Naruto: Extreme Bloodline Limit/Naruto: Uchiha Ronglin Chapter 13

Kakashi kept a dark expression and said nothing, but Ronglin could guess what he was thinking.

"Seeing is believing. It seems that even after graduating, you still have plenty to learn, Kakashi."

Ronglin's words were like a sharp nail hammered viciously into Kakashi's heart. Kakashi's breathing grew heavier, and the hand gripping his kunai turned slightly white from the force.

Without another word, Kakashi returned to his usual tight-lipped state. He clenched his kunai and attacked again. Several shuriken flew from his left hand as he charged forward, but Ronglin simply raised his kunai and swiftly knocked them all down. Crisp clanging rang beside them. Kakashi's speed suddenly surged, while Ronglin's movements slowed by a beat from deflecting Kakashi's shuriken.

The kunai plunged into Ronglin's body, yet with a Bang!, it dissolved into a puff of white smoke, leaving behind a piece of wood.

"Substitution Technique!!"

Kakashi's pupils abruptly widened.

"Cyclone Thunderbolt Leg!!"

Behind Kakashi, Ronglin's leg swept out in a semicircle and, with that bizarrely named move, struck Kakashi's body. Yet Ronglin felt no joy, because what he had kicked was still only a piece of wood.

Victory is still mine! A sharp glint flashed through Kakashi's eyes.

"Cyclone Entanglement."

Kakashi was destined to be disappointed. If Ronglin had discovered that his attack had only hit a substitute and made no further preparations, then he would have been far too stupid, wasting the brain of a man nearly thirty years old.

He himself could use the Substitution Technique, and Kakashi, who had graduated with outstanding grades, could naturally wield such a basic ninjutsu proficiently as well. Otherwise, could he still be called a genius?

What Kakashi had not expected was that Ronglin's still-descending leg twisted around his arm at an exaggerated angle, while Ronglin's arm and body followed the motion upward.

Bang!!

With his arm trapped, Kakashi was slammed straight to the ground by Ronglin's downward momentum. Ronglin swiftly seized the kunai from Kakashi's hand, then looked at his unwilling expression and said regretfully, "What a pity. You lost. Here, take this back."

Ronglin released Kakashi and tossed the kunai onto the ground. He stretched his arms and legs, his bones crackling, and muttered, "Even if my bones are very flexible, making a move like that is still really uncomfortable."

Without the support of either a clan or the village, Ronglin had mostly trained his taijutsu through trial and error. Naturally, he had incorporated a few things he had learned in his previous life, such as yoga and jujitsu.

That was why Ronglin's arms and legs could follow through at such exaggerated angles and directly restrain Kakashi.

Though he had merely been experimenting on his own, it had caught Kakashi off guard. Fortunately, Ronglin had no intention of delving too deeply into these unconventional methods. Many taijutsu techniques could achieve similar results, such as those used by that somewhat disgusting fellow, Orochimaru.

Whenever Ronglin thought about how a person's tongue could stretch several meters like a snake's, he felt uncomfortable all over.

Hopefully, this guy won't start watching me like Might Guy does. Looking at Kakashi, whose gaze had grown slightly unfocused, Ronglin shook his head and walked to one side to continue his unfinished training. To be honest, Kakashi's defeat was rather frustrating. Neither of them had even used any offensive ninjutsu, but a loss was a loss. There were no excuses.

"Your strength is clearly enough for you to apply for graduation. Why do you insist on staying in the academy?"

Kakashi was Kakashi, after all, and quickly accepted the result. Yet like Might Guy, he had made Ronglin a target to catch up to and defeat. Still, he could not understand it. Ronglin was clearly strong, so why had he not applied to graduate early?

Without stopping his frog jumps, Ronglin could only look at Kakashi as though he were an idiot. "Why should I apply to graduate early?"

"I imagine things haven't been going very well for you lately. Think about it—you have the entire Hatake clan and Konoha's White Fang as your backing, yet you still get targeted from all sides. Does it mean anything for someone like me, with no one to rely on, to apply for early graduation?"

"Even if I do apply to graduate, it won't be now."

Transferring in halfway through and being met with disdainful looks everywhere was not what Ronglin wanted. Even if he graduated early, he would need to wait until the Advanced Class students graduated together, so that he could be assigned to a suitable team.

"..."