Mock Battle

"Huh? You're so cold, Shunren! Why are you ignoring me?"

"We don't seem to know each other that well, do we?"

"How could you say that? We're both members of the Uchiha Clan... Wait for me!"

Shunren ignored Obito's shouts and quickened his pace. To be honest, he was really reluctant to have much to do with Obito, because he knew that before long, the latter would plunge completely into darkness and become this world's great villain.

Obito's tragic fate was indeed worthy of sympathy.

Even so, despite knowing full well that Obito would fall into the abyss of despair, Shunren still chose to stand by and watch. Yes, stand by and watch!

It might sound rather coldhearted, but sorry, Shunren had never been a warmhearted person. Asking him to work hard, or even stake his life, for a stranger who had nothing to do with him was impossible.

In these chaotic times, when human lives were treated like grass to be trampled, keeping his own life already required his utmost effort. How could he have the leisure to meddle in other people's affairs? Besides, he knew the future lives of many ninjas in this world: Rin Nohara's death, Yakushi Nonō's death, the deaths of the Fourth and his wife, and so on. These people all had tragic lives, and Shunren, who knew it all, couldn't possibly save them one by one.

Nor did he have the ability.

As a transmigrator, Shunren hadn't received the favor of a creator god or come with some random system, and his talent was below average. Without a doubt, he wasn't the protagonist of an "invincible protagonist" story.

Up to now, Shunren had reached this point through his own tireless efforts.

He was an idiot at Ninjutsu and had no particular talent for Taijutsu either. The only thing that offered some hope was Yin Release, but so far, he was still testing the ability and was nowhere near calling it a success.

"You really are impossible, you cold fish!" Shunren had shown no reaction to his calls, and it was time for Obito to give up. He spoke helplessly. At this time, his personality was cheerful; he was eager to help others and loved to meddle, and he was often late because he helped old ladies cross the road, helped children find their cats, and did things like that. At school, Shunren was a quiet person of few words, so the warmhearted Obito had once tried to "save" him.

Shunren's gaze faltered slightly. Let's leave it like this. Keep our distance, and I won't owe you any favors either.

Ninja Academy.

"Clang, clang, clang~" On the training ground, the students' Taijutsu sparring was in full swing.

In this era, the shadow of war lingered over the Shinobi World. To maintain its leading position as the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha constantly expanded its military. As the institution that trained ninjas for the village, the academy's education was also stricter than ever. Practical lessons in basic Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Shuriken began almost as soon as students enrolled.

This excessively intense pace of ninja education caused countless students to die young. Since it was practical combat, injuries were inevitable, and the young students had difficulty controlling their strength, so accidents occurred frequently.

Konoha paid a heavy price for this, but what it gained in return were geniuses forged by the times, one after another!

Large numbers of outstanding ninjas graduated from the academy early.

Kakashi Hatake was the best example. He enrolled at five and graduated in less than a year, passed the Chunin Ninja Exams at six, and now, at eight, he should have been striving to reach the rank of Special Jōnin.

Shunren, by comparison, was still at the Ninja Academy...

Shunren shook his head. He was past that childish age when he thought he alone was special under heaven and on earth. With an adult's mindset, he felt no jealousy even when he saw others excel, because that was reality.

"Obito, Shunren! You two are late again!" They had tried to sneak into the group, but their sharp-eyed teacher spotted them and immediately unleashed a lioness's roar at them.

"Huh? No, that's not it, Teacher Feimu,

I went out early this morning and came across an injured cat, and then..." Obito jumped in fright and hurriedly tried to explain himself, waving his arms. "That same boring excuse again! Obito, why do you have so many damn things going on?" Feimu had a broad, square face and thick eyebrows. Among the teachers, he was a notorious powder keg, bad-tempered and easily angered. One minor point worth mentioning was that the Senju Clan crest was embroidered on his collar. Unlike the increasingly prosperous Uchiha, the Senju Clan had been in decline since the Second's time, and by today, most of its members had retired from public life. The few who remained could only work as teachers at Konoha's Ninja Academy, and there wasn't a single Jonin among them.

After berating Obito, Feimu turned his attention to Shunren and glared at him. "What about you, Shunren? What's your excuse for being late this time?"

Shunren bowed his head slightly and said sincerely, "I overslept."

"Pfft!" Shunren's words immediately made the students around him burst out laughing. He had put on such a solemn manner, only to give a reason that hardly counted as one.

"You!" Feimu was so furious he nearly sent the second Buddha to heaven. As he saw it, Obito had at least made up an excuse for being late, but Shunren couldn't even be bothered to invent one. Wasn't he deliberately making trouble for him as a teacher?

In fact, Feimu had misunderstood him. Shunren hadn't lied at all; he really had overslept. He had gotten up early to practice Yin Release, then done a round of physical training. Exhausted in body and mind, he hadn't been able to resist lying down to sleep.

"Shunren! Get over here for a mock battle!"

A mock battle was a simulated ninja duel between students. Unlike ordinary Taijutsu practice, mock battles imposed no restrictions on either side's actions. There were no rules like drawing a circle and making whoever stepped outside it lose, and both sides were allowed to use weapons, recreating a real ninja battle to the greatest extent possible.

Shunren nodded and walked over. A chance to gain combat experience wasn't a bad thing for him.

"Your opponent is Asuma Sarutobi."

As soon as Feimu spoke, the people around them began discussing it. Who was Asuma? The Third Hokage's son, and the Sarutobi Clan was a famous and prestigious family in Konoha. His own talent was also quite outstanding. Ever since Kakashi, who had been in first place, graduated early, Asuma had become number one in their year. Not only that, even among the upperclassmen, few were a match for him.

Thus, in their daily practical training, what everyone feared most was being matched against Asuma. Of course, a few weren't afraid: Obito, Guy, and Kurenai. Even so, among them, Asuma still ranked first in overall strength and results.

When his name was called, Asuma was taken aback for a moment, then a flippant sneer appeared on his face. At an age when he was defiant and untamed, his eyes might as well have been on top of his head.

"Hey, Shunren, are you scared now?"