The practical class arrived as scheduled, and the training ground was ablaze with excitement.
The students of Class C rubbed their hands eagerly, all hoping to show off their skills in front of Teacher Yoshino Shoda.
Morino Iruki was the first to step up. He struck a pose and formed Hand Seals at lightning speed. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried. With a series of poofs, five copies of Morino Iruki appeared on the field and charged toward the practice targets.
But just as everyone thought he would complete the exercise without a hitch, a figure flashed past like a gust of wind.
"Thud!" A heavy impact rang out. All five clones vanished at once, and Morino Iruki himself was kicked flying, crashing hard outside the training area.
The one who had struck was Uchiha Mei. She dusted off her hands, her expression calm, as though she had done nothing more than a trivial chore.
The whole field fell silent, then erupted in cries of amazement.
"What incredible speed!"
"Mei's gotten even stronger!"
"She's practically at Chunin level!"
Teacher Yoshino Shoda looked at Uchiha Mei. "Mei, your progress has been astonishing! Not only have your practical skills improved by leaps and bounds, but your grades in every subject have risen from the middle of the class to the top. You've really made us see you in a new light!" Uchiha Mei gave a slight nod, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Haotian also took part in the practical exercises that followed.
He gave it everything he had, but still looked clumsy. Compared with the other students, there was simply no contest.
He gritted his teeth and struggled to control the flow of Chakra, trying to perform a simple Fire Release Ninjutsu. But all he managed was a weak spray of sparks that didn't even reach the edge of the target.
A few quiet snickers came from the sidelines. Haotian felt his face burning and wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
After the practical class, Teacher Yoshino Shoda walked over to Uchiha Mei, patted her on the shoulder, and said quietly, "Mei, your recent improvement has been a little... unbelievable." Uchiha Mei smiled and replied modestly, "You're too kind, Sensei. I've just worked a little harder than everyone else." Yoshino Shoda gave her a long look but said nothing more.
Gekko Hayate also took part in the next match.
He was skilled with the sword, nimble and incredibly fast.
However, his attacks lacked power. Against opponents with strong defenses, he often struggled to break through.
In the end, he faced Haotian in a match. The two traded blows back and forth, locked in a stalemate, but neither gained a clear advantage.
The students watching from the sidelines were practically nodding off. The match could only be described as "utterly unremarkable."
As expected, Uchiha Mei once again took first place in the practical class.
She stood on the podium and accepted the cheers and praise, yet showed no trace of pride, as if it were only natural.
Scenes like this had become commonplace at the Ninja Academy lately.
Uchiha Mei's strength had improved by leaps and bounds, bringing her close to Chunin level—a rare feat in the academy's history.
"Mei's amazing! She's already this strong, and she hasn't even graduated!"
"Yeah! She'll definitely become an elite ninja like Kakashi-senpai someday!"
The students chattered excitedly, their words full of admiration and envy.
Only Haotian stood silently among them, his head bowed.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, savoring the sharp pain.
He knew the gap between himself and Uchiha Mei was like that between the bright moon in the sky and a firefly on the ground. There was no comparison.
The bell rang, and the students gradually dispersed. Before long, the training ground was empty.
Haotian remained seated where he was, motionless as a statue.
His gaze was blank, his mind in turmoil, his heart full of confusion and helplessness.
Am I... really this weak? he murmured, his voice trembling slightly.
The setting sun cast its glow over the empty training ground, stretching Haotian's shadow long across the earth.
He slowly got to his feet, brushed the dust from his trousers, and walked away dejectedly.
The noise around him seemed cut off from the world. All he could hear was the soft crunch of his feet on the gravel path.
When he got home, the cold, empty air greeted him.
Haotian lit an oil lamp, its dim yellow light illuminating the bare room.
The war had taken his parents, leaving him only a small amount of compensation and the money from selling the family's ancestral property.
He wasn't poor, but he wasn't well-off either. What was more, making the special silver-fiber bandages that could absorb the nuclear radiation in his body had already cost him a large part of his savings.
He went to the kitchen and began washing rice, chopping vegetables, and lighting the fire with practiced ease.
A thin column of smoke rose, carrying the faint fragrance of cooked rice, but it couldn't lift the gloom in his heart.
As Haotian stirred the vegetables in the pan, he kept thinking about the strange power inside him.
It was violent and powerful, like a sleeping giant beast that could break free of its restraints at any moment and devour him.
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