In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was rarely seen eating while looking at the crystal ball on the table.

According to his usual habit, lunchtime should have been a little later, but as he gazed at it, even though he couldn't smell any fragrance, he began to feel hungry.

He had heard that Aki Michimitsu was a good cook—or rather, most things in the village couldn't stay hidden from him, as the Hokage.

Sarutobi originally wanted to check on how Naruto was doing, but unexpectedly, he saw this scene. This was exactly what he hoped for.

"They are all good kids, with the demeanor of Ding Zuo. They should be even more generous when it comes to food."

Sarutobi Hiruzen made a concluding remark and closed the crystal ball.

Akimichi Michimitsu had no idea what Shikamaru and Sarutobi Hiruzen were thinking or doing.

But even if he knew, he probably wouldn't have thought much of it. He just wanted to do it and did it.

He had already mastered the chakra refinement and history courses in the morning, so he decided to catch up on some sleep.

However, he was still quite interested in the throwing class in the afternoon.

The two courses, Hidden Weapon Throwing and Basic Physical Techniques, were mandatory for all grades and would continue from the first day of school until graduation. There was a high probability that Ninja Death would be involved.

Elite classes like Class A were said to have synchronized courses, but in reality, they moved a little faster.

After all, this was a school for training ninjas. Although they joined from the beginning, the idea was to ensure that students remained engaged and prevent some of the younger ones from feeling bored during the early lessons. The curriculum was not yet entirely formal.

But due to physical reasons, Qiu Daoguang had never undergone formal training before, so, even though he came from a ninja clan, he was very interested in this.

Kunai throwing was a basic skill that no ninja could avoid. At the Genin and Chunin stages, it was one of the most direct and effective methods of attack.

Not every ninja could waste chakra freely. Ninjutsu? That was a high-level skill reserved for critical situations.

As such, you didn't have to be a master, but you had to be familiar with this skill if you wanted to survive as a ninja.

The lunch break passed quickly, and Iruka reappeared, organizing the students to head towards the training ground in an orderly fashion.

It was worth noting that after the morning classes, every member of the class had already mastered the ability to refine chakra.

After all, it was an elite class. Fewer than ten students hadn't mastered this skill before entering, but those who were placed in Class A still had talent. If someone hadn't mastered even the basics by this point, they wouldn't have made it this far.

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Next, the focus would likely be on training methods that allowed for quicker chakra extraction, according to each student's progress, in order to expand their "chakra pool."

At the training ground, targets and kunai for practice had already been set up.

Since this wasn't an assessment, each student had their own target, positioned on opposite sides to minimize the risk of accidental injury.

Compared to other ninja trainees, Qiu Daoguang was especially excited. Despite his theoretical knowledge, he was still a novice when it came to practical training.

"If you're this interested, I'll throw a couple of times just for show, and you can use the remaining chances to practice," Shikamaru said with a glance at his friend, already finding a way to be lazy.

"Count me in too," Shikamaru quickly followed, realizing his younger brother was genuinely interested.

"Sure."

Qiu Daoguang didn't refuse; he was eager to try more.

To avoid any danger, Iruka set a fixed time for collecting the kunai. Five kunai per person didn't give him enough chances to practice, so it wasn't ideal.

"Is this your first time too, Guang? Me too. Want to compete and see who can hit the target more accurately?" Naruto asked, his energy skyrocketing now that he wasn't the only beginner.

"No problem," Qiu Daoguang replied casually.

But if he remembered correctly, Naruto's throwing results weren't impressive at the start—or even terrible, though it was often played for laughs.

Well, a small goal: as long as I'm better than Naruto, I'll be happy.

With that thought, Qiu Daoguang felt no pressure.

The two of them agreed, and this time, no one interrupted. Not even Kiba, who usually liked to stir things up with Naruto, participated.

They all knew the situation between the two; someone who hadn't trained yet wouldn't join in right now.

Iruka didn't stop the friendly competition. In fact, he seemed happy to see the students engaging with each other. Not only Naruto and Guang, but other students had formed similar rivalries.

After letting them compete for a while, Iruka demonstrated it himself. It was clear this was his area of expertise, and more importantly, his instructions were easy for most people to understand.

After closely observing his demonstration, Qiu Daoguang took note of the details and quickly glanced around at the others.

He soon realized that, whether intentional or not, the students had naturally formed groups.

Ninja clan members grouped with other clan members, and civilian ninjas stuck with their own. This naturally left Haruno Sakura standing awkwardly next to Ino, looking like a stray husky among wolves.

While Ino remained anxious, the rest of the class was more focused on the demonstration.

Uchiha Sasuke barely paid attention to Iruka's demonstration. Instead, he picked up the training kunai and adjusted his stance, preparing to throw.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Qiu Daoguang—both newcomers to this skill—were equally excited, but stable in their approach.

This was typical of the Uchiha clan; they always exuded a quiet but strong confidence, even in training where there were no formal rankings.

The demonstration wrapped up quickly, and it was time for everyone to practice.

The students seemed to have an unspoken agreement. No one took the first step, while the others rushed into action.

Qiu Daoguang observed for a while before looking away. It was busy, but not particularly something worth learning from at this moment.

His gaze shifted to Uchiha Sasuke, just a few steps away. Sasuke, as usual, was the center of attention. Qiu Daoguang subconsciously began to imitate his movements.

Sasuke must have noticed the attention, because he turned slightly, catching Qiu Daoguang's gaze. After noticing the imitation, Sasuke nodded, as if acknowledging the younger boy's keen observation, but in a subtle, aloof manner.

Then, with everyone watching, Sasuke moved to the throwing line.

Qiu Daoguang didn't expect to be caught in the spotlight, but he didn't feel embarrassed. This was just a friendly competition after all.

"Whoosh!"

The kunai flew through the air, landing squarely in the bullseye.

Without even looking, Sasuke turned and glanced back at Qiu Daoguang, as if silently asking, "How's that? Did you learn something?"

Qiu Daoguang felt a little uncomfortable with Sasuke's style.

With Sasuke's swift move and sudden head turn, the attention of everyone shifted to him. As usual, the Uchiha clan drew eyes, even in something as simple as this.

To be honest, Qiu Daoguang didn't understand. Why rush to show off with such a quick move? It would be impossible for him, a beginner, to mimic it.

Sasuke's good intentions were a little hard for him to accept.

And how did he already have the hint of a "king of the stage" vibe from this moment?