"Come on."
Uchiha Mai smiled. He opened his left fist and crooked a finger at Asuma in a taunting gesture.
How arrogant! Unbelievably arrogant! He needed to hit him hard!
His goddess, Yuhi Kurenai, was still watching, and Asuma didn't want to look like a coward in front of her. Though wary, he threw another heavy punch at Uchiha Mai's cheek.
His fist cut through the air with a faint whoosh, showing just how much force he'd put behind it. He'd even used chakra.
Taijutsu didn't require chakra to attack an enemy, but using chakra during an attack could greatly activate the body, granting greater strength and explosive power.
Body activation wasn't a technique exclusive to Kakashi or Kumogakure's Nintaijutsu. Every ninja in the Ninja World could do it.
Did anyone really think that a ten-year-old Naruto could run along walls and leap onto rooftops with a single kick using nothing but physical strength?
Kakashi's cellular activation technique, Kumogakure's Lightning Style Body Strengthening Secret Technique, and the Eight Inner Gates merely allowed their users to wield chakra with greater precision.
For the same chakra cost, they provided more power and greater speed than an ordinary ninja could manage.
Asuma's chakra-enhanced punch was clearly aimed at messing up Uchiha Mai's face.
Uchiha Mai used the same trick again, leaning his torso and head back while shooting out a straight left to counterattack.
But Asuma had learned from his mistake. The moment his punch missed, he dodged quickly, saving his less-than-handsome face.
"I've figured out your moves," Asuma said smugly.
"Oh, have you?" Uchiha Mai smiled faintly. He stepped forward and threw a lightning-fast straight punch at Asuma's cheek.
Asuma was startled. He'd thought Uchiha Mai only knew how to counterattack, never imagining he'd take the initiative.
For an instant, Asuma froze, then instinctively tried to block the punch. One punch had already swollen his face. What would happen if he took another?
As Asuma reacted, his guard dropped completely. Uchiha Mai seized the fleeting opportunity and swiftly shot out his right fist from beside his chin, landing a jab around Asuma's eye.
"Argh!"
Asuma cried out, tears welling up despite himself. His left eye was already turning black and blue. Uchiha Mai had clearly put some force into that punch.
Probing attacks and counterpunches in a war of attrition were common boxing tactics, and Mayweather was especially skilled at them.
Having taken another punch, Asuma flushed with embarrassment. He'd taunted his opponent, only to get his face beaten up in two rounds. What a disgrace!
And worst of all, his dream girl Kurenai was watching.
It was fine. Winning first didn't mean you'd won. The one who laughed last laughed best. As long as he beat Uchiha Mai to a pulp now, he could salvage everything!
After using A-Q's philosophy to soothe himself, Asuma—desperate to restore his reputation—quickly swung at his opponent's chin.
Uchiha Mai stayed composed under pressure. He lowered his head and raised his shoulder, protecting his vulnerable chin and preventing himself from being knocked out in one hit.
After that move, Uchiha Mai retreated two steps to open up some distance. He held his left fist in a punching stance and kept waving it in front of Asuma, drawing his gaze.
The flicker jab was one of Mayweather's signature techniques. It could effectively control an opponent's line of sight, throw off his balance, and distract him.
Asuma was eager to attack, but he still feared Uchiha Mai's fists. If he got hit one more time, his pretty face would be done for.
Uchiha Mai kept watching Asuma's eyes. When he noticed Asuma's focus beginning to waver, he threw another right and planted it against Asuma's cheek.
Asuma had just taken another heavy punch and hadn't even had time to get angry when he realized that Mai, who'd been retreating after every punch, had suddenly started hammering him with both fists in a furious barrage.
Oh, for—!
In a boxing ring, a professional boxer's first instinct would be to raise both hands in front of his face and protect his vitals.
But Asuma was a ninja. He decided to go toe-to-toe with Uchiha Mai. A true man feared nothing.
Unfortunately, before Asuma could throw more than a few punches, Uchiha Mai's combination left him dazed. A final right hook struck his chin, and he collapsed unconscious on the spot.
The teacher watching, Murakami Keining, panicked. Had Uchiha Mai actually beaten Asuma to death? He immediately rushed over, pulled Mai away, pried open Asuma's eyelids and mouth to check him, then felt for his breath and listened for his heartbeat.
Only then did he discreetly signal toward the office to show everything was fine. Asuma wasn't dead, just unconscious—and missing a few back teeth.
Asuma lay on the ground with his whole face bruised and swollen, blood foam trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked absolutely miserable.
"Teacher, aren't you supposed to count to ten?" Uchiha Mai asked without thinking.
"Count to what?"
Murakami Keining asked, then realized Mai meant Asuma was supposed to get back up within ten seconds and keep fighting. He replied, "That won't be necessary.
"The force from your last punch went straight through his bones to his brain. I doubt he'll be able to get up for several days.
"You win this match."
"I told you he might pass out if he got punched in the chin!" Might Guy crowed to the girls beside him.
Uchiha Mai sighed silently. He hadn't been able to get back up. What a pity—he still hadn't used his coolest, toughest move, the Flying Armbar.
With one side unconscious, there was no way to perform the Seal of Reconciliation, so the match ended with a whimper.
Of course, the others could still challenge Uchiha Mai. But after seeing what had happened to Asuma, no one was willing to try.
They had no choice but to find partners and pair off on the playground, a bunch of weaklings pecking at each other.
Murakami Keining found a chance to return to the office. He approached the Third Hokage and ventured, "Lord Hokage, what do you think of Uchiha Mai?"
"Very good."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slightly in approval. "Without using a Kekkei Genkai or ninjutsu, he toyed with Asuma using nothing but his wits.
"He has tremendous battle intelligence. He's a rare talent."
Uchiha Mai's Taijutsu wasn't far beyond that of his peers. What had let him dominate Asuma was his technique and psychological tactics.
In a ninja battle, strength mattered, but so did intelligence. Shikamaru Nara had used his wits to bury Hidan, who possessed an immortal body.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen especially admired ninjas with this kind of battle intelligence.
In the Chunin Ninja Exams from the original story, the various villages had a total of 153 participants. The records set by Naruto, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, the cool Sasuke, and Gaara even surpassed those of some Jonin.
But only one person became a Chunin in that exam: Shikamaru Nara. This showed that when Konoha ranked its ninjas, it didn't judge them by strength alone.
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