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

He couldn't help but swallow hard, not daring to move an inch.

"Uchiha Sasuke is truly a genius among geniuses." Fujino Daikuma nodded repeatedly. "I feel that in the entire school, apart from Hyuga Neji from Class 1 of the fifth grade, there are basically no one who can go toe-to-toe with him. Oh right, there's also Uzumaki Naruto. I remember Ms. Miho told me last time that he defeated Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha, who had won the victory, showed no expression on his face.

In his view, Kenji Shiraishi was not worthy of being his opponent.

What he craved was a battle of substance, and the only one in the entire class who could pique his interest was Naruto Uzumaki.

As for Hinata Hyuga, although they trained together during this time, she was more proficient in controlling chakra than he was and had even learned a C-rank water-style ninjutsu, but she hadn't even been able to activate her Byakugan yet, and she had only mastered eight of the eight palms of the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palm technique.

Sasuke silently concluded in his heart: she would not be his match.

"Students who drew numbers 23 and 24, please come up."

Having just witnessed Sasuke's performance, Naruto secretly resolved that he too would defeat Sasuke in one move; otherwise, wouldn't it make him appear weaker than Sasuke?

When he heard his name called, he immediately straightened his back and strode confidently into the arena.

Fujino Daikuma stared at Naruto's retreating figure, his expression turning serious.

Of all the students he was most looking forward to proctoring the fourth-grade class this time, it was Naruto.

Although Matsumoto Mie had mentioned Naruto's changes before, Naruto's previous performance was really too poor, and hearing others' opinions is not as accurate as seeing it with one's own eyes.

Chieko stood opposite Naruto, looking at him with a stiff, tense expression.

She remembered the last time Naruto fought with his classmates, every opponent was beaten black and blue by him.

She's just a girl. Even those boys, even a genius like Sasuke, couldn't beat her. How could she possibly win?

Before the competition even started, she was already having second thoughts.

Naruto didn't care whether his opponent was male or female; he was determined to end the battle in one move.

"Um... I give up." Chieko hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and said.

Rather than wasting time getting beaten up and losing, it's better to honestly admit defeat; at least you'll avoid getting beaten up again.

Naruto Uzumaki was stunned.

The students watching did not boo, nor did anyone look down on her decision.

After all, the difference in strength between the two was too great. Knowing that they were bound to lose and still rushing forward was not courage, but foolishness.

"Naruto Uzumaki wins. Students who drew numbers 25 and 26, please come up."

Qiu Shui announced the results.

Although Naruto was somewhat unwilling, he had no choice but to accept it. He couldn't very well let others refuse to admit defeat and ask him to beat them up.

Hinata Hyuga and a classmate named Nao Matsuyama entered the arena.

"Hinata, do your best!" Naruto shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.

"Hinata, do your best!" Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, and a group of other girls cheered loudly.

Hinata used to be like a nobody in her class; almost no one talked to her.

Although she got first place in the grade last time, she still doesn't actively communicate with others, but the girls have gradually started to notice her presence, and now she is considered a relatively popular person in the class.

Hinata Hyuga was experiencing so many people cheering her on for the first time, and a strange sense of nervousness suddenly welled up inside her.

Matsuyama stared at Hinata across from him, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

With his abilities, he might not be the top student in the class, but he's definitely in the upper-middle range.

Last time, he was eliminated in the first round because he ran into Hinata, and his overall ranking dropped significantly.

He had been training hard for the past month, hoping to achieve a good ranking in this competition, but unexpectedly, he ran into her again.

Fujino Daikuma's impression of Hinata was that she was just average, with nothing particularly outstanding in either actual combat or ninjutsu theory.

But Hinata's subsequent actions surprised him.

Whether it's ninja tool throwing, the Three Body Technique, or close combat, Hinata's strength is clearly far superior to Matsuyama Naoki's.

Fujino Daikuma watched Hinata win with ease and secretly marveled: Shusui's teaching is truly exceptional.

These students, of varying abilities, were like dough in his hands; he could mold them into any shape he wanted.

After the morning exams ended, there was a two-hour break, and the afternoon arrived quickly.

The students who advanced from Class 1, Grade 4 are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, and several other students.

The first match was between Nara Shikamaru and Haruno Sakura.

Sakura Haruno was all too familiar with Shikamaru's style.

Although the strength Shikamaru displayed in his last battle with Choji made her realize that she was likely no match for him, she still held onto a sliver of hope, because in every real battle over the past few years, Shikamaru would voluntarily admit defeat nine out of ten times.

Nara Shikamaru saw that the person standing opposite him was Haruno Sakura and sighed inwardly: What a hassle, why does it have to be a girl?

Although he now holds the title of class monitor, and has unsurprisingly ranked among the top five in the theoretical exam, and has also won a round in the practical exam, he can't just admit defeat in this one; he has to at least put on a show.

He didn't want to be spoken to privately by Teacher Qiushui later.

Sakura Haruno was somewhat disappointed that Shikamaru didn't forfeit as usual, but she still gave it her all. Just as she was panting and running out of energy, thinking she was about to lose...

"Teacher, I give up. I'm too weak." Nara Shikamaru raised his hand, pretending to be exhausted.

Akisui declares Haruno Sakura the winner.

Nara Shikamaru has indeed changed quite a bit compared to before, but his lazy attitude will not be completely changed by the title of class monitor.

Akisui remembered that even after becoming a Chunin, Nara Shikamaru still maintained that lazy, complacent attitude. He would never do anything more than what no one asked him to do.

When Sasuke defected, he was appointed captain by Tsunade, leading Naruto, Kiba, Choji, Neji, and others to pursue him.

In fact, Shikamaru's plan and deployment were quite adequate, but the Sound Four were too strong. Not only did they fail to complete the mission, but even the least injured member of the team was seriously injured.

But that failure did not make him get rid of his laziness; instead, it instilled fear in him, making him afraid that he would not be able to guarantee the safety of his team members when he led the team again.

It wasn't until Asuma was killed by Hidan that he completely changed his lazy personality.

It can only be said that some people, without experiencing profound pain and loss, find it very difficult to truly change.