Konoha Notes.

Chapter 358 The Losers

Chapter 358 The Losers

Some people are very excited about the so-called special training and selection, while others don't care at all.

Shikamaru was the latter. He lay on his desk, half his face pressed against the surface, his eyes half-open and half-closed. The sunlight outside the window was just right, warming him comfortably—the perfect time to sleep.

"I'll definitely be selected!" Naruto shouted confidently beside him. "Shikamaru, you better cheer up too!"

"Who would be interested in such a troublesome thing as having to attend training after school?" Shikamaru said lazily.

Naruto then encouraged another friend, "Choji, you too..."

Sitting next to him, Choji Akimichi was happily munching on a bag of potato chips. Hearing his name called, he replied, "Training? I'll get hungry even faster after training."

"I think I'll pass. There aren't enough bento boxes left."

The two remained the same as before. Naruto, undeterred, immediately turned to Gaara.

"Hey, Gaara, you'll definitely participate, right?"

The red-haired boy nodded; he had already been notified in advance.

"Just as I expected!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "Then we can train together again."

This must be Shuji's arrangement—Naruto thought to himself. Although the special training that had taken up the practical training session was canceled, Shuji must still be thinking about them, which is why this new selection was arranged.

He looked at Sasuke sitting on the other side and was about to walk up to him to reiterate that he would get his revenge.

Just then, the school bell rang, and Iruka walked in.

The classroom quickly fell silent.

"Regarding the selection for the special training," Iruka's gaze swept across the class, holding a list in his hand, "after a comprehensive evaluation by all the teachers in the school, the list has been finalized."

Naruto straightened his back, and the corners of his mouth began to turn up.

"Gaara".

The red-haired boy nodded slightly.

"Uchiha Sasuke".

The black-haired boy sitting by the window had no expression, which was within his expectations.

"These two students will need to stay after school for special training starting tomorrow," Iruka said. "The rest of you shouldn't be discouraged; there will be more in the future—"

"Wait a moment!"

Naruto jumped to his feet, incredulous. "Why? Why are only the two of them? What about me? Wasn't I counted, Iruka-sensei?!"

All eyes were on Naruto.

Iruka looked at Naruto with a serious expression: "Naruto, sit down first."

"But," Naruto stood stubbornly, his hands resting on the table, "I've already learned very advanced ninjutsu, and..."

"Naruto!" Iruka's voice turned serious. "The purpose of this special training is to improve the abilities of students who can no longer get enough challenges in the regular curriculum."

"You have indeed mastered advanced ninjutsu, but apart from this technique, your overall performance is not up to par."

"Sasuke and Gaara have no problems with any of the lessons, understand?"

Naruto's face flushed red instantly: "Th-then I can too..."

"Furthermore," Iruka interrupted him, "personnel arrangements are decided by the school's many teachers based on past performance. Next time, try to get good grades in the next test, and the teacher will help you apply."

Whispers filled the classroom.

Naruto sat down, head down, and didn't look up for the entire class.

During lunch break, he didn't spend time with Gaara as usual, nor did he look for Shikamaru or Choji.

He sat alone on a bench behind the teaching building, mechanically biting into his bread.

"hateful……"

He muttered to himself.

Just then, footsteps and voices came from around the corner of the teaching building.

Naruto subconsciously looked up and saw Shuji and Ebisu.

The two had clearly seen him too. Shuji nodded to Naruto in greeting, then continued to instruct Ebisu, "Because of the Ninja Village Joint Conference, the exchange students from Iwagakure are temporarily not suitable to stay in the training area. Starting next week, they will officially enroll in the Ninja Academy."

"I understand, Shuji-sama." Ebisu adjusted his glasses. "The class arrangements have been made, and I will remind the teachers to keep an eye on things."

"Also," Shuji added, "the school patrols need to be extra careful during this time, to avoid any oversights, especially with that Deidara—you know him."

"Yes."

The conversation between the two should have ended there.

"Brother Shuji!"

Naruto stood up and practically rushed to Shuji. Ebisu adjusted his glasses; the fact that Naruto had obtained advanced ninjutsu from Shuji couldn't be kept secret.

So this time, he didn't stop the person first.

Shuuji glanced at what Naruto was holding: "Bread for lunch? We have training this afternoon, you'll be hungry."

"Hehe, no way," Naruto answered instinctively, forcing a smile. "Besides, I'll go to Ichiraku after school..."

He suddenly shook his head halfway through his sentence.

"No! That's not what I meant!"

He took a deep breath, his blue eyes staring directly at Shuuji. Should he speak? Shuuji was more direct than Iruka; he had already clearly pointed out his lack of fundamental knowledge last time…

but--

"Um... special training..." Naruto struggled to organize his thoughts, his voice tinged with a nervousness he himself didn't realize, "I want to... be included in the special training."

Before Shuji could speak, Ebisu frowned: "Naruto, the school has made a fair decision regarding the list. Don't bother Shuji-sama with this; he has many important tasks to attend to."

"But--"

Shuji raised his hand, stopping Ebisu from speaking again to reprimand Naruto.

"You want to participate in the special training?" Shuuji asked.

"Yes!" Naruto nodded vigorously. "Gaara, and Sasuke... they've all gone into special training. I... I don't want to fall behind either!"

"The special training is for students whose abilities can no longer be improved through regular courses," Shuuji said. "If you want to join, then you need to prove that."

"In the practical training class, without using the Shadow Clone Technique, I defeated everyone in the class except Sasuke and Gaara using only taijutsu."

"If you do this, I will grant you special permission to join."

"I'll do it!" Naruto practically jumped up, his blue eyes blazing with fire. "This afternoon! This very afternoon! I'll beat them for Shuji-nii!"

Ebisu couldn't help but speak up: "Lord Shuji, this matter can be entrusted to me, Ebisu, for supervision. There's no need for you to trouble yourself—"

"It's alright," Shuuji said, his gaze still fixed on Naruto. "Since you're so confident, then I'll take a look."

He turned to Ebisu: "Please inform Iruka that I will be present at the afternoon's combat training session. Also—"

Shuji's gaze shifted towards the teaching building, as if he were deep in thought. A few seconds later, he spoke:

"Let Hinata Hyuga be Naruto's opponent in the first match."

(End of this chapter)