He Didn't Have Time to Play Around with Me

The Ninja Academy wasn't a place you could just walk into. Every child who applied to join had to take a test called the "entrance exam" when they signed up.

Only children who passed the test could study at the Ninja Academy and have a chance of becoming a ninja.

Of course, the test was only for Konoha's civilian children. Children from Konoha's ninja clans didn't need to take it, because there was no point.

The leaders of the various clans weren't fools. If a child in their clan truly lacked the talent to become a ninja, the clan would still raise them or arrange for them to manage the family business and contribute to its finances. They wouldn't send them to the Ninja Academy to become a laughingstock for the clan.

Among the Konoha civilians who had taken the exam throughout the village's history, the most famous was the man who would one day be hailed as the one who almost kicked his way to the grand finale.

He was probably the strongest person ever to fail the exam in the Shinobi World.

As Ino Sarutobi called out the names, everyone reacted differently.

"Someone from the Uchiha... If he loses, the elders will probably punish him again... No, I won't lose."

Standing in the crowd, Hizashi Hyuga glanced at the calm-faced, black-haired boy, then lowered his head and murmured to himself.

"That's not so certain."

Just as Hizashi murmured under his breath, a voice tinged with amusement came from behind him. The sudden sound made his heart skip a beat.

He spun around to look, and saw that Uchiha Gen, who had just been standing some distance away, was now right behind him.

"When did he—?!"

Uchiha Gen's sudden appearance behind him made Hizashi tense up.

That kind of speed...

"Hyuga, I'm curious... How much power can those eyes of yours really give you?"

Uchiha Gen smiled as he spoke softly to Hizashi, who was staring at him in shock.

That smiling face made Hizashi sense a deep malice... and a strange, inexplicable anticipation.

This guy... really wants to fight me... What a nasty guy.

"You'll find out."

Hizashi's expression shifted, concealing his earlier surprise. He looked at Uchiha Gen and spoke in a low voice.

Gen's words, with their open provocation of the Byakugan, gave this sparring match a different meaning.

"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it. But as your opponent, I'll do you the favor of a warning. In the fight in a moment...

"If you can't give it your all and entertain me, you'll lose very, very badly. I'm sure that's not something you want to experience."

Uchiha Gen's smile never faded. If you ignored what he was saying, he seemed rather friendly.

"Ahem, um... I don't mean to intrude on your disagreement, but since we're all classmates, wouldn't it be better if we played nice?"

As Gen spoke, someone else suddenly joined the conversation.

Uchiha Gen turned to see the "little sun," Minato Namikaze, walking over and scratching his head.

"Do you want to dance too?"

Uchiha Gen turned to Minato and spoke without warning.

The unexpected question left Minato, who had prepared several lines to smooth things over, completely stunned.

Dance? Are Gen and the others having a dance-off?

"Relax, I was just joking. Hey, Minato, let's have a match later too."

Looking at the baffled Minato, Uchiha Gen followed up, having indulged his mischievous streak.

"Huh? Let's just follow the teacher's instructions. We're not supposed to fight on our own, are we?"

Minato, struggling to keep up with Gen's train of thought, awkwardly scratched his yellow hair and spoke under his breath.

"Hmph, arrogant!"

Hizashi, whom Uchiha Gen had ignored while chatting with Minato, couldn't help but snort.

"Next match! Uchiha Gen versus Hizashi Hyuga! Step forward and form the Seal of Confrontation."

Ino Sarutobi's voice rang out at just the right moment.

"Let's go."

Uchiha Gen turned to Hizashi, his smile unchanged. He stepped forward and headed for the center of the training ground, and Hizashi followed close behind.

"Teacher Ino Sarutobi, this practical lesson is meant to assess everyone's abilities, right? In that case, can I challenge everyone here?"

On the training ground, Uchiha Gen stood in place and formed the Seal of Confrontation with one hand. Looking at Hizashi, who had formed the seal across from him, he softly asked Ino Sarutobi.

"Just as I said at the beginning, Class A's teaching methods are completely different from those of the other classes. This practical lesson is indeed meant to assess your abilities. If you want, I can change the schedule, but keep an eye on the time. I don't have that much time to play around with you."

Ino Sarutobi furrowed his brow at Gen's question. He glanced at Gen's smiling face, then at the clan crest on the back of his clothes, and spoke in a low voice.

It made sense for a child from the Uchiha to say something like that.

"Don't worry. It won't take long. Come on."

When Ino agreed, Uchiha Gen's smile widened. He lowered his hand, palm facing up, while maintaining the Seal of Confrontation, and crooked a finger at Hizashi.

"Arrogant!"

Gen's dismissive tone made Hizashi flush with anger. The veins at his temples bulged.

Byakugan! Activate!

Whoosh!

Along with his furious shout, Hizashi surged forward.

His robes billowing, Hizashi closed in on Uchiha Gen, raised his arm, and struck out with a palm.

"Eight Trigrams—"

Thud!

Looking at Hizashi as he charged into range, Uchiha Gen curled the corner of his mouth and swung his palm.

There was no flashy technique to it, just a simple slap.

The sudden pain in Hizashi's face cut off the words "Two Palms" before he could finish saying them. As Gen's palm struck him, Hizashi stumbled and fell face-first at Gen's feet.

"Sorry, Teacher Ino Sarutobi said he didn't have time to play around with me. Hey, teacher, can we move on to the next one?"

Looking at Hizashi, sprawled in front of him with an incredulous expression, Uchiha Gen smiled faintly. Then he turned to Ino Sarutobi, who looked just as astonished, and spoke softly.