Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Shikamaru wondered when Choji had become so eloquent, even knowing how to use righteousness to suppress him, so he nodded helplessly and said, "Understood."

Uchiha Sasuke stood at the edge of the line, listening to the discussions around him and looking at the number two lot in his hand.

He didn't care who his opponent was; no matter who he faced, the outcome would be the same: defeat.

Shino Aburame looked at the slip of paper in his hand, which read number twenty-five. "Lucky me."

"Students who drew number one and number two, please come up to the field," Qiu Shui called out from the center of the training field.

Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha stood in the center of the field.

"Naruto's really unlucky, he ran into Sasuke in the very first match," Shikamaru Nara said, shaking his head.

"Naruto's performance these past two days has been pretty good, maybe he can win?" Choji Akimichi subconsciously retorted, but then even he himself began to think it was impossible.

"Naruto, don't get knocked out in one move again. Hold on a little longer, don't let Sasuke get so cocky." Between Naruto and Sasuke, Inuzuka Tsuru had a better impression of Naruto.

Because Sasuke Uchiha was quite famous, and Naruto Uzumaki was equally well-known, not only the students of Class 1, Grade 4, but also many students from other classes gathered around.

"Is there even a need to compete? It's obvious who will win."

"But it's quite interesting, a genius versus a loser, let's see how long he can hold out."

"Naruto-kun, good luck," Hinata Hyuga said softly, looking at Naruto in the center of the training session.

In the center of the training field, Naruto and Sasuke stood facing each other, their hands crossed, their index and middle fingers raised. This was a necessary procedure during important matches at the Ninja Academy, signifying that the battle was about to begin. After the battle, both of them would extend their index and middle fingers, hooking them together to form a reconciliation seal, indicating that although they had just fought, they would still be good friends.

"Begin," Qiu Shui said, seeing that the two were ready.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke Uchiha swiftly took out three kunai from his ninja tool pouch and shot them toward Naruto, targeting his head, chest, and calves respectively. Then, he raised the balls of his feet, landed on the balls of his feet, and charged toward Naruto with a burst of power.

In the past, Sasuke Uchiha would never have taken Naruto so seriously. However, after seeing Naruto's performance in the past two days and the dozen or so clones he created, he had elevated Naruto to the position of being a worthy opponent.

Sasuke had already devised a complete battle strategy from the beginning: first, use his shuriken to block Naruto's movement route, and then quickly close the distance to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

However, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a fool. He knew that it was unrealistic for him to intercept the shuriken shot by the opponent on his own. If he tried to dodge it with his body, he would be at a disadvantage. So he decisively used the Shadow Clone Technique. In an instant, two identical versions of himself appeared out of thin air, forming a three-person formation with his main body. At the same time, he threw kunai.

Although his shuriken throwing skills were far inferior to Sasuke's, he had the advantage of overwhelming numbers. Nine shuriken whistled through the air and precisely intercepted Sasuke's three kunai in mid-air. The metal clashed, sparks flew, and they fell to the ground with a clattering sound.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan, the accuracy of their shuriken is even better than my older brother who's already a genin." One of the students watching couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"That's not right. How can the clone technique create two clones that can attack together?" The other person frowned, his eyes full of confusion.

"Isn't Naruto always the worst student? How come he uses the Shadow Clone Technique better than me?" Another student watching the spectacle scratched his head in disbelief.

Unlike the students, Ms. Matsumoto, who was also a referee, didn't misunderstand. As a Chunin teacher, she immediately recognized that it wasn't an ordinary shadow clone technique. She rubbed her eyes, feeling that she hadn't misread it, but still couldn't be sure, so she gathered her chakra senses to confirm it again before turning to Shusui beside her, her tone tinged with uncertainty: "Shusui, if I'm not mistaken... Naruto used a B-rank shadow clone technique, right?"

Qiu Shui nodded and calmly explained, "Ms. Mei Hui, you're not mistaken, that is indeed the Shadow Clone Technique."

Although Matsumoto Mie had already received confirmation from Akisui, she still found it hard to believe.

The Shadow Clone Technique is difficult for ordinary genin to learn. Even she herself only mastered this level of ninjutsu after becoming a chunin. If it were Sasuke Uchiha who used it, she would be surprised but not too much. However, it was Naruto, who had not even been able to form the hand seals properly since entering the academy, who used the Shadow Clone Technique.

"Naruto..." Nara Shikamaru, standing in the crowd, also recognized the technique. Although he was one of the few in the class who had never looked down on Naruto, he was well aware of Naruto's true level. He never expected that this guy who was always laughing and joking would quietly learn a ninjutsu that even he himself had not mastered.

"So what if I have two more clones? They're nothing compared to Sasuke. Sasuke will definitely win in the end." Sakura Haruno said confidently, but her face showed surprise.

Sasuke Uchiha saw Naruto split into three, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued his pace without stopping, maintaining his original rhythm. During his sprint, he raised his hand again, and several more shuriken flew out, accurately targeting the three Narutos' vital points.

One of the clones was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the sword in his hand, instantly turning into a cloud of white mist and dissipating.

The pain that shot through Naruto the moment the shadow clone disappeared made him stiffen slightly, but his recent special training allowed him to quickly suppress the discomfort. He immediately resumed cooperating with the remaining clone and engaged Sasuke in battle.

The three exchanged blows, their fists clashing and kicking up dust from the ground.

Sasuke Uchiha's taijutsu was clearly far superior to Naruto's. Even when facing attacks from both of them, he was still in control. In the eighth move, he used a spinning kick to destroy another clone, and then punched Naruto's main body, knocking him back several steps.

The students on the sidelines were completely stunned.

"I already think it's ridiculous that the clone technique can throw kunai, how can it also help fight?" A student looked utterly bewildered.

"Isn't Naruto supposed to be a loser? How come he seems pretty good at taijutsu?" another student from another class muttered.

Not to mention the students from other classes who didn't recognize Naruto, even the students in Class 1 of the fourth year were looking like they'd seen a ghost.

According to the usual script, shouldn't Naruto be defeated by Sasuke in just a few moves?

"It seems Naruto is going to lose." Matsumoto Mie watched Naruto retreating steadily in the arena. "Although learning Shadow Clone Technique is an improvement, the gap between him and Uchiha Sasuke in taijutsu is too obvious."