Cross-Rank Challenge

Yu's class was a regular class, unlike Sasuke's "rocket class." Most of the students were from small clans or ordinary families in Konoha with some talent.

So their class progressed very slowly. They were still learning to write and do arithmetic.

Although Yu wasn't a top student, even as a mediocre one, he didn't need to learn this stuff. It was too basic; he just needed to recall his memories, and that was enough.

So, Yu didn't listen to the lectures much all day. The teacher in charge of the class didn't bother with Yu either, acting as if he didn't exist.

Classes at the Ninja Academy were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The morning was for regular academic subjects, and the afternoon was for moral education and Ninjutsu training.

Moral education involved learning the "Will of Fire" and the history of Konoha to enhance the students' sense of belonging to the village. Yu pretended to listen to this class, as he needed to show that his allegiance was correct.

And Ninjutsu class focused on the basics.

Although their class was full of seven- or eight-year-olds, each of them could become superhuman in terms of combat power. Even without Ninjutsu, any child here could overpower a strong adult in Taijutsu.

This was the power of a ninja.

But watching this group of little superhumans training enthusiastically, Yu felt like a cripple.

"Yu, why aren't you training with everyone?"

The teacher in charge of their Ninjutsu training was a female Chunin with a sweet appearance, very popular with the students.

"Ling Xue-sensei, my health isn't good, and I can't do high-intensity training," Yu said with a smile to Hoshino Reiyuki. He answered truthfully to the teacher's question. His body wasn't suited for high-intensity training.

"This...!"

Hoshino Reiyuki frowned. In the past, although Yu was a bit quiet and not outstanding in Ninjutsu, he was very enthusiastic about Taijutsu training, so she thought Yu was lying to her.

But soon, she thought of that incident, and her gaze towards Yu became more sympathetic.

"Then you should rest well! You don't have to participate in training if you don't want to. Taking care of your body is the most important thing," Hoshino Reiyuki said with a smile, patting Yu's head, radiating feminine warmth.

"Okay!"

Yu didn't mind being patted on the head by a beautiful woman and acted very obedient.

There were small challenge matches every day in Ninjutsu class. Many students were very interested in the challenge matches, which tested basic abilities without any Ninjutsu clashes.

Soon, during the Three Body Technique practice class, Yu showed off a little and received praise from Hoshino Reiyuki.

Although the Three Body Technique was simple, it was very useful for ninjas. No matter how high their strength, the Three Body Technique had very high practical value.

Therefore, the Ninja Academy valued the Three Body Technique very much. To graduate from the Ninja Academy, one must be proficient in using the Three Body Technique. Yu's Three Body Technique was only at the beginner stage, and there was still a long way to go before he could use it proficiently.

But this problem turned to the amount of Chakra he had. His current amount of Chakra was not enough for him to train Ninjutsu for a long time.

"What's a good way to increase my Chakra?" Yu thought as he walked around the training ground.

There was more than just their class training on the training ground. Other classes and grades were also training.

But it was clear that one class was very lively. Joining in the fun was something most people liked to do, and Yu was no exception.

After getting closer, he knew why it was so lively. An over-level challenge match was taking place, and the protagonist was none other than the school's popular figure, Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke's opponent was a higher-grade student who looked like a background character, but he was still very strong, having trained for a few more years.

At first, the two engaged in a Taijutsu battle. The higher-grade student was a head taller than Sasuke, but it was clear that Sasuke was stronger in the Taijutsu exchange.

"Bang!"

After the two exchanged a kick, they pulled away from each other using the recoil force. Without any hesitation, they began to form hand seals on the spot.

"Clone Technique."

"Clone Technique."

Both chose to use the Clone Technique, but it seemed that Sasuke's Clone Technique was not very proficient, as he only created one clone, while the higher-grade student created three clones. Including the original body, there were four people.

Six figures appeared on the battlefield. After completing the technique, the two continued to fight, wooden Kunai appearing in their hands.

Another exchange began.

The clones created by the Clone Technique had no attack power and would be dispelled if attacked.

"Pop! Pop!"

With two soft sounds, one of Sasuke's clones and one of the higher-grade student's clones collided and perished together.

But the higher-grade student still had two clones, while Sasuke had exposed his original body. The people watching around thought that Sasuke was going to lose this time.

"Sasuke is going to lose."

Even Yu thought so. Of course, this was because Sasuke wouldn't activate his Sharingan. If Sasuke activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, even if it couldn't last too long, it would be very easy to beat this ninja student.

The higher-grade student's combat awareness was also very good, controlling the clones and the original body to surround Sasuke from three directions. If Sasuke couldn't find the original body, he would definitely lose.

Surrounded by three "people," Sasuke had nowhere to escape and could only attack someone at random, not caring whether it was a clone or the original body.

But Sasuke chose the wrong one. The person behind him was the original body.

A look of joy appeared on the higher-grade student's face. Sasuke was a recognized genius, and defeating Sasuke would be a very honorable thing.

The higher-grade student's wooden Kunai stabbed into Sasuke's back. Although it was a wooden Kunai, it would still be very painful to be stabbed, and the higher-grade student didn't hold back much.

But just as the Kunai in the higher-grade student's hand touched Sasuke's body, with a "pop," Sasuke turned into a puff of white smoke, and a stone appeared in its place.

"Substitution Technique."

The senior student failed, his anxiety blinding him to the possibility of a Substitution Technique.

Next, a figure leaped from the ground, lunging straight at the senior student.

A wooden Kunai pressed against the senior student's back; Sasuke had won this fight.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!"

The surrounding students and teachers applauded, cheering Sasuke's performance.

Yu was also happy, not only for Sasuke's victory but also because this was the first time he had witnessed a ninja battle in person. The reality was much more impactful than his memories.

Although it was nothing compared to the god-like battles of the later Hokage era, the realistic sensation was still quite good, and for a moment, it made him want to fight.

"What's so great about that! I can do it too."

Suddenly, a childish voice emerged beside him, and one could clearly hear the jealousy within it.