Aburame Shino

The playground of the Ninja School. The students of Class A of the first grade were gearing up for their next special training.

Ino glanced at Sakura, who was sticking close to Uchiha Sasuke. Although she had been training with Kitazawa, the time had been too short for the effects to become apparent.

In yesterday's practical class, she had lost to Sakura during the treading water training. However, Ino saw hope. She had been struck by the wooden kunai fewer times than before.

With a few more days of training under Kitazawa, she believed she would be able to turn the tables.

Meanwhile, Sakura, obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke, hadn't noticed Ino's gradual improvement.

At that moment, Kitazawa arrived. Without needing to be told, the students quickly lined up neatly.

"Today's practical class won't be training," Kitazawa said, meeting their eyes with a smile. "Because Class A of the first grade will have its first real practical combat."

"Practical combat?" Inuzuka Kiba immediately raised his hand. "Is it a one-on-one battle?"

"Yes," Kitazawa confirmed, and the entire class erupted in excitement.

In the ninja world, where strength is everything, theory matters far less than actual power.

Having been in school for almost two months, they finally had the chance to prove themselves. Naturally, they were thrilled.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, clearly lacking enthusiasm.

"No snacks as rewards?" Akimichi Choji added regretfully.

"I wonder if I'll be matched with Sakura…" Ino folded her arms, unsure if she could win against Sakura. She was born into the Yamanaka clan and had a stronger ninja foundation. So, there was a good chance of victory.

"Ah!" Inuzuka Kiba exclaimed with regret. "I still haven't found my dog!"

As a member of the Inuzuka clan, all his secret techniques required a dog partner. But he didn't have one—or rather, hadn't found a dog that matched his chakra and spirit.

In the original story, his partner was Akamaru, who hadn't even been born yet. He still had to wait another two years.

"I'm definitely winning this time!" Naruto said confidently.

He had been training with Might Guy and, in addition to daily running, had learned the Konoha Tornado and Konoha Great Tornado.

For someone who had been in school less than two months, mastering two taijutsu moves gave him a huge advantage.

Sasuke snorted lightly, unimpressed by Naruto's boast. He had trained with Kitazawa for over a month, making significant progress in chakra control and nature transformation.

His nine-meter-tall Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique could definitely leave everyone speechless. In real combat, he was confident he could win it all.

After all, the Uchiha were known for being unbeatable in one-on-one fights.

"Students whose names I call will come forward to compete." Kitazawa clapped his hands. He had two criteria for his pairings: similar strength and ascending order of ability.

As the class teacher, he had a good understanding of each student's power. And frankly, most of them were underwhelming.

To put it bluntly, aside from a few exceptions, most only knew basic Clone Technique and how to throw shuriken. The battle scenes would be simple and not particularly entertaining.

"Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino." Kitazawa said with a smile. He especially enjoyed watching fights between girls, especially the beautiful ones.

"Ino, I didn't expect us to become rivals," Sakura said, surprised.

"Sakura, I'll go easy on you." Ino grinned, fists clenched.

"You've lost to me for a whole week!" Sakura snapped back, sensing the challenge in Ino's tone.

"Real combat is different." Yamanaka Ino replied coolly as she walked to the center of the playground.

The two made the seal of confrontation. 

Sakura launched the first strike, throwing a punch. Ino dodged effortlessly, then twisted her waist mid-retreat and countered with a spinning kick.

Sakura took the hit and stumbled to the ground.

Kitazawa raised an eyebrow but wasn't surprised. Sakura's attack had been random, while Ino used the Konoha Fluid Technique.

The Konoha Fluid Technique was a basic taijutsu commonly circulated in Konoha. Though not powerful, it provided a solid foundation in physical combat.

That said, not everyone could learn it, despite its accessibility.

More advanced techniques—like the Eight Gates or Uchiha Fluid Technique—were even harder to acquire.

"I win, Sakura." Ino extended her hand with a smile.

"You just wait till the next treading water training!" Sakura grabbed her hand and stood up, growling. She had lost face in combat, so she planned to redeem herself in chakra control training.

"We'll see." Ino glanced at Kitazawa proudly.

"Nara Shikamaru vs. Akimichi Choji," Kitazawa called next.

"A match between equals?" Shikamaru muttered as he walked lazily to the center.

"Be careful, Shikamaru," Choji said, charging forward. But before he reached him, Shikamaru collapsed onto the ground.

"???" Choji froze in confusion. Did he just fall over to avoid fighting?

"I lost, Choji," Shikamaru muttered from the ground.

"But... I didn't even touch you."

"Doesn't this just prove how accurate your punches are?" Shikamaru replied lazily.

"Alright, both of you off the field." Kitazawa twitched slightly.

"Next match: Kiba Inuzuka vs. Shino Aburame."

"Kiba, don't lose!" Naruto said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"That's my line." Kiba grinned confidently.

"I'll personally deliver your defeat!" Shino silently adjusted his sunglasses, hands in his pockets, staring at Kiba with a blank expression.

Four-Leg Technique! Kiba dropped to all fours like a beast.

The crowd gasped in awe. It was their first time seeing a secret technique of the Inuzuka clan. The Four-Legs Technique gathered chakra into the limbs to enhance grip and attack strength.

"I'm coming!" Kiba shouted, charging like a mad dog. He moved so fast, he left afterimages in his wake.

Everyone was shocked. Kiba, known for bragging, actually had this much skill?

"As expected of my rival!" Naruto stared in admiration.

"No threat at all," Sasuke commented flatly. But the next second, his eyes narrowed.

The crowd buzzed with surprise. From Shino's body, countless parasitic insects swarmed out. They wrapped around Kiba's limbs with precision, binding him tight and stopping all movement.

"So strong!" Naruto exclaimed.

"So gross…" Sakura shivered at the sight of so many bugs.

"I hope I don't face Shino next," Ino muttered. She hated bugs too.

Sasuke said nothing. He sensed a threat.

"The winner is Aburame Shino," Kitazawa announced.

The Aburame clan's secret techniques relied on insects to attack, defend, scout, and even heal—making them incredibly versatile.

And Shino Aburame was already earning a reputation as an undefeated man.

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