This was the Mizuki Incident.
The event that had propelled Naruto into the life of a shinobi, that had given him his first true bond with a sensei.
It was a critical juncture. Last time, Naruto had failed the clone jutsu and been tricked by Mizuki. Iruka had protected him, and Naruto had unleashed the Shadow Clone Jutsu in a desperate, unconscious plea for power. It was a crucible of pain and accidental triumph. Not this time.
We stood in the training grounds, the entire class assembled. Iruka and another instructor, a chunin with a scar across his nose named Mizuki, stood observing.
"The final evaluation is a one-on-one spar," Iruka announced. "The goal is not to defeat your opponent, but to demonstrate your grasp of the academy's teachings. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and weapon handling. We will begin."
The matches were called. Ino vs. Shikamaru (Ino forfeited before it could get "troublesome"). Kiba vs. Choji (a messy affair of dog vs. food). Then it was my turn. My opponent was a bulky, overconfident boy who thought his strength was enough to overcome the "weird Hyuga girl."
We bowed. The moment the signal to begin was given, I was already moving. I didn't give him a chance to attack. I flowed inside his guard, my hands a blur. I wasn't trying to win with a knockout. I was making a statement.
Two strikes to his arms, cutting off the chakra flow to his biceps. His punches became sloppy. A light tap to his left leg. He stumbled. A final, precise jab to a point in his shoulder that made his entire arm go numb. His kunai clattered to the ground.
He stared at me, bewildered, unable to move half his body. I hadn't thrown a single punch. I had simply... turned him off.
"Hinata Hyuga is the winner," Iruka announced, his voice filled with surprise. "That... was exemplary."
I bowed to my stunned opponent and walked back to the line, not sparing a glance at anyone. I felt Naruto's eyes on me, wide with awe. Good. Let him see. Let him understand the kind of power that was on his side.
Then it was Naruto's turn. His opponent was Sasuke.
The class buzzed with excitement. The two dead-last rivals. The Uchiha prodigy vs. the demon child.
Naruto took his stance, a wide, sloppy-looking one that I had drilled into him. It looked unbalanced, but it gave him a stable center of gravity from which to explode. Sasuke was all coiled tension, a snake ready to strike.
They began. Sasuke was faster, a blur of motion. His kicks and punches were sharp, precise. But Naruto didn't fall for it. He flowed with the attacks, using the minimalistic blocks I had taught him—deflecting, parrying, conserving energy. He was absorbing Sasuke's rhythm, waiting for an opening.
The old Naruto would have been a frantic mess by now. This one was calm. Focused.
"He's improved," Mizuki commented to Iruka, though there was a strange, flat quality to his voice.
"Immensely," Iruka breathed, his eyes glued to the fight.
Sasuke, frustrated by his inability to land a clean hit, leaped back, forming hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He inhaled and unleashed a massive ball of flame. It was a perfect execution for a genin. The crowd gasped. But Naruto was already moving. He didn't try to dodge. He made a single seal. A single, perfect clone poofed into existence beside him.
The clone immediately grabbed him and leaped high into the air, somersaulting over the fireball. As they came down, the clone threw Naruto towards a surprised Sasuke, while the clone itself landed and dissolved.
It was a maneuver that required perfect timing, chakra control, and tactical thinking. It was something I had made him practice fifty times a day.
Naruto crashed into Sasuke, and they went down in a tangle of limbs. When they separated, Naruto was the one who sprang up, a kunai in his hand, pressed against Sasuke's throat.
The field was silent. Sasuke lay on the ground, panting, shocked and furious.
Iruka stared, speechless. "The winner is... Naruto Uzumaki."
The class erupted in whispers. Naruto looked down at Sasuke, a triumphant grin on his face. Then he tossed the kunai aside and offered Sasuke a hand. "That was a good fight, man!"
Sasuke slapped his hand away, getting up on his own. "Lucky shot, dobe." But the insult lacked its usual heat. He was shaken.
Naruto walked back to the line, and his eyes immediately sought mine.