"Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura Haruno excitedly showed off. But Sasuke remained indifferent, completely ignoring her.
"Next up is Ino Yamanaka…" Ino created two clones, which were also perfect. "85 points!"
"Next, Hyuga Hinata…"
Hinata walked onto the stage with her head bowed, looking a little shy. Naruto immediately shouted loudly, "Go, Hinata!"
Hinata instantly became even more embarrassed. But hearing Naruto's cheer, her heart couldn't help but feel sweet. Ino couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker.
"Clone Technique!" Although Hinata was a little nervous, she still successfully created three clones. "Very good, 90 points!"
Hinata finally breathed a sigh of relief, and as she walked off the stage, Iruka-sensei called out the next name. "Uzumaki Naruto!"
Her heart stirred, and she saw the cheering Naruto leap up directly, walking confidently onto the stage, brushing past her on the way.
"G-go for it, Naruto-kun…"
"Yeah!"
Naruto confidently came to Iruka-sensei's side. "Are you ready, Naruto?" Iruka-sensei couldn't help but ask one more time.
"I am!"
For a moment, just as with Sasuke, everyone in the class held their breath—even more so than for Sasuke! After all, his earth-shattering oath a month ago was still vivid in their minds. Everyone had their own thoughts as their breathing seemed to stop, and they looked at Naruto on the stage with extreme tension.
"Clone Technique!" Naruto took a deep breath, formed the hand signs, refined his chakra, and activated his Clone Technique! Immediately, three perfect clones appeared on the spot, right before everyone's eyes!
"Hiss—" For a moment, everyone gasped. After all, everyone knew that the Clone Technique was Naruto's least favorite ninjutsu. Before, he couldn't even create a single clone, let alone three. Even if he had desperately managed to create one, it would just be lying on the ground, completely useless! However, in just one month, he could perfectly create three clones?! This was something only a few people in the entire class could achieve!
Iruka-sensei was also surprised. "Naruto, you…"
"Hahahahaha, how is it, Iruka-sensei? Isn't it amazing?! This is the result of my hard training!"
Iruka-sensei's heart stirred; others saw Naruto's improvement, but only he saw the effort behind it. He couldn't help but feel a bit bittersweet, but at the same time, he was happy for Naruto. "Yes, well done, Naruto! 90…"
"Wait a moment, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto interrupted Iruka-sensei's announcement of the score.
"What is it, Naruto?"
"Well, I also want to show off my new training results. I wonder if I can get extra points?!"
Iruka-sensei suddenly understood what he wanted to do. "Hm, theoretically, yes…"
Naruto was overjoyed. "Okay, then let Iruka-sensei see… Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto directly formed the hand signs and released the powerful ninjutsu he had discovered. It was the Shadow Clone Technique!
*Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof!*
After bursts of white smoke, five solid Shadow Clones appeared on the stage!
"W-what is that?!"
"Not a normal Clone Technique, but solid clones?!"
"How is that possible? How could that loser use such a high-level ninjutsu?!"
"And… and it's not just one solid clone, but five?!"
"This isn't just a matter of the ninjutsu's level; is his chakra amount really that immense?!"
For a moment, the entire classroom erupted in an uproar; everyone was astonished! Iruka-sensei also turned pale with shock. He had never expected that Naruto could now create five Shadow Clones! As those students had said, this not only demanded a lot from the ninjutsu itself but also placed extremely strict requirements on the ninja's chakra amount! "Naruto, you… you…"
Naruto laughed heartily with satisfaction. In reality, if he went all out now, he could even release more than ten Shadow Clones! However, first, there was no need, and second, if he released that many, he would lose a lot of chakra, which would be detrimental to the subsequent ninja sparring.
Hinata and Ino exchanged glances, both utterly shocked.
"I-is that Naruto-kun's new ninjutsu?"
"Even the Byakugan can't see through it. Are they solid clones with evenly distributed chakra?!"
Ino also widened her eyes. "Naruto… has he become that powerful?!"
Sakura Haruno's mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word. Sasuke clenched his fists even tighter. "Naruto, how strong are you now?! Drat it!"
Iruka-sensei took a deep breath. "Hm, Naruto, your Shadow Clone Technique surpasses that of many Chunin and even Jonin. In that case, you can indeed receive extra points. I don't think anyone will have any objections, right? Your ninjutsu assessment score is… 100 points!!!"
Iruka-sensei didn't hesitate and gave Naruto a perfect score of one hundred points! Although everyone was astonished, they couldn't say a single word. Because what Naruto had done truly exceeded imagination; it was completely beyond the level of the Ninja Academy! Solid Shadow Clones that could train and fight! And he had created a full five of them! Such a level was indeed something many Chunin and even Jonin couldn't achieve!
Naruto, hearing Iruka-sensei announce the score, couldn't help but leap high into the air, cheering excitedly. "Yay!!!"
Hinata, with a flushed face, also couldn't help but be overjoyed for Naruto.
Ino also sighed. "Naruto… he's like a completely different person. Who would have thought a month ago that he would become this powerful?"
Sakura Haruno was dumbfounded, wanting to say something but unable to utter a single word. Sasuke's fists were clenching so hard they audibly creaked. Although it was also a perfect score of one hundred, there was no doubt that Naruto's five solid Shadow Clones had made a much bigger splash than his own! More importantly, it was a ninjutsu that could exert powerful strength in actual combat! Unlike his own ordinary clones, which had little meaning beyond luring enemies. "Drat it… Naruto, I will definitely defeat you, fair and square!"
The uproar caused by Naruto did not subside for a long time; the entire classroom was still in an uproar, boiling with excitement. But the assessment still had to continue. Iruka-sensei coughed, stopping the chatter, and called the other students to the stage for their assessments. However, with Naruto's impact preceding them, the other assessments were all unremarkable. Until the end, no eye-catching results appeared.
The cultural studies and ninjutsu assessments were concluded. The final assessment was ninja sparring. However, while ninja sparring was the most important in terms of practical significance, for the assessment itself, it was the least important. Because the Ninja Academy, after all, focused on theory and fundamentals. For the Ninja Academy's assessment, ninja sparring was merely an additional test item. Excellent performance could earn extra points, but an average performance would not result in any deductions.
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