Sure enough, when Yamanaka Ino heard those words, her expression changed. She hesitated for less than two seconds before breaking into a bright smile and turning toward Akimichi Denji, who seemed completely detached from the situation. Her voice dripped with sweetness.
"Hey~ Denji-kun~"
She reached out with both hands and grabbed his arm, gently shaking it like a kitten begging for attention. Her eyes were full of anticipation. "Um... about training... could I join too?"
"You?" Choji looked up, his little eyes filled with confusion. "Aren't intelligence ninja supposed to not need special Taijutsu training?"
He thought the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques were the main thing.
The Yamanaka Clan specialized in intelligence, so they didn't have high Taijutsu requirements.
"This young lady wants to become an all-around ninja. Is that a problem?!" Ino immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She let go of Denji's arm, planted her hands on her hips, and roared at Choji with impressive force.
"This young lady wants to become an all-around ninja. Is that a problem?" Yamanaka Ino shouted at Akimichi Choji with her hands on her hips.
She clung to Akimichi Denji's arm and gave it a flattering shake. "Denji-kun, pleeease?"
"Sure." Akimichi Denji nodded calmly.
Training with one person was still training, and training with a group was still training. He already had two Uchiha and a Hyuga involved, so there was no reason to turn down an ally from the Yamanaka Clan.
"Ping! Yamanaka Ino's wish completed: [Will there be a place for me by your side?] Wish Point +1."
That afternoon, the sun shone brightly over Training Ground No. 5.
But today's lesson was a little different.
Umino Iruka stood in the clearing and announced, "The end of the term is coming up. To motivate everyone and help you understand the gap between you and the path of a ninja, we'll be sparring with students from the upper grades today."
The previous day, Sasuke Uchiha's defeat at Denji's hands had given Master Sea Iruka an idea.
He wanted to encourage the students to work harder on their own through this kind of exercise.
Everyone looked over at the second-year students.
One of them stood out in particular: a boy with pale eyes. At this stage, none of them had earned their Forehead Protectors, so their foreheads were bare, but his was wrapped in cloth.
Akimichi Denji recognized him. He was Hyuga Neji, one of the Konoha Twelve.
He also spotted Rock Lee and Tenten in the crowd. Rock Lee was already wearing that green, one-piece outfit that made him look like a ninja turtle.
At the edge of the training ground, Hyuga Hinata's gaze stayed fixed on Hyuga Neji.
Hinata's eyes darted away. She didn't know how to face Neji.
Once, her cousin's warm smile and patient guidance had been precious memories from her childhood.
But everything had changed after the Cursed Seal known as the Caged Bird was branded onto Neji's forehead, and after she gradually came to understand the cold divide between the Main House and the Branch House.
Neji's gaze toward her had grown sharp and distant.
And after Uncle Hizashi died, an even stronger hint of disgust had crept into the way Hyuga Neji looked at her.
Hinata worked up the courage to approach, but when she met his utterly unreadable Byakugan, she timidly lowered her head.
Umino Iruka turned to his colleague Mizuki with a warm smile. "Teacher Mizuki, then... shall we begin the sparring matches in a bit?"
Mizuki looked at Umino Iruka with a deeply buried hint of loathing, but his smile was radiant. "Sure! Absolutely!"
His tone was casual as he added, "Same rules as usual? We draw lots to decide the matchups, but if any students have someone in particular they want to challenge, they're allowed to fight freely."
When Iruka had approached him the day before about holding a sparring match between their classes, Mizuki had been filled with bitter mockery.
Hmph. One brat in his class awakens the Sharingan, and now he can't wait to parade him in front of me? he sneered inwardly, a sour jealousy bubbling up.
Looking at Iruka, Mizuki found him unbearably irritating. He's weaker than me and doesn't even have a decent girlfriend. What does he have to be so proud of?
In the crowd, Mizuki placed a hand on Shinnosuke's shoulder. He wore a falsely concerned smile, but kept his voice low. "Shinnosuke, don't hold back later."
"Show the younger kids what it means to be outclassed by an upperclassman."
Shinnosuke nodded firmly. He understood the implication behind Mizuki's words, and a cruel excitement flashed in his eyes.
Satisfied, Mizuki straightened up and looked over at Hyuga Neji, who was alone in a corner, wrapping bandages around his hands.
He tried to make his voice sound encouraging. "Neji, you'll be taking part too. Show them the 'full extent' of your abilities as a Hyuga genius and open the other class's eyes."
Neji didn't pause in wrapping his bandages or even look up. He replied in a flat voice, "They're a bunch of brats. I don't need to take them seriously."
His undisguised contempt and blunt retort made Mizuki's smile stiffen for an instant.
Mizuki's expression shifted almost imperceptibly as his eyes narrowed.
He just got lucky and was born into the Hyuga Clan, Mizuki roared inwardly. A genius? If I had the Hyuga Clan's resources and the best training from childhood... I, Mizuki, would deserve to be called a genius too!
The first match was Uzumaki Naruto against Shinnosuke.
Naruto charged in with his usual enthusiasm, throwing straight punches and sweeping kicks in broad, powerful movements. It was Konoha Style Taijutsu.
Shinnosuke only sneered.
He moved nimbly, easily evaded Naruto's fierce attacks, and seized an opening to drive a precise, vicious elbow into Naruto's ribs.
Naruto winced and tried to dodge, but Shinnosuke took advantage of the opening and swept his legs out from under him, sending the staggering Naruto crashing to the ground.
Before Naruto could get back up, Shinnosuke was already on top of him, pressing a knee hard into his back and pinning him down.
His brutal moves drew a chorus of gasps from the sidelines.
Iruka watched with a furrowed brow and shouted, "That's enough! The match is over!"
Only then did Shinnosuke release Naruto, looking thoroughly satisfied. He flashed a taunting smile at Naruto as he got back to his feet.
Naruto clutched his aching ribs, his face full of frustration.
"Damn! He's pretty strong."
"He was way too rough. It's just a sparring match!" Haruno Sakura complained.
She usually argued with Naruto, but even she thought this level of beating had gone too far.
"He knocked him down and still kept hitting him," Inuzuka Kiba grumbled. "If I had a Ninja Dog contract, I'd show him what's what."
Sasuke's brows drew tightly together. A clear trace of displeasure and disgust crossed his usually cool face.
He was always calling Naruto a dead-last, but seeing a classmate bullied like this—especially by someone wearing such a smug, victorious expression—made him furious.
"I'll fight him!"
There was no time to mourn Uzumaki Naruto. Next onto the battlefield was Sasuke Uchiha.
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