Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 317 Unfamiliar Malice

The afternoon sun shone through the clouds, casting its warmth onto the ninja academy's spacious training grounds, dispelling the morning chill.

This training ground was clearly prioritized during the reconstruction; the ground is flat and covered with fine sand to reduce the risk of injury to ninja trainees during training.

At the edge of the site, newly planted trees have sprouted tender green buds, swaying gently in the breeze and casting dappled, shimmering shadows.

The ninja academy's training grounds are divided into different functional areas.

On the east side are rows of targets used for practicing shuriken and kunai throwing, the wooden targets covered with chisel marks of varying ages.

On the west side, there are wooden stakes and obstacles of varying heights, used to train balance, agility and physical skills.

The largest open space in the center is marked with a clear circular white line, which is the main area for live-fire exercises.

At this moment, on the training field, students are scattered in groups of three or five, carrying out their respective training.

However, in the throwing area on the east side, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively, with bursts of suppressed excitement and discussion rising and falling.

At the center of the crowd were Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto's hands swept through his ninja tool pouch, instantly gathering four shuriken between his fingers, his arm leaving a blur as he flung them away.

dong dong...

A flash of cold light appeared, and four shurikens, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, pierced the center of the target almost simultaneously.

It has completely penetrated the bullseye, its sharpness shining through the thick target.

The students watching only saw him take out the shuriken and heard the dull thud of the target before they turned around to look and realized that the four shuriken had hit the target.

"So fast! So strong!"

"To throw four at the same time, and still be this accurate?"

A low gasp rippled through the surrounding crowd.

At that moment, Sasuke, who was next to Naruto, moved.

With three shurikens held between his five fingers, he flicked his wrist, and three cold beams shot out in a fan shape, seemingly at an angle.

Almost the instant the three shuriken left his hand, he suddenly spun around and flicked his left hand, sending out another shuriken. It was faster and had a more treacherous trajectory than the previous one.

Just as everyone was wondering, the shuriken that came from behind collided with the three shuriken flying in front of it in succession!
Ding!Ding!Ding!
The three crisp, rapid metallic clanging sounds were almost in a single line, and the trajectories of the three shuriken struck by them were subtly deflected in an instant.

As if given life, it drew three graceful arcs, shooting towards the targets on both sides respectively.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
With three muffled thuds, the three "guided" shurikens struck the bullseye of their respective targets.

The last shuriken he threw continued its momentum and landed firmly in the center of the target directly in front of him.

This exquisite shuriken throwing technique is nothing short of an art, demonstrating an almost supernatural control over its trajectory, force, and timing.

"Wow, that's amazing! Sasuke!"

"How is this possible?"

The gasps from the crowd were even louder than before.

Sasuke ignored the noise around him, turned to look at Naruto beside him, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly disappeared, and he slightly raised his chin, looking somewhat smug.

Seeing his expression, Naruto smiled and said in a natural tone, "Your development and application of these eyes has improved a lot since before."

Sasuke's smile widened slightly, clearly pleased with Naruto's approval.

But he still shook his head and said objectively, "It's just a trick. My strength is not as good as yours, so my throwing speed is naturally not as good as yours."

"To avoid falling behind, we can only rely more on skills and the ability of these eyes to capture and predict dynamics."

Their skill level has clearly far exceeded that of ordinary students.

In fact, at the Konoha Ninja Academy, apart from the most basic "Three Body Techniques," the school hardly teaches any real ninjutsu.

It will only lay a solid theoretical foundation for students, hone their physique and will, and teach them the most basic physical combat and ninja tool throwing skills.

However, don't underestimate these "foundations". Compared to the period before the establishment of ninja villages, when knowledge was monopolized by ninja clans, the reason why commoner ninjas were able to rise to prominence and survive various missions was because of these "foundations".

A good ninja is not just a warrior who knows how to fight.

To complete their missions more efficiently and safely, they need to acquire a lot of supplementary knowledge, and they will study basic physics, geography and environmental science, and chemistry at the ninja academy.

These topics will be covered in the written exam of the Chunin Exams.

Just like the throwing training at this moment, it's not as simple as just "throwing it out with force".

When launching ninja tools at a distant target, it is necessary to estimate the effects of gravity and air resistance, calculate the trajectory of the parabola, and determine the angle and force required to hit the target.

For example, how to use terrain to hide oneself on the battlefield, how to occupy high ground to create an advantage, judge direction, identify potential dangers, and even take advantage of weather changes.

Identify common poisons and antidotes, understand the properties of different substances to safely use ninjutsu or explosive tags, and concoct simple ninja tools such as smoke bombs and flashbangs...

This knowledge, seemingly unrelated to flashy ninjutsu, often determines the success or failure of a mission at crucial moments, and even the life or death of a ninja.

The ninja education system pioneered by Tobirama Senju subtly integrated these survival and combat wisdom into daily training and theoretical courses.

However, for Naruto and Sasuke, the knowledge taught at the school could no longer meet their needs.

and so……

When Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, they both saw the same meaning in each other's eyes.

Clearly, they both did the same thing, something Itachi Uchiha had done before.

"Speaking of which," Sasuke Uchiha said, looking at the white-lined combat area in the center of the training ground, "I remember there was a taijutsu sparring session in today's curriculum, right?"

"I'm definitely fine on my end, but you'd better be careful."

He chuckled mischievously and said, "If I accidentally get hit and someone finds out... Iruka-sensei will be extremely angry."

Upon hearing this, Naruto simply shook his head. Although he didn't speak, the meaning he conveyed was very clear.

He didn't think that among these classmates, apart from Sasuke, anyone could truly injure him in taijutsu.

This calm confidence stems from his increasingly refined control over his own strength.

His physique is constantly being modified by the 'Karma', and his strength, speed, healing ability, and chakra are becoming stronger and stronger, far exceeding the level that should be expected for his age.

In fact, because he had no opportunity to verify it, even he himself didn't know his limits...

"Naruto!"

Just then, a shout caught Naruto's attention, and he turned to look.

Then, his two deskmates, Karin and Ryosuke Chiba, emerged from the crowd.

"Karin, you see, I told you they were here. Just go where there are lots of people and look for them."

"Naruto, and Sasuke, Iruka-sensei is calling us to gather."

Chiba Ryosuke grumbled, looking at the target in the distance, and exclaimed, "You two are still so strong, it's really too much."

At this moment, Iruka Umino held the roster in his hand and stood at the edge of the combat zone marked with a white line in the center of the training field.

"Free training time is over!" he announced loudly. "Next up is the physical combat session!"

"The rules remain the same. The two people whose names I randomly call will enter the arena for a taijutsu duel. It's a point-to-point fight, and the use of dangerous ninjutsu or attacks on vital points is strictly prohibited!"

"Now, everyone gather over here!"

Upon hearing this, the students immediately stopped their practice and quickly and orderly walked toward Iruka, their faces showing expressions of tension, excitement, or eagerness.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and followed the crowd toward the meeting point.

At the same time, as if sensing something, Naruto glanced at the second floor of the distant teaching building and saw several figures standing in front of the window.

"Who is this unfamiliar malice...?" He frowned slightly.

(End of this chapter)