37: Bullying the Few with Numbers

Watanabe made up his mind instantly.

Would the esteemed young lady of the Hyuga clan beg a stranger in advance just because she was afraid of getting hurt? For many shinobi clans, dignity was sometimes more important than life itself.

Besides, if Hyuga Rei was really afraid of getting hurt, she could have simply forfeited as soon as she ran into him.

"All right. I'll go easy on you."

Watanabe replied, already resolved that if he faced Hyuga Rei that afternoon, he'd unleash a wave of advanced ninjutsu and flatten her without a second thought.

Hyuga Rei's smile grew even sweeter. "Thank you, Watanabe. You really are so kind!"

"I won't keep you any longer, then. After the exams, I hope I'll get the chance to treat you to a meal."

"Maybe some other time," Watanabe replied offhandedly.

There was no way he'd go to dinner. After the exams, she'd probably want to kill him.

As soon as Hyuga Rei left the ramen shop, her sweet expression turned scornful.

"Men are all the same. Say a few words to them, and they're completely under your spell. Pathetic."

Hyuga Rei was sure Watanabe was looking forward to her treating him to a meal. She had no idea that he'd already seen right through her beauty trap.

Watanabe had performed exceptionally well in the first two rounds. To determine the top student, Hyuga Rei was certain the school would arrange a match between the two of them.

She could already picture it: on the afternoon's ring, Watanabe would go easy on her at every turn because she looked so frail, only for her to send him flying and spitting blood with a single Eight Trigrams Empty Palm Strike.

"I just want to win. I don't care what it takes."

Hyuga Rei murmured, reaching up to touch the cloth wrapped around her forehead.

She didn't have a Ninja Headband yet, so she couldn't conceal the ugly Caged Bird seal openly the way other branch-family members could. The cloth on her forehead, appearing for no apparent reason, made her look strange no matter how you looked at it.

Fortunately, she had a chance to take it off for good.

Watanabe and Jiraiya's group returned to the Training Ground before noon.

The stands were still packed. The afternoon's combat test was the main event, and people would rather miss the Illusion Technique test than miss the matches between the examinees.

The enormous Training Ground had been divided into more than a dozen rings, their boundaries clearly marked in chalk. Everyone had heard Gekko Hayate explain the rules that morning: if you were knocked beyond the boundary, you lost; losing consciousness also counted as a loss.

"Clan Leader Tenfu, I'm looking forward to seeing how your daughter does this afternoon," the Nara Clan Leader said, striking up a conversation with Hyuga Tenfu. Of all the clan leaders, he was by far the most talkative.

"As for the combat test, Rei should do quite well," Hyuga Tenfu said frankly. This time, he didn't bother to be modest.

He knew his daughter's ability better than anyone. The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist Style was already immensely powerful, and with Tsunade away, Hyuga Tenfu couldn't think of anyone at the school who could be a match for Rei.

"I'm actually looking forward to seeing that Watanabe," the Hatake Clan Leader cut in with a smile. "So far, he has the best results. Even if his combat ability falls short of Clan Leader Tenfu's daughter's, it shouldn't be by much."

Hyuga Tenfu paused, then fell into thought.

If it was that boy, he certainly couldn't afford to underestimate him.

"Which shinobi clan is Watanabe from?"

Uchiha Chiri suddenly asked. She still couldn't get over the fact that Watanabe had been immune to her Illusion Technique, and had begun paying particular attention to him.

"You didn't know, Chiri?" the Hatake Clan Leader asked in surprise, then explained, "Watanabe is a civilian. His parents both died in the First Shinobi War, but he's very close to Tsunade."

Chiri understood at once. So they'd started getting together at such a young age...

She found it strange. She'd been single for thirty years, while Watanabe and Tsunade were still just children, weren't they?

"Your Illusion Technique didn't work on him. How will he fare in a real fight?"

Chiri put the thought aside and fixed her gaze on the black-haired boy in the crowd, as precisely as a rifle scope.

"Jiraiya and Yūhi I are to go to Ring 1."

Gekko Hayate read out the combat matchups he'd prepared in advance.

"Hyuga Rei and Sakato Mai are to go to Ring 2."

"Orochimaru and Sakurajima are to go to Ring 3."

"..."

As Gekko Hayate continued reading the list, the people around Watanabe dwindled. Just as he was about to head to the ring where Jiraiya was watching—

"Watanabe and Inuzuka Kiba, go to Ring 8."

Inuzuka Kiba?

That guy again.

Watanabe remembered beating Inuzuka Kiba senseless in the woods half a year ago.

Kiba hadn't been able to beat him then, so he'd be even less likely to win now. The gap between them would only have grown.

By the time Watanabe reached Ring 8, Inuzuka Kiba was already waiting there, with the familiar Green Haired Puppy perched on his head.

"Watanabe, surprised? I'm your first opponent!"

Inuzuka Kiba said, his eyes burning with intensity.

"I'll show you that a weakling like you doesn't deserve Tsunade—"

"Cut the chatter!"

The referee at Ring 8 impatiently interrupted him. "Get this over with. There are several more matches after yours."

Inuzuka Kiba reluctantly shut his mouth.

"You're Watanabe and Inuzuka Kiba, right? Let me see your admission tickets."

The referee checked both tickets and nodded once he'd confirmed they were in order. "Looks good. Whatever grudge you've got between you, now's the perfect time to settle it."

Watanabe wanted to point out that the man wasn't a referee so much as a bystander who loved watching a fight.

"Watanabe, I've been waiting a long time for this!" Inuzuka Kiba ground out. He really did want to settle things with Watanabe.

"I'm so much stronger than I was half a year ago. I'll definitely beat you!"

As he finished speaking, he quickly pulled a Soldier Pill from his pocket and tossed it into the air.

"Woof!"

The Green Haired Puppy leaped up from his head and swallowed the Soldier Pill. Its body rapidly grew, and in moments it had gone from a little poodle to a vicious dog as tall as an adult.

Watanabe stared in surprise, then asked the referee, "Isn't it against the rules to bring a dog onto the ring?"

The referee glanced sidelong at Inuzuka Kiba and said coolly, "It's allowed. That's how the Inuzuka clan does things. A dog is a person, and a person is a dog. They're one and the same."

Watanabe: "..."

"Heh."

Inuzuka Kiba sneered. "Watanabe, you're scared, aren't you?"

"Let me tell you: Green Maru is my partner. No matter how many enemies we face, we'll fight together!"

"Don't complain that I'm bullying you with numbers. If you can, go raise a ninja dog of your own."

"Woof, woof!"

The vicious dog barked, foul-smelling drool dripping from the corners of its mouth.

Watanabe took a deep breath. "In that case, I've got nothing to say."

"Except I'm going to throw those words right back at you: 'bullying the few with numbers.'"

The next second, Watanabe's eyes flashed. His hands flew through the seals as he silently thought:

"Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."

"Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof..."

Hundreds upon hundreds of clouds of white smoke burst across the ring, their echoes resounding throughout the entire Training Ground.