Cowardly Act

The scene shifted to Uchiha Kai. Having just stepped off the field, he felt the burning gaze behind him, but he stubbornly pretended not to notice.

"That was amazing, Kai! You took down that stuck-up girl in just a few moves! Did you see it? She was crying just now!" Morino Kei said excitedly, pumping his fist.

"No, no, I just got lucky," Uchiha Kai replied, waving a hand.

"Don't be modest, Kai-kun. This is proof of all your hard work. You train so desperately every day—shouldn't it be natural for you to have this kind of strength?" Hyuga Rei praised from beside him.

"Unlike certain people who only know how to talk big and have nothing but a loud mouth..." As she spoke, the girl shot Mitaraishi Anko in the distance a sidelong glance, making no effort to hide the hostility in her eyes.

"All right, all right. She's Orochimaru's disciple, after all. We should show her some respect." Uchiha Kai gently nudged the girl, and only then did she withdraw her gaze and deactivate her Byakugan.

Just as they were about to chat a little longer, a voice rang out beside their ears, interrupting them once again.

"Next match: Uchiha Ko versus Morino Kei!"

"Huh? Why's it my turn already? Are they targeting the three of us or something?" Morino Kei scratched his head.

"Move aside, you big oaf." While Morino Kei was still complaining, a cold voice came from behind him.

A sharp-featured boy in a black combat uniform strode forward with his chest puffed out. As he passed, he viciously slammed his shoulder into Morino Kei's.

"Hey, your mo—" Staggering from the impact, Morino Kei was just about to curse when Uchiha Kai covered his mouth.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..." After flailing about for a while, Morino Kei looked at Uchiha Kai in confusion.

"What are you doing, Kai? Don't cover my mouth! That stuck-up idiot—I'll curse his pants right off if they're not tight enough."

"All right, no need to get angry with an idiot like that. Just teach him a proper lesson with your fists later. Smash that smug face of his with strength." Uchiha Kai shook his head and spoke earnestly, never once giving Uchiha Ko a proper look.

"Fine! Just watch, Kai, Rei. I'll stuff that bastard's mouth full of rocks and let him feast." With that, the boy rolled up his sleeves and strode quickly toward the center of the training field.

"Hmph. Trash will always be trash. Dragging this out—will that change the fact that you're weak?" Before the battle had even begun, Uchiha Ko could not wait to start taunting him.

Morino Kei did not get angry. He merely moved his lips and silently mouthed the words.

"Idiot."

"You!" Uchiha Ko's expression changed, and just as he was about to speak again—

"Begin!" Funeno Daikoku, who was presiding over the match, seemed to be fanning the flames. Just as the tension between the two reached its peak, he suddenly declared the battle started.

The next moment, both of them formed the Opposing Seals.

"What a boring fight. I'll crush you in no time!" Uchiha Ko charged forward, his face full of arrogance.

"Psycho." Morino Kei muttered a curse, his eyes fixed on Uchiha Ko's movements as he prepared for the incoming attack.

Bang!

Uchiha Ko lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick. Morino Kei neither dodged nor retreated, crossing his arms to block it and receiving the blow solidly.

He immediately seized the chance to throw a punch. Uchiha Ko's old force had faded before new force could rise, leaving him no choice but to raise his arms to protect his vital areas.

"Urgh..."

Uchiha Ko cried out in pain as the tremendous blow sent him flying half a meter. His arms were nearly numb.

"You damned brute!" he cursed, throwing several Shuriken at Morino Kei.

"You effeminate weakling." Morino Kei cursed back, using a Kunai in his hand to knock away the incoming Shuriken.

The two closed in again, their Kunai slashing and clashing, throwing off fierce sparks.

Clang, clang, clang! In just a few seconds, they had exchanged several blows. But at the moment, Uchiha Ko was completely at a disadvantage. Every collision of their weapons brought a savage expression to his face.

"Damn it, damn it! Where did this damned civilian ninja get so much strength?!" After another clash, Uchiha Ko felt a tearing pain shoot through the web between his thumb and forefinger.

No. I can't keep trading blows with this big idiot. If this continues, I'll be the only one losing out. With that thought, Uchiha Ko quickly pulled away and retreated.

"Hmph! Trying to run?" There was no way Morino Kei would let him have his way. He leaped forward and rapidly gave chase.

"Stop running! Weren't you acting all tough? You damn sissy!" Morino Kei shouted.

"Hmph. The rage of the incompetent." Uchiha Ko snorted, completely ignoring the taunt as his feet moved even faster.

Whoosh, whoosh! Morino Kei threw out a handful of Shuriken. He did not care about accuracy, simply overwhelming his opponent with numbers—a pure display of brute force.

"Who taught this guy to use Shuriken like that?" Uchiha Ko stared blankly at the net of Shuriken descending upon him, his hands rapidly forming several seals.

Bang!

After a dull thud, half a dead tree trunk appeared in Uchiha Ko's place and took the barrage of Shuriken, followed by a flurry of impacts.

"Oh, pretty quick reflexes." Morino Kei was not surprised to see his attack evaded. He had never expected his half-baked Shurikenjutsu to be particularly useful anyway.

It was already good enough if it drained some of Uchiha Ko's Chakra.

The next second, Morino Kei's expression turned serious, his gaze fixed on the route his enemy had taken while retreating.

His hands began forming seals at high speed.

"Water Style—Water Chaos Wave!"

A thick column of water burst from Morino Kei's mouth and shot toward Uchiha Ko at incredible speed.

"!" Uchiha Ko was instantly startled, but having just used the Substitution Technique, he was still catching his breath and had no time to form seals and cast another technique.

The thick water column slammed solidly into his body. The overwhelming impact nearly knocked the breath from him. After staggering two steps, he collapsed to the ground, with no strength left to continue fighting.

"Damn it... damn it! I haven't even used my ninjutsu yet! How could I lose just like this?! I won't accept it! I absolutely won't accept it!"

Uchiha Ko, sprawled on the ground, forced himself to try to get back up, but the sharp pain in his chest made it impossible for him to rise again.

"The victor has been decided!" Funeno Daikoku cried out, announcing the result of the match.

Morino Kei stepped forward and walked up to the fallen Uchiha Ko, extending his right hand in an attempt to form the Seal of Reconciliation with him.

"Get lost! I didn't lose!" Uchiha Ko showed no appreciation whatsoever, roaring as he slapped Morino Kei's hand away.

"Huh? Isn't this a little much? You lost, so you lost. Don't make such a spectacle of yourself, okay?" The tall boy could not help saying as he looked at Uchiha Ko's resentful face.

But he failed to notice that the fallen Uchiha Ko's eyes were growing increasingly vicious, his expression becoming horribly twisted as he clenched his teeth and stared at him like he was an enemy.

Without thinking much of it, Morino Kei carelessly turned around and headed toward his two friends, who had been waiting for a long time. Just as he was about to boast to them—

A weapon suddenly whistled through the air behind him. He instinctively tilted his head aside, but his face was still cut.

"What are you doing?!" the boy demanded loudly.

"He lost the match and still launched a sneak attack? How much of a sore loser is this guy? Is this really the Uchiha Clan?" "Exactly! Look at Uchiha Kai—he has the bearing of a true expert. If someone like this became a ninja, who would dare be his teammate?"

Seeing Uchiha Ko suddenly rise up and launch a sneak attack, the students watching below immediately erupted, all beginning to condemn and curse him.

"Shut up! All of you, shut up! I didn't lose! I didn't lose!" Uchiha Ko roared madly, bloodshot veins spreading through the corners of his eyes.

"It's all because of you! You ambushed me! You attacked me before I could even use my ninjutsu!" Having completely lost his mind, Uchiha Ko suddenly began forming seals.

"I'll kill you!"

A massive fireball formed and shot straight toward Morino Kei. The boy was shocked and furious, never having imagined Uchiha Ko would go this far—openly using ninjutsu to ambush him in front of everyone.

Just as he was about to form seals and resist, he suddenly heard a hum.

A cold gleam flashed, and Zhulu left its sheath.