Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Ding! Merging with ninja Rock Lee, remaining duration 23:59]

As the system prompt appeared, Uchiha Isho felt as if the muscles and bones throughout his entire body were exploding. Amidst the "crackling" sounds of his skeleton shifting, he suddenly began performing the warm-up exercises from his past life.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."

He recited the familiar slogans in his heart while performing chest expansions, followed by lunges to stretch his legs.

Seeing Uchiha Isho acting so nonchalant while performing these strange stretches, compounded by the fact that female students nearby were whispering in infatuation and praising him, the anger of the group preparing to attack rose even higher.

"Qiupu, what is wrong with Uchiha Isho? If I recall correctly, he clearly told me just moments ago that he didn't care what rank he got this time. Could it be that he intends to take on everyone at once and become the most monstrous existence? Did I misunderstand him?"

Changyang suddenly fell into self-doubt, wondering if he had misheard.

Many students in the class who had received help from Uchiha Isho and considered him a friend also wore expressions of confusion.

They considered themselves to know Uchiha Isho quite well; this guy was clearly very humble and lazy, so why did he suddenly seem moody, as if he were a completely different person?

Upon hearing this, Qiupu shook his head and was about to speak, but he saw Kotetsu Hagane had already stepped between the two sides and raised his right hand.

The moment his right hand swung down, apart from five or six of Uchiha Isho's friends and three or four female students who remained where they were, the rest of the crowd surged forward. Some threw shuriken that had long been itching to be released, and Neji Hyuga had already charged to the very front, only a few steps away from Uchiha Isho.

At that moment, Uchiha Isho did not use his full strength; he merely took a single step forward, dodging the dense barrage of shuriken aimed at his vital points. The next moment, a shocking scene unfolded.

It was as if Uchiha Isho could not control himself; with just that one step, he collided head-on with Neji Hyuga, sending him flying backward for two meters.

If Uchiha Isho hadn't forcefully retracted most of his strength at the last second, Neji Hyuga would have broken at least two ribs, yet Uchiha Isho stood there, somewhat bewildered.

Neji Hyuga, who had been struck as if by the base of a giant tree, looked at Uchiha Isho with shock; under the pressure of Uchiha Isho, his Byakugan, which he had been able to activate at age eleven, couldn't help but shrink.

"Uchiha Isho, how could you be this strong? My Byakugan couldn't even track your movements. Could it be that you were deliberately hiding your strength during the previous assessments, all for the sake of shining brightly at this very moment!"

Neji Hyuga clutched his abdomen; even though his ribs weren't broken, the intense pain from the strike seemed to spread throughout his entire body. He never imagined that among his peers, someone could render him incapable of resistance with a single blow.

Seeing this, the others were so frightened that they slammed on the brakes, stopping in their tracks to stare blankly at Uchiha Isho.

Luckily, Rock Lee has perfect control over his own power, otherwise Neji would definitely be severely injured. Even with that muscle-memory-like control, I still can't overcome the unfamiliarity of just starting to use this power.

Relieved, Uchiha Isho's thoughts raced, and he immediately spoke according to the script he had prepared in his mind:

"You guessed wrong. It's just that I don't know why my strength has been rising so rapidly lately. So, I wanted to spar with you all to test my current limits. Now, I have a general idea."

Watching Uchiha Isho suddenly clench his fist as if feeling his own power, it was the crowd's turn to be dumbfounded. What did he mean by his strength rising rapidly—rapidly enough to defeat in one blow someone whom many in the class looked up to?

This sounded like a joke, something out of a daydream.

How is this possible?! Even if he activated the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, his taijutsu couldn't have improved so drastically. How did he do this!

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Neji Hyuga stared at Uchiha Isho unwillingly for a few seconds, even suspecting that the person before him was some teacher using the Transformation Technique, but his expression gradually turned extremely dejected.

Since he had lost the ability to continue fighting, he was helplessly carried off the field on a stretcher by medical ninjas and sent to the hospital for examination and treatment.

"He took down Neji Hyuga in one move... and that's Neji Hyuga, who almost always takes first place in every assessment! Do we even have a chance of winning?"

"If even Neji Hyuga couldn't withstand a single move from him, Uchiha Isho might already be a powerhouse on the same level as our teachers."

Seeing the scene before them, several students muttered in disbelief.

The crowd of students who had been fired up and eager to knock Uchiha Isho down felt as if they had fallen into an icy cave, sinking into deep despair.

Discovering that the students in front of him were all hanging their heads and had lost the desire to fight, Uchiha Isho was truly caught off guard.

The only benefit is that I don't have to waste time taking them down one by one, but the downside is also obvious. How am I supposed to pretend I'm very strong now? Otherwise, when the Jonin team leader tests our strength, I can't just waste another experience card. You have to know, I am currently a powerhouse who can barely open the sixth gate of the Eight Inner Gates and possess Jonin-level strength. I really don't want to waste an experience card, even if it's just for a common, low-tier ninja.

After wailing in his heart for a moment, Uchiha Isho turned to look at Kotetsu Hagane and said, "Teacher, can you announce the result of this match now?"

The relaxed expression Kotetsu Hagane had worn had long since vanished without a trace. His face was solemn, and he scrutinized Uchiha Isho with care; he had barely managed to see the full process of that simple move.

This kid's current talent is probably only surpassed by the likes of Kakashi back in the day. After all, that guy graduated at five, became a Chunin at six, and was already a Jonin by twelve. As for me, my strength will likely only reach Special Jonin for my entire life. Truly, comparing people only leads to frustration.

"I now announce that the winner of this match is Uchiha Isho!"

"You are all quite good; you were worth me using thirty percent of my strength."

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Task One, reward: 35 Luck Points]

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd fell into another silence, and even Uchiha Isho's friends furrowed their brows slightly. There was no other reason—Uchiha Isho's words were too hurtful.

"Winning or losing in a single moment doesn't mean anything. I was once close to being at the bottom of the class. My current strength was built step by step through sweat, time, persistence, and hard work. Therefore, I firmly believe that as long as you put in a little more time and energy, and constantly surpass yourselves, bravely taking steps forward, then your future achievements may not be inferior to mine. Moreover, I have never looked down on your potential! Furthermore, there is no such thing as failure in life; every setback is a form of growth. Hold your heads high and face it bravely; your inner self is stronger than you imagine."

Uchiha Isho imitated those impassioned speakers from his past life, his tone sincere and his demeanor solemn, moving those who heard him.

A group of twelve-year-olds who had yet to be beaten down by society or baptized by "chicken soup for the soul" immediately raised their heads high. Their negative emotions were swept away, and they seemed to have made a firm resolution in their hearts.

Some, whether moved or inspired by Uchiha Isho's words, had tears streaming down their faces. The most notable among them was Rock Lee, whose tears flowed like a fully opened faucet—it wouldn't have been a problem for him to cry for an entire day.