Easily Taking First Place

"Me?"

Asuma pointed at himself.

Then he stepped forward without hesitation.

"This really is fate."

He walked into the arena and looked at Jueming.

The Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan truly were connected by fate.

Back in the Warring States Period, the two clans had already been on good terms.

Later, when Konoha was founded, the Sarutobi Clan persuaded the Shimura Clan, and the two clans joined forces in joining.

At the same time, the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans... namely the Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and Akimichi Clan, also joined Konoha because they were affiliated with the Sarutobi Clan.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had even taken Hiruzen Sarutobi as their disciple.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi had still been a child,

the two had directly chosen him to become Konoha's leader... the Third Hokage.

"From that alone, even if I defeat Asuma Sarutobi today, I won't offend anyone."

Listening to Jueming's analysis, Mito Uzumaki nodded in agreement.

"Please guide me."

Asuma formed the Seal of Opposition.

Jueming made the same gesture.

Everyone stared at the scene, barely daring to breathe.

Without a doubt, this match was a clash at the peak.

Kurenai Yuhi watched the arena without blinking, unsure what she felt.

"Begin!"

At Funano Daikoku's command—

Thud.

Jueming dropped flat onto the ground.

Everyone: "???"

Lying on the ground like an Abnormal Type, Jueming stared at Asuma.

In the crowd, Senju Takeshi shuddered, nearly thinking Jueming had mutated again.

He hurriedly took out some calming medicine and swallowed several pills before he felt much steadier.

"Y-you're going to fight me lying down?" Asuma asked in surprise.

"This is called 'lying low,' not lying down." Jueming expressionlessly corrected Asuma.

"Senju Jueming, are you insulting your opponent?"

Mito Uzumaki assessed him irritably.

Jueming's expression did not change. "What insult? This shows that I respect Asuma Sarutobi."

"Hmph."

Mito Uzumaki snorted.

"I certainly don't see it."

Jueming said, "That's because... respecting your opponent isn't something you judge by appearances. It has to be held in your heart. Only by fighting him while lying low can I display my true strength."

Mito Uzumaki: "..."

"I'm coming!"

With a loud shout, Asuma charged straight at him.

With his powerful, ape-like build, there was probably no one else in the entire class who could match him.

Asuma drove a fist into Jueming's back.

Jueming's body shook, and dust burst up from the ground.

"..."

Asuma's eyes widened. A rebounding force traveled back through his fist, as though he had not struck ordinary flesh, but a sheet of tough hide!

"Senju Jueming... he's so hard! Really hard!"

[You crossed swords with the Hokage's son. Your skin defense has slightly increased...]

[Tough Skin +1]

His muscles and bones hurt badly, Jueming thought.

But his skin had already been tempered into something quite sturdy by the "Grass Release—Body—Sword Fighting" skill.

Combined with "Handstand" and "Lying Low," he had blocked that powerful punch without injury.

His efforts these past days had finally not been in vain...

Seeing that Jueming was completely unscathed, Asuma froze for a moment.

"As expected of Young Master Asuma, Hokage-sama's son."

Jueming's calm voice came from the ground.

"I'll admit it. Among all the peers I've met, you have the greatest strength. I hereby name you the strongest student of this class."

The moment he finished speaking, Jueming's counterattack arrived.

Ninja Body Fist!

A fierce punch struck Asuma's right leg.

Because Jueming was lying low, Asuma had never fought an opponent like this before.

He had no time to dodge—indeed, the very idea of dodging had never occurred to him—and was struck.

"Ah~~!"

Asuma cried out in pain and immediately dropped to one knee, clutching his right leg.

He had once been an adventurer, until he took a punch to the knee.

"Watch out, Young Master Asuma!"

Jueming shouted, crawling low as he closed in.

Another punch.

Asuma's left knee was struck as well.

This time, he curled around both knees and rolled around on the ground.

"AAAAAAAH~~~~!"

"I just targeted Young Master Asuma's weak point at the knees. As the connection between the upper and lower leg, the knee is structurally complex and fragile. The nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels around the leg bones are densely distributed. Without protection..."

Jueming explained to the stunned crowd.

"When you hit someone, hit their face. When you strike, strike a vital point. This... is what a ninja is!"

Mito Uzumaki: "..."

Everyone: "..."

Asuma: "AAAAAAH~~~!"

Kakashi: "What he says makes a lot of sense, but something seems wrong."

The fifth test.

The team competition.

After the previous four rounds of testing, no one dared underestimate Jueming anymore.

Before long, the title Voldemort and the slogan "Watch Your Knees!" would likely spread far and wide.

Even now, everyone still saw the miserable image of Asuma rolling around on the ground and wailing.

After drawing lots, Jueming found his teammates for the "team competition."

Might Guy and Kurenai Yuhi.

The three of them would face another team.

"Hmph. Even though you performed well on today's Monthly Exam, I absolutely won't acknowledge you."

Kurenai Yuhi glared at Jueming with her big bunny-like eyes.

In her view, Jueming was highly capable, but his character was terrible.

What kind of man bullied girls?

He slept in class, fought lying low, and punched people in the knees...

"What do I do... I'm definitely going to hold Jueming back."

Beside them, Might Guy trembled with a lack of confidence, deeply worried that he would burden Jueming.

"Fellow students, esteemed examiners."

Jueming cupped his hands together and looked around.

He directly ignored Kurenai Yuhi's muttering.

"I, Senju Jueming, get by in Konoha by valuing loyalty. Today, I hope everyone will do me the honor of avoiding meaningless conflict."

After that, Jueming lay flat on the ground.

"For this, I am willing to bear the suffering that my two teammates, Might Guy and Kurenai Yuhi, would otherwise endure."

Jueming took a deep breath.

"I, Senju Jueming, will lie here today. Attack me with everything you have. I absolutely will not fight back."

Everyone: "..."

"But if none of you can defeat me in a single exchange, then please recognize the difficulty and withdraw, surrendering on your own. Otherwise..."

Jueming's icy gaze swept across the crowd.

Everyone's legs trembled, and their knees began to ache faintly.

"I surrender."

"Me too!"

The instant Jueming finished speaking, people immediately raised their hands to surrender.

It wasn't worth it. It really wasn't worth it.

Kakashi: "Where are my teammates? Where are my teammates?!"

He looked around. His two teammates had already surrendered.

Out of the entire class of thirty, not a single person dared make a move against Jueming!

Well, Kakashi, Tekka Uchiha, Natsu Hyuga, and a few scattered others had wanted to.

But helplessly, their teammates had surrendered early.

The final test was a "team competition."

If your teammates were gone, it did not matter how strong you were individually.

"W-we won?"

Might Guy stared blankly at himself, carried to victory by someone stronger.

"Jueming held everyone down all by himself just by lying there?!"

Might Guy blinked, then cheered.

"We won~!"