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[NSSSG] [ARC-03] Chapter : 111
🕑 Added 2025-07-29 16:50:08 +0000 UTCAlthough Kiba had lost to Naruto in the first round, his score was still above eighty, earning him a spot in the second round.
He had been thrilled when he first heard heâd advancedâthere was still a chance to climb the rankings.
But the moment he saw Sasuke standing across from him, Kibaâs enthusiasm died a quick, quiet death.
â...Maybe the second round isnât worth it,â he muttered under his breath.
âKiba! You can do it! Learn from Shikamaru!â Naruto bellowed from the sidelines, pumping his fist in support.
Sasukeâs head tilted just enough to glance at him, an icy flicker in his eyes. A soft, dismissive hn slipped past his lips.
'Like a true Uchiha would ever trip over the same rock twice.'
âMiracles arenât that easy to repeat,â Ino said, shaking her head. âIf I know Sasuke, heâs going all-out from the start.â
âThis is all my faultâŠâ Shikamaru gave Kibaâs shoulder a pat of sympathy.
Kiba groaned. âRemember this when youâre treating me to Ichiraku later.â
Resigned to his fate, Kiba stepped into the arena.
As usual, he opened with his trump cardâFour Legs Techniqueâdropping to all fours and letting chakra surge through his body. His speed spiked, a blur of motion closing in on Sasuke.
Sasuke didnât even move.
âFire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
He leaned forward slightly, forming hand seals in fluid succession, and exhaled a storm of small fireballs.
Under his precise control, the blazing motes scattered in every direction, a lethal rain of fire closing in from all sides.
'Too many! I canât dodge all of them!'
A single ember caught Kibaâs sleeve, and flames licked upward in an instant.
âGah!â He yelped, abandoning his technique, tearing off his jacket, and stomping it into the dirt in a frantic dance to put out the fire.
Sasuke hadnât even taken a step. He watched the whole display with a calm, predatory stillness.
âI⊠I surrender!â Kiba blurted, heart still pounding.
He didnât need Kitazawa to explain the obvious: if Sasuke had followed up with another Fire Release while he was panicking, heâd be in the hospitalâor worse.
âWinner, Sasuke,â Kitazawa announced.
âSasuke-kun!â Sakuraâs shriek rang across the training ground.
Sasuke had won cleanly, decisively, and yesâhe looked annoyingly cool doing it.
âMan⊠Sasukeâs scary now,â Shikamaru muttered, shrinking his neck into his collar. âGood thing I didnât run into him again.â
âThe stronger he gets, the more fun itâll be to fight him!â Naruto said, his blood practically humming. âI canât wait for a youthful rematch!â
Kiba trudged back to the line, scowling. âYou guys arenât human. Why are there so many monsters in our class? Arenât we supposed to be first-years? This is starting to feel like the Chunin ExamsâŠâ
âNumber three, step forward!â Kitazawa called, cutting through the chatter.
Shikamaru raised a hand lazily. âYeah, yeah⊠thatâs me. Whoâs my opponent?â
â...I-I am.â
The voice was soft, hesitant.
Shikamaru turned, and his soul left his body. âOh, perfect. Itâs Hinata.â
Hyuga Hinata might look like a delicate breeze could knock her over, but the moment she activated her Byakugan, she became a wall he couldnât climb.
Shikamaru grimaced. His previous miracle against Sasuke had worked only because heâd hidden his Shadow Imitation with shuriken and wires. Against Hinata?
Byakugan saw everything.
The moment he moved his shadow, sheâd spot it.
âThis is unwinnableâŠâ he muttered.
From the sidelines, Kiba folded his arms smugly. âLooks like Iâm not the only unlucky one now.â
âHinataaa! Donât hold back, blast him into next week!â Ino cheered with suspicious enthusiasm.
Hinata froze, cheeks pink, but eventually trotted nervously into the arena.
She paused, glanced at Kitazawa for reassurance.
âGo on,â Kitazawa said, smiling faintly.
Hinata nodded, taking a deep breath.
âLetâs, uh⊠keep it light, okay?â Shikamaru said as he joined her in the arena, his voice flat with impending doom.
âByakugan!â
Hinataâs pale eyes sharpened as she settled into her Gentle Fist stance. The timid girl was gone; in her place stood a focused Hyuga heir ready to strike.
Shikamaruâs mouth twitched.
Great. She looks like sheâs about to murder me. All this⊠just for summer vacation points.
Shikamaruâs expression hardened as the match began. Without hesitation, he flicked two kunai toward Hinata and retreated, hands flashing through seals.
Shadow Imitationâ
Hinata didnât dodge.
Instead, she sprinted straight at him.
The kunai were inches from her when she swung her arms in a smooth arc. Two sharp palms struckâclang!âand the kunai spun harmlessly into the dirt.
She was already on top of him.
âShadow Imitation Jutsu!â
Shikamaruâs jutsu flared to lifeâonly for Hinataâs two fingers to jab his wrist with surgical precision. Chakra flow sealed instantly.
His shadow recoiled like a struck snake, snapping back into him.
Before he could recover, her hand spread wideâGentle Fist palm strike!
The blow landed clean. Shikamaruâs feet left the ground, and he tumbled back, landing in a puff of dust.
Hinata froze, blinking at her own hands.
'...Thatâs it?'
She hadnât expected Shikamaru to go down so quicklyâor her own strike to hit with that much force.
Of course, she didnât realize her improvement was the product of Kitazawaâs maxed-out Gentle Fist training combined with her father Hiashiâs guidance. Her growth had already surpassed Shikamaruâs shadow exercises.
âHinata⊠youâre seriously amazing,â Shikamaru muttered as he sat up, brushing dirt from his clothes.
âHinata feels way stronger than during our last friendly match,â Ino said, eyes wide with envy. âIs this the true power of the Hyuga Byakugan?â
The gap between secret-technique clans and bloodline-limit clans was on full display.
âEveryoneâs leveling upâŠâ Choji scratched his head. âIs Kitazawa-senseiâs training really that effective?â
âSuper effective!â Ino answered immediately, sparkling like a fangirl. âHe even gives tips on clan techniques!â
Shikamaru sighed. âYeah, it works⊠but itâs brutal. Shadow carving, live combat drillsâitâs all torture.â
Hinata nodded⊠then shook her head. She agreed with the first part, not the second.
âI donât think itâs hard at all,â she said softly.
âYou think that isnât hard?â Naruto scratched his head. âYou guys should try Might Gaiâs training sometime.â
Choji blinked. âWhat kind of trainingâŠ?â
âSuper simple!â Naruto grinned. âWake up at five, run thirty laps around Konoha, then pull-ups, frog jumps, handstand runsââ
â...???â
Choji broke out in a cold sweat.
âAre you sure this is for humans?â Ino gawked. âI wouldnât last till lunch!â
Sakuraâs opinion of Naruto shifted on the spot. Sheâd always thought he was noisy and immature compared to cool, calm Sasukeâbut this? This was insane dedication.
Even Sasukeâs hand twitched. 'Tch⊠he really completes that training every day?'
He trained alongside Naruto under Gai as wellâbut he rarely managed more than half the workload. That unyielding stamina was exactly why Naruto had become his true rival.
And yet, he had nearly been outsmarted by Shikamaru.
âNumber four, step forward!â Kitazawa called, snapping everyone back to the present.
âFinally, my turn!â Sakura bounded to her feet and instinctively glanced toward Sasuke, her face alight with anticipation.
No reaction. He was lost in thought, calculating how to handle Hinata if they metâlosing to Neji had been bad enough. Losing to Hinata would be humiliating.
âGo get âem, Sakura!â Ino, Shikamaru, and the others cheered.
âUh⊠whoâs my opponent?â Sakura asked, scanning the class.
â...Me.â
Shino adjusted his glasses, his voice as calm as ever.
â...Oh no.â
The image of swarming Kikaichƫ instantly made her skin crawl.
âI surrender!â she blurted without hesitation.
Kitazawa didnât bat an eye.
âWinner, Shino.â
âNumber five, step forward,â Kitazawa called next.
âHa! Luckâs on my side!â Ino grinned, practically skipping into the arena. Most of the heavy hitters had already foughtâthe only opponent left was a regular girl with average scores.
Ino greeted her politely, formed hand seals, and created two clones. Three Inos rushed forward.
The poor girl hesitated for a second, flustered, and was quickly tagged by a punch.
âI surrender!â
Another clean win.
âTake a twenty-minute break!â Kitazawa announced. âThen we start the third and final round. Only students with a total of ninety points or above from the first two rounds will advance.â
Iruka stepped forward, reading the list:
âSasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Shino, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru.â
Shikamaru slumped onto the ground. âFinally⊠over.â
âOver? You still have one more match,â Choji reminded him with a nudge.
He hadnât made the cutâwithout a clan technique, his scores just werenât enough. Sakura and Kiba had also failed to advance; Sakura was a medical trainee, and Kiba lacked a ninken partner to use his clan jutsu properly.
âTroublesome⊠but Iâve got my reasons,â Shikamaru said, resigned.
âSasuke!â Naruto pumped his fist. âThis is itâthe power of youth will claim first place!â
âHn,â Sasuke said coldly.
For the pride of the Uchiha⊠first place is mine.
Hinata glanced quietly at Kitazawa. 'I canât waste the training Sensei gave me.'
