Kageka Maple vs. Nara Zentaro

"Since you dared to say that, it looks like you're pretty confident in your own strength..."

Akeshi walked slightly closer to Kageka Maple, her cool, beautiful face slowly approaching Maple's. She suddenly stopped when their noses were only about a centimeter apart, then lowered her voice and said, "Why don't you let me see your Shadow Release tonight?"

Maple felt Akeshi's warm breath brush against her face, making her cheeks flush slightly. She answered shyly in a low voice, "It would be my honor to spar with a genius of the Uchiha Clan."

The meaning behind Maple's words was obvious.

Akeshi immediately stepped back. Looking at this girl who was so different from before, a playful expression appeared on her face for the first time. She seemed to be looking forward to nightfall.

Although Akeshi and Maple had spoken quietly, Yuzuru naturally heard every word with his sharp hearing. He had not expected Shadow Release to change Maple's personality so quickly. Before she had obtained Shadow Release, she had been so delicate, timid, and lovable. Yet as her control over Shadow Release deepened and her strength increased, her personality had undergone a complete reversal. Not only was there now a trace of forcefulness and dominance in her words and actions, but she also radiated incomparable confidence at all times...

Nawaki, who had run out with his head lowered, suddenly crashed into something soft. Just as he raised his head to look, he saw a warm hand gently rubbing his head.

"Big sister!"

After crying out in surprise, Nawaki wrapped both arms around Tsunade's slender waist. Like a child acting spoiled, he kept shaking his head from side to side...

"Alright, alright."

Tsunade patted Nawaki's back and comforted him. "That genius from the Uchiha Clan is indeed very strong. Even though she's only six, she already has the strength of a Chunin. It isn't your fault that you couldn't defeat her..."

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Nawaki immediately backed away several steps and looked at her in surprise.

"Big sister, you found out that quickly?"

"No..."

Nawaki quickly shook his head, dismissing that thought.

"...So you were secretly watching my fight with Uchiha Akihime the whole time, weren't you?"

Tsunade said nothing, merely nodding.

"Big sister, was I really that pathetic?"

Nawaki instantly became dejected. His embarrassing appearance had been seen by his beloved sister, leaving him so mortified that he wished he could crawl into a hole.

"No."

Shaking her head, Tsunade walked in front of Nawaki and spoke to him seriously. "The reason ninjas are ninjas is because they must endure what ordinary people cannot! You're still young, and you'll definitely face even more failures in the future, so there's no need to care about this at all. Not only should you not care, you should use those failures as motivation to become stronger. Only by knowing shame and striving forward can you become even stronger!"

Although Nawaki did not understand most of what Tsunade had said, he understood one thing: failure was not frightening. What was frightening was lacking the heart to endure failure!

"Big sister, I understand!"

As if he had suddenly realized something, blazing flames appeared deep in Nawaki's eyes. He looked at Tsunade with utter seriousness and said, "Big sister, please train me specially during this summer break!"

"Special training?"

Tsunade did not immediately agree.

"Big sister, can you?"

But when she saw her only younger brother acting spoiled toward her, Tsunade's heart softened. She could only set aside what little time she had left to give him special training.

"Let's make this clear first. Special training isn't a joke. I'll train you according to ninja standards. If you can't endure the hardship..."

Tsunade spoke with a stern expression.

"Don't worry, big sister! I can definitely do it!"

Before Tsunade could finish, Nawaki interrupted her. He flashed his white teeth at her, his sunny face filled with seriousness and determination.

"Because... I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

Tsunade firmly remembered and preserved that sight. She also looked forward to seeing whether Nawaki could inherit the position once held by their grandfather and granduncle. If that day truly came in the future, it would surely be something thrilling and exciting...

"You little brat. If you want to become Hokage, first think about becoming a Genin!"

Tsunade gave Nawaki a hard knock on the forehead. Seeing him wince in pain, she immediately laughed.

"Big sister, that hurt!"

Nawaki rubbed his forehead and complained.

"Alright, let's go have dinner first. It's on me."

"Big sister, you're the best! Then I want barbecue!"

"No problem!"

Ninja Academy principal's office.

After Tsunade left, Jiraiya returned to his original spot. He looked curiously at the transparent crystal ball before him, where an eagerly anticipated match was being broadcast in real time.

"Teacher Sarutobi, and you still dare say you didn't rig this?"

Looking at the two people about to fight, Jiraiya spoke in disbelief.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. The person chiefly responsible for arranging these matches was Ootani Yuuto. He had not interfered with the matter at all. But who could have known that the first match would be Uchiha Akihime versus Senju Nawaki? And who could have known that this match would be Kageka Maple against a junior from the Nara Clan?

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi remain silent, Orochimaru also cast him a suspicious look and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Teacher Sarutobi, we're all family here. Even if you tell us, we won't tell anyone else."

"Exactly."

Jiraiya nodded.

"That violent dragon Tsunade has already left. What are you still afraid of?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to remain silent, directly ignoring his two disciples and turning his attention to the transparent crystal ball before him.

Because the match was about to begin.

At the match arena.

Nara Zentaro entered the pre-marked circle. It was only about a meter in diameter, an extremely small area. That was why Nawaki had used a large-scale ninjutsu right from the start earlier. After all, fighting Uchiha Akihime in taijutsu within such a cramped space would absolutely put one at a disadvantage...

"Hello, senior."

Maple politely spoke to Nara Zentaro, who stood not far in front of her. Her adorable face and gentle voice immediately won the support and cheers of many older male students.

"Don't be afraid, junior! If this guy hits you too hard, we'll make him pay later!"

"Go, junior!"

"..."

Cheers and encouragement rose one after another from outside the arena, filling Zentaro with frustration. Did these guys have to be so utterly blinded by beauty?

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

"Thank you, seniors..."

Maple naturally gave the older students outside the arena a sweet smile. That sight captured their hearts even more completely...

"Hmph!"

Seeing this scene beside Yuzuru, Akeshi immediately snorted, seemingly venting her dissatisfaction.

"...The match begins."

Ootani Yuuto shook his head with a smile, then directly announced the start of the match.

The instant Ootani Yuuto announced the beginning, Maple immediately entered a combat state. Her adorable face became stern and focused, giving her a different kind of beauty.

"Shadow Release: Shadow Ball Barrage!"

With a low shout, Maple raised her right arm and spread open her hand. Five shadow balls the size of infant fists immediately shot out like bullets, heading straight for Nara Zentaro.

"!"

Zentaro was shocked by the sight. The shadow balls were too fast and gave him no chance to use a ninjutsu. He could only rely on his body's agility and flexibility to forcefully evade the five attacks.

Smack, smack...

All five shadow balls came flying at him, but only two struck Zentaro. Like water-filled balloons, they suddenly burst upon touching his body, splattering him with pitch-black, ink-like liquid.

"What is this?"

Zentaro tried to sense the nature of the ink-colored liquid on his body, but found nothing.

"Senior, please don't get distracted!"

At that moment, Maple's reminder rang out as several more shadow balls flew toward him.

Zentaro once again relied on his agility to evade some of the shadow balls, but more of the burst ink-like liquid still stained his body.

"Does it have the characteristic of absorbing Chakra?"

Zentaro quickly analyzed Maple's intent. The ink-colored liquid smeared across his body was silently devouring the Chakra within him!

"You want to defeat me this way? It's not a bad tactic, but unfortunately, they absorb Chakra far too slowly..."

Once Zentaro realized that the shadow balls posed no immediate threat, he actually ignored Maple's attacks entirely. Instead, he formed hand seals and began using his clan's secret technique—the Shadow Secret Technique!

Under the sunlight, the shadow beneath Zentaro's feet visibly changed shape. From an ordinary human-shaped shadow, it transformed into a needle-like shadow. Under Zentaro's control, it gradually became thinner and rapidly extended outward.

To Maple, this seemed unexpectedly shocking. Zentaro, whose accuracy had never been particularly high, actually succeeded on his first try in touching the shadow beneath Maple's feet with his own.

"Shadow Imitation Technique, successful!"

Although he did not understand what was happening with Maple, as long as Zentaro's Shadow Secret Technique succeeded, he would hold the initiative from here on.

After all, the Shadow Imitation Technique was Zentaro's finest and most signature Shadow Secret Technique!

"Maple, you admit defe—"

Before Zentaro could finish saying the word "defeat," he discovered that his body had strangely become unable to move.

"Senior, it seems my ability is the natural counter to your Shadow Secret Technique..."

At that moment, a smile reappeared on Maple's face. Her earlier expression of surprise and shock had vanished, as though it had only been an illusion.

Maple slowly took a step forward. Zentaro, standing within the circle, also took a step forward. His movements and mannerisms were exactly the same as Maple's.

"What is Zentaro doing?"

"Shouldn't the person hit by the Shadow Imitation Technique be controlled by the caster? Why does it look like the opposite?"

"Is he going to lose embarrassingly again?"

"..."

After seeing this, the older Ninja Academy students outside the arena reacted with confusion, surprise, and even angry laughter.

"How unexpected. Kageka Maple's Shadow Release can actually restrain the Nara Clan's Shadow Secret Technique!"

At that moment, Akeshi, who had already activated her Two-Tomoe Sharingan, suddenly understood. From her perspective, all the Chakra within Zentaro's shadow had been eroded by Maple's ability. It had even turned the tables, forcibly swapping the identities of "target" and "caster" between Zentaro and herself!

Yuzuru, standing nearby, smiled imperceptibly when he heard that.

Was it merely a counter to the Nara Clan's Shadow Secret Technique?

It was far more than that...

Inside the Ninja Academy principal's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya all revealed shock in their eyes when they saw that scene.

Shadow Release was actually a Kekkei Genkai capable of restraining the Nara Clan's Shadow Secret Technique...

If news of this spread, it would definitely have an enormous impact. Especially if the leaders of the Nara Clan learned of it, the situation would become extremely complicated.

After all, secret technique clans were called "secret technique" clans because of the secret techniques inherited by their families. But when that technique suddenly lost its effect against someone, the resulting fear would absolutely sweep through the entire clan. No one wanted such a natural enemy to exist!

"This is really giving me a headache..."

After recovering from his shock, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke helplessly. The birth of an unknown and powerful Kekkei Genkai was naturally Konoha's good fortune, but Maple's Shadow Release was also the Nara Clan's nemesis. It irritated him enough that he scratched his head.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru looked at their teacher's expression and naturally said nothing. They would leave this sort of headache to their teacher, the Hokage.

At the match arena, Maple took control of the Shadow Imitation Technique in reverse, and Nara Zentaro had already stepped outside the marked circle. With Ootani Yuuto's announcement, Maple successfully won the match.

This battle between lower and upper grades had originally been set up as a challenge match, but the "champion" had turned out to be so unable to withstand a fight that he could not defend his position at all!

"Maple, can you tell me what your ability is?"

Zentaro asked Maple curiously.

"It was personally named by Lord Hokage. It's called Shadow Release, and it's my Kekkei Genkai..."

Maple had no intention of concealing it. She had never planned to hide information about herself, much less when her Shadow Release was far from as simple as it appeared...

"Shadow Release..."

Zentaro murmured the name, then immediately left. He felt it was necessary to inform his clan about Maple awakening Shadow Release!

Ootani Yuuto also glanced at Zentaro's departing figure, but did not stop him. Information about Maple would sooner or later spread among Konoha's upper ranks anyway, so there was no harm in letting the Nara Clan know first...

Although Ootani Yuuto had declared Maple the winner, her battle with Nara Zentaro had been too strange for many Ninja Academy students to understand. Zentaro had clearly been the "caster," yet he had instead acted like the "target"...

"You're very strong. I'm looking forward to tonight more and more!"

Scarlet eyes shone brilliantly in Akeshi's eye sockets. When she saw Maple return, battle intent surged within her as she spoke softly.

"What beautiful eyes. Is this the Uchiha Clan's Eye Technique Kekkei Genkai?"

Maple did not answer. Instead, like a curious child, she leaned close to Akeshi's face, bringing her eyes near as she examined Akeshi's scarlet tomoe eyes...