After the first round of testing, Tatsuma and Minato had managed to scrape by with "Optimal" scores, thanks largely to the extra credit earned from their senbon accuracy. However, the second round was the practical combat test—a development that made both boys deeply regret not taking their teacher up on the offer to test in the afternoon.
The practical combat test involved pairing students from the same class for random spars. Each student had to complete three matches against different opponents to earn a composite score.
Tatsuma's first match was a stroke of absolute luck: he drew Shikaku Nara. When their eyes met, they both exchanged a knowing, weary smile that said, I've got you. Minato, unfortunately, was paired with Choza Akimichi.
Minato and Choza went first. The two were locked in a stalemate for five grueling minutes. The match finally ended when a bag of potato chips slipped out of Choza's pocket and bounced toward the boundary line. Choza, horrified, lunged out of the ring to save his snacks, handing Minato a hard-fought—and somewhat baffling—victory.
Then, it was Tatsuma and Shikaku's turn.
The two stepped into the center of the ring. Shikaku maintained a mask of deadpan seriousness. "Sakamoto Tatsuma... prepare yourself. I'm about to show you the ultimate secret technique passed down through the Nara line!"
Tatsuma nodded solemnly. "A Nara secret technique? I've been looking forward to this. But even if you've mastered a powerful hidden art, I will be the one to claim victory!"
Goppu Sarutobi, seeing his two star pupils acting so intensely before the match had even begun, leaned in with high expectations. "Form the Seal of Confrontation... Begin!"
"I forfeit!" Shikaku shouted the moment the words left Goppu's mouth. He slumped forward, hands on his knees, and panted as if he'd just run a marathon. "Too strong... I can't believe I lost..."
Tatsuma played along perfectly, wheezing and wiping fake sweat from his brow. "As expected of the Nara secret technique... Even I barely managed to win by a hair."
[Ding! INT +5]
Hatake Sakumo! Look at this! Tatsuma thought, his heart swelling with emotion. Look at the heir to the Nara clan! See how sensible he is!
He nearly shed a tear. Just two lines of dialogue and his Intelligence cap had jumped by five points. In this moment, he and Shikaku looked like two weary heroes sharing a moment of mutual respect.
Goppu Sarutobi's face, which had been full of anticipation for a high-level duel, went dark. He looked at the two "exhausted" boys, his teeth audibly grinding.
"Nara secret technique, my foot! 'Barely won,' my ass! Get out of here! Both of you! GET OUT!"
Seeing their teacher on the verge of a literal explosion, the two boys breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shuffled back to the waiting area, arms around each other's shoulders like lifelong brothers-in-arms.
As soon as they sat down, they were met by Minato's deeply resentful gaze. He had just been through a war with Choza, and if the Akimichi hadn't prioritized his snacks over the win, Minato might have actually lost.
And these two? They'd just traded a few looks, cooked up a scam, and fixed the match right in front of everyone. It was... it was outrageous!
For the second round of spars, whether by coincidence or Goppu's active retaliation, the matchups were as follows: Shikaku vs. Tsume Inuzuka, Tatsuma vs. Tenfu Uchiha, and Minato vs. Chinto Hyuga.
Minato stared at the board. Wait, I didn't slack off! Why am I being punished too?!
Shikaku, meanwhile, looked up at the ceiling, gazing at the cruel world that allowed exams to exist with an expression of pure despair. Being the first match, he was dragged back to the center of the ring.
As they formed the Seal of Confrontation, Goppu shot Tsume Inuzuka a very specific look. Tsume caught the signal and flashed a "savage" grin. Goppu nodded, finally satisfied. "Begin!"
"I for—!"
Shikaku tried to surrender the moment he saw Tsume charge, but the girl didn't give him the chance. She lunged forward and shoved a handful of dried dog treats into Shikaku's mouth, gagging him instantly.
Before he could spit them out, she executed a perfect leg sweep, mounted him, and pinned his head down with one hand to keep the treats in his mouth. With her other hand, she began to rain down "corrective" punches.
"Alright... alright! Cough... Tsume! That's enough! You win!"
Seeing Shikaku get pummeled until he nearly lost a tooth, Goppu finally stepped in to end the test. Tsume stood up, dusted off her hands, and walked away with a satisfied smirk.
Shikaku spat out the dog treats one by one. He looked over at the waiting area, where Tatsuma and Minato were frantically massaging their legs to regain feeling. He squeezed out a single, crystalline tear, his head lolled to the side, and he went limp on the ground.
Tatsuma, Minato... this is the only way I can buy you more time.
"Shikaku! Shikaku!"
Seeing his student "faint," Goppu panicked. He rushed over to check on him, and just as he arrived, a thin trickle of blood conveniently leaked from the corner of Shikaku's mouth.
"Wait here, everyone! I'm taking Shikaku to the infirmary!"
Goppu hoisted Shikaku onto his back and sprinted toward the medical wing.
Twenty minutes later, Goppu returned, carrying a Shikaku whose injuries hadn't improved. In fact, he now had two massive, fresh goose eggs on his head. Shikaku's amateur-tier faking hadn't stood a chance against the school doctor.
He had only managed to fool a teacher whose panic had blinded his common sense. Still, Shikaku had successfully bought Tatsuma and Minato an extra twenty minutes of rest.
After several other rounds concluded, it was finally time for the duel between Tatsuma and Tenfu Uchiha. As they stepped into the ring, Tenfu held his head high, radiating an aura that said "God is first, the Earth is second, and I am third."
"Dressing yourself up to look pathetic just to have an excuse when you lose?" Tenfu sneered. "Hmph! No matter how hard you try, you'll never defeat the Uchiha. All that 'hard work' is just a clown's makeup."
Hearing the blatant face-to-face mockery, Tatsuma felt a surge of excitement. This was prime Kudos bait. He flashed a brilliant smile. "You're right. Compared to the gifted Uchiha, my talent is indeed lacking. But... I'm going to win anyway!"
Goppu looked at them with lingering suspicion—Shikaku and Tatsuma had permanently damaged his trust—but he still gave the order. "Seal of Confrontation."
The two formed the seal instantly. This time, Tatsuma focused, rapidly kneading his chakra. Compared to the start of the semester, he was now far more proficient at mobilizing his energy.
"Begin!"
Goppu scanned the two warily, but his fears of another fix vanished as Tenfu immediately whipped out several shuriken and launched them at Tatsuma.
As expected. An Uchiha would never cooperate with anyone else, Goppu thought, relieved.
Facing the incoming projectiles, Tatsuma didn't stop focusing his chakra. He ducked low, letting two shuriken whistle past where his forehead and throat had been a second ago. Simultaneously, his left hand—which wasn't holding a seal—swept through the air.
He snatched the two shuriken aimed at his chest and abdomen mid-flight. It looked effortless, but Tatsuma's expression remained grim. Tenfu had managed to throw multiple shuriken simultaneously; while they lacked raw power, they were excellent for creating openings.
Sure enough, before Tatsuma could even stand fully upright, three more shuriken were already screaming toward him. Tatsuma flicked the two he had just caught, aiming to intercept the new volley. The moment his blades collided with Tenfu's, something felt wrong.
In Tatsuma's vision, there should have only been one shuriken left from the second volley. Instead, there were still three.
He realized the trick instantly: Tenfu hadn't thrown three shuriken in a single fan. He had thrown two sets of three in rapid succession, one hidden behind the other.
Which meant he wasn't facing one shuriken—he was facing four!