Naruto : Konoha Light

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a year has passed.

In the Combat Class

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Hundred Mountain Rush!" 

The violent hurricane expelled from Asuma's mouth was met head-on by a powerful punch from Shimizu, shattering the air currents and scattering dust and debris in all directions.

From within the chaotic cloud of dust, Shimizu suddenly burst forward, raising his arm high before hammering it down fiercely.

Boom!

The ground split apart, forming a massive five-meter-wide crater, resembling the impact of a meteorite.

Seeing the shattered training dummy at the center of the pit, cold sweat dripped down Asuma's back. Why does it feel like Shimizu is getting more and more terrifying?

Before he could dwell on it, Shimizu was already charging toward him again. Asuma didn't dare to hesitate—he flung his sword forward to disrupt the attack while rapidly weaving hand seals.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

A massive flame dragon roared to life, blocking Shimizu's path. But without flinching, Shimizu clenched his fist and charged straight through.

A normal taijutsu user wouldn't dare attempt such a reckless move, but for him, utilizing Yang Release chakra to preemptively heal his wounds made dodging unnecessary.

The raging dragon of fire shattered upon impact, scattering into embers.

Even Asuma was momentarily stunned. Since when was Shimizu this fearless?!

But there was no time to dwell on it—he could only hurriedly form another seal.

"Wind Release: Vacuum—"

PAINFUL DAY KICK!

Mid-charge, Shimizu stomped the ground fiercely. The earth trembled violently, throwing Asuma's balance off.

Crap, I messed up the seal!

His eyes widened in horror. The small-scale air projectile that was supposed to be released from his mouth ended up… escaping from another orifice.

PFFFFT~~

A long, unfortunate sound echoed through the training ground.

Asuma's face turned crimson.

And in that moment of distraction, a fierce gust of wind slammed into him.

Asuma looked up, only to find Shimizu's fist stopping right in front of his face.

Nearby, the instructor, Yagami, made the final judgment.

"Shimizu is the victor! Both sides, perform the Seal of Reconciliation!"

The surrounding students erupted into murmurs.

"Shimizu is insane! He tore that Fire Dragon to shreds!"

"Still, Asuma put up a good fight."

"Yeah, but maybe he should stop challenging the class leader..."

"I mean, he's never won once... Pfft, excuse me, I just realized his win rate is literally the lowest in class!"

Amidst the whispered discussions, Shimizu patted Asuma on the shoulder. "You okay?"

"Ahem, I...!"

"Relax, he's already used to losing." A voice with an unmistakable hint of sarcasm cut in. It was Ebisu.

Asuma's eyes widened. "You little—don't underestimate me! I've improved a lot! Just give me another... uh, two... no, three... actually, four years! Yeah! In four years, I'll definitely defeat Shimizu!"

Hearing this, Shizune suddenly took out a small notebook and started writing something down.

"Shizune, what are you doing?"

"Just recording your promise. So if you lose in four years..."

Asuma's expression crumpled. "Shizune, not you too!"

At that moment, Yagami raised his hands to calm the group.

"Alright, everyone, settle down."

"Congratulations on entering your second year. From today, you are officially upperclassmen."

At these words, many students' eyes lit up. They were eager to showcase their "senior superiority" to the incoming freshmen.

"However, don't get complacent. If you slack off, you might get surpassed by these new students."

Some students scoffed. They had already figured out their instructor's tricks—he always had some dramatic statement to keep them on edge.

But then, Yagami's expression turned serious.

"I'm not joking. Among these new students are talents on par with Shimizu ."

The class immediately fell silent.

"Wait… are you saying there's a rookie as strong as our class leader?"

"Ugh, why are the younger kids always monsters?"

Asuma grumbled. "Yagami sensei, that's unfair! You're comparing me to them now?"

Ebisu grinned. "Don't worry, maybe he didn't even count you."

Yagami nodded in satisfaction. "Now do you understand the pressure of being seniors?"

The students exchanged awkward smiles.

Indeed, just as they finally earned the "upperclassman" title, they now had to worry about the pressure from the incoming rookies.

After addressing school matters, Yagami shifted his gaze to Shimizu.

"Shimizu, with your current strength, you're already qualified to apply for early graduation. What do you think?"

The crowd fell silent again. All eyes were on Shimizu, anxiety and reluctance in their expressions.

"He might leave?!"

Seeing Shimizu hesitate, Yagami added, "The youngest graduation record in peacetime is seven years old. If you graduate now, you'd break that record."

In Konoha, breaking records—especially for talent—was something to be celebrated.

The students' faces dimmed. They didn't resent Shimizu, but they weren't ready to part ways with him either.

But for Shimizu himself? He had no intention of leaving.

He was perfectly content with his current life. Why would he trade this for the exhausting responsibilities of being a shinobi?

Besides, Konoha wasn't a charity. Once he graduated, he'd be assigned missions, forced to contribute to the village economy. Every ninja had a required quota of completed missions each month.

At his current stage of rapid improvement, wasting time on dull missions was the last thing he wanted.

Of course, saying this outright would sound ungrateful. So instead, he turned to his classmates with a smile.

"The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. I still have much to improve before considering graduation."

His gaze swept over his classmates before he continued, "More importantly, I promised to stand alongside all of you until the very end."

A brief silence followed.

Then—

Cheers erupted.

"I knew it! The class leader wouldn't abandon us!"

"Waaah, we've been holding him back! I swear, starting today, I'll train even harder!"

Nearby, Yagami smirked subtly.

"Heh. Did you really think I wouldn't have a new trick up my sleeve?"