Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
During practical combat class.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Hundred Mountain Charge!" (My naming skills really are terrible. I originally wanted to follow Sakura's Cherry Blossom Impact and come up with a taijutsu name. Any Naruto-style taijutsu name suggestions?)
The fierce gale Asuma blew from his mouth was shattered by Soseki's punch, the currents scattering in all directions.
Amid the churned-up dust and mist, Soseki suddenly leaped out, his raised arm smashing savagely downward.
Boom!
The ground split open violently, forming a five-meter-wide "meteor crater."
Looking at the substitute that had been smashed into fragments in the pit, cold sweat trickled down Asuma's back. "Why does Soseki seem to be getting more and more violent?"
Seeing Soseki charge at him again, Asuma did not dare let his guard down. He threw Shuriken to disrupt Soseki's attack while swiftly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A giant dragon spewing flames blocked his path, but Soseki's expression did not change as he swung his fist at it.
Ordinary taijutsu ninja naturally would not dare fight like this, but for him, it only meant gathering Yang Release Chakra beforehand to heal his wounds. There was no need to dodge at all.
The savage fire dragon was punched apart directly, bursting into scattered sparks.
Even Asuma was dumbfounded. Soseki had not been this reckless last time!
But he had no time to think further and could only barely form several seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum..."
Painful Sky Leg!
In the midst of his charge, Soseki stomped fiercely on the ground. The earth shook violently, and Asuma's body tilted slightly to one side.
Damn it, I formed the wrong seals... Asuma's eyes widened. The small ball of air that should have come out of his mouth could only be expelled through another passage.
Pffft~~~
Hearing that long, melodious sound, Asuma's face reddened. Just as his attention wavered, a gust of wind blew into his face.
Asuma looked up to find Soseki's fist had stopped steadily right in front of him.
On the other side, Yagami Kei had already made his judgment. "Shimizu Soseki wins! Both sides, form the Reconciliation Seal!"
"Soseki-kun is incredible! He even tore apart such a ferocious fire dragon!"
"Come to think of it, Asuma really is tenacious."
"Yeah, I thought he should have given up challenging the Class Leader long ago!"
"Even though he has never won even once... pfft, sorry. I just feel so bad for him whenever I think about how his win rate ranks last in the entire class!"
Amid the quiet discussion of the surrounding students, Soseki patted Asuma on the shoulder. "How are you? You okay?"
"Heh heh, I..."
"Don't worry. He's long gotten used to losing." Ibiki, who was developing an increasingly sharp tongue, suddenly remarked from the side.
Asuma's eyes widened. "You bastard, quit looking down on me! I've improved a lot now! Just give me another two... three, four—right, just give me four more years, and I'll definitely beat Soseki!"
As he spoke, Asuma suddenly caught sight of Shizune writing something in a small notebook.
"Shizune, what are you doing?"
"Oh, I wrote down what you said. If you still lose four years from now..."
Asuma put on a pitiful expression and said gloomily, "Shizune, even you've gone bad."
Just then, Yagami Kei spread his arms. "Everyone, quiet down."
"I'm very happy that you've entered second year. Starting today, you can be considered seniors at the academy."
At those words, everyone's faces lit up with eager excitement. They could not wait to show off the bearing of "seniors" in front of the newcomers.
"But don't think that means you can relax. If you don't work hard, those new students might surpass you someday."
Quite a few of them secretly curled their lips. They had already figured out Teacher Yagami's routine. Though it was his first time teaching, he still liked to imitate other teachers by saying that they were the worst class he had ever taught.
Wasn't that obvious? He had only taught one class, so naturally it could be called the worst.
Seeing that they did not seem to believe him, Yagami Kei grew serious. "Don't think I'm joking. Among this year's new students are geniuses whose talent is no weaker than Soseki and the others'!"
"No way, there are geniuses among the newcomers on the Class Leader's level?"
"Oh~ New students really are monsters!"
Asuma muttered to himself, "Teacher Yagami is going too far. He just lumped me in with 'the others.'"
Ibiki could not help saying, "Don't worry. Maybe Teacher Yagami did not count you in at all."
Seeing this, Yagami Kei nodded in satisfaction. "Now you understand the pressure your senior class was under, right?"
Everyone smiled awkwardly at that.
Indeed, the senior class had it truly rough. Not only were they bullied by the senior-senior class above them, they also had to endure pressure from newcomers like them.
After explaining the matters requiring attention at the start of the school year, Yagami Kei finally turned his gaze toward Soseki.
"Soseki, with your current strength, you can already apply for early graduation. What do you think about that?"
The crowd, which had been laughing and chatting moments ago, suddenly fell silent. They all looked at Soseki with tense, anxious eyes. "What, are we suddenly going to be separated?"
Seeing Soseki remain silent, Yagami Kei continued, "Other than during wartime, the academy's earliest graduation record is seven years old. If you apply for graduation now, you'll break that record."
In the Shinobi World, where the culture of "geniuses" was prevalent, setting all kinds of "records" was something well worth boasting about.
Thus, the gazes of the students around him dimmed as well. They did not want to part with Soseki, but neither did they want him to give up an honor that belonged to him.
However, Soseki had no desire to graduate early. He was doing perfectly well living off a woman; how could he abandon his plans over something so pointless?
Moreover, Leaf Village was not a charity. Once one graduated, one had to join a squad and carry out missions.
After all, a large portion of the funds that kept Leaf Village running came from its cut of completed missions.
Other than under certain special circumstances, ninja had to complete their assigned monthly mission quota before they could rest.
For Soseki, who was in a period of rapid growth, he naturally did not want to waste his precious time on such boring missions.
Of course, saying he wanted to stay in the academy did not sound good, so his explanation became—
"The more knowledge I gain, the more I understand my own insignificance and ignorance. For someone as shallow as me, early graduation is not an appropriate choice." As Soseki spoke, his gentle gaze swept across the crowd. "More importantly, I promised that I would advance and retreat together with everyone!"
The training ground fell silent for a moment before a tidal wave of cheers suddenly erupted.
"That's great! I knew the Class Leader wouldn't abandon us!"
"Boohoo, we're the ones holding Soseki back! Starting today, I'm doubling my training intensity!"
At the side, Yagami Kei's lips curled into a subtle smile. "Heh heh, did you think your teacher wouldn't use a new routine?"
Before you continue