I, and Shiina entered the classroom together, taking our own seats. Near the back, at the corner. With Naruto and Hinata who were holding hands, like Shiina and I. Because, we weren't exactly hiding it.
Neither of us were, Hiashi might not have accepted Naruto yet, but the boy was good for his daughter. There was no need for them to hide it.
That also might be because of what I did months ago. I wonder if letting him know was the right decision or not. No, the extra protection would keep Danzo off me for a while longer.
Shiina slipped into the seat beside me as I dropped into the one next to her, which was next to Naruto, who gave me a quiet nod.
"Morning," he said. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," I replied, "Even if my girlfriend is a blanket hog."
Shiina tilted her head with a fake look of wounded innocence. "Am not."
"You covered yourself in the entire blanket, love. I woke up freezing."
"I was maintaining territorial integrity."
"Of course. Strategic blanket dominance."
Naruto snorted quietly, and even Hinata gave a soft laugh behind her hand.
"You two really are perfect for each other," she said, voice not shy or stuttering, but smooth. Assured.
"You're not so bad yourselves," Shiina shot back with a grin, giving Hinata a pointed look. "I see you two holding hands like it's nothing now. How scandalous."
"Shocking, truly," I added. "Next thing you know, they'll be—what's the word?—smiling in public."
Naruto chuckled low in his throat. "We figured if you two weren't going to hide it, there wasn't much point in pretending on our end either."
Fair.
Hinata leaned over, brushing some hair behind her ear with casual elegance. "Besides. There's nothing dishonourable about being close with someone who makes you stronger."
Shiina made a small, pleased noise. "Exactly. Thank you, Hinata."
The door slid open then, and the morning's instructor walked in.
The familiar man caught the class's attention and I smirked. Finally, it was time to do this.
The man had a somewhat friendly smile as he spoke, "Alright class, let's get things sorted quickly. Be quiet, sit straight. And pay attention. I want your focus today."
And with that, the man began with a roll call.
The instructor went down the list with clipped efficiency, calling out each name like it was a military register.
"Aburame, Torune."
"Present."
"Haruno, Sakura."
"Here."
"Hyūga, Hinata."
"Present," Hinata said, her voice smooth and unshaken. She sat upright without any of the hesitation people still expected from her. The room glanced her way, already not sure what to make of her.
A few heads turned toward Naruto who was holding the girl's hand.
It was quite clear to everyone the 2 were dating. A bunch of 6 to 7 year olds seeing another 2 people around their age dating.
"Wait... Naruto's dating Hyūga Hinata?"
The whisper came from somewhere two rows back. Then a louder one, from a different corner:
"But… she's a Hyūga! Aren't they like… nobility?"
"My cousin said her dad once glared at a man so hard he passed out."
"Why's she with him?"
Naruto heard them. Of course he did. But his hand stayed in hers like it belonged there. And Hinata? She just sat straighter. Like she'd chosen, and that choice made her stronger.
I wonder how they'd react to Shiina and I. Oh well. I didn't care much.
"Uchiha, Sasuke."
There was a tiny ripple of attention through the room as the name dropped. Sasuke answered with a bored-sounding "Here," and a handful of students—mostly girls—immediately glanced toward him. His face was kinder than most would aspect. In particular, he seemed quite... shy...
This was the Uchiha Sasuke from before the massacre? Geez, I almost forgot he was a lot more shy at this time. He wasn't cold, nor was he overcome with hatred.
Really does put things into perspective of how the Genocide of the Uchiha really affected him.
"Yamanaka, Ino."
"Present!" she chirped, sitting up straighter than necessary. Blonde hair perfectly brushed, smile a little too wide. She was scanning the room, not for friends—but for rivals. Probably pegged Shiina or me already, even if she didn't know why.
The instructor continued.
"Inuzuka, Kiba."
The voice that came was boisterous, and different for the others, "Ready for action."
The instructor moved on.
"Uzumaki, Naruto."
Naruto raised his hand casually. "Here."
Another ripple, this one slightly more confused. A couple of students blinked. I could practically hear the thoughts clicking into place.
He didn't flinch. Didn't shift. He held Hinata's hand the whole time.
And then…
"Inori, Akari."
"Present," I said simply, voice steady and clear.
The teacher didn't look surprised. Just noted it and moved on.
"Yu, Shiina."
"Here," she said, one leg crossed over the other, posture elegant but at ease. Like she was made for this.
A moment of quiet followed.
That was it—the four of us. All called. All eyes flicked our way now.
The air had changed.
The test results from yesterday had already started spreading. Not officially, of course. But nothing stayed secret for long in a building full of future shinobi.
Naruto's 95% had gotten enough whispers. But the three perfect scores? That was unheard of.
Only Hinata was from a notable Clan with a Kekkei Genkai out of us 4, me and Shiina though?
We weren't from a clan, we weren't part of the Uchiha–they didn't know I was an Uchiha–or the Hyūga, or the Inuzuka.
We were orphans.
So how did we get perfect scores? The math didn't compute for most of them.
Whispers started as roll call continued.
"She's the one with dual eyes, right?"
"Isn't she from the orphanage with the bad rep for what happened 3 years ago?"
"Didn't he used to run around yelling all the time?"
I ignored it. So did Shiina. Naruto cracked a faint smile. Hinata didn't even blink.
We were used to being watched. Judged.
The instructor wrapped up the roll and stepped forward.
"Now that we've sorted attendance, I'd like to congratulate the top-scoring students from yesterday's entrance evaluations."
More whispering. The classroom leaned in.
"Top percentile scores went to four individuals," he continued, his tone steady. "Uzumaki Naruto with 95%. Inori Akari, Yu Shiina, and Hyūga Hinata with perfect 100s."
The air practically crackled after that.
You could feel it—the sharp intake of breath from half the room, the rising tension, the flickers of competitive energy starting to spark in the more ambitious students.
Even the quieter ones straightened a little in their seats, like the whole dynamic of the class had just been rewritten in real time.
And yeah, it had.
"These students will serve as your benchmarks," he said bluntly. "If you want to know what excellence looks like, look at them. If you want to surpass them… work for it."
Geez, it was similar to the White Room. Last I heard, I was made to be the benchmark of excellence in that facility, before I died in that fire.
Shiina gave me a look that said, Oh no, we're going to get challenged by every single brat in this room within the week, aren't we?
I gave her a grin back that said, Yes. And I'm going to enjoy it.
She sighed like she'd just resigned herself to babysitting with kunai.
Naruto, meanwhile, had leaned over to Hinata, whispering something that made her lips twitch into the ghost of a smile. It wasn't smugness. It was confidence—quiet, deadly, and self-assured. Hinata, of all people, had earned her pride.
And Naruto was glowing just from watching her have it.
"Alright," the instructor said, clapping once. "Let's begin with the baseline tests. We need to know how you hold up now, and how you compare, and see what we are working with."
Half the class groaned. The other half were already cracking their knuckles like this was their moment.
We were filed out into the Academy's track area—basically a dirt circuit surrounded by training posts, log stumps, and assorted obstacles. Some of the students started stretching immediately. Others stood around nervously, looking like they'd never seen daylight before.
Naruto cracked his neck once, rolled his shoulders, then gave me a smirk.
"Race you?" he asked, already bouncing on the balls of his feet like a puppy ready for zoomies.
I raised an eyebrow. "What, you wanna lose before the day even starts?"
"That sounds like fighting talk," Shiina said, crossing her arms with an amused glint in her eye.
Hinata chuckled softly. "You realize you're all about to make the rest of the class hate you faster, right?"
"Correction," I said, stretching my arms overhead, "they already do."
The instructor waved us toward the start line. "First assessment: a full circuit sprint. Standard two laps. This is a baseline test, not a competition—"
"Which means we're making it a competition," Shiina whispered to me, just loud enough for Naruto and Hinata to hear.
We lined up. A dozen other students shuffled nervously nearby, clearly trying to decide whether they wanted to be near the top performers or as far away from us as possible.
The teacher raised a flag. "On my count… three… two… go!"
And we were off.
Naruto was fast—no question. The boy had stamina for days, due to how high his Chakra was.
Shiina was elegant. She ran like she danced, like gravity couldn't quite get a full grip on her. She didn't waste energy—every movement was lean and calculated. If anyone blinked, she'd already be ten meters ahead.
And Hinata? She was the surprise package. Graceful, yes—but also precise. She didn't overstep. Her pacing was controlled. She wasn't the fastest, but she was consistent. The kind of girl who didn't burn out. She'd outlast most of these kids in a five-lap run without breaking a sweat.
And yet, none of them held a candle to me. I made sure to hold back of course, but the instructor was surprised. I was running at speeds akin to a Genin who was about to be promoted to the Chunin level.
The first lap blew past me in a mere 5 seconds. Around 1600 metres in less than 10 seconds.
By the time I rounded the corner for the second lap, I knew I'd miscalculated.
Not in how fast I was running—no, that was on point—but in how much more attention I was about to draw.
There was a beat of silence after I passed the start line again, and then the instructor actually stumbled over his clipboard.
The kid with the stopwatch—the one assigned to track times, poor soul—just kind of stared at me like I'd kicked physics in the face and laughed about it.
Naruto and Hinata weren't neck and neck, not completely. Naruto was ahead, but Hinata was striding behind him. Shiina was ahead of them, pushing herself to try and catch up.
I didn't even feel the burn in my legs—just the wind pushing back against my cheeks and the startled expressions of half the faculty watching from the sidelines. I heard one instructor mutter something about "retesting equipment" under his breath.
Sorry, pal. That wasn't a glitch in the Matrix. That was just me.
By the time I finished the second lap, I'd lapped two students and left a dust trail thick enough to make a Kagemane user, otherwise a Nara trip over it. I slowed only once I crossed the line, gradually decelerating to avoid accidentally bowling over several kids who were still on their first lap.
Shiina came in not long after. Hair only slightly mussed, cheeks flushed in a way that could have been effort… or just the fact that she enjoyed running beside the chaos I brought. She flicked her hair back and walked past the line like she'd just returned from a stroll through the garden.
"Show-off," she whispered under her breath.
"You love it," I muttered back.
"I do. But you still owe me a foot massage."
Behind us, Naruto stumbled to a finish a full ten seconds later, panting and laughing at the same time. "We got this."
Hinata jogged through moments later, glistening with sweat, but far from exhausted. Her breathing was controlled, her expression serene. There was a touch of pride in her eyes as she looked at Naruto, like yes, she'd stayed right behind the blonde hurricane and hadn't once faltered.
The rest of the class trickled in, looking between the four of us like we were some combination of gods, aliens, or just really annoying straight-A students who were now also good at sports. Double threat. Triple, if we counted charisma. Which we definitely did.
Kiba flopped to the ground dramatically, panting like he'd just wrestled a bear. "You people are monsters."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," I replied, only half-smirking.
The instructor had a clipboard in one hand and a look of growing disbelief in the other. "...Right," he muttered. "Right. Okay. You four… stay here. The rest of you, go hydrate and prep for strength evaluations."
A bunch of kids immediately went running for the water jugs like their lives depended on it. A few others hung back, eyes flicking toward us with barely-disguised envy—or interest.
"Inori, Yu, Uzumaki, Hyūga," the instructor said, walking over to us with a stiff smile that didn't quite hide his "what am I even looking at?" expression. "You're aware this was a baseline test, yes?"
"I thought it was a warm up." I say. Shiina made a humming sound like oops, did I just ruin the grading curve for the entire class? Naruto just grinned. As Hinata tilted her head and said:
"We didn't break any rules."
"No, you didn't," the man admitted, tapping his pen against the clipboard. "But you did make half your classmates feel like they showed up to a kunai fight with a spoon."
"Could've been a rusty spoon," Naruto offered helpfully.
The instructor sighed. Deeply. "Just… go get water. We're doing strength assessments next, and I already know I'm going to need someone from Medical on standby."
We were led to the log-posts. Each student was given one minute to strike a training dummy—taijutsu only. No chakra enhancements.
A bunch of kids threw sloppy punches. Some didn't even hurt the dummy.
Then Naruto stepped up. His hits were wild, but heavy. He cracked the post at the joint, startling a nearby assistant.
Hinata followed. Her form was flawless, precise strikes to pressure points. She didn't break the dummy—but the instructor winced anyway, like he could feel it.
Shiina? Graceful violence. Her kicks echoed across the training yard. One snapped the dummy halfway out of the ground.
Then I stepped forward.
I didn't punch. I just jabbed. Once.
The log post shattered. Clean. Splinters flew like shrapnel. A medic ducked.
"...Noted," said the instructor. Clipboard visibly trembling.
I threw another, and another. My punches and kicks made me look like a whirlwind in a dance.
The next was the Shurikenjutsu test.
Five targets, varying distances. Ten throws.
Naruto hit the furthest target once, with 2 Kunai in the 2nd to last, all of his throws landed in the middle.
Hinata landed a little better than Naruto, with a few more in the 2nd to last. And 1 more in the furthest target.
Shiina? She got a perfect score, with the furthest target. Although one Shuriken was close to missing.
Me? I didn't just hit the targets. I ricocheted one shuriken off a pole, banked it mid-air with another, and both still landed on the furthest one.
Kids behind us whispered something about hacks.
One boy burst into tears.
The 4th was a Taijutsu test.
The instructor didn't even bother with long explanations. "One-minute bouts. No chakra. No weapons. First to three clean hits or until I call it."
Pairs were drawn at random. Or so we were told.
My first match? Uchiha Sasuke.
The kid was cautious—measured. But I could tell he'd never fought someone faster than him.
The bell rang. I tapped him on the forehead before he could blink.
"Tag," I said, stepping back. "That's one."
He blinked. Then rushed in with a flurry of well-trained, if basic, strikes.
I parried, spun, and swept his legs from under him before he could react. The second point hit the mat.
Third came with a light chop to his shoulder mid-recovery.
"Three," I said simply. "You're good. Just not fast enough."
Sasuke sat up, eyes wide, lips parting like he was learning.
Shiina's match followed against a fast-footed Kiba.
He tried to go in rough, all barks and lunges. Shiina weaved between him like silk in a breeze and tripped him flat on his face with a crescent step.
Three clean hits, all while dodging his every move.
"Damn," Kiba muttered from the floor. "That was... beautiful. But damn."
Shiina simply said, "Sorry, but I already got her." She pointed at me.
A few students blinked, like they'd only just put two and two together.
"Wait… they're dating?" someone whispered a little too loudly from the sidelines.
"You didn't know?" another muttered back. "They hold hands all the time."
"I thought that was just a girl thing," came a baffled reply. "Like… friends. Close friends."
"My big sister's friend dates another girl," a third voice piped up, slightly too proud. "She says it's called being... homo-something."
"Is that allowed?" someone else asked, genuinely confused.
"I dunno," said a kid near the back. "My brother kisses boys sometimes, but Mom says not to ask questions at dinner."
"Weird," a fourth voice said. "But kinda cool?"
"I think it's romantic," someone added dreamily. "Like that one book with the two samurai who ran away together and fought off a whole clan."
Shiina raised an eyebrow, glancing toward me with a smirk. "Should we kiss and remove all doubt?"
I grinned back. "As tempting as that sounds, I don't think we should be kissing when class is still going on. Besides, we'd break so many hearts by doing that."
Shiina simply responded with, "Since when did you care about that."
"Touché."
Oh yeah, as envious as some people were, it seems the instance of Fangirls for strong Academy Boys, extended to Fanboys for Girls, and me and Shiina already seemed to have our fair share of them.
I mean, I can't blame them.
Hinata was next, facing some cocky kid who clearly did not know what the Hyuuga was known for outside their Byakugan.
She dismantled his posture in five seconds, finger-jabs tapping his ribs, wrist, and collarbone in a blur.
He wobbled like a marionette whose strings were cut.
Naruto?
His style was chaos. Unpredictable, wild, explosive. Just the way I taught him.
His opponent didn't even last ten seconds before Naruto flipped him over with a powerful slam that seemed adapted from my own Judo slams.
"Oops," he said. "That count?"
It did.
After that came lunch.
We didn't so much walk back to the lunch area as we floated—on the stunned silence of the rest of the class, the creeping admiration, and a healthy dose of "what the actual hell just happened?" from at least three instructors.
We'd completely wrecked the curve before lunchtime. Probably set a new one.
Shiina sat beside me under the shade of one of the courtyard trees, plucking a rice ball from her bento with the sort of refined precision that made even snacking look tactical.
Naruto, sprawled beside Hinata like he was recovering from a small war, tore into his food like it had personally insulted him.
"Man," he said between mouthfuls, "that was awesome."
"You mean you were awesome?" I asked, sipping from my water bottle.
"I know I was awesome," he replied, grinning with rice stuck to one cheek. "But you guys were like—boom! Bam! Wham! Like, what the hell?"
Shiina gave a dainty little nod. "Your sound effects are impeccable."
"I practice."
Hinata, meanwhile, ate neatly beside him, composed even now. "I think the class is still in shock."
"They'll live," I said. "Probably. Maybe. Some of them looked like their whole reality just cracked open like a watermelon."
Shiina tilted her head toward me. "And whose fault is that?"
I shrugged. "Collective effort."
Shiina smirked and leaned against my side. "Still, might want to watch your back. Half the class is in love with you now, the other half wants to fight you to assert dominance. Some might want both."
Naruto choked a little on his food. "Wait—you girls seriously got fanboys and rivals now?"
"Welcome to being competent and attractive," Shiina said with mock solemnity. "It's a curse."
"It turns out Naruto might get a few fangirls as well."
That made Hinata react by wrapping her arms around Naruto jealously.
Naruto looked down at Hinata, blinking in surprise as she all but wrapped herself around his arm. Not aggressively, just… firmly. Possessively. Like if a fangirl even looked at him funny, Hinata would end them with a gentle smile and a pressure point jab to the soul.
"Uh… H-Hinata?" he asked, a little unsure.
She didn't say anything at first—just rested her chin on his shoulder and continued eating like nothing had happened. But her Byakugan didn't activate, and that was probably the closest anyone would get to mercy today.
"I don't like sharing," she said simply, in that same smooth tone she'd had all morning. It was quiet, but Naruto felt it in his spine.
Shiina gave her a slow, approving nod. "Hinata, I didn't know you had that in you."
Hinata, still calmly curled around Naruto like he was her favourite plushie and someone had just threatened to steal it, met Shiina's gaze with that same composed, dangerous serenity.
"I've always had it," she said. "I've just never needed to show it before."
Naruto blinked. "Wha—wait, hold on. Since when do you get scary?"
"She's not scary," I said, popping a pickled plum into my mouth. "She's efficiently territorial. There's a difference."
Shiina chuckled. "He's right. You're not scary, Hinata. You're just… silently terrifying."
"That's worse!" Naruto said, his voice going a little high-pitched.
Hinata tilted her head, amused. "Would you prefer loudly terrifying?"
"I think that's your role," Naruto shot back at me.
"Debatable," I replied, already brushing stray rice off Shiina's sleeve like we were just any other lesbian couple lounging under a tree and not two of the four shinobi prodigies who'd just mentally broken an entire class before they'd even opened their milk cartons.
Shiina clicked her chopsticks together once. "Besides, it's not like they're being subtle. I've caught at least three kids sketching your profile on their notebooks, Akari. One even wrote your name with a heart. Twice."
"Too bad I'm lesbian and have a girlfriend." I say, whilst wrapping my arm around Shiina's waist and pulling her closer.
The rest of lunch passed in a haze of quiet laughter and teasing. The occasional whispers of the class floated toward us like wayward clouds, but we were too comfortable in our own bubble to pay much attention to them.
Naruto, after finishing off the last of his food, leaned back against the tree, staring up at the sky with a contented sigh. "Honestly, though, I didn't expect to feel like I just ran a marathon and still be able to talk." He flexed his fingers like he was still buzzing from the energy of the morning tests. "Guess we really did set the bar, huh?"
"Yeah," I agreed, taking a small sip of my water before glancing around the courtyard. "The class is definitely gonna talk about this for weeks. If not longer."
Shiina let out a small laugh, the sound light and playful. "Better get used to the attention. You're the one who made physics cry."
"I do have that effect," I said with a teasing grin, giving her a wink as I rested my hand on her leg.
As the air settled into a comfortable silence, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. It was time for the next round of tests.
The 5th was optional, it was for Bukijutsu with either Kenjutsu, Bokjutsu, Kyūjutsu or other various Jutsu names that depend on our preferred weapon if we took part in this.
"The next test is optional, for the ones who have trained with weaponry," he said, giving our group a long, pointed look like he knew damn well who was about to step forward anyway. "Bukijutsu, the Shinobi art of using weapons. Wooden weapons only. Choose your style—Kenjutsu, Bōjutsu, Kyūjutsu, or any others within reason. We're testing form, technique, and adaptability. Rules are the same as the Taijutsu test. Although disarming your opponent counts as an automatic win."
Every head in the class turned to us like it was a foregone conclusion. Because to three of us, it was.
Yes, you read that correctly—three of us.
Naruto, Shiina, and I stepped up to the weapon racks.
There he was. Hand steady as he reached for the wooden Bō-Staff. The boy had gotten interested in this because of the Sandaime. The art of Bōjutsu, something I never expected he'd ask me to teach him. But I did.
Turns out Naruto's very skilled with a Bō-Staff now.
Shiina and I didn't hesitate either. We both moved toward the Bokken. Taking the ones that looked more like Chokuto.
We had been using Shinai for years, after all.
A few others stepped up, but very few did. In total, our class of 40 Students, had only 8 people participating in this exercise.
Shiina gave me a sidelong glance, spinning her wooden blade once with a flick of her wrist. "Try not to humiliate everyone, okay?"
"I make no promises," I replied, giving my Bokken a few casual practice swings.
The instructor stood to the side, clearly trying to figure out whether to be excited or terrified. "Alright. We'll go one at a time. Demonstrate your stance and form. Then pair up for duels."
Naruto stepped into the ring first, spinning the 1.82m Bō behind his back and over his shoulders like a pro. I saw some of the younger kids blink, surprised.
"Wait—Naruto uses a staff?"
Now, he moved like he meant it. Strong footing, high energy, steady grip. His swings were a little wide still, but he knew how to flow with it.
He demonstrated a clean kata—simple, but with enough flair to earn a subtle nod from the instructor.
Then it was Shiina's turn.
She stepped forward with her Bokken like it was a natural extension of her. If Naruto was an excited storm, she was a poised ripple on a quiet lake. Measured steps, blade held perfectly still until—snap—a strike flowed so fast the air hissed.
Even the assistant instructor raised an eyebrow.
Shiina stepped back, bows slightly. "Done."
No wasted movement. No arrogance. Just pure, honed skill.
I went last.
I demonstrated with the Bokken first—my blade slicing through the air like I was cutting intent itself. Three strikes, then a turn. Defensive form into offensive surge. One upward sweep that made the instructor take an involuntary half-step back.
Then, I placed the Bokken down, and walked over to the rack again.
"Oh no," Shiina muttered under her breath. "She's showing off."
"Damn right I am," I whispered back, already reaching for the Kyūjutsu setup.
A longbow. Wood, simple—but balanced. Paired with six wooden arrows, each tip faintly sharpened so it could stick in the bullseye but nothing lethal. This wasn't real combat.
But the way I moved said otherwise.
I stepped into place, nocked an arrow, drew, and fired in one fluid motion. The shot hit dead center at the furthest target.
Another. Then another.
Six arrows. Six bulls-eyes.
Even the wind sounded like it shut up to watch.
"...Holy hell," someone whispered.
"She's really just good at everything, huh?"
"That's Akari for you." Shiina said, a proud look in her eyes.
I had put the bow and the arrows back. I didn't need it since I had selected the Bokken as my weapon.
The instructor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright. Moving onto the Sparring rounds. First pair: Uzumaki vs. Inori."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, really? You're putting me against her?"
I grabbed my Bokken, holding it to my side.
"Well, you know how this goes, Naruto. Let's give them a good showing."
Naruto prepared for his loss, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight.
The second the teacher went "go", Naruto spun his staff around, swinging it at me in a series of high powered, quick strikes, all aimed at me, I blocked each strike. Parrying the strikes but as it turns out, Naruto was quite good at distance management like this.
Naruto moved first, his Bō a blur as he executed a Tsuki, a direct thrust aimed at my midsection. I sidestepped with a Tai Sabaki, deflecting the staff with the flat of my Bokken in a Nagashi Uke movement, redirecting its momentum harmlessly past me.
He transitioned immediately into a Shomen Uchi, an overhead strike aimed at my head. My Bokken flashed upwards in a Kote Uchi, meeting his staff with a sharp parry that reverberated through the wood. The force of the block disrupted his follow-through, creating an opening.
I pressed my advantage, stepping forward with a Surikomi Ashi and unleashing a rapid Kote Men Men, a series of strikes targeting his wrist, then his head, and then his head again. Naruto, though quick, was forced into a purely defensive posture, his staff whirling to block each precise and swift attack. He managed a desperate Do Uchi, a sweeping strike towards my torso, but I pivoted on my lead foot, executing a Shotei Uke with my free hand to deflect the blow while simultaneously delivering a Tsuki with the tip of my Bokken towards his throat.
Naruto leaned back sharply, narrowly avoiding the strike. He tried to create distance, utilizing the length of his staff to keep me at bay with a series of Harai Uchi, sweeping strikes aimed at my legs. I responded with agile footwork, Ayumi Ashi allowing me to move fluidly around his attacks, closing the distance again.
I feinted a high strike, drawing his guard upwards, then dropped low for an Ashibarai, a sweeping foot technique to destabilize him. Naruto, anticipating a leg sweep, attempted to jump over it, but I was already shifting my weight, my Bokken arcing in a Men Uchi, a decisive strike aimed at the top of his head.
The wooden blade connected with a solid thwack. Naruto stumbled, his grip on the Bō loosening.
Before he could recover, I followed through with a Kote Uchi to his wrist, disarming him. His staff clattered to the ground.
The fight was over. Not a single one of Naruto's strikes had landed.
The instructor looked slightly stunned. "Match… Inori wins."
I sighed, hearing the reactions of everyone from behind me.
Kiba leaned forward on the bench, eyes wide, mouth hanging open slightly. Akamaru barked once from his hoodie, clearly just as baffled.
"Did she just—? Was that a leg sweep into a vertical counter-thrust?!" he blurted out, sounding like someone watching a particularly spicy fight scene in an action movie.
He looked down at Akamaru. "I knew she was good, but that was, like… Jōnin-level stuff. In a school test. With a stick."
Akamaru whimpered softly in what sounded like agreement—or maybe existential dread.
"Y'know, if I tried that on her, I'd be eating dirt in six seconds."
Ino had her hands half-covering her mouth, not in horror—but in sheer, delighted shock.
"Oh my god, she's even cooler with weapons! And that bow thing? That was, like, something out of a drama!"
She elbowed Choji, who was still chewing quietly beside her, eyes wide. "Did you see that? Tell me you saw that. She just destroyed Naruto and made it look artistic."
She looked dreamily toward Akari, her voice going slightly wistful. "I knew she was pretty, but now she's cool and scary and kind of hot with a sword. Like, lesbian or not—I'd risk it."
Choji gave her a look that said please do not risk it, but he kept chewing. He was used to this.
Torune, bless him, didn't flinch. Didn't gasp. Didn't even blink. His voice was flat, but with the faintest hum of approval beneath the surface.
"…Efficient," he said simply. "Precise. No wasted movement. Her form is almost textbook."
He adjusted his glasses slightly, as if mentally filing it away for reference. "The Bokken strikes were executed at maximum effective speed without compromising balance. Her feint pattern was especially intelligent."
Choji had stopped eating, which was saying something.
He stared at the ring, then slowly brought his chips back to his mouth. Crunch. Crunch.
"…She's scary," he said.
"No, she's amazing," Ino corrected.
"She's both," Choji replied. "Like if a nice person and a murder weapon had a baby."
That was fair.
Shikamaru, who'd been lying down with his arms folded under his head and eyes closed for the last 20 minutes, finally cracked one eye open.
"…Troublesome," he muttered.
Ino snorted. "You say that about everything."
Shikamaru sat up with a groan, watching as Akari stepped off the ring like nothing had happened.
"No, I mean this is really troublesome. She's too good. Everyone's going to be obsessed with her now. The whole class dynamic just tilted sideways."
I simply slid my Bokken into the training rack. There was no need to keep it after all.
The instructor gained control of the class, but then Shiina's match came and ended quickly. She barely tried. The poor kid gave up after realising she had been trained by me.
The rest of the matches? Barely worth discussing.
Eventually, the instructor clapped his hands, stepping into the center of the ring. "That concludes the Bukijutsu demonstration. For those of you who participated—impressive work. Those of you who didn't?" He gave a small shrug. "Maybe next time. Or maybe not."
Together, the clan heirs sat there like an unofficial council of What the Hell Just Happened, silently accepting that the school year had just been rewritten by one girl and her two equally terrifying best friends who are a couple and then her girlfriend.
And this was just the first day.
That was the impression I got from them, now.
Alright, Hiruzen, it's your turn.