Uchiha Mai vs. Sarutobi Asuma

Uchiha Mai and Sarutobi Asuma stood on opposite sides, each raising one hand to form the Seal of Confrontation.

Konoha was a large village with many rules. Before formal sparring matches, its ninja had to form the Seal of Confrontation—the hand sign made by the two statues at the Valley of the End.

After the match, they also had to form the Seal of Reconciliation. It meant they wouldn't hold a grudge after fighting; they were making up. Even if I beat you up pretty badly just now, I hoped you wouldn't take it to heart.

"Come on, Big Brother Asuma! Knock him flat!"

"Go, boss! Smash his face in!"

Asuma's lackeys waved their fists and shouted, cheering on their leader.

Uchiha Mai was already used to the hostility from the boys at the Ninja Academy. What could he do about being handsome?

The girls weren't about to be outdone. They waved their hands and cheered for their idol. "Mai, teach that arrogant guy a lesson!"

"Mai, mess up that monkey's face and show him he's nothing but a jerk who throws his weight around because he's got Lord Hokage behind him!"

In the Naruto manga and anime from his previous life, there hadn't been much said about Kakashi's generation and their time at the Ninja Academy.

It had only mentioned that Asuma was a delinquent when he was young, rebellious and prone to clashing with the Third Hokage. After one such clash, he'd run off to the capital of the Land of Fire.

From his own experience, Uchiha Mai could confirm that Asuma really had been a little delinquent at the Academy. He spent all day swaggering around with a few lackeys. He hadn't actually done anything bad, but he was still pretty obnoxious.

Naturally, the girls didn't think much of delinquents like him.

Asuma saw that every girl was rooting for Uchiha Mai, and his little face flushed red. Do girls really dislike me that much?

Yuhi Kurenai glanced around. Seeing everyone cheering for Uchiha Mai, she timidly raised a hand and called, "Mai, be careful!"

Thwack! That was the sound of Asuma taking a knife to the heart.

Seeing that the atmosphere had built up enough, their teacher, Murakami Keining, raised a hand, then swiftly lowered it and called, "Begin!"

Asuma was just about to charge forward and smash Uchiha Mai's face when he saw Mai hopping around in place in a rather strange stance. He immediately checked his stride.

Uchiha Mai held his left fist in front of him at shoulder height, his elbow bent at roughly ninety degrees. His right fist was held back to guard his chin, and his head was lowered slightly.

His torso stayed upright, but his waist bent slightly, making his upper body lean forward. His legs were staggered, one in front and one behind, both knees slightly bent. His feet pointed in the same direction and were spaced roughly shoulder-width apart.

What was that strange stance? Asuma couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Mai's stance looks kind of ugly. Doesn't suit that infuriating face of his," Obito remarked from the sidelines.

"What's ugly about it? If you don't understand, don't go talking nonsense." Yuhi Kurenai turned and glared at Obito, scolding him.

Obito obediently shut his mouth, grumbling to himself that if it were anyone else striking that pose, she would've been the first to call it ugly.

Might Guy had been studying Uchiha Mai intently. Suddenly, his face lit up with excitement and joy. Tears streamed down his face as he cried, "I see! I understand!

I'm not the only ninja at the Academy who specializes in Taijutsu! Taijutsu isn't something only losers without talent for ninjutsu practice!"

Might Guy was always very open about his feelings, full of enthusiasm and energy. His shout drew everyone's attention, including Asuma, who had been facing off against Uchiha Mai.

"Damn watermelon head, what do you understand?" Obito asked.

Might Guy wiped away the tears brought on by his excitement and eagerly explained, "Mai's stance might look strange, but it's an exceptionally refined Taijutsu guard.

"His left fist is forward, making it easier to probe and attack. His right fist is held back to guard his chin, but it can also deliver a powerful punch at a crucial moment. You draw your fist back so you can put more force into the punch.

"The chin is one of the more vulnerable parts of the body. A heavy blow there can easily knock someone unconscious. To protect that weakness even more, Uchiha Mai has lowered his head slightly.

"At the same time, he's bent his knees so he can generate force more effectively. His feet are staggered but point in the same direction, allowing him to maintain his balance as much as possible.

"Overall, this is a stance that lets you attack and defend while fighting head-on with Taijutsu."

Might Guy was happier than anyone to see Uchiha Mai practicing Taijutsu.

Taijutsu specialists had never been taken seriously by the great ninja villages. Might Duy, Guy's own father, lacked talent for ninjutsu, and even in his thirties was still only a Genin.

No one knew better than Guy how strong his father, Might Duy, was. After opening the Eight Inner Gates, Duy could beat an ordinary Chunin with ease.

Like his father, Guy had little talent for ninjutsu. But he had always looked up to his father as his idol, and firmly believed that he could become a powerful ninja through Taijutsu alone.

But he looked a little goofy and couldn't use ninjutsu, so the other students at the Academy never took to him. He was often discriminated against.

Now the Academy's idol, Uchiha Mai, practiced Taijutsu too. What could anyone say to that?

That was a Uchiha, after all!

"Oh." Obito merely nodded. He didn't really understand, then turned his attention back to the two facing off.

The other students reacted much like Obito. Guy's explanation hadn't made them think Guy was impressive or that Taijutsu was impressive.

They just thought Uchiha Mai was amazing. He'd come up with something so incredible at such a young age.

Guy still didn't understand this world. Everything depended on how you looked.

"Attacks and defends? I refuse to believe it."

On the field, Sarutobi Asuma clenched his teeth in anger. Hearing Guy praise Uchiha Mai only made him more resentful. What did a pretty boy know about Taijutsu?

Asuma shot forward and swung a fist at Uchiha Mai's face.

Uchiha Mai's pupils narrowed. He leaned his head back slightly to dodge Asuma's punch, then snapped out a quick, precise jab with his left hand, catching Asuma on the cheek and swelling it up on the spot.

"Good!"

In his office, Sarutobi Hiruzen clapped in approval. He'd been wanting to teach the little brat a lesson for ages.

After landing the hit, Uchiha Mai quickly retreated two steps, once again putting some distance between himself and Asuma. He didn't rush to attack.

"Hiss—"

Asuma sucked in a breath from the pain, nearly brought to tears. How was that pretty boy so accurate with his punches?

After taking a hit, Asuma had learned his lesson. He didn't rush in again, instead circling Uchiha Mai with a serious expression as he searched for an opening.

Uchiha Mai smiled. Mayweather's fighting techniques were still very useful, at least in battles between Genin.

Genin lacked combat experience, weren't fast enough with Hand Seals, and didn't have much chakra. Most of them fought with Taijutsu alone.

Every so often, someone would use a ninjutsu, but it was usually something commonplace like the Three Basic Jutsu. In the end, Taijutsu still decided who won.

At this stage, Mayweather's boxing techniques could be extremely effective. That was true even though ninja battles weren't boxing matches.

A boxing guard could also be used in unrestricted mixed martial arts and kickboxing.

More importantly, though, it was the underlying principles and the tactical thinking.

Just as Brazilian jiu-jitsu was known as "human chess," boxing wasn't simply a contest of strength, either. Many of its techniques and tactical insights could be applied elsewhere.