An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Ootani Yuuto led the students to another designated combat field, where the upperclassmen from the Ninja Academy had been waiting for quite some time. Descendants of ninja clans such as the Senju, Hyuga, Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Aburame, and Inuzuka were all among them...
"So these are our cute little juniors? It really makes me want to beat them up!"
A boy holding a brown puppy rubbed his nose and spoke excitedly. Back when he had first entered the Ninja Academy, he too had been thoroughly "taught a lesson" by upperclassmen. Now that their roles had switched, naturally he had to leave these cute juniors with a "profound" memory.
"Don't underestimate them. Their class has geniuses from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, and that girl's abilities are anything but ordinary..."
The speaker was an older student. Though he was now an upperclassman at the Ninja Academy, compared to the descendants of ninja clans, not only was his talent mediocre, but he also came from a civilian family. His strength ranked at the bottom among his peers. That was precisely why he had been sent over early to gather information on these first-year students. During that process, he had naturally noticed Hyuga Yuzuru and Uchiha Akihime, the geniuses of Konoha's great clans. But what surprised him the most was Hanakei Kaede's ability, which resembled the Shadow Secret Technique...
"Let me make this clear first: what that girl uses is not my clan's Shadow Secret Technique!"
Nara Zentaro hurriedly cut in from the side. After observing and analyzing it earlier, he was certain that the "Shadow Release" used by Hanakei Kaede was not his family's Shadow Secret Technique. After all, the Nara Clan needed hand seals and a specific Chakra circulation path to use the Shadow Secret Technique, while Hanakei Kaede's moves seemed to come and go at her command. It was more like a Kekkei Genkai such as the Dead Bone Pulse.
"Hehe, who can really say for sure?"
Inuzuka Gouichi wore a knowing grin, his expression utterly lecherous. His words immediately drew the attention of the students around them, and their suspicious looks left Nara Zentaro bitter beyond words.
"They're here!"
Aburame Hotaru, dressed in a high-collared trench coat and dark glasses, suddenly spoke, shifting everyone's attention away from Zentaro.
Senju Nawaki, Hyuga Hiashi, the Hizashi brothers, Uchiha Mikoto, and the other upperclassmen all looked toward Hyuga Yuzuru, Uchiha Akihime, and Hanakei Kaede. After all, among this year's new students, only those three were worthy opponents. The rest of the juniors were nothing to worry about.
This lower-versus-upperclassman match looked like a one-sided battle with a vast difference in strength. But if they really lost, their reputations would be ruined. As descendants of Konoha's renowned ninja clans, they had no intention of embarrassing themselves before the major families...
Inside the principal's office at the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the principal's chair, with his three disciples standing beside him: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
The four of them were staring at a transparent crystal sphere on the desk. It was broadcasting this year's new students' practical exercises in real time. Whether it was the earlier ninja tool throwing or the exciting two-person matches afterward, they had seen it all clearly. Now, they were even more eagerly anticipating the upcoming lower-versus-upperclassman two-person battle...
"The old man's Telescope Technique is really convenient for 'peeping.' If I learned this technique, I could gather intelligence and 'research material' even better..."
The white-haired young man with an "oil" forehead protector suddenly spoke, making the corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitch as he watched solemnly.
The pale young man with a cold, sinister air also glanced speechlessly at the "idiotic fool" beside him. Was now really the time to discuss that? Couldn't he feel the killing intent already rising beside him?
Sure enough, a fist as large as a sandbag appeared precisely on the white-haired young man's head. The next moment, he truly flew like a sandbag and slammed heavily into the office wall, making the entire room shake as though an earthquake had struck...
"Sarutobi-sensei, I told you not to teach that technique to this idiot, didn't I?!"
The blonde woman with a ponytail and a throbbing vein on her forehead paid no attention to whether the white-haired man was dead or alive. Instead, she spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat in the principal's chair.
"Yes, that technique truly isn't suitable for him, so I never had any intention of teaching it to him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and spoke with a serious expression, though inwardly, he felt a trace of sympathy for his disciple Jiraiya.
"Ahem, it's starting!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat, then spoke seriously to Orochimaru and Tsunade. As for Jiraiya, who was stuck to the wall in an upside-down V shape, there was no need to mind him.
"Tsunade, your younger brother is appearing in the first match."
Orochimaru's slightly hoarse, gloomy voice slipped from his throat. His snake-like vertical pupils were full of anticipation. As Tsunade's teammate, Nawaki had long been designated as his disciple. Once Nawaki graduated, Orochimaru could officially become his instructor. That was why Orochimaru was so eager to see how much ninja talent Nawaki could display at this age.
Tsunade did not answer. Instead, she frowned when she saw that Nawaki's opponent was actually that Uchiha genius girl.
"Old man, you're manipulating things behind the scenes again. How could my brother possibly be a match for that Uchiha?"
Watching Nawaki and Akihime enter the combat field under Ootani Yuuto's signal, Tsunade could not help complaining to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Uh... Ootani Yuuto handled this whole thing himself. It has nothing to do with me!"
Since this was not something he had done, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to take the blame and explained himself to the resentful Tsunade.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade snorted in dissatisfaction, then turned back to the crystal sphere with a worried expression, utterly focused.
On the combat field.
Uchiha Akihime looked at the upperclassman before her with an appraising, contemplative expression. This ordinary-looking guy was a member of the First Hokage's clan?
Likewise, Nawaki was clearly sizing up Uchiha Akihime. However, many beautiful visions of the future suddenly appeared in his mind—such as defeating Uchiha Akihime, the one known as a "genius," and then receiving lavish praise from his sister and Orochimaru-sensei...
"Hey! Senju Clan boy, what are you grinning stupidly about?"
Akihime frowned. She could not understand how this foolish-looking upperclassman could be from the Senju Clan. Did he not even have any combat awareness? Smiling stupidly in a daze during a match?
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