Confession

In the training ground, the fifteen members of Group A chased after Gekko Hayate, throwing Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon while scrambling to retrieve the ninja tools that landed on the ground. They were having a blast.

Gekko Hayate kept running toward Anko, Iruka, and the others, but unfortunately, those guys had no conscience. As soon as Gekko Hayate approached, they would scurry away, completely unwilling to stand with him.

At first, Hiramatsu Daishi thought Group A had a plan to attack one person at a time, but seeing this, he finally understood.

"These brats are really... sigh."

However, everything was within the rules, so Hiramatsu Daishi did not step in to stop them.

Although Gekko Hayate was busy running, he kept a close eye on the people chasing him.

Due to the differences in individual stamina, the pursuers had formed a long line. Furthermore, since everyone had a limited supply of ninja tools, they had to stop to pick up the ones scattered on the ground, making the line disjointed and intermittent.

A smile curled at the corner of Gekko Hayate's mouth: You bronzes, get a head start on feeling the output of a king!

Gekko Hayate paused his steps and spun 180 degrees on the spot. While dodging two Kunai aimed at his shoulders, he used the momentum of his rotation to launch the two Shuriken in his hands.

Piapia!

Accompanied by two crisp, clean impact sounds, two bronzes from Group A fell to the ground, clutching their feet and howling.

"Hm?"

Hiramatsu Daishi's eyes widened to their limit. "Luck, or...?"

"Charge!"

"Take down Gekko Hayate!"

Seeing two of their companions fall, the members of Group A were instantly overcome with rage. They stopped picking up the ninja tools on the ground and swarmed toward Gekko Hayate.

Gekko Hayate was not about to be intimidated. As he ran, he pulled Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon from his Ninja Tool Pouch, aiming specifically at their lower bodies.

Piapiapiapia!

One bronze after another was struck by Gekko Hayate's ninja tools and tumbled to the ground. In just half a minute, the long line behind Gekko Hayate grew shorter and shorter, until finally, only Ito Nipan remained, trailing behind due to his weight.

Ito Nipan clutched his Shuriken, facing Gekko Hayate with a somewhat awkward expression.

At this moment, Nipan felt a sense of resistance in his heart. In terms of combat, they were clearly all bottom-tier students, so why were you suddenly so excellent?!

Gekko Hayate gave a light smile and shot a Senbon from his hand, striking Nipan's knee. Nipan's left leg went numb, and he couldn't help but drop to one knee.

"How is this possible?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Woof woof!"

"Ito Ni, are you guys putting on a show with Hayate?"

Anko, Iruka, and the others from Group B were stunned, their scalps tingling and their nerves frazzled by Hayate's series of maneuvers!

Hayate turned around helplessly. "Hey, hey, whose side are you guys actually on?"

"Hayate, watch out!!"

Iruka suddenly shrieked.

Hayate froze. In his mind, the image of a girl shrouded in a high-collared trench coat suddenly flashed by.

Aburame Yui?!

Damn it!

She's in Group A too, how could I have forgotten about her?!

Hayate's expression shifted slightly. At the same time, the sound of something cutting through the air whistled toward him from behind.

There was no time to turn around; Hayate threw a Shuriken backhanded.

Clang!

The Ninja Tool Throwing skill harvested from the chunin Kashima Isamu did not disappoint. The backhanded Shuriken accurately struck the Senbon thrown by Aburame Yui!

"What?"

Hiramatsu Daishi, who was watching from the sidelines, twitched.

The level of Ninja Tool Throwing that Hayate had just displayed far exceeded the average level of students at the Ninja Academy, and even the highest level!

He had only ever seen such excellence in one student: Uchiha Shisui!

Could this student named Gekko Hayate really be on par with Shisui?

But that didn't make sense.

Although Hiramatsu Daishi was the homeroom teacher of Class 1, he was good friends with Kashima Isamu. He had heard Kashima Isamu talk about the talented Aburame Yui and the untalented Ito Ni from Class 8, but he hadn't heard anything about Hayate, whose grades were supposedly average.

But if Hayate's talent was poor, what was up with his Ninja Tool Throwing?

Could Gekko Hayate have been hiding his true strength all along?

In the arena.

Hayate broke out in a cold sweat. He turned around slowly and discovered that Aburame Yui had been standing next to Ito Ni before he even realized it.

Aburame Yui had been running behind Ito Ni the whole time. Because of her naturally low presence and Ito Ni's bulky frame, Hayate had subconsciously ignored her. He had almost been blindsided by Aburame Yui.

"Your presence is truly #4&%￥*@~@#%￥..."

Hanfu grumbled fiercely.

"?" Aburame Yui looked puzzled, her mouth opening slightly. "What?"

"I said..." Hanfu had just started to speak when he was interrupted by Anko's screech.

"Charge! Group A only has Yui left, victory belongs to us in Group B!"

"Ganbatte!"

"Woof woof woof!"

Under Hanfu's dumbfounded gaze, the bronze-tier players of Group B, who had originally been hiding far away from him, charged resolutely toward Aburame Yui, the strongest member of Class 8, led by Anko. Their momentum was like a rainbow, and they were utterly fearless!

Aburame Yui didn't have any pride to maintain. Seeing the members of Group B rushing over all at once, she immediately raised her hands and crouched on the ground, signaling her surrender.

"Yay! We won!"

"Group B is the best!"

"Woof!"

Anko and the others cheered and jumped, inexplicably excited.

"Hey, you guys didn't do anything, alright!"

Hanfu felt exhausted: these drama queens!

"No way!"

"Since when did Hanfu get so strong?"

"His shuriken throwing was too accurate. I just saw him wave his hand, and my foot was hit."

"I never expected to be beaten up by the dead last today, sigh."

The losers from Group A gathered together, their faces full of frustration.

"Me too, my knee still hurts." Ito Ni rubbed his knee, looking at Hanfu in the distance who was acting like nothing had happened. To be honest, he felt a bit of envy, but soon, he felt ashamed for the envy he had felt: I am the man who will inherit Konoha Sushi in the future, I am the man who will become the strongest sushi chef in Konoha and even the ninja world. Being a ninja or whatever, I don't want to be one at all... wuwu... I want to cry.

"Hanfu, you kid, what exactly did you go through during summer vacation?"

Iruka walked up to Hanfu, looking curious. "The change is just too big, isn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah, your performance just now was too exaggerated!" Inuzuka Sa walked over, holding the little puppy Shiromaru.

"You're completely on a different level than us." Izumo Kamizuki walked over, spreading his hands.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Gekko Hayate knew he couldn't keep it hidden anymore, so he had to come clean. "For the past year, I've been interacting with you all as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was being called a dead last and being laughed at. Fine, I'm done pretending. I'm a genius. I'm laying my cards on the table."

"..." Anko, Iruka, Inuzuka Sa, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane stared at him with expressionless faces.

"Woof woof..." Shiromaru.

Before they could even roast him, Hiramatsu Daishi walked over.

"Everyone did very well, but you still need to keep working hard. So, everyone take a ten-minute break right where you are. Afterward, we will continue with group sparring! Gekko Hayate, come here for a moment. I have something to ask you."

I've already laid my cards on the table, are you guys still not going to vote?