Seeing this, Naruto smiled and replied,
"If I can beat you this time, then I'll definitely beat you next time too. Don't underestimate me, Sasuke!"
"Bonk."
Just as Naruto was refusing to back down, Isho raised a hand and gave him a sharp rap on the head. Then he scolded him,
"You idiot! Do you remember what I told you? You must never let your guard down. Don't tell me you don't even know the time limit for using the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique?!"
"I know... But just now, I was focused on Sasuke. So I... was a little slow to act."
Naruto protested with a slightly aggrieved look, but his voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke. He knew he really had gotten carried away at first.
"You should learn from Sasuke on that point. He spotted the biggest weakness in your technique in just a few seconds. If you'd waited a few seconds longer to act, Sasuke would've won again."
At those words, Sasuke lifted his chin slightly. Being held up by Isho as a positive example for Naruto made the disappointment he'd felt over losing moments ago vanish.
Winter slipped quietly away, and warm spring arrived in its place. Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and before long, April had come.
Inside the Ninja Academy in Konoha.
All the students in Isho's class gathered on the training field, ready for their practical assessment.
"Isho, who do you think will come in second this time?" Qiupu asked curiously from behind him. The two of them got along fairly well.
"Probably Jingchuan. I think he came in second last time too. Of course, it could also be..." Isho paused briefly, then pointed at himself as if joking, "Me."
"Hahahaha... He must've been dreaming with his eyes open, thinking he was still at home, lost in some big fantasy."
"Yeah. When he can't even hold on to thirteenth place later, he'll realize what a ridiculous thing he said."
The students nearby who'd heard their conversation burst out laughing, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably. Neji Hyuga calmly glanced at the two of them.
"Isho, you're getting better and better at joking. Then I'll take third place. After all, I'm only a little weaker than you." Akiyo put on a serious expression, his smile fading.
"Isho, I believe that as long as you work hard enough, you'll eventually come in second—or even first—just as you believe in me." Rock Lee, standing two places away from Isho, offered him some encouragement.
But as soon as Rock Lee finished speaking, the little group of six boys standing together burst into laughter. Lingdou Yiyou, who had short hair, jeered without hesitation,
"When did the 'hot-blooded dead last' start hanging out with the Uchiha Clan's last 'mute'?
Though I guess they suit each other. Even the things they say are equally laughable! Hahahaha... Don't you agree?"
"Slap!"
The loud slap rang in everyone's ears. Lingdou Yiyou fell to the ground in disbelief, clutching his swollen left cheek. His face twisted as a bitter glare and furious pain spread across his features.
But when he saw who had struck him and met those crimson eyes—along with the icy, stern gaze that seemed to brim with murderous intent—he swallowed his curses.
Several members of the group that had been with Lingdou Yiyou came to their senses and immediately surrounded Isho.
But no one had expected that Lingdou Yiyou, muttering "monster" over and over, would be so frightened that he trembled and didn't dare get up.
"Uchiha Isho, what are you doing?! Why did you suddenly hit your classmate?"
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the Chunin teacher in charge of the assessment used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Isho. He stared at him with displeasure.
"Teacher, Lingdou Yiyou didn't just insult me. He kept making fun of me too. He called me an orphan and mocked me for being the last mute in the Uchiha Clan. He also made fun of Rock Lee for being like me."
Isho explained in a trembling voice that sounded as if he was about to cry. Tears seemed to glimmer in his dark eyes, making him look nothing like the imposing figure he'd been moments ago.
After the Chunin teacher questioned a few students nearby, he received answers that differed slightly from Isho's account but conveyed the same meaning. Seeing, on top of that, five students surrounding Isho, he frowned.
"Uchiha Isho, Lingdou Yiyou was wrong to insult you. But you shouldn't have attacked him. You could've reported it to me, and I would've punished him. Or you could've settled it in a fair fight."
"Yes, I know I was wrong, Teacher."
Seeing how promptly and sincerely Isho admitted his mistake, the tall, muscular Chunin teacher's expression returned to its usual sternness.
"Then apologize to Lingdou Yiyou."
"I'm really sorry, Lingdou. I shouldn't have acted impulsively and hit you."
Though his apology sounded quite convincing, Isho secretly dug his fingernails into his fingertips, trying to keep himself from suddenly laughing out loud. He felt like putting on this act was exhausting...
Noticing the Chunin teacher's unfriendly gaze, Lingdou Yiyou had no choice but to swallow his resentment and confusion, get to his feet, and accept Isho's apology.
Isho, consider this my way of paying you back. These little punks who gave you a nickname and made fun of you—I'll deal with them all when I get the chance.
There are only a handful of strong students in this class. Rock Lee is still dead last, and Tenten is somewhere in the lower-middle ranks. As for Neji, there's no question about it—he takes first place every time.
After apologizing, Isho stood there as if nothing had happened, sizing up the students and thinking about their futures.
"Quiet down."
The students who'd been whispering about what had just happened fell silent at once.
With a medical ninja beside him and the students' records back in his hands, the Chunin teacher spoke sternly. His gaze swept over everyone, pausing briefly on Isho before he continued:
"From now on, we'll hold a practical assessment every week. You need to understand that every powerful ninja grows stronger at an extraordinary pace by drawing lessons and experience from real combat. That's how they become strong."
"The students who place at the bottom will have their training time and intensity increased. Those who place near the top can use their remaining time however they like once they've finished their basic training."
"Let the assessment begin. First match: Uchiha Isho versus Neji Hyuga."
"What?! Isho's so unlucky." Qiupu put a hand to his forehead, already mourning Isho's fate. He also guessed that the match might have been arranged because of what had just happened.
The other students all breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The loser of the first match would be counted as last place, while the loser of the second match would be second-last. The winners would advance to face off for first place.
Most of the students then looked at Isho with barely concealed glee, especially the group Lingdou Yiyou belonged to. They were all struggling to hold back their laughter.
Not only was Isho in the first match, he was also facing someone who was certain to win. How was he supposed to fight that?
Before you continue