Not long after Naruto experienced a significant leap in mental strength—
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto and his classmates had completed their second year at the Ninja Academy.
Over the course of that year, they had trained in the fundamentals of shurikenjutsu and kunai handling.
They also gained valuable experience in wilderness survival, trap setting, environmental analysis, and stealth techniques.
As for Naruto himself, his progress was staggering.
By now, he had:
Developed his own Meditation Stargate cultivation method.
Created a chakra-based technique inspired by the "Six Thieves" of the Immortal Vaults.
Invented the shinobi version of Observation Haki, enhancing sensory perception.
Mastered the Rasengan, as well as its larger and more advanced variations: the Big Ball Rasengan, the Ultra Big Ball Rasengan, and the Planetary Rasengan.
Achieved complete mastery over wind nature transformation, pushing it to its limit.
From this foundation, he created:
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken
Wind Release: Giant Rasenshuriken
Wind Release: Super Giant Rasenshuriken
He also developed an original jutsu:
Wind Release: Sky Dance Technique—granting him the ability to fly freely.
Moreover, through a chapter of the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, Naruto learned how to control ninja tools with precision, manipulating them mid-battle.
And finally, he cultivated a level of mental fortitude so great that he had become immune to genjutsu.
Oh, and one more thing:
In the final exam of his second year, Naruto ranked first place in both theory and practical assessments—
once again securing his position as the top student in the Academy.
It was an achievement that made Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi beam with pride.
During the break, Naruto allowed himself a rare moment of peace—taking a full vacation and spending time joyfully with Hinata and the others.
But, of course—
Happy times never last long.
The third year of the Academy had arrived.
On the first day back, Iruka-sensei stood at the front of the classroom, his expression unusually serious.
"This time," he began, "I won't be testing whether you've reviewed last year's material."
At first, the classroom erupted into cheers.
But what Iruka said next left everyone speechless.
"Because this year… we'll be doing something different."
"You'll all be participating in a one-month forest survival exercise at the combat training grounds!"
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
For a few moments, the class stared in stunned silence. Then—
"No way, Iruka-sensei! A whole month in the forest?! You're trying to kill us!"
"What are we supposed to eat? Where are we going to sleep?!"
"Yeah, Iruka-sensei! I don't want to do this!"
Complaints and protests filled the room.
But Iruka wasn't finished.
His expression darkened, and he slapped the podium twice with authority.
"This is a mandatory exercise. There will be no exceptions."
"If anyone wants to quit, they can go fill out the withdrawal form right now."
Silence fell.
The students immediately understood how serious this was.
And compared to dropping out and giving up on their dreams of becoming shinobi—
Enduring a month in the forest didn't seem so bad.
"...Good."
Iruka nodded approvingly as the class quieted.
"Now, follow me to the Forest Training Ground. The exercise starts today!"
Later…
Iruka led Naruto and the rest of the class deep into the combat forest—a vast woodland designated for real-world survival and combat training.
If Konoha had anything in abundance, it was forests.
After all, it was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who had chosen this land precisely because of its natural resources and rich forest cover.
Using his legendary Wood Release, he expanded the forests and established the Hidden Leaf Village amidst these abundant lands.
Standing at the entrance of the training zone, Iruka began briefing them on the exercise.
"This month-long drill will test your skills in intelligence gathering, trap deployment, ambush strategy, and more."
"Everything you learned last year—use it."
"Each of you will receive a number tag. If someone takes your tag, you're eliminated."
"Only those who still have their tags after one month will pass."
"To keep things fair, you'll be split into teams of four."
"If three members of a team are eliminated, but one remains until the end, that team will still be considered to have passed."
With that, Iruka signaled his fellow instructor to begin distributing number tags.
Naruto accepted his and glanced at the others.
He had been grouped with Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame.
"Tch. Didn't think I'd be stuck on the same team as you," Kiba muttered, clearly disappointed.
Although they had become friends, Kiba had hoped for a chance to challenge Naruto—
but this team-up made that impossible.
Naruto just smiled.
Beside him, Hinata's face reddened as she shyly stole glances at Naruto, clearly happy to be in the same group.
Naruto reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry," he said with a grin.
"As long as I'm here—everything's going to be fine."
He looked toward the forest, his gaze calm and confident.
The real training had begun.
Naturally, Naruto couldn't let Hinata get eliminated.
As for Aburame Shino, the quietest member of their group, he hadn't said much and was easily overlooked, though Naruto knew better than to underestimate him.
Meanwhile—
Sasuke Uchiha had been placed in a different group, paired with civilian students who lacked notable talent or clan backgrounds.
But Sasuke didn't care.
To him, almost everyone in the class was dead weight.
Except for one person.
His eyes locked on Naruto's back, filled with burning determination and something else—revenge.
Not against Naruto.
But Naruto was the current top student—the undisputed number one in both academics and field performance.
Among their entire year, no one was stronger.
And if Sasuke truly wanted to defeat that man—the one he had sworn to kill—he needed to surpass everyone.
Including Naruto.
Especially Naruto.
So Sasuke had set his sights on him.
"I will surpass you," he thought silently. "And I'll start with this training."
Unaware of the attention he was receiving, Naruto chatted easily with Hinata and the others, his mood relaxed.
But in the background, Sasuke had already made up his mind.
He would defeat Uzumaki Naruto in this month-long forest survival exercise.
———
To ensure fairness at the start, Iruka-sensei assigned each team a separate entrance into the training grounds.
He wanted to avoid crowding and early confrontations between groups.
Soon, all the teams were positioned at their respective forest entrances.
Iruka's voice came clearly through the communication seal that connected them all:
"Begin!"
With that single word, the one-month forest survival exercise officially started.
And at that command—
Naruto's team, along with all the others, rushed into the dense, sprawling training forest, ready for battle, strategy, and survival.