The Group One arena was not far away.
Uchiha Toru had just finished a match. He glanced over toward Group Three and happened to see Shin-chan squatting on the ground. He couldn't help shivering.
Why did it feel like...
There was so much resentment coming from Shin-chan's direction?
The matches continued.
In the Group Three arena, Shin-chan was still squatting at the back of the line, resting his chin in his hands and glancing over toward Group One from time to time.
"Next match: Shin Nohara versus Yamanaka Ichiro."
Teacher Ibuki's voice rang out.
Shin-chan slowly stood up and walked toward the arena, wooden sword in hand.
A chubby boy stood across from him.
"Begin."
Yamanaka Ichiro had only just assumed his stance when his vision blurred.
The wooden sword stopped right in front of his forehead.
"Shin Nohara wins."
Yamanaka Ichiro stood frozen, unable to react for a long moment. Had he even moved yet?
Shin-chan had already turned to head back. After two steps, he stopped and glanced over toward Group One.
Teacher Asagi was recording something for Uchiha Toru, smiling warmly.
She wasn't looking this way at all.
Shin-chan's shoulders slumped. He lowered his head, returned to the back of the line, and squatted down to draw circles again.
The students around him looked at one another, at a loss for words.
He'd won again, right?
Why did he still look like that?
Two more matches passed.
"Shin Nohara versus Mizuki Toshiya."
Mizuki Toshiya assumed a fairly convincing stance. Then his vision blurred, and the wooden sword was already at his chest.
"Shin Nohara wins."
Even Teacher Ibuki's voice sounded a little numb.
How many was that now?
Shin-chan lowered his wooden sword and, as usual, glanced over toward Group One.
Teacher Asagi was drinking water.
She still wasn't looking this way.
Shin-chan sighed, returned to the back of the line, and squatted down again.
"Next match: Shin Nohara versus Hyuga Shota."
Hyuga Shota was from the Hyuga Branch Family. He hadn't awakened the Byakugan yet, but his family had taught him some of the basics of Gentle Fist.
In fact, when he stepped into the arena, quite a few people nearby murmured among themselves.
"He's from the Hyuga Clan. He should be strong."
"Maybe he'll last a little longer, then?"
"He might even win. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is really powerful."
Hyuga Shota thought so too. He assumed a Gentle Fist stance and took a deep breath.
Then his vision blurred.
The wooden sword was already beside his neck.
"Shin Nohara wins."
Teacher Ibuki's voice had gone completely calm.
Shin-chan lowered his wooden sword and glanced over toward Group One.
Teacher Asagi was talking to another teacher, smiling happily.
She still wasn't looking this way.
Shin-chan lowered his head, returned to the back of the line, and squatted down again.
The dark cloud above his head seemed to grow even thicker.
At the edge of the arena, several students from Class A huddled together and whispered.
"Is that Shin Nohara from our class?"
"That's him."
"He's that strong?"
"I don't know. Usually, I just see him hanging out with Uchiha Toru and Might Guy."
"But that Hyuga kid he just fought—he finished him in one move?"
"Not just the Hyuga kid. The ones before him were all one-move wins, too."
"And Shiranui Genma, the strongest in Class B. He beat him in one move as well."
As they talked, they looked toward the figure squatting in the corner and drawing circles. Their expressions changed.
That lecher who was always chasing after Teacher Asagi, that guy who kept spacing out in class and gave completely irrelevant answers whenever he was called on—
He was actually this strong?
The matches continued.
After a few more rounds, the matches in all four groups gradually came to an end.
Teacher Ibuki held the list and cleared his throat.
"The two students advancing from Group Three are Shin Nohara and Mitaraishi Anko."
Shin-chan was squatting in the corner. When he heard his name, he didn't even lift his head.
Teacher Ibuki continued reading. "Advancing from Group One: Uchiha Toru and Asuma Sarutobi. From Group Two: Kurenai Yuhi and Shizune. From Group Four: Kakashi Hatake and Ebisu."
The eight finalists had been decided.
On the school field, some were happy and some were disappointed.
Obito Uchiha sat hunched over on a tree stump in the corner, his face full of dejection.
He'd lost in the very first round.
That guy didn't seem particularly impressive, but for some reason, the moment Obito stepped into the arena, his mind had gone blank.
"Obito."
A gentle voice came from behind him.
Obito turned around and saw Rin standing behind him, a faint smile on her face.
"There you are. I've been looking for you for ages."
Obito forced himself to say, "I... I'm fine."
Rin sat down beside him. She didn't say anything, just quietly kept him company.
Obito lowered his head. After a long while, he finally mumbled, "I lost. I wanted to... make a good impression."
Rin gently patted his shoulder.
Obito raised his head, about to say something, but a burst of cheers sounded nearby.
In the quarterfinals, Kakashi was facing Asuma.
Rin's gaze drifted over despite herself.
Kakashi stood in the arena, his silver hair gleaming in the sunlight.
"Begin."
Kakashi attacked first. Every step was crisp and precise, every strike perfectly timed.
Asuma fought back with all his might, but Kakashi still drove him back step by step.
The cheers from the sidelines grew louder and louder.
Rin's eyes lit up. "Kakashi's so strong."
Obito sat on the tree stump, looking at Rin, then at the silver-haired figure in the arena. He lowered his head without saying a word.
In the arena, Kakashi's sword stopped at Asuma's chest.
"Winner: Kakashi Hatake."
Asuma panted and gave a wry smile. "You're good."
Kakashi nodded. As he turned and walked to the edge of the arena, he happened to meet Rin's gaze.
Rin waved at him with a lovely smile.
Kakashi nodded, then looked away.
He was looking for someone.
After searching the crowd, he finally spotted the red-clad figure at the back.
Shin-chan was squatting in the corner, resting his chin in his hands and glancing toward the judges' table.
At the judges' table, several teachers were organizing their records.
Yūnagi Asagi sat there, head lowered as she wrote something.
Shin-chan's gaze was fixed on her.
Kakashi: "..."
This guy.
"Next match: Shin Nohara versus Ebisu."
Shin-chan slowly stood up and walked toward the arena, wooden sword in hand. After two steps, he suddenly stopped.
At the judges' table, Teacher Asagi set down her pen and looked toward the arena. Her gaze landed right on Shin-chan.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up.
The dark cloud above his head vanished in an instant.
Shin-chan straightened up, tightened his grip on the wooden sword, and strode into the arena.
Ebisu was already standing across from him, his expression serious.
Shin-chan's record so far was terrifying.
One move per opponent.
Including Shiranui Genma. Including Hyuga Shota.
All tough opponents.
Ebisu swallowed, then assumed his stance. Whatever happened, he couldn't afford to lose too badly.
"Begin."
Shin-chan didn't dash straight at his opponent like he had before. Instead, he took one step forward, paused for a moment, and then raised his wooden sword and swung.
Ebisu blocked with his kunai.
Clang!
Ebisu steadied himself, looking somewhat surprised. Had he really blocked that so easily?
Before you continue