two Shinos instantly. She gritted her teeth and lunged at the nearest one.
"What?!"
Shino didn't expect her to attack so decisively, or so fast.
Thud!
She struck him with a Gentle Fist palm. The insect armor absorbed much of the damage. Even so, he staggered back.
The second Shino came from behind, trying a full-body tackle. It was clearly the clone, its movements were stiffer.
But it was still dangerous. Hinata spun around instantly.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!
The first strike hit the clone's chest. It burst into scattered insects. The second strike followed immediately, smashing through the cluster.
Hinata swept her gaze around with the Byakugan, found the real one, and her third strike hit Shino's torso.
With a dull thud, the clone completely collapsed into insects.
"What?!"
Shino's eyes widened. His clone didn't last even a second? But he had no time to dwell on it, the fourth strike was already in front of him.
Shino gathered insects to block,
BAM!
Hinata's palm crushed through them. Her chakra passed through the insects and struck Shino's body. He trembled, stunned.
Hinata didn't hesitate, her fingers blurred. Three quick strikes sealed his chakra points. His chakra flow stopped instantly.
"Was that… Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?"
Hiruzen was shocked. The technique was a secret of the Hyuga Main Family, an A-rank taijutsu. The fact that Hinata could unleash four consecutive strikes at her age was incredible. Hiruzen remembered her once timid personality, but now she was decisive and sharp.
Kitazawa truly was remarkable. If Asuma had met a teacher like him, he probably wouldn't have turned out so rebellious.
"Winner: Hinata Hyuga."
Kitazawa announced.
Hinata's performance had been flawless, four strikes of the Sixty-Four Palms, quick target switching, and defeating both Shino and his clone in moments.
"Hinata got so strong!"
Ino exclaimed. Before, Hinata relied mostly on the Byakugan for advantage.
But finishing the fight with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?
That was pure effort, not talent.
Ino sighed.
They both trained under Kitazawa, yet their differences were huge.
"So this is Hinata's true strength…"
Shikamaru remembered their own match. He hadn't even forced her to use Sixty-Four Palms, she beat him instantly.
Sasuke fell into silence. He had once been crushed by Neji's Four Palms. Now Hinata not only knew it, hers looked even fiercer. Neji's four strikes were just basic Gentle Fist. Sasuke thought carefully.
If she closed the distance…
He couldn't win.
He felt a sting of frustration.
Shikamaru nearly overturned him. Hinata wasn't a guaranteed win. Next was Naruto, how would that end?
Sasuke inhaled deeply and forced away the unnecessary thoughts. He was an Uchiha.
He would win.